My Friend May

My Friend MayI'd like to tell you a rather true story about a big black cat who started out gray. Her name was May. Margaux and her cat May became friends when Margaux was just six years old. They grew up together, sharing countless memories along the way. But one day, May is late coming home. Where is May? Is she under the porch? Maybe on the roof? Margaux's nitsis (the Cree word for auntie) helps search for May in the tall grass. But soon nitsis needs to leave:

named for the "manoomin" or wild rice that also gives the Menominee tribe its name

noted climate scholar (and saboteur of SUV tires and coal mines) Andreas Malm makes an impassioned call for the climate movement to escalate its tactics in the face of ecological collapse

and of a woman's relentless errors

undertook its revitalization using the memories of elders and medicine women and details found in museum archives

and strives to embrace her bisexuality and her Indigenous identity

and Dezba's dollhouse

Vizenor is inspired by the sway of concise poetic images

scary and mysterious

Inclusivity is a key community value

thanks to the work of Native activists

Following our young protagonist and the dandelions through the seasons

In this important addition to the growing tradition of North American history centered on Indigenous nations