Sacred Breath: Indigenous Writing and Storytelling Series

Sasha LaPointe and Roger Fernandes
Sasha LaPointe and Roger Fernandes
Tami Hohn and Christopher Teuton
Sacred Breath Tami Hohn and Christopher Teuton
Sacred Breath May 2023 artist Laura Da' (Eastern Shawnee)
Sacred Breath May 2023 artist Laura Da' (Eastern Shawnee)
Sacred Breath May 2022 artists Natosha Gobin (Tulalip) and Rena Priest (Lummi), p.c. Erika Schultz at the Seattle Times
Sacred Breath May 2022 artists Natosha Gobin (Tulalip) and Rena Priest (Lummi), p.c. Erika Schultz at the Seattle Times
Sacred Breath November 2021 artists Emma Elliott-Groves (Cowichan) and Huyamise' Della Rice-Sylvester (Cowichan)
Sacred Breath November 2021 artists Emma Elliott-Groves (Cowichan) and Huyamise' Della Rice-Sylvester (Cowichan)
Sacred Breath May 2021 artists Christine Day and Jessica Dominy
Sacred Breath May 2021 artists Christine Day and Jessica Dominy
Sacred Breath Nov 2020 artists Traci Sorell, Michelle Jacob, and Fern Renville
Sacred Breath Nov 2020 artists Traci Sorell, Michelle Jacob, and Fern Renville
Sacred Breath May 2020 artists Sara Marie Ortiz and Gene Tagaban
Sacred Breath May 2020 artists Sara Marie Ortiz and Gene Tagaban
Sacred Breath November 2019 artists Tommy Pico and Lummi Island Blackhawk Singers
Sacred Breath Nov 2019 artists Tommy Pico and Lummi Island Blackhawk Singers
Sacred Breath November 2016 artists Roger Fernandes, Payton Bordley, Sasha LaPointe
Sacred Breath Nov 2016 artists Roger Fernandes, Payton Bordley, Sasha LaPointe
Sacred Breath audience
Sacred Breath: Indigenous Writing and Storytelling Series

SAVE THE DATE: Two-Day Sacred Breath Winter Event

February 16, 2024 from 5-8pm at Kane Hall 210

Doors open at 4:30 PM

Friday, come for an evening with local author, Sasha LaPointe (Upper Skagit and Nooksack) and storyteller, Roger Fernandes (Lower Elwha S'Klallam) followed by reception and an opportunity to purchase the author's books and have them signed.

February 17, 2024 from 10-6:30 at wəłəbʔaltxʷ Intellectual House

Doors open at 9:30 AM with light refreshments; Lunch provided

Workshops from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Saturday, join us for a day of storytelling and writing workshops culminating in a panel discussion. 

Check back for workshop details still to come.

Event is FREE but RSVP Required

The Department of American Indian Studies at the University of Washington hosts an annual literary and storytelling series. Sacred Breath features Indigenous writers and storytellers sharing their craft at the beautiful wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ Intellectual House on the UW Seattle campus. Storytelling offers a spiritual connection, a sharing of sacred breath. Literature, similarly, preserves human experience and ideals. Both forms are durable and transmit power that teaches us how to live. Both storytelling and reading aloud can impact audiences through the power of presence, allowing for the experience of the transfer of sacred breath as audiences are immersed in the experience of being inside stories and works of literature.

 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

SASHA LAPOINTE (UPPER SKAGIT AND NOOKSACK)

Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe is from the Upper Skagit and Nooksack Indian Tribes. Native to the Pacific Northwest she draws inspiration from her coastal heritage as well as her life in the city. She writes with a focus on trauma and resilience, ranging topics from PTSD, sexual violence, the work her great grandmother did for Lushootseed language revitalization, to loud basement punk shows and what it means to grow up mixed heritage. Sasha received a double MFA from The Institute of American Indian Arts with a focus on creative nonfiction and poetry. She teaches creative writing at the Native Pathways Program at Evergreen and has been a mentor for Seattle’s youth poet laureate program. Her memoir Red Paint has received starred reviews from Kirkus and Shelf Awareness and is available through Counterpoint Press. Her collection of poetry Rose Quartz is available through Milkweed Press. Thundersong, a collection of essays is forthcoming from Counterpoint Press in spring of 2024.

ROGER FERNANDES (LOWER ELWHA S'KLALLAM)

Roger Fernandes is a Native American artist, storyteller and educator whose work focuses on the traditional arts, legends, and teachings of the Coast Salish tribes of the Puget Sound region of Western Washington. He is a member of the Lower Elwha S’Klallam Tribe and has a degree in Native American Studies from the Evergreen State College and a Masters Degree in Whole Systems Design from Antioch University. He also studied graphic design at the University of Washington and has focused on learning, creating and teaching Coast Salish art for the past 20 years.

 

Can't wait for our Winter Event? View some of our previous events on YouTube.

Watch the full event recording of Sacred Breath from November 18th, 2021. This event featured authors Emma Elliott-Groves (Cowichan Tribes) an author and UW professor, and her mother Huyamise' Della Rice-Sylvester (Cowichan Tribes) a traditional medicine woman and storyteller. 

Watch the full event recording of Sacred Breath from May 17th, 2021. This event featured children's book author Christine Day (Upper Skagit) and Jessica Dominy (Tlingit and Haida).

Watch the full event recording of Sacred Breath from November 23rd, 2020This event featured authors Traci Sorell (Cherokee), Michelle M. Jacob (Yakama), and storyteller Fern Renville (Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate).

 

Do you love Sacred Breath and want to see more? Donate to our Friends of American Indian Studies fund to help us support indigenous authors and storytellers and bring you more amazing works.

Read about Sacred Breath in the A&S Perspectives newsletter.

These events are free and open to the public, but registration is required, as space is limited. wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House is located at 4249 Whitman Court, Seattle, WA.

Sacred Breath is sponsored by the Department of American Indian Studies, the Intellectual House Academic Programming Committee, the Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies, the UW Department of English, the Banks Center for Educational Justice, the Squaxin Island Tribe, the Suquamish Tribe, and the Muckelshoot Tribe.

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