Hickory – Join us for a Zoom meeting on Monday, November 9, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. with Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, the first enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to publish a novel. Saunooke Clapsaddle will speak about how the Federal Indian Policy influenced literature and how she hopes to dispel some stereotypes and myths about Cherokee people through her work.

Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle’s debut novel Even as We Breathe (September 2020) received a Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Even as We Breathe uses the secluded microcosm of Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC during the summer of 1942 to tackle the complexities of race relations, familial identity, and citizenship for Cherokees. Comparisons are drawn between three distinct social, cultural, and ethnic groups: rural Cherokees, rural whites (soldiers and civilians), and upper-class foreign diplomats.

After serving as Executive Director of the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle returned to teaching English and Cherokee Studies at Swain County High School. She is the former co-editor of the Journal of Cherokee Studies and serves on the Board of Trustees for the North Carolina Writers Network. Learn more at asaunookeclapsaddle.com.

This is a free event but space is limited so registration is required. Sign up through the Library Events calendar at www.hickorync.gov/library or by calling 828-304-0500. We will send an email reminder with login information for the Zoom meeting on the day of the event.