Bad Banana

Ryan Winn   ♦   January 19, 2022 Last year witnessed a high-water mark for Native literature. Not only did a wealth of Indigenous texts flood the market, but the democratization of virtual platforms meant that one could stream author events from every corner of Turtle Island. With a few clicks of a mouse, book lovers were able to join their favorite authors’ tours or drop in to hear a new voice. Joy Harjo (Mvskoke) continued to use her status as the U.S. Poet Laureate to elevate tribal voices while some of the most anticipated texts were buoyed by celebrity fans. Yet, what the historians will most likely note is that after more than a half century of being overlooked, two Native authors joined N. Scott Momaday as the only three Indigenous writers to win the Pulitzer Prize—Louise Erdrich (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians) for her novel The Night Watchman and Natalie Diaz (Mojave) for her poetry collection Po...