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laylajohnston.bsky.social
Recommended reading for Native American Heritage Month! Our Knives Will Save Us: Dispatches From a White Mountain Apache Chef by Nephi Craig. A searing personal and cultural reckoning that demonstrates the power of food to heal intergenerational wounds. More in alt text #booksky #nativewriters
Our Knives Will Save Us Dispatches from a White Mountain Apache Chef By Nephi Craig Named a nonfiction book “Everyone Will Be Reading This Summer” by the New York Times From Indigenous chef Nephi Craig, a searing personal and cultural reckoning that demonstrates the power of food to heal intergenerational wounds At just eighteen years old, Nephi Craig was facing a felony charge that could have put him in prison for years. Having struggled with substance abuse throughout his teens, his life had come to a dizzying halt. So when a judge ordered three years of probation instead—on the condition he attend work or school—Craig took it as an opportunity for a new lease on life. Not long after, he enrolled in a culinary arts program a few hours from Whiteriver, Arizona, where he had grown up on the White Mountain Apache Tribe Reservation. Expecting little more than a means to an end, Craig quickly discovered a talent and passion for cooking. He also experienced a profound dissonance as the only Indigenous person in the kitchen, preparing European recipes that—disguised by their French and Italian names—relied on ingredients native to the Americas. Craig untangled the buried histories of Indigenous cultivars such as tomato, cacao, and amaranth, each one a portal into possibility as well as a marker of the violent legacy of colonization. As he did so, he found new ways to honor his Apache and Navajo roots and build Indigenous food sovereignty. His journey led him around the world, from top fine-dining restaurants in the United States to high-profile banquets in Brazil, England, Germany, and Japan. All the while, Craig wrestled with addiction, entering one treatment center after another in the hopes that he could get—and remain—sober.
November 10, 2026 at 6:11 PM
nativealliance.bsky.social
9th Annual Native American Feature Film Writers Lab continued with an exciting day of industry conversations featuring Christine Sun of Universal Pictures & screenwriter Tom Hanada! They shared insights into developing feature films & building a writing career!
#NativeWriters #IndigenousStorytelling
November 8, 2026 at 4:18 PM
laylajohnston.bsky.social
Highly recommended reading for Native American Heritage Month. Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land by Toni Jensen, Métis. This powerful memoir in essays examines what it means to be an Indigenous woman in America through experiences with guns and gun violence. #booksky #nativewriters
A powerful, poetic memoir about what it means to exist as an indigenous woman in America, told in snapshots of the author's encounters with gun violence. "Essential . . . We need more voices like Toni Jensen's, more books like Carry."—Tommy Orange, New York Times bestselling author of There There Toni Jensen grew up around guns: As a girl, she learned to shoot birds in rural Iowa with her father, a card-carrying member of the NRA. As an adult, she's had guns waved in her face near Standing Rock, and felt their silent threat on the concealed-carry campus where she teaches. And she has always known that in this she is not alone. As a Métis woman, she is no stranger to the violence enacted on the bodies of indigenous women, on indigenous land, and the ways it is hidden, ignored, forgotten. In Carry, Jensen maps her personal experience onto the historical, exploring how history is lived in the body and redefining the language we use to speak about violence in America. https://birchbarkbooks.com/products/carry
November 8, 2026 at 1:29 PM
laylajohnston.bsky.social
Highly recommended Native books to read during Native American Heritage Month. Blood Sisters by Cherokee citizen Vanessa Lillie. Cherokee archaeologist Syd Walker investigates the disappearance of 2 Native women, one on Narragansett land, the other her sister in Oklahoma. #booksky #nativewriters
Cover of Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie
November 3, 2026 at 2:43 PM
laylajohnston.bsky.social
Indigenous authors and books to read for Native American Heritage Month. Dog Flowers by Danielle Geller, a member of the Navajo Nation and an archivist. Geller’s compelling family story of colonization and its impacts on relationships incorporates photos and archival methods. #booksky #nativewriters
Cover of Dog Flowers by Danielle Geller
November 2, 2026 at 1:30 PM
laylajohnston.bsky.social
Indigenous authors and books to read for Native American Heritage Month. I will post a highly recommended book a day. Up first: The Sentence by Louise Erdrich. A hilarious yet poignant ghost story set in Minneapolis during the pandemic. #booksky #indigisky #nativewriters
Cover of The Sentence by Louise Erdrich.
November 1, 2026 at 12:27 PM
laskinsfest.bsky.social
Another Great Evening of Native Storytelling!
Sat 9/26,Native Monthly Writers Group came together for an evening of writing & community!
We read a script from TV Writers Lab fellow Desiree Leialoha, provided feedback and supported the development of a new pilot
#NativeWriters #IndigenousStorytelling
September 27, 2026 at 10:54 PM
nativealliance.bsky.social
An Inside Look at Building Compelling Feature Films!
9th Annual Native American Feature Film Writers Lab fellows met with Lord Miller for an insightful conversation about developing characters and creating feature scripts that truly connect with audiences.
#NativeWriters #IndigenousStorytelling
September 23, 2026 at 6:30 PM
laskinsfest.bsky.social
Thx to everyone who joined our Monthly Native Writers Group on Sat, 8/29!
This session featured a table read of a new script by @sonnybrava.bsky.social giving participants the opportunity to hear the script while offering encouragement in a collaborative environment
#NativeWriters #Screenwriting
August 31, 2026 at 4:42 PM
nativealliance.bsky.social
7th Annual Native American Showrunner Program continues to connect Native TV creators with the industry leaders.
Fellows met with Brett Cawley, American Dad! showrunner, who spoke on the realities of leading a series and gave advice building a successful TV career
#NativeWriters #televisionwriting
August 19, 2026 at 4:37 PM
nativealliance.bsky.social
In June, fellows in the 7th Annual Native American Showrunner Program had the incredible opportunity to meet with acclaimed television showrunner Alexi Hawley for an insightful discussion on the realities of leading a successful television series.
#showrunner #AlexiHawley #NativeWriters
July 30, 2026 at 7:16 PM
nativealliance.bsky.social
9th Annual Native American Feature Film Writers Lab FINAL DEADLINE 7/6! Apply nama.media
Isabella Dionne Madrigal shares her writing journey in the lab!
10week screenwriting lab provides mentorship,meetings with studio execs,acces to a community of Native writers
#NativeWriters #screenwriting
June 29, 2026 at 2:35 PM
nativealliance.bsky.social
7th Annual Native American Showrunner Program is underway
Launched in May, 9 month program provides mentorship,tools & knowledge needed to understand the full scope of showrunning TV
Proud to highlight fellow @kellylynnedang.bsky.social & mentor Gabe Garza
#NativeWriters #IndigenousStorytelling
June 24, 2026 at 5:48 PM
nativealliance.bsky.social
NATIVE WRITERS!
Workshop your movie or TV script in the Native Writers Seminar! One on one mentorship & an introduction to the industry!
6th Annual Native American Writers Seminar Early Deadline 3/16. APPLY www.nama.media
Seminar helps you transform your scripts into polished samples!
#NativeWriters
March 3, 2026 at 5:58 PM
nativealliance.bsky.social
Shout out to the 5th Annual Native American Writers Seminar fellows who joined us at the 19th Annual LA SKINS FEST this past November!
Seeing this cohort—Chase Hall, Desireé Leialoha, Marleah Makpiaq LaBelle & Sonny Brava—was a powerful reminder of the strength of the NAMA pipeline.
#nativewriters
January 25, 2026 at 8:46 PM
nativealliance.bsky.social
2025 WGA Inclusion Report reveals Natives in TV writer rooms remains at <1% since 2020
11th Annual Native American TV Writers Lab is here to change that. We turn talent into staffed writers. ✍️🪶
Deadline 1/26/26
Apply: nama.media
#NativeWriters #WGA #RepresentationMatters #TVWriting #IndigenousVoices
January 13, 2026 at 5:33 PM
nativealliance.bsky.social
CALL FOR ENTRIES: The 11th Annual Native American TV Writers Lab is OPEN!
From our lab to the writers' rooms of Netflix, ABC, NBC, Paramount, and Hulu—our fellows are staffing on the biggest shows in TV
Are you next? Apply now www.nama.media
#NativeWriters #tvwriting #IndigenousVoices #screenwriting
January 9, 2026 at 4:59 PM
nativealliance.bsky.social
5th Annual Native American Writers Accelerator Grant announces 12 recipients of our $10k cash grant from Netflix!
Join us in celebrating at the Native Media Awards Sun Nov 23 7p Hard Rock Hollywood
Tix: www.laskinsfest.com
#NativeWriters #Netflix #hollywood #nativeamerican #indigenous #writerslife
November 17, 2025 at 4:15 PM
inmybookclub.bsky.social
#read #nativewriters #writers #suthors all year long! #books #goals
December 22, 2024 at 7:19 PM
ahalenia.bsky.social
Congratulations to my friend Vicki Monks (Chickasaw) for being inducted in the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame!

www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/former-...

#NativeWriters #Chickasaw #OklahomaJournalism #NativeJournalism #NativeJournalist #IndigenousJournalism #IndigenousWriter
Former Tahlequah 'teen reporter' tapped for Journalism Hall of Fame
Former Tahlequah resident Vicki Monks is among 20 journalists who will be inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame this year at a special 55th anniversary ceremony scheduled for
www.tahlequahdailypress.com
February 17, 2025 at 7:16 PM
thebtscenter.bsky.social
The Seed Keeper follows a Dakhóta family's struggle to preserve their way of life and their sacrifices to protect what matters most.”

Join us (for free) by registering: thebtscenter.org/fiction
#fiction #beachreads #summerreads #indigenousauthors #nativeauthors #nativewriters #ecospirituality
Summer Fiction Book Club 2026 | The BTS Center
Fiction is a means of telling the truth. Not only can fiction illuminate the systems and silences that have created our planetary crisis, but a story at its best is a lantern through the cavern of…
thebtscenter.org
June 2, 2026 at 8:09 PM
firstamart.bsky.social
Ucross, WY–Native American artists and writers, apply for the Ucross Foundation's Ucross Fellowship for Native American Artists

www.ucrossfoundation.org/native-ameri...

#NativeArtists #IndigenousArtists #NativeWriters #IndigenousArts #NativeLit #ArtResidencies #ArtFellowships #NativeAmerican
Ucross Foundation - Native American Fellowship
Discover the Ucross Foundation's fellowships for Native American visual artists and writers at all stages in their professional careers.
www.ucrossfoundation.org
December 16, 2024 at 11:46 PM
gracecreated.bsky.social
Make your memories shimmer when you share them

Louise Erdrich on what she learned from her mother

#mother #mothersday #blacksky #nativesky #indigenous #authors #womenauthors #writers #womenwriters #nativewriters #books #booksky
May 15, 2025 at 10:56 AM
laskinsfest.bsky.social
Thanks to everyone who joined us July 25th for the virtual table read of Marleah Makpiaq LaBelle's TV pilot!
It was great to hear Marleah's compelling script come to life through a talented cast!
Thx to everyone for building a stronger community of Indigenous storytellers
#NativeWriters #tvwriting
July 30, 2026 at 6:06 PM
laskinsfest.bsky.social
Native Monthly Writers Group!
Thanx to everyone who joined us for our Zoom table read of a new pilot from CJ Caughman, fellow of the 11th Annual Native TV Writers Lab.
Special thanx to the actors!
Our next virtual table read is 7/25 featuring writer Marleah Makpiaq LaBelle
#NativeWriters #tvwriting
June 28, 2026 at 9:09 PM