Shann Ray is a poet, short story writer, and novelist who grew up in Montana and Alaska and spent part of his childhood on the Northern Cheyenne reservation. He is the author of seven books including most recently a short story collection, Blood Fire Vapor Smokeand a poetry collection, Sweetclover, both of which were published this year. A National Endowment for the Arts Fellow and winner of the American Book Award and the High Plains Book Award, Shann Ray is also a clinical psychologist specializing in the psychology of men, and he teaches leadership and forgiveness at Gonzaga University in Spokane.