It was a warm, blue-skied afternoon on our recent trip to Arizona and New Mexico, and Anthony and I were about to hike down into historic Canyon de Chelly. First Ted and Evie, our hosts and my dear friends for a number of years now, walked us to several of the most famous lookouts […]
Canyon de Chelly, Kit Carson, Navajo Long Walk
I watched my students, their faces stricken. My heart pinched for them . . . because I remembered how it felt, to learn some of these things for the first time. This school year I’m teaching American Literature, and one of things I love about our school is the flexibility to somewhat develop my […]
Common memory, doctrine of discovery, Native American Heritage Month
I hadn’t been sure what was wrong. This story-in-progress, my third full novel manuscript, has definitely been my most troublesome “child” so far. First, my heroine didn’t want to behave, taking months before she would even “talk” to me. (Yes, novelists hear people who aren’t real. But I don’t think you need to sign […]
characters, paiute, writing
We have a very special treat today—I am hosting one of the final sneak peeks into Lori Benton’s newest historical novel, The Wood’s Edge, before its release on April 21st! The beauty and power of Lori’s writing, as well as our shared heart for Native American history, made me a devoted fan of […]
Do you celebrate Native American Heritage Month? I haven’t become very aware of it until the past few years. And though I’ve been learning more about the stories and heritage of the host peoples of our land year-round, I haven’t usually done anything much different during November. But this year, I had several ideas […]
I sat on the carpet in their living room, with these friends in their home on the Navajo Nation, and shared my heart. Last September, I’d just come from the ACFW conference in Indianapolis and then stopped to visit friends in New Mexico and Arizona. While staying with Mark Charles and his […]
Last week my friend Jennifer Major presented a question I’ve been pondering: “When did you know the story owned YOU? Jennifer and I both write about Navajo history in our novels and have been blessed with the same Navajo/Anglo family to take us under their wings and teach us much. So today, we […]
Recently the racism in Donald Stirling’s alleged remarks has created a bit of a media uproar. For me, it’s been another reminder, as with Trayvon Martin, that while we’ve made progress, racial tensions are far from resolved in America. And it’s gotten me thinking. If Mr. Stirling did indeed make these remarks, I can’t help […]
We heard the announcement over the microphone as we arrived at the circle of booths and pulsing drums: “Where is the little blonde girl who was dancing? We want to honor her with a special dance.” Little blonde girl? Not exactly what you’d expect to hear at a Native American pow wow. The announcement repeated […]
I first heard of author Catherine Richmond a few years ago, when we both became part of the Transformational Fiction group for writers who write stories that deal with tough issues in the light of God’s redemption and grace. (Check out and “like” our Facebook page here!) But it wasn’t until this winter that I […]
