Gary Robinson is a seasoned writer/author, filmmaker and digital photographic artist of Choctaw and Cherokee Indian descent with experience in many aspects of television production and both fiction and non-fiction writing.

Much of his work has been about or on behalf of American Indian tribes, organizations and businesses, creating documentaries, informational video programs, books and educational materials on the histories, cultures and contemporary issues of indigenous peoples. Since 2015, he has done intensive research, writing and publication on the topic of California History from a Native American perspective.

His 2019 teen novel, Standing Strong, about a suicidal Native teen girl whose life is transformed when she takes part in an oil pipeline protest to protect sacred Native land and water, won the 2019 Moonbeam Children’s Book Gold Award for Fiction/Mature Issues and was named one of the Best Books of 2019 by American Indians in Children’s Literature.

Over the years, he has written, produced, directed, shot and/or edited more than 100 video/television programs for and about American Indian people and published eighteen Native American books. He earned a B.A. in Film Production and an M.A. in educational media from the University of Texas in Austin. He currently lives in central California.

Robinson was awarded the Best Animation award for his short film "We Are All Related" at the 40th Annual American Indian Film Festival hosted by the American Indian Film Institute in San Francisco, California Nov 14, 2015. Robinson was the Writer, Producer, and Director of the film. The film is available for viewing on the NativeFlix website: nativeflix.com.

He is the author of eight PathFinders novels: Standing Strong  Thunder on the Plains, Tribal Journey, Son Who Returns, Little Brother of War, and the Billy Buckhorn Trilogy: Abnormal, Paranormal, and Supranormal.

Other titles include: From Warriors to Soldiers, The Language of Victory, and Powerful Medicine (Geronimo Jones Mysteries Book 1). He also co-authored with Jesse T. Hummingbird Native American Twelve Days of Christmas and Native American Night Before Christmas, new edition available now.

Recently Arrived: a new title in our Native Trailblazers series, Native Actors and Filmmakers: Visual Storytellers, and in our children's collection,  Be Your Own Best Friend FOREVER! featuring his niece Jayla Rose, which is in its third printing! 

Listen to Literal app conversation with Gary on Spotify here.

Find his film channel, Tribal Eye Productions on YouTube here https://www.youtube.com/user/tribaleyepro

Joseph Bruchac reviews Gary's latest novel, Standing Strong:

"Gary Robinson is a writer whose work has always demonstrated his understanding of Indian country and the issues facing our youth. This new story, however—of a disaffected young Blackfeet woman whose friend has just taken her own life—lifts his message to a new level.
All too often these days, young men and women in our reservation communities see no way out other than suicide. It’s a blight that occurs today among Native American kids in epidemic proportions. Rhonda Runningcrane, Robinson’s protagonist, is painfully real and her odyssey to find meaning in her life is equally believable. Robinson also uses her journey toward balance and self-discovery to deftly bring in one of the major issues facing not just Native communities but our nation as a whole.
The fact that this tightly constructed short novel does not conclude with a storybook total victory makes it even more real and, because Rhonda does not give up, inspiring. This is the kind of story that every native teenager should have the chance to read. I strongly recommend it — not just to every tribal library (where sets of it should be available)—but to YA audiences everywhere."
— Joseph Bruchac

Read about praise for Gary's Standing Strong here!

Follow Gary online:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram