LibGuides: Native American Literature: Further Reading

Further Reading | Native American Literature

Sun Tracks
Launched in 1971, Sun Tracks was one of the first publishing programs to focus exclusively on the creative works of Native Americans. The series has included more than eighty volumes of poetry, prose, art, and photography by such distinguished artists as Joy Harjo, N. Scott Momaday, Simon J. Ortiz, Carter Revard, and Luci Tapahonso.
Mud City Journal
Mud City is an online literary journal promoting the ideals and vision of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Low Residency MFA Program. We publish in the spring of each year. While Mud City is rooted in an Indigenous centered program, we look to publish writers from a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences, styles, and aesthetics.
Theytus Books
Theytus Books is a leading North American publisher of Indigenous voices. Located in Syilx territory on the Penticton Indian Reserve in British Columbia, Theytus Books is proudly First Nations-owned and operated in partnership with the En'owkin Centre.

The Politics of Poetry and Place (activity)

An author's ancestory is inexplicably woven into their work. Understand a piece of literature can be highly dependent on understanding the cultural, geographic and historical context in which the piece was created or is responding. In this activity, we'll read an excerpt from Layli Long Soldier's poem, "Whereas" (2017), the U.S. Congressional Resolution which the poem engages in a poetic, critical conversation and an opinion piece from Indian Country Today to get a sense of the reception of this resolution.

Read an excerpt from Layli Long Soldier's poem, "Whereas"
Read the 2009 US Senate Resolution
Read Rob Capriccioso's column, "A Sorry Saga" which responds to the legislation.
Discuss the connections between the historical treatment of the Oglala Lakota Nation and other Native American peoples by the U.S. Government and how the poem negotiates the past, the present, place, and broken promises.
Discuss how the poem uses form to acknowledge and interrogate the resolution and it's intent.
Still interested in continuing the conversation? Read Natalie Diaz's review of Whereas from the NYT.

Long Solider, Layli. 2017. Whereas. Gray Wolf Press.