Here are the following resources listed within this section.
1. Literary Cousins of Reservation Dogs: A Comparative Analysis of Works by Louise Erdrichand Sherman Alexie (2022) by Agnieszka Gondor-Wiercioch
2. Scripting identity: writing cultural experience (2008) by Theresa Carilli
3. Speaking for the generations: Native Writers on Writing (1998) by Simon J. Ortiz
4. When our words return : writing, hearing, and remembering oral traditions of Alaska and the Yukon (1995) by Phyllis Morrow & William S. Schneider
5. Writing intersectional identities: keywords for creative writers (2019) by Janelle Adsit & Renée M. Byrd
Literary Cousins of Reservation Dogs: A Comparative Analysis of Works by Louise Erdrich and Sherman Alexie (2022)
by Agnieszka Gondor-Wiercioch
Location: This item is accessible online via UAlbany's Primo search platform. It is listed as open access.
Citation:
Gondor-Wiercioch, A. (2022). Literary Cousins of Reservation Dogs : A comparative analysis of works by Louise Erdrich and Sherman Alexie. Zeszyty Prasoznawcze, 65(4 (252)), 53–65. https://doi.org/10.4467/22996362pz.22.038.16496
Annotation:
Creative writing is informed by the content we consume as an audience member. For example, contemporary books and television shows may influence a writer to create a character or describe a setting in a particular way. This source is an analysis between a series of contemporary books by the Native author Louise Erdrich and the television show Reservation Dogs by Taika Waititi and Sterlin Harjo. It is important to understand the relevant literary landscape when writing about Indigenous characters, places, or cultures. What is interesting about this article, though, is that it is found in a Polish publication.
Resource's Abstract: The article is a comparative analysis of contemporary Native American fiction (Louise
Erdrich’s novels Love Medicine and The Bingo Palace, Sherman Alexie’s short story collec-
tion The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven), and the series Reservation Dogs by Taika
Waititi and Sterlin Harjo. The aim of the article is to indicate similarities in the construction
of young protagonists of the selected literary texts and the series, with an emphasis on Indian
stereotype deconstruction, survival humour and the genres. This last category encompasses
bildungsroman, road novel/story, homing novel/story and magical realism. The methodology
used in the article includes cultural studies, postcolonialism and postmodernism. The author
of the article wants to argue that many stylistic devices used in the character construction
in Reservation Dogs have appeared much earlier in the canonical works of Native American
fiction and Waititi and Harjo seem to enter into an intelligent dialogue with the literary
tradition because similarly to it, they affirm contemporary indigenous culture, stress its
connection with popular culture and very often introduce the black humour which turns
Native Americans into subjects of their narratives and gives them back control over their
own stories.
Resource's Listed Keywords: Native American fiction; Indigenous film; Young protagonist construction; Indian
stereotype deconstruction: Survival humour
Scripting identity: writing cultural experience (2008)
by Theresa Carilli
Location: This item is located at the University of Albany's Main Library. One can find the online item record here. The call number for this book is the following:
Citation:
Carilli, T. (2008). Scripting identity: Writing Cultural Experience. Globe Pequot Publishing Group Incorporated/Bloomsbury.
Annotation:
While not directly focused on Indigenous perspectives, this resource provides a phenommenal pathway to understand how to write meaningful cultural experiences. The author focuses on performative writing, and because of that, this resource would be especially useful paired with another Indigenous focused resource to produce plays or screenplays that possess authentic representations of Indigenous cultural experiences. While it was published in 2008, the contents are still incredibly relevant today.
Resource's Description:
In Scripting Identity: Writing Cultural Experience, Theresa Carilli explores how understanding one's identity can assist in the process of writing a performative script. After a brief review of how the Performance Studies discipline interprets the act of performative writing, Carilli shares her own methodology for creating performative texts. By introducing the concept of the primary narrative - the story that is at the core of one's identity - the study demonstrates how several of her students at a working-class university campus (surrounded and influenced by a steel mill culture) exemplify how the primary narrative operates in their narrative creations. With the proposed methodology and scripts as examples, Carilli builds dialogue about new ways to study the communication process.
Resource's Listed Keywords: Identity (psychology) in literature; Authorship
Speaking for the generations: Native Writers on Writing (1998)
by Simon J. Ortiz
Location:
This book is a physical item located at the University of Albany's Main Library. One can find the online item record here. The call number for the book is:
Citation:
Ortiz, S. J. (1998). Speaking for the generations: Native writers on writing. University of Arizona Press.
Annotation:
This item is written by an Indigenous author and is focused on Indigenous writing. The information contained within will provide illuminating lessons on what motivates Indigenous writers. These authors are an incredible source of knowledge when it comes to writing authentic Indigenous characters, places, and cultures. Reading this book will provide a strong framework for understanding how to craft authentic identities within your wiritng or piece of art.
Resource's Description:
At Acoma Pueblo meetings, members rise and announce their intention to speak. In that moment they are recognized and heard. In Speaking for the Generations, Acoma Pueblo poet Simon Ortiz brings together contemporary Native American writers to take their turn. Each offers an evocation of herself or himself, describing the personal, social, and cultural influences on her or his development as a writer. Although each writer's viewpoint is personal and unique, together they reflect the rich tapestry of today's Native literature.
Resource's Listed Keywords: American literature -- Indian authors -- History and criticism -- Theory, etc; Authors, American -- 20th century; Indians of North America -- Intellectual life; Authorship; Indians of North America
When our words return : writing, hearing, and remembering oral traditions of Alaska and the Yukon (1995)
by Phyllis Morrow & William S. Schneider
Location:
This book is accessible online via UAlbany's Primo search platform as open access, as well as being held on the shelves at the University of Albany's Main Library. Access the online item record here. The call number for the physical book is:
Citation:
Morrow, P., & Schneider, W. (1995). When our words return: Writing, Hearing, and Remembering Oral Traditions from Alaska and the Yukon. Logan, Utah : Utah State University Press.
Annotation:
This book is relevant to Indigenous representation because it is localized to the Alaskan & Yukon regions of Turtle Island. It is important to read about and learn a specific area to write and describe it authentically. Another important aspect about this resource is that it focuses on the oral storytelling tradition of the Indigenous people in this region. Oral storytelling is a powerful cultural practice and influences many aspects of creative artmaking. If one is going to write a story, it is important to consider other forms of storytelling that predate the written word.
Resource's Description: There is none provided.
Resource's Listed Keywords: Indians of North America -- Alaska; Indians of North America -- Yukon River Valley (Yukon and Alaska); Indians of North America -- Alaska -- Writing; Indians of North America -- Yukon River Valley (Yukon and Alaska) -- Writing; Oral tradition -- Alaska; Oral tradition -- Yukon River Valley (Yukon and Alaska); Tales -- Alaska -- Structural analysis; Tales -- Yukon River Valley (Yukon and Alaska) -- Structural analysis
Writing intersectional identities: keywords for creative writers (2019)
by Janelle Adsit & Renée M. Byrd
Location: This book is a physical item located at the University of Albany's Main Library. One can find the online item record here. The call number for the book is:
Citation:
Adsit, J., & Byrd, R. M. (2019). Writing intersectional identities: Keywords for Creative Writers. London ; New York : Bloomsbury Academic.
Annotation:
While this book is not directly focused on Indigenous perspectives, it does discuss the issue of writing about identities that are not our own. It is a complex topic to figure out when or how an author can write about people of other cultures and population groups. However, it will be inevitable in a world that is full of diverse people, and because of this it is important to know how to write these other identities respectfully and accurately. This book is a literal guide on how to do that.
Resource's Description: Is it okay to write about people of other genders, races and identities? And how do I do this responsibly? Whether you are writing fiction, poetry or creative non-fiction, writing responsibly about people of different social identities is one of the most important duties of the public writer today. This is the first practical guide to thinking and writing reflectively about these issues. Organised in an easy-to-use A to Z format for practising writers, teachers and students.
Resource's Listed Keywords: Identity (Psychology) in literature; Authorship -- Technique