Chris LaTray

Visiting Scholar Week:March 9-13

Chris La Tray is a Métis storyteller, a descendant of the Pembina Band of the Red River of the North and a citizen of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. An acclaimed author and cultural voice, Chris explores identity, belonging, and Indigenous experience through essays, poetry, and memoir. His third book, Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home, was published by Milkweed Editions in 2024 and received numerous honors, including a Pacific Northwest Book Award, a Writing the West Award, and Best Memoir of the Year recognition from People and Esquire magazines.

Chris’s first book, One-Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays from the World at Large, won the 2018 Montana Book Award and a 2019 High Plains Book Award. His poetry collection, Descended from a Travel-worn Satchel, featuring haiku and haibun, was published in 2021. Chris served as the 2025 Kittredge Distinguished Visiting Writer at the University of Montana and received the 2025 Montana Heritage Keeper Award from the Montana Historical Society. He writes the weekly newsletter An Irritable Métis and lives near Frenchtown, Montana. Chris served as the 11th Montana Poet Laureate from 2023 to 2025.

 

Sunday, March 8th

  • Travel day to MSU Billings

Monday, March 9th

  • 10:00 AM – NAAC Office Hours
  • 11:50 AM – Walk to Cafeteria for Lunch
  • 3:00 PM – Faculty/Staff Presentation
  • 6:00 PM – Dinner with All Nations & AI Dorm Students

Tuesday, March 10th

  • 11:30AM-1:00 PM – One Book, City College Library book reading
  • Break
  • 3:00–5:00 PM – Student activities

Wednesday, March 11th

  • 11:00 AM – NAAC Office Hours
  • 11:30 AM–12:30 PM – Class discussion
  • 12:30 PM – NAAC Potluck & Talking Circle
  • Break
  • 2:00–3:00 PM – Class discussion followed by NAAC Office Hours
  • 6:00 PM – Dinner with All Nations & AI Dorm Students

Thursday, March 12th

  • 11:30 AM-1:00 PM - One Book, MSUB Library book reading
  • 2:00–5:00 PM – NAAC Office Hours

Friday, March 13th

  • 10:00–11:00 AM – Feedback & Reflection Discussion (open to all)
  • 11:00 AM–1:00 PM – Lunch at NAAC & Gift Presentation (open to all)
  • 1:00 PM – Travel