November Virtual Author Talks
Author Stanley Milford, Jr
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Thursday, November 7 at 7 PM
You are welcome to join us in conversation with Navajo Ranger, Stanley Milford, Jr. as he chats about the chilling and clear-eyed memoir of his investigations into bizarre cases of the paranormal and the unexplained in Navajoland.
As a Native American with parents of both Navajo and Cherokee descent, Stanley Milford, Jr. grew up in a world where the supernatural was both expected and taboo, where shapeshifters roamed, witchcraft was a thing to be feared, and children were taught not to whistle at night. In his youth, Milford never went looking for the paranormal, but it always seemed to find him. When he joined the fabled Navajo Rangers—a law enforcement branch of the Navajo Nation who are equal parts police officers, archeological conservationists, and historians—the paranormal became part of his job. Alongside addressing the mundane duties of overseeing the massive 27,000-square-mile reservation, Milford was assigned to utterly bizarre and shockingly frequent cases involving mysterious livestock mutilations, skinwalker and Bigfoot sightings, UFOs, and malicious hauntings.
In The Paranormal Ranger, Milford recounts the stories of these cases from the clinical and deductive perspective of a law enforcement officer. Milford’s Native American worldview and investigative training collide to provide an eerie account of what logic dictates should not be possible. Register now to expand your own worldview and be ready for a chill to run down your spine!
This program is presented in partnership with the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.
Author Mona Susan Power
Wednesday, November 20 at 7 PM
You’re invited to join us as Mona Susan Power chats about her newest novel A Council of Dolls. This conversation highlights how her work explores Native Rights and Native American culture, in particular using an important symbol that anchors comfort and companionship in Native life: dolls.
From the mid-century metropolis of Chicago to the windswept ancestral lands of the Dakota people, to the bleak and brutal Indian boarding schools, A Council of Dolls is the story of three women, told in part through the stories of the dolls they carried....
Sissy, born 1961: Sissy’s relationship with her beautiful and volatile mother is difficult, even dangerous, but her life is also filled with beautiful things, including a new Christmas present, a doll called Ethel. Ethel whispers advice and kindness in Sissy’s ear, and in one especially terrifying moment, maybe even saves Sissy’s life.
Lillian, born 1925: Born in her ancestral lands in a time of terrible change, Lillian clings to her sister, Blanche, and her doll, Mae. When the sisters are forced to attend an “Indian school” far from their home, Blanche refuses to be cowed by the school’s abusive nuns. But when tragedy strikes the sisters, the doll Mae finds her way to defend the girls.
Cora, born 1888: Though she was born into the brutal legacy of the “Indian Wars,” Cora isn’t afraid of the white men who remove her to a school across the country to be “civilized.” When teachers burn her beloved buckskin and beaded doll Winona, Cora discovers that the spirit of Winona may not be entirely lost...
A modern masterpiece, A Council of Dolls is gorgeous, quietly devastating, and ultimately hopeful, shining a light on the echoing damage wrought by Indian boarding schools, and the historical massacres of Indigenous people. Mona Susan Power weaves a spell of love and healing that comes alive on the page. Register now to join the conversation!
This program is presented in partnership with the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.