Greg Sarris
Encyclopedia
Gregory Michael Sarris is a college professor
, author, screenwriter, and a member and current Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria
. He was chosen in 2005 to fill the Endowed Chair in Native American Studies
at Sonoma State University
. The Chair was endowed by his tribe.
He was formerly the Fletcher Jones
Professor of Creative Writing and Literature at Loyola Marymount University
in Los Angeles, and a full professor at UCLA for ten years.
. According to Sarris, his birth father was not named on the birth certificate, but friends of his birth mother believed Emilio Hilario was his birth father. Hilario's paternal grandfather was Filipino
and his maternal grandparents were Tom and Emily Smith. Tom was Kashaya Pomo and Miwok
. Mary Bernadette "Bunny" Hartman, of Irish and German-Jewish descent, was his mother. He was adopted by a local couple, George and Mary Sarris.
Sarris attended local schools through Santa Rosa Junior College
, and received a B.A. in 1978 from UCLA
, where he also played football. He worked in Hollywood as a model and actor before going to graduate school. He earned a Ph.D. in modern thought and literature at Stanford University
in 1988, and returned to UCLA to teach in 1989.
He co-produced an HBO movie, Grand Avenue with Robert Redford
in 1996.
, a federally recognized Indian tribe with offices in Rohnert Park, California
.
Short story collections
Nonfiction
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
, author, screenwriter, and a member and current Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria
Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria
The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, formerly known as the Federated Coast Miwok, is a federally recognized American Indian tribe of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo Indians. The tribe was officially restored to federal recognition by the U.S. government pursuant to the Graton Rancheria...
. He was chosen in 2005 to fill the Endowed Chair in Native American Studies
Native American Studies
Native American Studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that examines the history, culture, politics, issues and contemporary experience of Native peoples in North America, or, taking a hemispheric approach, the Americas...
at Sonoma State University
Sonoma State University
Sonoma State University is a public, coeducational business and liberal arts college affiliated with the California State University system. The main campus is located in Rohnert Park, California, United States and lies approximately south of Santa Rosa and north of San Francisco...
. The Chair was endowed by his tribe.
He was formerly the Fletcher Jones
Fletcher Jones
Sir Fletcher Jones OBE was an Australian clothing manufacturer and retailer, and a pioneer in workforce participation...
Professor of Creative Writing and Literature at Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
in Los Angeles, and a full professor at UCLA for ten years.
Life
Sarris was born in 1952 in Santa Rosa, CaliforniaSanta Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
. According to Sarris, his birth father was not named on the birth certificate, but friends of his birth mother believed Emilio Hilario was his birth father. Hilario's paternal grandfather was Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
and his maternal grandparents were Tom and Emily Smith. Tom was Kashaya Pomo and Miwok
Miwok
Miwok can refer to any one of four linguistically related groups of Native Americans, native to Northern California, who spoke one of the Miwokan languages in the Utian family...
. Mary Bernadette "Bunny" Hartman, of Irish and German-Jewish descent, was his mother. He was adopted by a local couple, George and Mary Sarris.
Sarris attended local schools through Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa Junior College is a community college located in the city of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, California. Founded in 1918, it is the tenth oldest community college in the state. Santa Rosa Junior College was modeled as a "junior" version of nearby University of California at Berkeley...
, and received a B.A. in 1978 from UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, where he also played football. He worked in Hollywood as a model and actor before going to graduate school. He earned a Ph.D. in modern thought and literature at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1988, and returned to UCLA to teach in 1989.
He co-produced an HBO movie, Grand Avenue with Robert Redford
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
in 1996.
The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria
Sarris serves as Chairman of Federated Indians of Graton RancheriaFederated Indians of Graton Rancheria
The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, formerly known as the Federated Coast Miwok, is a federally recognized American Indian tribe of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo Indians. The tribe was officially restored to federal recognition by the U.S. government pursuant to the Graton Rancheria...
, a federally recognized Indian tribe with offices in Rohnert Park, California
Rohnert Park, California
Rohnert Park is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located approximately north of San Francisco. The population at the 2010 United States Census was 40,971. It is an early planned city, modeled directly after Levittown, New York and Levittown, Pennsylvania. Rohnert Park is the...
.
Published works
Novels- Watermelon Nights (1998)
Short story collections
- Grand Avenue (1994)
- The Sound of Rattles and Clappers: a Collection of New California Indian Writing (1994) (as editor and contributor)
Nonfiction
- Keeping Slug Woman Alive: A Holistic Approach to American Indian Texts (1993)
- Mabel McKay: Weaving the Dream (1994)
- Approaches to Teaching the Works of Louise Erdrich (2004)
Further reading
- Elvira Pulitano, Toward a Native American Critical Theory. 2005. Sarris is one of six authors whose work is surveyed.