Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations

Diane Wilson’s Gift for Storytelling and Food Sovereignty

Native Lights

Today, a nourishing discussion with Diane Wilson (Dakota), the award-winning writer who is also a speaker, editor, and is the executive director for the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance.  We’re excited to speak with Diane Wilson about her new novel called The Seed Keeper, which is published by Milkweed Editions and came out in early March of 2021.

Diane tells us how she uses her personal experience to illustrate broader social and historical context. She shares how her life revolves around storytelling and gardening, and how she’s learned that creativity, seeds, and sustainable growth are all intimately intertwined.  We also hear about what the pandemic has taught her about food sovereignty. And Diane reveals some of her best writing practices that have led her on the journey from the blank page to creating celebrated books. 

Diane Wilson’s memoir, Spirit Car: Journey to a Dakota Past (Borealis Books) won a 2006 Minnesota Book Award and was selected for the 2012 One Minneapolis One Read program. Her 2011 nonfiction book, Beloved Child: A Dakota Way of Life (Borealis Books) was awarded the 2012 Barbara Sudler Award from History Colorado. Her most recent essay, Seeds for Seven Generations, is featured in the 2016 anthology, A Good Time for the Truth (MN Historical Society Press).

You can learn more about Diane Wilson’s new novel, The Seed Keeper, here: https://milkweed.org/book/the-seed-keeper

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine – Weekly Radio Show

Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce — a.k.a. Minnesota — to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.