Dr. Theo Van Alst is cool and smart and ready to fight if he has to. I like this about him and his writing. Sacred Smokes is confidently unapologetic. It smokes in the apartment. It doesn’t do the dishes. Native Lakota kid Theo survives in Chicago and Chicago survives in Dr. Van Alst. Theo hasContinue reading “Dr. Theo Van Alst Writes a Book”
Author Archives: Andrea L. Rogers
There There by Tommy Orange
Tommy Orange’s polyphonic novel ties together the lives of several urban Indians as they gravitate towards The Big Oakland Pow Wow. It is beautiful and heartbreaking and funny and true and sad. It comes out on June 5. You should preorder it from your favorite indie bookstore. Nevertheless, here’s that super convenient non-indie bookstore link.Continue reading “There There by Tommy Orange”
KWELI, The 3rd Annual Color of Children’s Literature Conference
In early April I attended Kweli’s 3rd Annual Children’s Literature Conference. KWELI is the creation of Laura Pegram. Laura has suffered as an artist in isolation. This experience led her to create KWELI-an online community for those writers of color working alone. http://www.kwelijournal.org/ Laura has also made it part of her work to create anContinue reading “KWELI, The 3rd Annual Color of Children’s Literature Conference”
Listening to Stories
I am a student in the Low Residency program at The Institute for American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. The Low Rez program is amazing. I have had several kind and amazing writing teachers. I’ll go more into that in a later post. My mentor this semester is Tommy Orange. His debut novel, There There,Continue reading “Listening to Stories”
Go do stuff
Sadly, a certain amount of benign neglect makes for an interesting life. Feel stupid having bought my family this book when l went to school and left them alone for 9 days in a cabin in the woods. You know. On a mountain. With no phone. No electric. It would have felt irresponsible to say,Continue reading “Go do stuff”
Writers Read
above/top: Cover of 4 Kids Walk into a Bank. Directly above: quote adapted from Scorsese’s Mean Streets, ” You don’t make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets. You do it in the home. The rest is bullshit and you know it.” 4 Kids Walk into a Bank was unputdownable.Continue reading “Writers Read”
Flashback to the Present
Native writers at Kweli’s Color of Children’s Literature Conference in April 2016 Front: L to R: Charlene Willing McManis (Grand Ronde); Andrea L. Rogers (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma); Marcie Rendon (White Earth (Anishinaabe) Nation) Back: L to R: Natalie Dana (Passamaquoddy); Laura Kaye Jagles (Tesuque Pueblo); Traci Sorell (Cherokee Nation); Joseph Bruchac(Abenaki); and Kevin Maillard (Seminole) Two years ago, IContinue reading “Flashback to the Present”
Back Door Book Shop
This place had achieved urban myth status for me. I had heard it existed but no one could give me an address. “Hole in the wall.” “Hidden green door.” “Quaint.” “Fantastic used book store.” “Great prices.” When my work recently moved downtown, a Moroccan Coffee place within walking distance was recommended to me. Curious, IContinue reading “Back Door Book Shop”
Start a Book Club
You’ve devoured the book. All done, right? Wrong. A great meal tastes better when you tell someone about it. Books are the same way. Talking about books allows you to experience the work in a different way. It forces you to think harder. You are no longer passively absorbing story. You are interacting with theContinue reading “Start a Book Club”
Half Price Book Barn
I love this little bookstore. It’s in a house just South of the Justin Boot Factory parking lot. Today I scored a Dracula comic book from 1974 for $3 for my husband as a Valentine’s day gift. And a pulp novel with an pulp cover for $1. I spent about $50 and the owner wasContinue reading “Half Price Book Barn”
andrealrogers.com 