New Book Club Celebrates Indigenous Literature and Girlhood
Growing up a self-proclaimed “book-nerd,” poet Kinsale Drake (Diné) dreamed about having an inclusive space to discuss Native literature with other Native youth like herself. However, finding communities that celebrate Native writing can sometimes be very challenging, especially as a young writer. In a recent article, Kinsale tells Yahoo that she grew up “not knowing the wealth of Native authors that existed until later on.” Now, as an adult with a successful writing career, Kinsale strives to bridge the gap between young Native book-lovers and the Native literature world. As a Native writer myself, I remember longing for more exposure to Native writing as well as the ability to share my love for reading with other people. In fact, I’m not sure I even understood that Native writing communities existed in the capacity that they do today.
Because of her experience as a young Native writer, and due to her career as a poet, Kinsale created NDN Girls Book Club; an organization that hosts free writing workshops and lectures to Native people, shares books and content by Native authors, and promotes community-building within the Native writing space, especially for Native youth and girls. NDN Girls Book Club is currently based out of Los Angeles, California, but are planning their official launch event for April 22nd in Phoenix, Arizona. NDN Girls Book Club also recently launched official merch, which although currently sold out, will be expanded upon in the near future. They also collaborate with Quiet Quail Books, one of our favorite California-Indigenous owned bookshops, and offer a “Book of the Month,” which is often accompanied by an author talk hosted by NDN Girls Book Club.
NDN Girls Book Club has received tons of positive press, even before their official launch, including articles written in Teen Vogue and The Salt Lake Tribune, as well as an overflow of support on social media platforms such as Instagram. It’s evident to see that the Native community has been longing for positive, creative, and inclusive representation within the literary world, and NDN Girls Book Club has helped fulfill that need. As stated in Teen Vogue, the club’s three main goals are to facilitate author talks, host tribal youth workshops, and advocate for the inclusion of Native-aurthored literature in educational settings.
“Natives make up less than 1% of publishing professionals, and the representation of Native authors is also very low,” Kinsale tells Teen Vogue.
Being one of two Natives editing and writing for the News from Native California blog and magazine, I understand that Native representation within the literary world is rare. In fact, before accepting this internship, I didn’t see myself working in publishing due to the sheer lack of Native representation within the publishing-realm. That’s why the work Kinsale is doing is so important. It’s vital for young Native girls who grew up reading books, writing stories and poems, and longing for a sense of belonging like both Kinsale and I did, to see that they have the ability to turn their passions into a career. Furthermore, it’s even more valuable for Native youth to have a community that supports their interests and encourages them to be themselves.
