He has been a mentor to the notable Native American writer Sherman Alexie.
Noted authors who have been associated with the Port Townsend Writers' Conference over the years include Margaret Atwood, Raymond Carver, Alice Walker, Leslie Marmon Silko, Ken Kesey, Carolyn Forché, Belle Randall, Barry Lopez, Tom Robbins, Sam Hamill, Marvin Bell, Sherman Alexie, David Guterson, Terry Tempest Williams and Frank Herbert.
Famous Native American writer Sherman Alexie attended Reardan High School, which is featured in a few of his stories and in his 2007 novel for young adults, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
William Tecumseh Sherman | Sherman | Cindy Sherman | Sherman, Texas | M4 Sherman | Sherman Antitrust Act | Richard Sherman | Allan Sherman | Sherman Alexie | Roger Sherman | Richard M. Sherman | Sherman's March to the Sea | Sherman Cymru | Sherman Minton | David Sherman | Amy Sherman-Palladino | Sherman Brothers | Al Sherman | Allie Sherman | Sherman Hemsley | Sherman Adams | Jeff Sherman | James Sherman (minister) | Vincent Sherman | Sherman Williams (American football) | Sherman Williams | Sherman County, Oregon | Sherman County | Russell Sherman | Liz Sherman |
A Coast Salish from the Sliammon First Nation near Powell River, British Columbia, he is best known internationally for his roles in the films of Sherman Alexie, as Thomas Builds-the-Fire in the 1998 film Smoke Signals and Seymour Polatkin in the 2002 film The Business of Fancydancing.