On April 23, the MATC Native American Author Series presented a reading with authors Gordon Henry and Kimberly Blaser. The reading and book signing took place in the sixth floor cafeteria. In attendance were MATC students, faculty and staff, and an eighth grade class from Indian Community School. The authors read from a collection of poems and stories written about experiences they’ve had as members of the Anishinaabe Tribe, also known as the Ojibwe Tribe.Henry, an associate professor from Michigan State University, opened the reading with a traditional Native American story. He’s been traveling for 15 years as a writer. His on-the-road lifestyle is expressed through his poetry. “I like storytelling; it’s bound up in books and tradition,” is a sentiment shared by both authors.
Growing up without a television in a remote area of Minnesota’s White Earth Reservation contributed to Blaser’s family-
oriented reading. “I’ve liked story telling since I was a little person,” she told the audience. She read a poem entitled “Family Tree” and described how her poems are always evolving. “Most of Native American stories come from the sacred and the daily,” she said.
Blaser is a professor at UWM and teaches Native American Literature along with two other writing classes. She’s spoken in Indonesia and plans to travel to France and Canada soon. Blaser enjoys getting students interested in literature and attributes the longevity of Native American Literature to new voices.
Henry teaches American Indian Literature, Creative Writing, and is Director of Creative Writing at Michigan State University. He said that by traveling and sharing his poems he hopes to inspire somebody. Henry plans to teach in Spain during the summer.
The lecture ended with a question and answer section. The eighth grade class from Indian Community School received advice on how to write their own autobiographies. Copies of the author’s books were made available at the lecture, courtesy of Woodland Patterns, a bookstore in Riverwest. Henry and Blaser were available afterward to sign their books and chat with the public.
