Ralph Salisbury

Ralph Salisbury (b. 1924) (Cherokee) is an American poet and fiction writer of Cherokee and Irish American heritage.

Life
Salisbury was born in Arlington, Iowa. His father was Cherokee and his mother was Irish American. He grew up on the family farm in Iowa, without electricity of running water, hunting and trapping for meat and pelts. He joined the Air Force at 17 and, through service in World War II, earned six years of university education.

Salisbury received his M.F.A. from the University of Iowa (where he studied under Robert Lowell) in 1951.

Since 1950, he has worked at writing, editing, translating and teaching writing and literature. He has taught at the University of Oregon since 1960. Before that he taught at Drake University, Texas A &amp; M University, and the University of Frankfurt/Main (Germany). For six years he was the editor-in-chief of Northwest Review.

Salisbury is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of Oregon. He is the author of two books of short fiction and seven books of poetry. He has also co-translated two books by Sami (Lapp) poet Nils-Aslak Valkeappaa.

Recognition

 * Rockefeller Bellagio Award in fiction
 * Northwest Poetry Award
 * Chapelbrook Award
 * Fulbright Professor Germany (1983, 2004, 2005) Norway (1994)
 * Amparts Lecturer, India, 1987

Poetry

 * Ghost grapefruit, and other poems. Ithaca House, 1972.
 * Pointing at the Rainbow: Poems from a Cherokee heritage. Blue Cloud Quarterly Press, 1980.
 * Spirit Beast Chant. Blue Cloud Quarterly Press, 1982.
 * Going To the Water: Poems of a Cherokee heritage, Pacific House Books, 1983.
 * A White Rainbow: Poems of a Cherokee heritage . Blue Cloud Quarterly Press, 1985.

Fiction

 * One Indian and Two Chiefs (stories).' Navajo Community College Press, 1993.
 * The Last Rattlesnake Throw and other Stories. University of Oklahoma Press, 1998.
 * Rainbows of Stone, University of Arizona Press, 2000.
 * War in the Genes, WordTech Communications, 2006.

Translated

 * The Trekways of the Wind, University of Arizona Press, 1994.
 * The Sun, My Father: Nils-Aslak Valkeapaa (with Harald Gaski). University of Washington Press, 1998.