In keeping with the theme (“Voices of Michigan”) of this year’s Kerrytown BookFest the annual Community Book Award will be presented to Margaret Noori who is an author and teaches the Anishinnabe language at the University of Michigan. She is of Anishinaabe and Metis heritage, and a Waabzheshiinh (Pine Marten) clan member.
At the BookFest, Noori will read prose and poetry from the Ojibway language and will talk about the beauty of the language with Ari Weinzweig of Zingerman’s. Noori recently contributed an introduction essay to the reissued classic novel Ogimawkwe Mitigwaki” or “Queen of the Woods” written by Simon Pokagon, a Potawatomi, in 1899 only the second ever published by an American Indian.
Alloway said that the Book Award is given each year to a person who exemplifies the spirit and the theme of the BookFest.
“Noori is an amazing influence in both honoring the ancient language and teaching it to the next generation.”
He said a special commemorative postcard is being produced with a poem written by Noori in both Anishinnabe and English that will be distributed at the BookFest.
In cooperation with the Ann Arbor District Library the BookFest also mounts a literary exhibit in the Ann Arbor District Library. This year’s theme is “The Voices of Michigan Indians” showcasing art, dust jackets and books that represent Michigan Indians past and present.
The exhibit highlights books related to Indian life, such as bibles and teaching materials, stories about Michigan’s earliest residents, books in Indian languages, maps of Indian settlements and trails, artifacts, pictures, and novels that feature Michigan Indians. The materials in the exhibit will be borrowed from local private collectors as well as from libraries including U of M Special Collections, MSU Special Collections, Wayne State University, and others. The exhibited items will be described and placed in context of Indian history and life. Margaret Noori, U of M professor and Community Book Award Winner, will read Indian poems and discuss the exhibit at a public reception on 7-8 p.m., Wednesday September 7th in the basement of the Main Branch on 343 S. Fifth Avenue, 48104 . The exhibit runs from September 2-October 12.
