J. D. Whitney lives in Nokomis/Opikwuna Bioregion, on the east bank of the Wisconsin River, with his wife Lisa Seale and their dog Animosh. He teaches at the University of Wisconsin and, now and again, at College of Menominee Nation.

He has published 16 books/chapbooks since the mid-60s, including The Nabisco Warehouse, Word of Mouth, sd, and most recentlyGrandmother Says (Arctos Press, 2005). He’s received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wisconsin Arts Board. He is guided in his work by the words of Simon Ortiz: “There are no truths, only stories.” He is the author of All My Relations.