Born in Phoenix Arizona, Michael Lacapa moved to Whiteriver Arizona on the Apache reservation at the age of one. He is the 2nd of eight children with ethnic roots residing from the Hopi, Tewa and Apache Indian tribes. Michael´s boyhood passion for art was ´´fine tuned´´ after earning a bachelors degree in secondary education (art) from Arizona State University and completing graduate studies in print making from Northern Arizona University. He began his formal teaching career at the Phoenix Indian High School and then Chaparral High School in Phoenix. Michael left his high school teaching duties to work with the Apache Tribe in developing multi-cultural educational curricula for native school-age children. From this work came Michael´s first co-authored/illustrated book, Ndee Benagode´i (Three Stories of the White Mountain Apache Tribe). Michael´s storytelling talents were also rooted from this project as storytelling was developed as a teaching tool in the development of teaching materials. Michael then return to the class room from 1982 to 1984 to teach art at Whiteriver Elementary School.

Today, Michael is as well know for authoring and/or illustrating many children´s books as he is for his Native American storytelling. Michael travels throughout the country teaching the craft of art and the love of his culture to school age children through artists in residents programs. He is also sought after by both national and international storyteller´s conventions to teach and tell his wonderful native stories.

Michael has three children and currently lives in Taylor Arizona with his wife Kathy.

Michael Lacapa´s Bibliography:

Book Credits
Ndee Benagode´i, Co-author/ Illustrator (White Mountain Apache Tribe Pub. 1981)
Mouse Couple, Illustrator, (Northland Pub. 1988)
The Flute Player, Author/Illustrator (Northland Pub.1990)
Antelope Woman, Author/Illustrator (Northland Pub. 1992)
Less than Half More than Whole, Co-authored with wife Kathy/Illustrator (Northland Pub. 1994)
The Magic Humming Bird, Illustrator (Kiva Pub. 1996)
Spider Spins A Story, Co-Illustrator (Northland Pub. 1997)
The Good Rainbow Road, Illustrator (Spring of 1999)

Audio Book Credits
Native American Coyote Stories (Sagebrush Productions, 1997)
Native American Stories, Sounds From the Heart (Sagebrush Productions 1998)