Keillor interviews Dakota author

Garrison Keillor Chats With Native Author Diane Wilson About Her Memoir Spirit CarGarrison Keillor, host of A Prairie Home Companion, will discuss Spirit Car: A Journey to a Dakota Past, Native author Diane Wilson’s story of her family’s struggles during and after the 1862 Dakota War in Minnesota.

The discussion, to be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center, will be on September 24 at 7 p.m., with tickets available at the One Minneapolis One Read website.

One Minneapolis One Read is a program started by the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County Library and Minneapolis Public Schools “to promote community involvement, literacy and respectful public dialogue,” the program said. “At its heart, One Minneapolis One Read is a community-driven effort with individuals, neighborhood groups, educators, businesses and nonprofits all coming together to make this a truly citywide read.”

Spirit Car was published in 2006 but remains relevant today, especially during this 150th anniversary of the U.S.–Dakota War of 1862, as the conflict is officially known. It won the 2006 Minnesota Book Award for Memoir, Autobiography and Creative Nonfiction. Her family’s story insinuated itself into Wilson’s mind and work gradually.Comment:  The article notes that Wilson is Mdewakanton Dakota.

This item is a pop-culture two-fer: Wilson's book was chosen for the One Read program, and she gets a public interview with Garrison Keillor.

For more on Native literature, see "Why Indigenous Literatures Matter" and "Books That Shaped America."