Bruce Berger is a nonfiction writer and poet best known for writings that explore the intersections of nature and culture, particularly in desert settings. Bruce spent much of his early childhood in suburban Chicago and eventually graduated from Yale University with a B. A. in English. He then entered graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley. It was during his graduate work that Bruce became attracted to the desert, the landscape, and the environment in general. One particular day, wondering what Crater Lake might look like in the snow, Bruce threw his books down the library chute and left academia for good. He subsequently played piano professionally for three years in Spain, and more recently has played benefit classical recitals in Mexico.

Bruce has a special connection to Glen Canyon as he may have been one of the last individuals to travel through Glen Canyon prior to its inundation. Bruce’s book, There Was A River, illustrates the wonder of Glen Canyon and a free-flowing river, with the title piece being a narrative of the final trip through the Glen. Bruce has written several other pieces, including: The Telling Distance, an essay collection that won the 1990 Western States Book Award and the 1991 Colorado Book Award; Oasis of Stone: Visions of Baja California Sur, which won the 2006 ForeWord Silver Award in the Nature category and the 2006 Colorado Authors’ Lague Award for Specialty Writing. His articles and essays have appeared in the New York Times, Sierra, Orion, Gramophone and numerous literary articles.

In October, 2008, Bruce Berger was sent by the Department of State to represent the United States at the Mussoorie International Wrtiter’s Festival in northern India, followed by a week of readings in New Delhi and Mumbai.

Click here to view video of Bruce at GCI’s 15th anniversary event.