Diane Wilson Kicks Off 2023 One Book Author Tour
May 27, 2023
In the 2023 One Book South Dakota selection, The Seed Keeper, author Diane Wilson follows several generations of a Dakota family as they struggle to preserve their way of life. This summer and fall, she will share that story directly with the state’s readers on her One Book South Dakota Author Tour.
Sponsored by the South Dakota Humanities Council, Wilson will visit a dozen communities in three regions: eastern South Dakota June 5-9, western and central South Dakota July 25-28, and the northern Black Hills before and after the 21st annual South Dakota Festival of Books, Sept. 22-24 in Deadwood. At each stop, she will talk about her work and its themes, answer questions from community members, and sign books.
A Mdewakanton descendent enrolled on the Rosebud Reservation, Wilson is eager to tour the state and meet readers. “So much of my writing and research has been centered in South Dakota, so to be able to come back to a land where I feel such a strong family rootedness and to share these stories, this is a great honor for me,” she said. “I’m excited for these conversations, so put the coffee on! I’m happy to come visit.”
The Seed Keeper centers around Rosalie Iron Wing, who draws strength from the knowledge that she is descended from women with souls of iron, women who have protected their families, their traditions, and a precious cache of seeds through generations of hardship and loss.
“At the heart of The Seed Keeper is a true story about Dakota women who, during the 1862 Dakota war in Minnesota, when they were being removed from the state and didn’t know where they were going to go or how they would feed their families, they sewed their seeds into the hems of their skirts and hid them in their pockets,” Wilson said.
“I wanted to show how it is our responsibility [to care for] the gift of these seeds and to look at how that relationship has changed over many years and what that change means not only for us as human beings, but also for the seeds themselves. It’s very much my love story to the seeds.”
ONE BOOK SOUTH DAKOTA AUTHOR TOUR SCHEDULE
Monday, June 5, Lennox – 6 p.m. – Lennox Community Library, 208 W. 5th Ave.For more information, contact Laurel Shaffer, (605) 366-2922, lshaffer@iw.net
Tuesday, June 6, Yankton – 12 p.m. – Yankton Community Library, 515 Walnut. For more information, contact Dana Schmidt, (605) 668-5275, dschmidt@cityofyankton.org
Tuesday, June 6, Vermillion – 6 p.m. – Vermillion Public Library, 18 Church St. For more information, contact Kendra Brewer, (605) 677-7060, kendra.brewer@vermillionpubliclibrary.org
Wednesday, June 7, Madison – 6:30 p.m. – Madison Public Library, 209 E. Center St. For more information, contact Amanda Hall, (605) 256-7525, madisonpubliclibrary@gmail.com
Thursday, June 8, Britton – 6 p.m. – Britton Public Library, 759 7th St. For more information, contact Cindy Krutsinger, (605) 448-2800, brittonlibrary@venturecomm.net
Friday, June 9, Mitchell – 5 p.m. – Mitchell Public Library, 221 N. Duff St. For more information, contact Zack North, (605) 995-8480, mitchell-library@cityofmitchell.org
Tuesday, July 25, Eagle Butte – 10 a.m. – Cheyenne River Youth Project, 704 4th St. For more information, contact Julie Garreau, (605) 365-7082, julie.cryp@gmail.com
Tuesday, July 25, Lemmon – 6 p.m. – Kokomo Gallery, 304 Main Ave. For more information, contact Raven Christman, (605) 374-5611, lemmonlibrary@outlook.com
Wednesday, July 26, Pierre – 12 p.m. – Rawlins Municipal Library, 1000 E. Church St. For more information, contact Abby Edwardson, (605) 773-7421, abby.edwardson@ci.pierre.sd.us
Wednesday, July 26, Miller – 6 p.m. – Hand County Library, 402 N. Broadway. For more information, contact Hannah Caffee, (605) 853-3693, library@handcountysd.org
Thursday, July 27, Lower Brule – 12 p.m. – Lower Brule Community College Library. For more information, contact Natalie Anderson, (605) 473-9232, natalieb@lowerbrulecc.org
Friday, July 28, Kyle – 10 a.m. – Oglala Lakota College Woksape Tipi Library, 490 Piya Wiconi Rd. For more information, contact Sharon Janis, (605) 455-6064, sharonrjanis@olc.edu
Wednesday, September 20, Lead – 6 p.m. – Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center, 160 W. Main St. For more information, contact Kelly Kirk, (605) 584-3110, slhvc@sanfordlab.org
Sunday, September 24, Piedmont – 2 p.m. – Piedmont Valley Library, 111 2nd St. For more information, contact Jenna Pritts, (605) 718-3663, piedmont.library2@hotmail.com
MORE INFORMATION
More about Diane Wilson
Wilson is a writer, speaker, educator, and the author of the 2023 One Book South Dakota, The Seed Keeper. Her other publications include two award-winning non-fiction books, numerous essays, and the children’s books Ella Cara Deloria: Dakota Language Protector and Where We Come From. She has received a Bush Foundation Fellowship and honors from the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Jerome Foundation, and the East Central Regional Arts Council. Wilson is executive director of the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance and a long-time member of the Oceti Sakowin Writers’ Society.
More about One Book South Dakota
Since 2003, SDHC’s One Book program has encouraged people across South Dakota to read and discuss the same book throughout the year. For more information or to apply to host a discussion, please visit https://sdhumanities.org/one-book-sd/. Copies of The Seed Keeper are available via the SDHC lending library, and groups may engage an SDHC scholar to lead their discussion if desired.
Learn more about humanities programming in South Dakota by signing up for SDHC e-Updates!