HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-21-24 Correspondence - MT Arts Council - The Montana Arts Council invites you to the launch of Poet Laureate Chris La Tray's new memoirFrom:Montana Arts CouncilTo:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL]The Montana Arts Council invites you to the launch of Poet Laureate Chris La Tray"s new memoirDate:Wednesday, August 21, 2024 11:02:05 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Montana's poet laureate reads from his new book! Join Chris La Tray in Helena
A journey of the heart, told by one of
Montana’s most compelling storytellers
Chris La Tray Book Cover
Growing up in Montana, Chris La Tray always identified as Indian. Despite the fact
that his father fiercely denied any connection, he found Indigenous people alluring,
often recalling his grandmother’s consistent mention of their Chippewa heritage.
When La Tray attended his grandfather’s funeral as a young man, he finally found
himself surrounded by relatives who obviously were Indigenous. “Who were they?” he
wondered, and “Why was I never allowed to know them?”
These are questions that Chris' new memoir, Becoming Little Shell: A Landless
Indian's Journey Home, seeks to answer today. Delving into his family's past, even as
the Little Shell people continue a century-and-a-half of fighting for Federal
recognition, Chris' journey becomes a compelling story of both the land and the heart.
Chris will read from Becoming Little Shell on August 29th at 6:30pm at Helena's
Holter Museum of Art. An electrifying and engaging speaker, Chris will talk about his
family, his people, and the ongoing question of what it means to be Indigenous and
human—in Montana and in the world. This empowering event is free and open to the
public, and copies of Becoming Little Shell will be available for sale and signing by the
This email was sent to comments@bozeman.net using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: MontanaArts Council
author from Montana Book Company. The Montana Arts Council is proud to co-
sponsor this evening of words and connection with your state Poet Laureate, and we
hope you'll join us.
"A story as strong and beautiful as a Métis sash—a story of identity, kinship,
and the journey toward justice."
—Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass
“Nothing less than the history of a people in the form of an absorbing and
emotionally searing memoir.”
—David Treuer, author of The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee
"An expansive and poignant memoir of the land and the Indigenous people who
lived in Montana for 3,000 to 5,000 years before the westward expansion of
European settlers."
—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times
Manage Subscriptions | Unsubscribe All | Help
Montana Arts Council | 830 N. Warren Street | Helena, MT 59601 | art.mt.gov