President's Message NEWSLETTER Inside This Issue
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NEWSLETTER Volume 41:2 Fall 2019 ISSN 0193-8207 President’s Message Inside This Issue President’s Message 1 Dear AILA Members, Inside This Issue 1 Thank you for this opportunity to serve as your President for this year, 2019-2020. Joy Harjo 3 Interview w/ Australia Aboriginal Authors This year, AILA was delighted to join ATALM in an official capacity. The AILA at National Book Festival 4 Roundtable was a great kick-off to what will University of New Mexico and Red Planet be an annual presence as AILA will now Books 7 conduct a business meeting at future ATALM Conferences. Soldiers Unknown 8 Additional banner highlights include the PJ Maracle, AILA Emerging Leader 9 announcement of Joy Harjo as our first Response to Heather McNeil 10 American Indian Poet Laureate. January 2020 will also mark the first announcement of Business Meeting Minutes 12 the AIYLA winners at the Youth Media Awards celebration in Philadelphia, PA. AILA @ ALA 19 Even while we celebrate, however, there have also been reminders of the critical importance of a vocal and active AILA organization. Debbie Reese was singled out for disparaging comments, and not in spite of, but because of her long and venerable work in reviewing children’s and YA literature. While Dr. Reese often evaluates books by and about American Indians and 1 AILA Executive Board Native cultures, her work speaks to the President broadest context of diversity and inclusion. George Gottschalk (Muscogee Creek) Vice President/President-Elect The attack on Debbie Reese reminds us that we continue to have work that must be Cindy Hohl (Dakota, Santee Sioux) done. The celebration of AIYLA at the Secretary YMAs remind us of the strength and power Aaron LaFromboise (Blackfeet) of our organization, as well as of the Treasurer collective communities and nations AILA Liana Juliano represents. Executive Director Heather Devine-Hardy (Eastern Shawnee) As the larger library profession continues to Past President grapple with issues of equity, diversity and Lillian Chavez (Mescalero Apache) inclusion, AILA has always been a leader in Board Members at Large this arena. While others often forget, we Joy Bridwell (Chippewa-Cree), 2018-2020 have operated as one of the most diverse representative organizations within the Rhiannon Sorrell (Diné), 2018-2020 profession, with a vast range of cultures Carla Davis-Castro, 2019-2021 from Arapaho to Zuni. The AILA Newsletter is published biannually in Spring and Fall. As always, we encourage your ongoing Articles and News of interest to AILA members participation. If you have any interest in should be sent for consideration to: serving as AILA leadership, even if in the [email protected] future, please be in contact with a current Deadlines for submitting materials are: Board Member. If you wish to either March 15 for inclusion in the Spring issue participate either without committing to a October 15 for inclusion in the November issue Board position or to prepare for one, please Advertising Policy: consider volunteering: Advertisements will be accepted as space permits. https://ailanet.org/about/committees/ Advertising should be submitted to: committee-volunteer-form/ [email protected] Rates: Full page: $125; half page: $75; quarter page: Finally, in order to help us eliminate any $50. Payment is requested at the time the ad is barriers to robust member participation and submitted. representation, we invite your comments on Job Listings: how to improve AILA over the coming There is no fee for members to post job years: advertisements on our AILA-L listserv. The fee for unaffiliated organizations is $50. Job listings should be submitted to: Heather Devine-Hardy at: Sincerely and Mvto, [email protected] George Gottschalk 2 AILA Congratulates and Celebrates Joy Harjo Poet Laureate for our shared nation and for all our nations 3 Interview with Australia Aboriginal Writers at National Book Festival Jennifer Manning Carla Davis-Castro On August 31, 2019, the Library of Congress hosted the 19th National Book Festival in Washington, DC. AILA members Jennifer Manning and Carla Davis -Castro interviewed three of Australia's Aboriginal writers, who traveled upon invitation to speak on a panel. Jeanine Leane (Wiradjuri) spoke about her latest book, a poetry collection titled Walk Back Over, Brenton E. McKenna (Yawaru) discussed the third installment in the Ubby’s Underdogs graphic novel series, and Kim Scott (Noongar) talked about his latest novel, Taboo. During the panel session, all of the authors spoke about indigenous languages. Jeanine spoke about her experiences in school where she was not allowed to speak her language yet she said that the language was not dead, it was sleeping. She said learning to speak her language was like being born again. “How bashed into submission was my mouth? I was a slave to gram- mar, to punctuation.” She also explained “You can only understand people through their sto- ries. I write to remember. Australia as a settled colony needs to be unsettled. So I write to unsettle. So many people think aboriginal people should only write about aboriginal things, but we can write about other things.” Brenton described how today’s accents are influenced by the land. In the Catholic schools he attended, the students were encouraged to only speak English at home and to correct their parents, but this started changing around 15 years ago. In a later interview he said that some of the current church leaders speak Yawuru and he would one day like to write a graphic novel completely in this language. Kim said that he invested great time and energy in language recovery. Learning an indigenous language can help one resonate with the spirit of the country. “Indigenous languages are a major denomination in the currency of identity and belonging. That’s where the potential for transformation comes.” Kim works with the WIrlomin Noongar Language and Stories project www.wirlomin.com.au to produce illustrated Noongar language books that are published through the University of Western Australia Publishing. 4 Kim and Jeanine both said that, just as in North America, there are “problematic” books that portray indigenous peoples in stereotypical ways. There are some important Australian contemporary novelists that get indigenous characters “all wrong.” Interview Questions 1.Do you feel pigeonholed as an “Indigenous writer”? Brenton: Being a graphic novelist, they don’t know what to with me. When people hear I’m an aboriginal artist, they want to know what kind of [Aboriginal Australian] dot paintings I do. Kim: Sometimes we get trapped in the genre, but we can trap ourselves, too. Jeanne: Our indigenous communities are very policed, both within and without, about what to write, and who can write.” She explained that her next work is about indigenous charac- ters living and flourishing “off country”* and she knows that she will meet some resistance about that. *“off country” meaning away from your native homeland. Sort of like “off the rez.” 2. Are there tribal libraries in Australia? Can you describe what they are like? All three authors explained that Australia does not have libraries (public or academic) or col- leges operated by tribal governments the way the U.S. and Canada does. However, many libraries have an “indigenous studies” section. Both resources and literacy are problems in indigenous communities. Brenton explained that many indigenous children still attend one- room schools. Indigenous communities do not have the resources to pay for authors to come out to visit. Kim said he feels the best way to get books into the hands of indigenous peoples is through indigenous language projects. Jeanne tries to mentor young indigenous writers, especially those who have yet to publish. 3.What role have libraries played in your life during your youth, schooling, or currently? Brenton: I used to get into trouble with an old English librarian for reading comics. She called them ‘pulp fiction’ like it was excrement. The library became more of a haven in secondary school. Comic books forced me to ask questions. I tell my kids not to be afraid of the library because it is a mountain of knowledge just waiting. My son says ‘there is nothing there for me’ and I say I bet I can find something in five minutes and I do. 4.What would you want librarians in the U.S. to know about your work or to share with their patrons? 5 Brenton: “Don’t pigeonhole my books! Don’t just put them in the “Indigenous Australian Studies” section. They are good enough to be in the regular graphic novels section!” Brenton also said that Indigenous Australians are becoming more aware of Native Americans and they are starting to adopt the term “First Nations.” However, there is also a strong interest and affinity with African American culture. 5.What future projects are in the works? Brenton: “Nothing is off limits.” For his next work, he would like to do ghost stories in the genre of indigenous horror. He is in the process of speaking to his community elders because “I have to get my community’s approval. In the future, I may approach other community elders.” Brenton will also take part in Australian’s first Indigenous Comic Con in Melbourne in November https://www.indigenouspopx.com/ thanks to the efforts of AILA member Dr. Lee Francis. For more information on Aboriginal Australian authors and works: • Magabala Books Press (https://www.magabala.com/) • Australia’s only indigenous publisher, and publisher of Brenton’s graphic novels. • Cordite Books Press (https://corditebooks.org.au/) • Noongar Language and Stories project (www.wirlomin.com.au) • Red Room Poetry (https://redroomcompany.org/) promotes indigenous poetry Are you passionate about the AILA Newsletter? Contact [email protected] if you are interested in volunteering to serve as our next Newsletter Editor! 6 New Mexico Co-Publishing Partnership to Showcase Native American Writers ALBUQUERQUE—The University of New Mexico Press and Red Planet Books and Comics announce a co-publishing partnership that will launch the book series Red Planet Books in Spring 2021.