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| Louise Erdrich (Paul Emmel Photography) |
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Louise Erdrich is this year's recipient of the Voice of the Heartland Award. Sponsored by the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association, the honor is given "in recognition of individuals and organizations who uphold the value of independent bookselling and have made a significant contribution to bookselling in the Midwest." She will receive the award at the Heartland Booksellers award ceremony on October 14.
As a bestselling author and owner of Birchbark Books and Native Arts, Minneapolis, Minn., Erdrich "is uniquely suited to win this award," GLIBA and MIBA noted, describing her as "one of the most important voices in American arts and letters and one of our own in the bookselling community."
Speaking on behalf of the award's nominating committee, Johanna Hynes, IPS sales manager, said Erdrich "has created a rich literary landscape celebrating a sense of place, and a sensibility common to our region. She has long made her home here and her literary work has consistently given a voice to those often neglected or poorly represented in literature. Equally meaningful to us, she is a fellow independent bookseller and Birchbark Books, known for its commitment to the importance of independent business, stands as a unique place of discovery and understanding, especially of Native peoples and their arts."
Halee Kirkwood and Nadine Tiseberg, co-managers of Birchbark Books, observed that the bookshop "is a haven for Native American literature and art. We are constantly inspired by Louise and through her leadership, Birchbark Books has fostered relationships with many schools, libraries, reservations, artists and nonprofits. Louise reminds us why bookselling is one of the best jobs in the world and why bookstores remain integral to their communities."
Danny Caine, owner of Raven Book Store, Lawrence, Kan., said: "I can think of nobody more deserving of the Voice of the Heartland Award than Louise Erdrich. In many ways, she is a guiding light for Midwestern and Great Lakes literature. Over the course of decades and dozens of novels, Erdrich has created perhaps the richest, funniest, most heartbreaking, and most ambitious fictional portrait of our region. When asked what I consider the essential Midwestern novel, my easy answer is The Round House. Erdrich has also created a truly magical space in Birchbark Books. Like the best bookstores, Birchbark is a welcoming place, a place with a strong point of view, and a place that allows the love of books to blossom in its community. That it does all this while being a fierce advocate for indigenous authors and artists is worthy of commendation and celebration."
Theron O'Connor, co-owner of Apostle Islands Booksellers, Bayfield, Wis., added: "From the front door of our store we look out across a Lake Superior sound onto Madeline Island. That is the setting for Louise Erdrich's The Birchbark House. Our daughters and grandsons loved it and learned from it. Consistent with her adult work, she pulls no punches. Death is at the heart of it, but Heart is in the life of it."