“May my writings, however they are received, at least promote the exploration of the oral and written literature of Native Americans. Their words are theirs to tell. Any errors or omissions or contradictory thoughts are mine and mine alone. Again read the books and listen to the stories they have to tell. My intent is respect for Native American story tellers and writers. The Native American writers I have mentioned represent only a portion of the excellent writing available to readers. I can only be a shadow in their spirits.” – Allene Joyce, August 2007  

Allene Joyce is the pseudonym of Joyce Alliene Halvorsen. She obtained her BS in English from Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin. She writes poetry, essays, and short stories. Ghost Dancer is her first novel. Her next book is a lovely book of poetry and photographs entitled Seasons of the Heart which is a book about time and seasons.

Joyce was born in Wisconsin on Valentine´s Day, 1947. She worked at the Beloit Daily News creating advertising copy after high school and then worked at the Universityof Wisconsin-Library System for many years before returning to college to finish her degree.

In her childhood, Joyce spent summers at the family´s homestead in South Dakota, where she developed the first stories for this book. For many years, Joyce and her husband Tom (along with their dogs Patches and Sally) enjoyed weekends at their retreat along the Wisconsin River in Rhinelander. Joyce and Tom now live in Florida and spend their time traveling.

Joyce works as an editor for other authors as she continues to write her own works. A new book in the works is Dreams and Dilemmas: Short Stories From the Shadows out next year.