Walter Wangerin, Jr., was born in Oregon but lived in North Dakota during his childhood. "The eternal wind, the extreme weathers, the great expanses," he says, "imprinted on my soul." As an adult, he spent time with the Lakota Indians, and his deep love for the stories and legends of the Lakota people inspired the novel The Crying for a Vision.

Professor Wangerin occupies the Jochum Chair at Valparaiso University, where he is professor of theology, professor of English, and Writer in Residence.  He is well known across the country as the former host of the Lutheran Vespers radio program and as the author of more than thirty-four books, which include poetry, practical theology, collections of short stories and essays, devotionals, and novels.

His outstanding writing has received many awards, including Gold Medallion Book Awards in 1996 for The Book of God: The Bible as a Novel and, in 2001, for Paul, A Novel. The Book of the Dun Cow was recognized in 1978 as The New York Times Best Children's Book of the Year and also won the National Book Award (Am. B.A.) in 1980.

His website is www.WalterWangerinJr.com.