‘Four Winds’ Writer Sherman Alexie Bringing Lester Fallsapart Back To The Met

“Gathering of the Four Winds” Location and time: The Met, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $8 ($10 at the door) available at Phoenix Gallery at NorthTown mall; Moonshadow, 2 N. Howard; Creative Native, 7202 E. Sprague; and Auntie’s Bookstore, Main and Washington

Lester FallsApart will make another visit to The Met stage Thursday evening at the third annual “Gathering of the Four Winds.”

FallsApart is the onstage alter ego of Indian writer Sherman Alexie. He’s a dignified, if sodden, font of Native wisdom and spontaneous humor.

That he is also a recurring character in Alexie’s fiction and poetry only adds to his allure.

The show will also feature singer/songwriter Jim Boyd, who recently collaborated with Alexie on a CD composed of songs written by Alexie for his most recent work and first novel, “Reservation Blues.”

Boyd recently rereleased his first tape, “Reservation Bound,” as a CD and is working on a new record to be titled “First Come, Last Served.”

Northern Plateau, a drum and dance troupe, will perform, and Charlie Rising Sun will play a selection of traditional and contemporary flute pieces.

Indian artists Virgil “Smoker” Marchand, George Flett and Ric Gendron will display their work in The Met lobby before and during the show.

Alexie, who was raised on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Wash., but who now lives in Seattle, says Lester FallsApart evolved during a 3-1/2-month book tour this year.

“Lester has changed; this is more of Lester’s political views, sort of Lester calling from Lake Woebegone.”

Alexie, a true storyteller and humorist, said he improvises about 50 percent of his material during a performance, often based on whatever he’s angry about at the moment.

Alexie’s novel “Reservation Blues” is in its third printing and will be issued as a paperback by Warner Books next spring.

His new novel, “Indian Killer,” will be released by Harper Atlantic in September 1996.