Bringer Of Dawn Wins 2008 Lacapa Spirit Prize for Southwest Children’s Literature
Written by Veronica Tsinajinnie
& Illustrated by Ryan Singer
Along with spring flowers, Salina Bookshelf, too, is blooming with big news! The 2008 Lacapa Spirit Prize has been announced, and for the second year in a row, one of Salina Bookshelf’s titles has received a nod — in 2007, artist Kendrick Benally won the Lacapa Prize for Illustration for Frog Brings Rain.
But, this year, Johonaa’ei: Bringer of Dawn by Veronica Tsinajinnie is taking home the Lacapa Spirit Prize for Narrative. The prize will be awarded during the 10th annual Northern Arizona Book Festival, Sat, April 26.
Named for Michael Lacapa, children’s book illustrator and writer who died in 2005, the award honors the legacy of his artistic vision and talent for storytelling. This prize acknowledges great books for children that best embody the spirit of the peoples, culture and natural landscape of the Southwest.
Ms. Tsinajinnie said she “was pretty honored and excited” upon hearing the news that she had won the 2008 Lacapa Prize. Ms. Tsinajinnie will accept her award and give a short presentation during the book festival on Sat, April 26.
According to those who awarded the 2008 Lacapa Spirit Prize to Johonaa’ei: Bringer of Dawn, “Veronica Tsinajinnie’s bilingual narrative is powerfully subtle in its presentation of Navajo culture … Young readers will delight in Tsinajinnie’s progressive repetition, recognizing the daily path as one they, too, walk.”
The Lacapa Spirit Prize is made possible by the generous support of the Northern Arizona Book Festival.
Salina Bookshelf Releases
Stonecutter & the Navajo Maiden
Written by Vee F. Browne
& Illustrated by Johnson Yazzie
Salina Bookshelf is set to release another children’s picture book to add to its long list of award-winning multicultural titles. The Stone Cutter and the Navajo Maiden, written by Vee F. Browne, will be available in bookstores this May 2008. The elegant picture book is brought to life through Navajo artist Johnson Yazzie’s illustrations, which are immaculately rendered in pastels on homemade paper.
The story, written in Navajo and English, follows the journey of Cinnibah, a young Navajo maiden who lives in the deep Dinétah. She looks after her widowed father, and every day she grinds corn into flour to make their bread. To do so, she uses a metaté—an ancient grinding stone that has been passed down in her family for generations. When Cinnibah accidentally shatters the metate, she sets out on a journey to find someone who can help her mend the stone. Her quest brings her to a Moccasin Maker, a Potter, and, finally, the mysterious Stone Cutter. Will he be willing to help her?
A story about loss and recovery, with strong ties to family and community, The Stone Cutter and the Navajo Maiden is an excellent early reader for both Navajo children and school children in need of learning more about Navajo culture.
Vee F. Browne is from Cottonwood/Tsélani, Arizona, and is a member of the Navajo Nation, belonging to the Bitter Water and Water Flows Together clans. She obtained her master’s in arts from Western New Mexico University in 1990. A journalist, educator, and fiction writer, Ms. Browne is also an Arizona Interscholastic Athletic Association volleyball and basketball referee. As an award-winning author, she has received much acclaim for her children’s books, including Monster Slayer: A Navajo Folktale and Monster Birds: A Navajo Folktale.
Look for Ms. Browne’s latest release The Stone Cutter and the Navajo Maiden in bookstores, or order through Salina Bookshelf, in late May 2008, or call (877) 527-0070 for more information.
15th Annual Stabilizing Indigenous Languages
May 02 – 3, 2008 3, 2008
According to the National Geographic Society’s Enduring Voices Project, every two weeks another one of the world’s languages is no longer being spoken. The Project identified five language "hot spots" around the world where Native languages are most rapidly being lost, three of which are in the Americas: the Northwest Pacific Plateau, the Southwestern United States and Oklahoma, and Central South America.
To honor and preserve these linguistic heritages, the Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposiums have been disseminating information about effective practices to teach and learn Indigenous languages for 15 years. This year, the 15th annual SIL Symposium is taking place in Flagstaff May 2–3, 2008 at Northern Arizona University’s brand-new High Country Conference Center.
The conference will center on the theme “Language is Life: Strategies for Language Revitalization,” and will feature a keynote address by Dr. Margaret Speas, co-author of Salina Bookshelf’s Diné Bizaad Bínáhoo’aah: Rediscovering the Navajo Language. The two-day conference will feature more than 40 language teachers, researchers, students of indigenous languages and community language activists. These speakers of Hopi, Seneca, Maori, Diné, Mohawk, White Mountain Apache, Inutitut, Cherokee, Central Pomo, Deg Xinag, and Western Mono, to name a few, will share information about effective practices to teach and learn their languages. Throughout the symposium, conference participants will attend workshops and presentations in the brand-new High Country Conference Center.
On Sat, May 3, Dr. Margaret Speas, a linguistics professor from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, will be presenting a keynote address on her work in indigenous language documentation. Dr. Speas is a founding member of the Navajo Language Academy, which promotes scholarship on Navajo language and supports Navajos in their efforts to keep their language alive and strong.
Dr. Speas is the co-author (with Dr. Evangeline Parsons-Yazzie, professor of Navajo at Northern Arizona University’s Modern Languages Department, and co-chair of the 15th annual SIL Symposium) of a new book on teaching the Navajo Language, Diné Bizaad Bínáhoo’aah: Rediscovering the Navajo Language, published by Salina Bookshelf.
Diné Bizaad Bínáhoo’aah: Rediscovering the Navajo Language is the first book to be written and published by a Navajo academic, complete with color-coded chapters and full-color historic and contemporary photographs. The book presents language learners with clear explanations of vocabulary and grammar to provide students with a solid foundation for building communication skills.
To view the conference’s complete agenda and itinerary, visit: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/SIL9brochure.html.
Salina Bookshelf's New Eastside Location!
3120 N. Caden Court, Ste. 4, Flagstaff, AZ 86004
Salina Bookshelf is also pleased to announce that it has finally settled comfortably in its new location in East Flagstaff. Located off of Industrial Avenue, on 3120 North Caden Court, Suite 4, our new office and showroom offers plenty of space and glorious views of Mount Elden.
Please, come visit our new location by following these simple directions:
-
From downtown Flagstaff:
-
Drive northbound (heading east) on Highway 89, also known as Old Route 66. Turn left onto Steves Boulevard and drive south over the train tracks. Turn left on Industrial Avenue and continue driving east until Border Construction. From there, turn right onto N. Caden Court. Salina Bookshelf is located in the grey-and-red buildings on the left at the end of the cul-de-sac, in Suite 4.
-
From Phoenix:
-
Drive north on I-17 for two hours to I-40 East. Travel I-40 East to the Country Club exit, Exit #201. Turn left on Country Club Drive. Drive one mile to the stoplight at Highway 89, and turn left onto Hwy 89, heading south. Drive 2 miles to Fanning Dr., and turn left at the stop light. Drive over the railroad tracks and turn right onto Industrial Avenue. Drive ¼ of a mile and turn left onto N. Caden Court. Salina Bookshelf is located in the grey-and-red buildings on the left at the end of the cul-de-sac, in Suite 4.
-
From Tuba City or Page:
-
Take Highway 89 south to Flagstaff. Turn left at the light onto Fanning Drive. Drive over the railroad tracks and turn right onto Industrial Avenue. Drive ¼ of a mile and turn left onto N. Caden Court. Salina Bookshelf is located in the grey-and-red building s on the left at the end of the cul-de-sac, in Suite 4.
-
From Holbrook:
-
Travel I-40 West to the Country Club exit, Exit #201. Turn right on Country Club Drive. Drive one mile to the stoplight at Highway 89, and turn left onto Hwy 89, heading south. Drive 2 miles to Fanning Drive, and turn left at the stop light. Drive over the railroad tracks and turn right onto Industrial Avenue. Drive ¼ of a mile and turn left onto N. Caden Court. Salina Bookshelf is located in the grey-and-red buildings on the left at the end of the cul-de-sac, in Suite 4.