In Smoke Rising, Abenaki author and editor Joseph Bruchac has brought together an impressive sample of the work of some of the most important voices in contemporary Native literature.

The key to appreciating the usefulness of this book is in its subtitle: The Native North American Literary Companion."

Thirty-seven Native authors are featured. For each author, a brief biographical essay serves as a preface to a selection from the work of that author. If the author is a poet, several poems are reproduced. If the author is a novelist or a playwright, …