Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (FDLTCC) is excited to invite the community to celebrate Bringing Joy: A Local Literary Welcome, which won the 2022 Minnesota Author Project award in the Communities Create category. The e-book was recently granted the award and honored at the 2022 Minnesota Library Association annual conference. There will be a reception and reading on February 7, 2023, at FDLTCC.

Bringing Joy: A Local Literary Welcome is an anthology of writing and art inspired by the work of former United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo (Muscogee) and created by local writers and artists. Copies of a print version of the e-book will be available for purchase during the 2022 Minnesota Author Project award reception and reading.

“Winning the 2022 Minnesota Author Project award in the Communities Create category shows the power of a community coming together around a central idea and how a single artist can influence and inspire so many,” stated author and FDLTCC English faculty member, Darci Schummer.

Bringing Joy: A Local Literary Welcome was created through a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council to celebrate a 2021 virtual visit from Joy Harjo to the Northland. 

“Being part of creating an anthology to celebrate Joy Harjo’s visit to the Northland and to FDLTCC was a huge honor,” shared Schummer, “Literary events and projects like these are a boon to the area’s artistic ecosystem and provide tremendous opportunities for students and the community.” 

Bringing Joy: A Local Literary Welcome was made possible by the Minnesota Center for the Book, U.S. Library of Congress, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Carlton County, FDLTCC, American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO), Oldenburg Arts and Cultural Community, Minnesota State Arts Board, Minnesota Humanities Center, Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, and Northland Foundation.    

For more information on the 2022 Minnesota Author Project Award reception and reading visit https://fdltcc.edu/event/2022-mn-author-project-reception/.