I used to object to being called an Indian writer, and would always say I was a writer who happened to be an Indian, and who happened to write about Indians. — James Welch Copy Share Image
The townspeople outside the reservations had a very superior attitude toward Indians, which was kind of funny, because they weren't very wealthy; they were… — James Welch Copy Share Image
I wander around, get the lay of the land and try to imagine what kind of people would have lived there in that historical… — James Welch Copy Share Image
The economic piece is still missing, since it's so hard to attract industry to reservations, but spiritually and educationally, they're doing just fine. Each… — James Welch Copy Share Image
The title of the poems was The Only Bar in Dixon. We sent it out to The New Yorker on a fluke, and they… — James Welch Copy Share Image
I am definitely a storyteller, but probably not a traditional Storyteller. — James Welch Copy Share Image
Nobody would take checks from Indians, nobody would give them any credit, and nobody would let them drink in the bars. There was a… — James Welch Copy Share Image
My poems were just kind of all over the place. They had no focus, no location, nothing. Kind of a series of images that… — James Welch Copy Share Image
I think ethnic and regional labels are insulting to writers and really put restrictions on them. People don't think your work is quite as… — James Welch Copy Share Image
To receive this award from an organization I admire so much makes me totally happy and grateful. — James Welch Copy Share Image
Richard Hugo taught me that anyone with a desire to write, an ear for language and a bit of imagination could become a writer.… — James Welch Copy Share Image
