{"product_id":"follow-the-blackbirds-paperback","title":"Follow the Blackbirds - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eGwen Nell Westerman\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn language as perceptive as it is poignant, poet Gwen Nell Westerman builds a world in words that reflects the past, present, and future of the Dakota people. An intricate balance between the singularity of personal experience and the unity of collective longing, \u003ci\u003eFollow the Blackbirds \u003c\/i\u003espeaks to the affection and appreciation a contemporary poet feels for her family, community, and environment. With touches of humor and the occasional sharp cultural criticism, the voice that emerges from these poems is that of a Dakota woman rooted in her world and her words. In this moving collection, Westerman reflects on history and family from a unique perspective, one that connects the painful past and the hard-fought future of her Dakota homeland. Grounded in vivid story and memory, Westerman draws on both English and the Dakota language to celebrate the long journey along sunflower-lined highways of the tallgrass prairies of the Great Plains that returns her to a place filled with \"more than history.\" An intense homage to the power of place, this book tells a masterful story of cultural survival and the power of language.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Gwen Nell Westerman, an enrolled member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, is Professor in English and Director of Humanities at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and is coauthor of \u003ci\u003eMni Sota Makoce: The Land of the Dakota.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 80\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.3 x 6 x 9 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 01, 2013\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51770699710752,"sku":"9781611860924","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/bdaec91948da287b9efcdf2ffebe250a.webp?v=1780377227","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/follow-the-blackbirds-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}