Author To Know Seraphine G. Yazzie
September 2006 Interview by Jessie Ruffenach
Seraphine is this month's "Author to Know." In an interview with Salina Bookshelf's editor Jessie Ruffenach, Seraphine shares her experiences as a first-time author talks about her book The Three Little Sheep.
Jessie: Tell us about yourself. Where are you from, and what activities do you enjoy?
Seraphine: My name is Seraphine Gwyn Yazzie. I grew up in Page, Arizona, with my father, mother, and brother. My parents lived an outdoor life until they separated and my mother moved away. I struggled with the divorce of my parents, but my brother Ezekiel and I were very close. We were always swimming, fishing, and hiking Lake Powell. Of course, we both attend Page High School and graduated. I enjoy the outdoor spirit of life.
Jessie: Growing up, was storytelling a large part of your life? Did family members share and repeat stories? If so, tell us how that might have shaped your desire to be a writer
Seraphine: While I was growing up, my grandmother had a great influence on my life. She was known for her Christian values and always told me Bible stories. But sometimes, she would tell me stories about her life in Pinon, Arizona, and about growing up in the boarding school at Sherman. I enjoyed every story she told me, whether it was Christian or cultural. I remember sleeping by her and asking her to tell me bedtime stories. Then after each story, I would ask her, “Where are the Indians in all the stories, Grandma?” She would reply, “You are the Indian and you have to make your own story someday.” I was never sure what she meant until now.
Jessie: The Three Little Sheep is your first book, and is a hilarious retelling of the classic fairytale “The Three Little Pigs.” How did you go about taking the original story and giving it all the Navajo twists?
Seraphine: The Three Little Sheep is considered a fractured fairy tale. As a student at Northern Arizona University, I took a storytelling course in the summer as an elective, thinking it was going to be easy. My instructor would make us read different versions of stories and dramatize them. Later, we had to write our own stories and present them for a grade. Stage fright was not an option because it could bring our grades down.
I enjoyed the storytelling class because I could free write and express my Native American culture without criticism. Besides that, my colleagues enjoyed my stories. I decided I would write my own fractured fairy tale because such stories were so popular – such as Jon Scieszka's The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.
Storytelling is an art form and it is either inherited or learned through practice. Some key elements are a good imagination, writing skills, and oral presentation skills.
Jessie: How does it feel to be a first-time author, and what sort of response are you getting from your book?
Seraphine: As a first-time author, I feel honored and excited to have written a humorous book for children. Because the story has a Navajo theme, it is especially meaningful for the Native American children who wonder, “Where are the Indians in the story besides Pocahontas and Sacagawea?" I feel as if I finally contributed something to my culture, especially because my book is fully translated in Navajo. I have earned a golden star to promote reading!
Nine times out of ten, I get positive feedback from my book. It's a great pleasure to see children drawing cartoon characters from The Three Little Sheep and making other stories from my book.
Jessie: You are a teacher in addition to being a writer, and that no doubt makes you quite familiar with the subjects young children find interesting. Do you sometimes find yourself getting story ideas from your students?
Seraphine: Children are no doubt interesting to observe. During free time, each student can tell me about what happened during the weekend, what’s going on in the community, who loves who, and strange or scary stories. It’s kind of humorous, but my goal is to have the children write down their own stories. Getting them to do so, however, is like pulling teeth. Whenever I suggest the children write down their stories, they say, "Nah! I always remember it!"
As a teacher, I see a very important need for English as a Second Language (ESL) students to express their personal stories, cultural stories, and dreams through writing. We live in an information-filled world with words all around us, and if students do not excel at reading and writing, they will find themselves encountering unnecessary hardships. Most of the time, Native American children are given non-Native topics to write about; therefore, they struggle with writing because it doesn’t seem fun or personal.
Jessie: Do you consider yourself breaking from the oral tradition by writing down your stories?
Seraphine: As a member of Western society, I've learned that ideas must be put in writing. As a teacher, I learned to document or write everything, because if I only verbally spoke it, “It is considered hearsay; therefore, not reliable information.”
My culture is mostly verbal. Stories are told at certain times of the season and each story has a moral to it. Nevertheless, I do not consider myself breaking from the oral tradition by writing down my stories. Rather, I consider myself promoting a Native point of view.
Jessie: Besides teaching and writing, have you pursued any other career paths? What can we expect from you in the future? Please tell us about any books or other projects you have planned.
Seraphine: I'm young and I have many plans, but most of them are still in the works. My primary goal is to acquire a loving spirit like my grandmother's. Also, I wish to be an inspiration to others who are trying to become writers, especially indigenous people. I would also like to help promote bilingual programs and encourage young people to learn their culture and language. Both will soon vanish if we don't use them.
A Season of Conferences
December 06
Between October and December, Salina Bookshelf attended close to a dozen conferences in cities all across the country. We met a wide variety of people, and had the privilege of speaking with teachers, librarians, and educators from many different regions. The needs for their schools, libraries, and programs were all different, and we were pleased to demonstrate how Salina's books and educational materials could be used to advantage in many different communities.
Salina's first fall conference was the Utah Education Association (UEA), held at the convention center in Salt Lake City from October 15-16. It also marked the first conference for Salina's new team member, Karen Feinsinger. Karen set up a vendor booth in the exhibit hall to display and sell Salina’s large selection of new and best-selling titles.
Among the attendees were new, first-year teachers eager to fill their classrooms with beautiful books; well seasoned teachers searching for dynamic new materials; and members of the public interested in educational resources.
Karen described the conference as a "great success," noting the many contacts she made and the fact that she ran out of the autographed posters of Salina's award-winning children's book, Little Woman Warrior Who Came Home. Everyone who approached the booth was interested in learning about Salina’s mission to publish books about the Navajo people, language, and culture. More than once, teachers commented on the importance of having Salina's books in their classrooms and how they bring a deeper understanding of Navajo culture to the children – whether Navajo themselves or not.
While Karen was attending the conference in Utah, Jessie and Peter Ruffenach were in Dallas, Texas, for the First Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC). This conference was a groundbreaking event, in that it was the first American Library Association conference specifically for librarians who serve in diverse communities.
Members of all the five ALA ethnic caucuses attended the conference, among them the American Indian Library Association (AILA). The Dallas conference was an exciting time for all those involved in AILA, for it was at this conference that AILA announced the recipients of their new book award, the American Indian Youth Literature Award. The honored books were Beaver Steals Fire: A Salish Coyote Story by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, illustrated by Sam Sandoval; The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich; and Hidden Roots by Joseph Bruchac.
Congratulations to the winners! Salina Bookshelf is very encouraged to see a literature award that recognizes great stories on Native American themes.
Directly after the JCLC conference, Editor Jessie Ruffenach and Art Director Bahe Whitethorne, Jr. headed to Anchorage, Alaska, for the National Indian Education Association (NIEA). This event was held at the Egan Convention Center from October 19-22.
The sessions offered at NIEA were remarkable. Especially notable was a presentation given by Vivian Mork, Indigenous Educator and Lingít Language Specialist. During her presentation, Vivian talked about different techniques for teaching native languages. Included among her many examples were ideas for using modern technology to pique students' interest and involve them more fully in the learning process. For instance, Vivian sometimes uses a Playstation in her classroom. Children must speak only in their native language to describe the objects and actions in the game. If a student begins using English words, then he or she must forfeit their next turn. By making it necessary to speak the native language, students are much more likely to learn and retain new vocabulary.
Salina Bookshelf displayed their books in the exhibit hall, which was bustling with activity during all three of the exhibit days. Jessie and Bahe had the pleasure of speaking with educators from all across the country, as well as many from the Anchorage area. It was particularly enjoyable to learn what other tribes are doing to print books in their Native languages.
Shortly after NIEA, Peter Ruffenach and Bahe Whitethorne, Jr. attended the 16th Navajo Studies Conference, which was held on the campus of the University of New Mexico from November 1-4. The purpose of this conference is to promote Navajo studies through language, culture, and history. Conference-goers were interested in Salina's books both for their value as a language learning tool, and as a means of diffusing Navajo culture to a broader audience.
Authors Evangeline Parsons Yazzie and Roberta John attended the conference. Both gave presentations and were available to sign their books.
On November 3, Jessie Ruffenach and Eric Lockard traveled down to Phoenix to attend the Reach Out and Read Arizona Third Annual Fall Meeting. This event was held at the St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, and provided the opportunity for Reach Out and Read providers, program coordinators, volunteers, and supporters to network and share ideas.
Reach Out and Read is an early literacy program that encourages families to bring books and reading into their homes. To facilitate this goal, participating pediatricians give away free books to children when their parents bring them in for checkups. Reach Out and Read Programs are now located in 112 clinics throughout Arizona and deliver over 122,000 books per year to children ages six months to five years.
The very next week, Peter and Bahe attended the National Johnson-O’Malley Association Conference from November 4-7. This conference was in Albuquerque, and its purpose is to represent tribal governments, educators, and students on a national stage.
Shortly afterwards, Peter and Bahe also attended the Regional Indigenous Bilingual Education Conference, which was held at the Gallup Performing Arts Center in Gallup, New Mexico, from November 16-17. Attendees met to discuss the most effective way of increasing knowledge of the Navajo language and culture among the natives in the region, and the best methods to fund and execute these plans.
Dr. Roy Howard, the artistic director of the Performing Arts Center, also received a shipment of several boxes of Salina Bookshelf’s books, and is using them as part of the product line of the new bookstore in the Performing Arts Center. Be sure to stop by and browse through his selection of titles.
The Arizona Library Association Conference was held at the Mesa Convention Center in Mesa, Arizona from November 14-16. Editor Jessie Ruffenach attended this event, and she spoke with school, academic, and public librarians from all across Arizona. The theme of this year's conference was Libraries * Change * Keeping Up, and librarians had the opportunity of meeting with vendors in the exhibit hall and exchanging ideas with their peers during the many workshops and presentations.
Finally, as a grand finale to these multiple events, Eric Lockard, Bahe Whitethorne, Jr., and Peter Ruffenach attended the Pueblo Grande Museum Indian Market Days from December 9-10 in Phoenix, Arizona. The show was held outdoors at the Steele Indian School Park, on a beautiful winter weekend.
Native artists and entertainers from throughout the Southwest gathered for this fun, cultural event. Art collectors, teachers, librarians, and private individuals strolled from booth to booth, speaking with the artists, and learning not only about the art, but also about the cultures behind the art. At the Salina Bookshelf booth, Baje Whitethorne, Sr. signed his new book Little Black, A Pony.
Pueblo Grande was an enjoyable weekend for all involved. The many sights, sounds, and smells combined to create a festive atmosphere. Standing in the winter sunlight, all could hear the sounds of conversation and laughter, interspersed with snatches of native song and music. Over all drifted the enticing scent of fresh cooked stew, fry bread, and other fare. If you didn't have the opportunity to attend this year's show, be sure to mark it on your calendar for next year!
Little Black, A Pony Featured Book
June 2006
For many years, The Black Stallion books by Walter Farley have been among the most popular books with young readers on the Navajo Nation. With this in mind, Salina Bookshelf, working in conjunction with the Black Stallion Literacy Project, offers a new edition of the 1961 children’s classic Little Black, A Pony. Translated into Navajo and completely re-illustrated by Baje Whitethorne, Sr., this book on friendship and unwavering loyalty promises to steal readers' hearts.
Little Black, A Pony will be available in November. Place your pre-order today, and receive the first copies that come into our office!
An audio CD is included in the back of the book, and narrates the story in both Navajo and English. Read by native speaker Evangeline Parsons Yazzie, Ed.D. and Geoffrey Norcross.
ISBN 978-1-893354-90-6 Hardcover, Navajo/English
Retail Price: $21.95
Fifth Edition at the Prescott Book Festival
June 2006
The Prescott Sharlot Hall Museum hosted its annual book festival this year on Saturday, September 16, under sunny skies and amid perfect book-browsing weather. The book festival, begun in 2002 and inspired by a suggestion from Salina Bookshelf’s editor Jessie Ruffenach, attracts authors, publishers, and booksellers from around the state. Salina Bookshelf was one of perhaps thirty other exhibiting booksellers, each displaying their books on tables set up in the green park surrounding the museum.
The Sharlot Hall Museum was founded in 1928 and is the largest museum in central Arizona. Regularly sponsoring festivals, fairs, and other such events, the museum honors and celebrates regional heritage and culture, and is one of the most widely visited museums in Arizona.
President Eric Lockard, editor Jessie Ruffenach, and sales manager Karen Feinsinger attended the festival on behalf of Salina Bookshelf. The three had a fun and successful day speaking with and selling books to teachers, librarians, and the public. Several teachers expressed interest in setting up Salina author visits, and librarians from the Prescott and Yavapai Community Colleges mentioned their interest in adding Salina’s newest titles to their collections.
The book festival provided an excellent way for families to spend the day together. There were authors giving readings from their books, storytellers giving oral presentations, a musician playing on a glass armonica, and singers performing in the gazebo. And, of course, families had the opportunity of hunting for their favorite types of books, whether it be mystery, biography, historical fiction, children's books, or crafts.
The Prescott Book Festival has always been a fun, relaxed event. In fact, the relaxed atmosphere and easy conversations are what make Salina Bookshelf excited to attend every year. We sincerely hope the Sharlot Hall Museum will continue to host this event in the years to come. We’ll certainly be there every time, meeting with anyone interested in Salina Bookshelf’s unique selection of multicultural children’s books.