Sovereign Bones
AMERINDA's new creative non-fiction compilation entitled Sovereign Bones; (ISBN Number 1-56858-357-0) evolves out of the critical success and significant contribution of Genocide of the Mind, which is now in its second printing. This new non-fiction literary anthology, edited by Eric Gansworth (Eel Clan-Onondaga) contains the works of 32 Native writers. Established writers including Sherman Alexie, Louise Erdrich, Joy Harjo, and the late John Mohawk together with emerging writers focus on the key role that writers and visual artists have played in the struggle for Native peoples to retain their separate identities. The book is the second volume published by Nation Books and supported in part with funds from the Literature Program of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)
Eric Gansworth (Eel Clan-Onondaga), 
the book's editor, has written the novels Indian Summers, Nickel Eclipse: Iroquois Moon, Smoke Dancing, Mending Skins.
His short fiction has appeared in the anthologies, Growing Up Native American, Blue Dawn Red Earth, Iroquois
Voices Iroquois Visions, The Second Word Thursdays Anthology, Stories for Winter Nights,
Fishing for Chickens, Nothing but the Truth: An Anthology
of Native American Literature, and Eating Fire Tasting Blood. Eric Gansworth's poetry has been included
in a performance audiotape Roadkillbasa; and in the journals, Blueline,
Shenandoah, The Cream City Review, Slipstream, phati'tude, and UCLA's American
Indian Culture and Research Journal as well as the anthology, Children of the
Dragonfly.
His first piece of Creative Non-Fiction appears in the anthology
Genocide of the Mind. Mr Gansworth has received a Writer in Residency award
from Just Buffalo Literary Center, Inc. He is a Professor of English and Lowery
Writer in Residence at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.
Oren Lyons (Wolf Clan-Onondaga), Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan Onondaga Council
of Chiefs of the Haudenosaunee, wrote the forward. As Faithkeeper, he is entrusted
to maintain the customs, traditions, values and history of the Turtle Clan and
represents the people to the World Community. He has helped establish the United
Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations, participated in the Indigenous
Peoples Conference in Geneva, and is a principal figure in the Traditional Circle
of Indian Elders. He was invited to address the General Assembly of the United
Nations and open the International Year of the World's Indigenous People at the
United Nations Plaza in New York. That same year he organized a delegation of
the Haudenosaunee to the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)
in Rio de Janeiro and was invited by UNCED Secretary General Maurice Strong,
to address the national delegations.
Oren Lyons is co-editor with the late John Mohawk of Exiled in the Land of the Free: Democracy, Indian Nations, and the U.S. Constitution and publisher of Daybreak, a national Native American magazine. He is Professor of American Studies at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo where he directs the Native American Studies Program and teaches undergraduate courses in Surveys of Native American History and a Native American Studies Colloquium. Mr. Lyons was named a distinguished professor at SUNY Buffalo in the spring of 2007.
To order and read reviews go to »WWW.AMAZON.COM
Genocide of the Mind
Genocide of the Mind (ISBN Number 1-56025-511-0), AMERINDA's anthology of literary non-fiction writings by established and emerging Native American writers includes 30 essays written by well-known Indian writers such as Paula Gunn Allen, Maurice Kenny, Simon Ortiz, as well as emerging writers from several Native Nations. The book, which is published by Nation Books and is now in its second printing, is supported in part with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Literature Program's New Native American Writers' Initiative.
MariJo Moore (Cherokee),
the book's editor, is the author of The Diamond Doorknob,
Crow Quotes, Spirit Voices of Bones, Tree Quotes, Desert Quotes, Red
Woman with Backward Eyes and Other Stories, all published by rENEGADE
pLANETS pUBLISHING and The Cherokee Little People, The Ice Man, The
First Fire (children's books published by Rigby Educations, a division
of Harcourt).
Her work has appeared in numerous publications including,
National Geographic, New York Times Syndicated Press, Indigenous Woman,
Voices From Home: An Anthology of North Carolina Prose, Native Artists,
Great Falls Tribune, Asheville Citizen Times, Charlotte Observer, The
North Carolina Literary Review and many more. She serves on the Board
of Editors for Points of Entry: Cross Currents in Storytelling, is the
editor of Feeding The Ancient Fires: A Collection of Writings by North
Carolina American Indians and a contributing editor to An Anthology
of 20th Century North Carolina Poets. Ms. Moore was honored with the
prestigious award of North Carolina's Distinguished Woman of the Year
in the Arts in 1998. She served on the Board of the North Carolina Humanities
Council from 2000 to 2003.
Vine Deloria, Jr. (Standing Rock Sioux), the late distinguished elder and author
wrote the foreward. For over thirty years, author Vine Deloria, Jr.
worked to create a body of literature that enlightened non-Indians
who had not heard the true Indian story, and empowered Indians by outlining
where we were vulnerable and how we could counter the anti-Indian movements.
A member of the Standing Rock Sioux from South Dakota, Deloria was considered
internationally as a prominent spokesperson for the rights and concerns
of indigenous peoples. He was one of those gifted people who wove his
heritage - with dedication to the preservation of the cultural and spiritual
legacies of American Indians - into the world of writing. His published
works include: Custer Died For Your Sins; God Is Red: A Native View
of Religion; For This Land and Singing for a Spirit.
To order and read reviews go to »WWW.AMAZON.COM
Vine Deloria Jr. 1933-2005
Amerinda sadly acknowledges the passing of renowned Champion
of Indian Rights Vine Deloria Jr.,(Standing Rock Sioux)
who burst forth into the American consciousness in 1969 with
his book Custer Died for Your Sins. Trained as a seminarian and
a lawyer he sought to reveal the true nature of Native American identity
to non-Indians as the basis for reconciliation between the two groups.
He continued his message through 20 more books. (Photo
by Chris Richards courtesy of Indian Country Today) The ultimate
power of his argument was his own personal, passionate statement that
made it more than a history. Vine himself advised us on how to illuminate
the vital Native American spirit that infuses AMERINDA's non-fiction anthology,
Genocide of the Mind:New Native American Writing, for which he wrote the
forward. Vine had the courage and the vision to challenge the dominating
society at its core. He was unapologetic in confronting the racism of
U.S. law and policy, and he was prophetic in challenging young indigenous
activists to hone their strategies. Although he has crossed over to join
the ancestors he is still in our hearts.
Talking Stick Arts Quarterly
Talking
For 15 years between 1997 and 2012 Stick Native Arts Quarterly published Indigenous arts, news, commentaries,
features, fiction, poetry and essays written by Native American writers.
Our mission was to promote, give exposure to, and explore ideas in the
world of contemporary American Indian arts. Talking Stick Native Arts
Quarterly was published in New York City by American Indian Artists Inc.
(Amerinda). To access any of the issues please visit our archive.
