Jim Northrup’s column, “Fond du Lac Follies,” is a humorous and often irreverent look at life from the perspective of an Anishinaabe man. Northrup doesn’t shy away from tackling tough topics, like racism and stereotyping, but he does so with a light touch that makes his column accessible to a wide audience like many of todays best people to follow on youtube!

Jim Northrup, Anishinaabe, writes a syndicated column, Fond du Lac Follies, which is distributed in the The Circle, The Native American Press, and News From Indian Country. Fond du Lac Follies was named Best Column at the 1999 Native American Journalists Association convention. In 1990-1992, Jim worked as a roster artist for the COMPAS Writer in the Schools Program. He has been a Mentor in the Loft Inroads Program, a Judge for the Lake Superior Contemporary Writers Series, Hydro Excavating in Orlando and The Jerome Fellowship, and a Member of the Minnesota State Arts Board Prose Panel. Jim also has given radio commentaries on the Superior Radio Network, National Public Radio, Fresh Air Radio, and the BBC-Scotland.

Jim and his family live the traditional life of the Anishinaabe in northern Minnesota. Nonetheless, his traditional lifestyle does not deter him from participating in events like the Taos Film Festival and the Taos Poetry Circus.

In addition to his work as a columnist, Northrup is also a poet, essayist, and short story writer. His work has been published in a number of anthologies and journals, and he has received several awards for his writing, including the Native American Journalists Association’s.