Indigo's Bookshelf: Voices of Native Youth

 This person is so awesome, she was like: "Why do you want to interview me?"  Later asking (when I pestered), "You still trying to interview me?"  😂 As soon as I found out about Alia Jones, I knew I liked her and that she would accept me. She is a voice of justice and art and talent and care. We love kids books. We're concerned with Afro-Indigenous identity and history--and how our ancestors honor each other today.  I worked extra hard on my questions because I knew our conversation would resonate. I knew she would dare with me--if I dared with her. Grab a hold--here we goes! C: What's your provenance? You've mentioned your mom and dad a little online. I recently learned your name comes from Frank Herbert's St Alia of the Knife. Where did you come from and who do you belong to? A: My roots are in Alabama and Mississippi, but I was born and raised up north, in Cincinnati Ohio. My mom and dad were very special people. They’ve both passed on. I’m tryin...

I asked my friends if I could be the first one to do a blog after our long hiatus. Indigo's Bookshelf has changed. We have some new members--like Liz H., 16, who can talk to Florida, Deaf, Mexican Indigenous experience! Alexis has decided to take more of a backseat (because she became a lightning rod for criticism). But we still feel this is worth the mission we set out to do! To honor the strength and memory of our friend Indigo and talk about Indigenous books for kids and teens.  My life has changed too. Last year, my younger sister Violet, or Vi which she preferred, died of Covid-19. She was "almost six." It's been hard for me to read kidlit because of her. It was Dawn Quigley's early chapter book Jo Jo Makoons that brought me back and I know this is a book that kids like Vi will love to read and feel proud to be Indigenous. Dawn Quigley is a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe, North Dakota. The illustrator Tara Audibert is of Wolastoqey/French he...