musings

A bit of news

It’s been a good opening for The Girl who Sang to the Buffalo. I did my first talks in Canton, South Dakota, the site of the asylum that is a central part of the book, and in several venues in Sioux Falls. As always, I got to meet long-time readers and new friends.

In Canton, I met a man who had been present when the inmates were sent off from the asylum at the time of its closing – he was a young boy attracted to the lights from the train that had been brought in to “evacuate” the remaining inmates, and ran down in time to see the Indians be herded onto the train to be taken to other institutions.

I can’t tell you the thrill that comes from meeting people who saw significant moments of our history first hand. Their stories have life in them that you can never experience from books. I encourage you all to seek out those in your families and communities who carry the experiences of the past in their stories and memories. Their knowledge is precious, and passing too fast.

This week I’ll be doing some radio interviews and speaking at the Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. This is in conjunction with Birchbark Books, one of my favorite bookstores on the planet. The time is 7 p.m. on Thursday.

I’d also like to draw your attention to a review that was in the Minneapolis Tribune. Here is a link to it. It is succinct and – much to my satisfaction – praiseworthy. But, more than that, the reviewer, who is a member of the National Book Critics Circle, “gets it.” I’m posting it here so you can all see it.

Also, here are the two episodes of Common Ground where I discuss my life and work.   They’re hard to post for someone who likes to remain private.  But, for those of you who are curious about the guy who writes the books you read, here is a way to while away an hour of your time.

And, lastly, please remember your independent bookstores.  They care, and the big boys do not.  We need to all work together.

Watch 1

Watch 2

Thanks for staying with me on the journey. Onward through the fog.

A bit of news Read More »

Dan and Grover talk about Indian Mascots

Just as my new book, The Girl who Sang to the Buffalo, is being released, an old issue that Dan and Grover discussed in The Wolf at Twilight is drawing national attention: the issue of Indian mascots. I’m making the chapter where this discussion takes place available on my website. Let’s work together to get this chapter sent to as many people as we can, especially into the hands of opinion and decision makers. I think we have a moment in time when this issue might finally get the consideration it deserves. I think Dan and Grover frame it eloquently. Together, we can help their words be heard. Read Indians and Cavemen here .

Dan and Grover talk about Indian Mascots Read More »

Scroll to Top