Upcoming Calendar – August 2024 Edition

So much writing, not a single email

Boozhoo, indinawemaaganidog! Aaniin! That is to say hello, all of my relatives! Welcome to another edition of An Irritable Métis. I’m a week later posting this than I intended to but that’s typical anymore. This edition is something new that I’ll do around the first of the month for the next few months while things are crazy busy what with the emergence of Becoming Little Shell into the world. The intent is to show the upcoming schedule of events for the current month; things really ramp up here starting next week, exclusively in Montana with a couple online events as well. I’ll also keep a current schedule going on THE EVENTS PAGE of my website. Amazingly I’m behind on that too (!) as I’ve only got August in there. But over the next couple days I’ll get that caught up as well.

There are many new followers here lately – welcome! I have an Instagram account that largely serves the same purpose. You may follow me HERE if you’re into that kind of thing. I usually post event flyers and links to new reviews/articles/etc. there first. I’m undecided if I will share every review etc. because sometimes that seems like a lot, so if you as readers have anything to say for or against the practice feel free to let me know via the comments.

Finally, if you dig what you see here, or if you want to assist in keeping the Irritable roadshow on the road, please consider a paid subscription. It is very, very helpful.

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In person event calendar for August, as prepared by my fine comrades at Milkweed

After months of planning, all of this is starting to unfold. It’s pretty self explanatory though, isn’t it? Book events! Just for August!

Also worth noting is that following the 8/23 event in Great Falls is the Little Shell Powwow, where we will be celebrating in our brand new arbor. That’s pretty exciting. Then the following weekend, 8/30-9/01 is the Métis celebration in Lewistown. I’ll be hanging around for a day or two after my events to attend both of those extravaganzas, which have something particulary important in common: both are free and open to the public! Come celebrate with us….

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Back-to-Back Online Events on August 20th

Writing the Wild Online Literary Potluck

Notably, that photo of David James Duncan and that photo of me were taken years apart in nearly the identical location in different seasons facing different directions by the same person – ME!

This first one is very cool, as I’ve been a fan of the folks at Writing the Wild for sometime and will be doing an online workshop under their auspices next spring. As for this, it amounts to short little readings and reflections – 1-2 minutes reading, 1-2 minutes reflecting, each – by a pile of great writers somehow affiliated with them. This is “official” publication day for Becoming Little Shell too and will be a great way to celebrate it. Get more info and register HERE!

August 20, 4pm Pacific Time

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Virtual Event to Celebrate Stories from the Trail

In all the hubbub around BLS I’d be remiss if I failed to mention another book sharing the August 20th due date is this one: Stories from the Trail: Field Notes on Moving through the Wild. I have an essay in this lovely anthology and I’d love you to consider ordering it HERE. Meanwhile, just following the Literary Potluck I’ll be moving to a different Zoom location to participate in this virtual event to celebrate the release of the book, courtesy of Christy from Vintage Books in Vancouver, WA. There is info via their Instagram page HERE. Also, you may watch the event live via the Vintage Books YouTube channel HERE. It should be fun!

August 20, 7pm Pacific Time

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The Vision of Little Shell

Photo courtesy of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Heritage Center

Still on the fence about ordering Becoming Little Shell? Perhaps THIS EXCERPT published by the fine people at High Country News might inspire you. They did a great job, and I love this old picture of my people’s namesake, Chief Little Shell.

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So Many Preorders, So Much Signing aka So Much Writing, Not a Single Email

Scribbling away at the Little Shell Tribal Headquarters in Great Falls

Signing up a blister at Fact & Fiction books, where we set and cleared the table over and over and over….

Friends, over the last couple weeks I signed 60 copies of BLS for the Little Shell book club. Then a few days later I sat in the conference room next to Fact & Fiction for 6.5 hours (!) and signed however many hundreds of books for all of you lovely people who preordered it from them. It was so, so wonderful to recognize so many names! Not just folks locally, but so many of you who have participated in discussions here for the last however many years. I was a little verklempt at many moments and I am so, so grateful.

I also want to note that more than 10% of the entire first print run of the book has already been ordered by F&F alone, all thanks to you. Wow.

Meanwhile, If you preordered, your copy should be arriving imminently. In fact, lately I’ve been getting many texts and Instagram tags of people displaying their copy! I love that! Keep them coming!

Moreover, it’s not too late to preorder a signed and personalized copy from F&F, if you’re into that sort of thing….

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Miigwech, as always, my Irritable Readers! Here’s to hopefully seeing many of you on the road this fall and winter and spring and….

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