Two Worlds, Called Home, Stolen Generations, In The Veins, Almost Dead Indians: 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Indigenous Native Poetry collection IN THE VEINS gives power to words

Greenfield, Massachusetts [2017] -- “These poet’s words jumped off the page and made their way under my skin, into the chambers of my heart,” said Editor Patricia Busbee (Cherokee) who has edited the new Native prose and poetry book, IN THE VEINS (Vol. 4, ISBN: 978-0692832646, Publisher: Blue Hand Books, Massachusetts).

“It’s a transformative collection of poetry, truly Medicine for the Soul,” Busbee said, who has contributed poetry and prose to this collection and is Poetry Editor for Blue Hand Books. “I thought about the iron infused blood that flows thru our veins and how our bones, blood and skeletal systems house our history, our stories and our ancestors.”

“Reading these poems I recognized how poetry affects all generations and how it bypasses our cautious minds and relates to us on an intimate soul level. Poetry is a vehicle that transports us from the outer world to the inner,” Busbee said. Twenty-eight poets from across Turtle Island contributed, including First Nations poet David Groulx (Anishinabe Elliott Lake), Assiniboine playwright William Yellow Robe, Ojibwe scholar Dr. Carol A. Hand who wrote an introduction, North Carolina’s past Poet Laureate MariJo Moore (Cherokee), and many more.

“These poets come to us from across Turtle Island. Some are very well-known, even famous, and many will be in the future,” Busbee said. “Their poetry offers exquisite interpretation of life and story, personal perceptions, and their views on issues of historical trauma, land-taking, loss of identity and culture, and child theft/adoption projects in the name of Manifest Destiny in North America.”

This highly-anticipated collection is part of a history-making book series Lost Children of the Indian Adoption Projects. This series includes TWO WORLDS (Vol. 1), CALLED HOME: The Road Map (Vol. 2), and STOLEN GENERATIONS: Survivors of the Indian Adoption Projects and 60s Scoop (Vol. 3). IN THE VEINS (Vol. 4) will share part of its proceeds with Standing Rock Water Protectors. All books were published by the Blue Hand Books in Massachusetts, a collective of Native American authors.

Blue Hand Books founder Trace Lara Hentz, Busbee’s friend and co-editor on the book series, has also contributed to this collection. “These word warriors take us with them to the outer reaches of Indian identity and history. Reading could not be more powerful,” Hentz said, adding that she recommends the entire book series and hopes to reach new readers, both Indian and non-Indian.

“These poems do make clear that words do have power, word by word by word… With the current political climate, we need good thoughts as we all are standing with the Standing Rock Water Protectors to end the Black Snake and Dakota Access Pipe Line.” [www.bluehandbooks.org]

ABOUT THE EDITOR:

Patricia Busbee is a writer, author, editor, devotee of outsider art and poetry. She is also a soup maker and bread baker. She believes that nourishment is found not only in food but in stories. Patricia is a strong believer in blood memory. She can be found in her kitchen cooking for her family—both the living and the deceased or in her too small office that is over-run with geriatric cats and hand crafted altars, writing about family dynamics, multiculturalism, adoption, ancestry or whatever else is clamoring for her attention. Most likely she is scrolling thru her Twitter feed pretending to be busy. She enjoys adding poetry, proverbs, folklore, recipes and snippets of conversations to her work. Her heart's desire is to write a magical realism novel in 2017. She is the co-editor of Two Worlds, Called Home: The RoadMap and editor of IN THE VEINS. Her noir-fiction “Remedies” was published in 2013. Her website: singingthemoon.me

IN THE VEINS contributors and their poems:

Reflections about Veins by Dr. Carol A. Hand (Introduction)

Red by Tanajsia Slaughter

Dance of the Soul | Indian on the Milk-Box | Somewhere by Janelle Black Owl

Tante by Jen Edwards

She Speaks with Crows by Evelyn Red Lodge (Tipi Luta Win)

Go Child by Rez Chick

god’s river by Billy-Ray Belcourt

Residential School Orphans by David Groulx

After Sneaky | SENDING WORDS | Whiteness makes me more....by William S. Yellow Robe, Jr.

You, Seeing Me See You | We Walk Our Way by Dr. Raeschelle Potter-Deimel

When a trickle… becomes a river…then a flood | find home | sum of our ancestors by Trace L. Hentz (Winyan Ohmanisa Waste LaKe)