Author Margaret Noodin to visit Petoskey District Library

Staff reports
·4 min read
Poet and educator Margaret Noodin.
Poet and educator Margaret Noodin.

PETOSKEY — Join the Petoskey District Library and Good Hart Artist Residency as they welcome poet and educator Margaret Noodin twice in May.

At 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3 in the library's children's room, she will read and discuss the children's book "Dakonaninjingwaan, To Fall Asleep Holding Hands." This children’s book is a bi-lingual (Ojibwe and English) story about the gift of relationships. It is written by Fionnan Noori, designed by Shannon Noori, illustrated by Dolly Peltier, and is translated by Margaret Noodin in the Western standard spelling of Anishinaabemowin. This event is offered at no cost to the public, and is intended for children and their parents or caregivers.

Then, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 5 at the Library's Carnegie Building, as part of its NEA Big Read programming, Noodin will present "Ezhi-dibaajimoyaang Michigaming: Telling Stories by the Great Sea," introducing some of the stories and songs of the 142 Anishinaabe nations of the Great Lakes and their relationships with the other humans and non-humans who share that space. At this presentation, you will learn about the web of stewardship that has been in place in the region for millennia and to think together about maintaining Indigenous ways in modern times.

Noodin is visiting the area as a resident to the Good Hart Artist Residency. The residency's mission is to nurture artists, writers, and composers from various backgrounds and artistic disciplines and to connect them with the local community in enriching experiences that empower people through the arts in the natural beauty of Northern Michigan.

Noodin received her master of arts in creative writing and her doctorate in English and linguistics from the University of Minnesota. She is a professor of English and American Indian studies at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, where she also serves as the associate dean of the humanities and director of the Electa Quinney Institute for American Indian Education.She is the author of "Bawaajimo: A Dialect of Dreams in Anishinaabe Language and Literature" and "Weweni and What the Chickadee Knows," which are both bilingual collections of poetry in Anishinaabemowin and English. To hear her work, visit www.ojibwe.net.

While in residence, Noodin will be completing the final edits on a book manuscript for Michigan State University Press titled "Aanikanootaage: Anishinaabe Translations of Global Literature," which will contain translations of a range of world literature by Sappho, Hafiz, Chaucer and Shakespeare along with the Indigenous literature that would have long been exchanged in North America including excerpts of Lakota warrior narratives by George Sword and passages from the Kayanerenko:wa (Great Law of Peace) of the Haudenosaunee. She also plans to write one poem of thanks in Anishinaabemowin each day to be shared via the ojibwe_net Instagram account to celebrate the beauty of the language, the land and the lake.

More: Petoskey District Library to host NEA Big Read, spring crafts

More: Petoskey library to launch community reading program

The Petoskey District Library is one of 61 organizations nationwide selected to receive a 2021-2022 NEA Big Read grant. This year’s book is "An American Sunrise" by Joy Harjo. The $5,000 grant supports the program, events and activities offered to the community this March through May 2022. Numerous partners, including Good Hart Artist Residency, Harbor Springs Festival of the Book, Little Traverse Bay Bands Niigaandiwin Education Department, and Little Traverse Literary Guild are collaborating to engage community members, encouraging a broader understanding of Indigenous themes, voices and perspectives.

NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. For more information about the NEA Big Read, including book and author information, podcasts, and videos, visit www.arts.gov/neabigread. Read all about what the library has scheduled for the NEA Big Read of Joy Harjo's "An American Sunrise" here and its related events at www.petoskeylibrary.org/using-the-library/community-reads.

Petoskey District Library’s hours are Monday-Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday: noon-5 p.m. For more information about donating to the Petoskey District Library gift or endowment funds, visit its website at www.petoskeylibrary.org and click the green donate button, or call staff at (231) 758-3100.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Author Margaret Noodin to visit Petoskey District Library