St. Paul – Minnesota Writers Off the Page: Marcie Rendon

Join us for a special evening with acclaimed author, poet, and playwright, Marcie Rendon, as she delves into her latest book, “Where They Last Saw Her” (Bantam Books, 2024). Marcie will be in conversation with Lisa Skjefte, Deputy Director at MIGIZI. Their conversation will explore crime novels, humor, resilience, and what it means to be an Indigenous woman in Minnesota today.

Following the discussion, audience members are invited to participate in a Q&A session, enjoy light refreshments, and have further informal conversation with the featured speakers. Copies of “Where They Last Saw Her,” along with other titles by Marcie Rendon, will be available for purchase from Moon Palace Books at the event and the evening will finish with a book signing.

This event is presented in partnership with MIGIZI, which supports the development of American Indian youth through academic, cultural, and career-building programs, and is part of the Minnesota Writers Off the Page series, bringing the inspirational voices of Minnesota’s authors directly to readers. While the event is free, registration is required to reserve your spot. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with one of Minnesota’s most compelling voices.

About the Book
Things are different now for Quill than when she was a lonely girl. Her friends Punk and Gaylyn are two women who don’t know what it means to quit; her loving husband, Crow, and their two beautiful children challenge her to be better every day. So when she hears a second woman has been stolen, she is determined to do something about it—starting with investigating the group of men working the pipeline construction just north of their homes.

As Quill closes in on the truth about the missing women, someone else disappears. In her quest to find justice for all of the women of the reservation, she is confronted with the hard truths of their home and the people who purport to serve them. When will she stop losing neighbors, friends, family? As Quill puts everything on the line to make a difference, the novel asks searing questions about bystander culture, the reverberations of even one act of crime, and the long-lasting trauma of being considered invisible. (Random House Publishing Group)

About the Author
Marcie R. Rendon, citizen of the White Earth Nation, is one of O: The Oprah Magazine’s 31 Native American Authors to Read Right Now and a McKnight Distinguished Artist Award winner. Her debut novel, “Murder on the Red River,” received the Pinckley Prize for Debut Novel Award and was a finalist for the Western Writers of America Spur Award, Contemporary Novel category, and her second novel, “Girl Gone Missing,” was nominated for the G. P. Putnam’s Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award. Her script, “Say Their Names,” will be produced by Out of Hand Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. And her script “Sweet Revenge” had a staged reading at the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The creative mind of Raving Native Theater, she curated Twin Cities Public Television’s “Art Is . . . CreativeNativeResilience.” Rendon received the Loft Literary Center’s Spoken Word Immersion Fellowship with co-creator Diego Vazquez for their work with incarcerated women.

About the Moderator
Lisa Skjefte, Red Lake Nation Anishinaabe, joined MIGIZI in April of 2023 as our new Deputy Director. She was formerly the Vice President of Community Engagement and Impact at the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center (MIWRC). Prior to her work at MIWRC, Lisa worked at Children’s Minnesota where she specialized in systems change by partnering with and leading efforts to institutionalize health equity. While at Children’s Minnesota she co-created with the community two separate community and patient experience initiatives, The First Gift and the American Indian Volunteer Cohort. Lisa is also the co-founder of KWESTRONG, a grassroots movement centered around an annual Native Women’s Triathlon (RUN BIKE CANOE) at Bde Maka Ska in Minneapolis. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Minnesota, and is currently finishing up her Master of Public Health (MPH) at the University of Minnesota.

Registration

Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org

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