Chris La Tray

Chris La Tray
Born	1967 (age 57–58)
Occupation	Writer
Website
chrislatray.com

Chris La Tray (born April 4, 1967) is a writer who lives in Missoula, Montana. He is a member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana and also identifies as Métis.[1][2] His first full-length 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. He published Descended From a Travel-worn Satchel, a book of haiku and haibun poetry, in 2021. His next book, Becoming Little Shell was published on August 20, 2024, by Milkweed Editions. It won a 2025 Pacific Northwest Book Award.[3] La Tray was named Montana’s poet laureate for 2023-2024.[4]

La Tray grew up in Frenchtown, Montana. His grandparents identified as Chippewa but his father denied the family's Native American ancestry.[5] He was raised with a knowledge of his Chippewa background,[2] but first became aware that his heritage was also Métis and Little Shell in his early 40s, a common experience for people of Little Shell heritage.[5] His Métis great-great-grandfather worked an interpreter for the US Army, as he knew multiple languages, including French, English, Cree, Chippewa (Ojibwe), Dakota, and Crow (Apsalooke).[2]

La Tray keeps a bi-weekly Substack newsletter called, "An Irritable Métis."

Prior to publishing full-length books, La Tray published numerous freelance nonfiction and short fiction pieces as well as photography,[6] and was a regular contributing writer for the Missoula Independent.[7]

References

1. "Chris La Tray". Chris La Tray. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
2. La Tray, Chris (21 December 2021). "I was raised beside 'Squaw Peak' – it's time to change America's offensive place names". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
3. "An Evening with Métis Storyteller, Chris La Tray". dearbutte.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
4. "Chris La Tray Named 2023-2024 Montana Poet Laureate". news.mt.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
5. "A big moment finally comes for the Little Shell: Federal recognition of their tribe". Washington Post. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
6. "Chris LaTray - "If You Don't Ask, You Can't Hear Yes" (or) "Wolf Watching with John Vaillant"". Tell Us Something. September 12, 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
7. "Missoula Independent | Representative sample of multiple other credits". www.newspapers.com. 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2022.

External links

• An Irritable Métis newsletter
• Poetry at Tiny Seed Journal