Ronan students read stories, poems at Missoula reading series event
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MISSOULA — Ronan creative writing students participated in the Open Country Reading Series Saturday, Jan. 30 in Missoula. The series features emerging and established writers from across the Northwest, along with local musicians and artists.
The students read during the “Native Voices” reading, alongside dg nanouk okpik and Matthew Haynes, both established Native writers.
Originally from Alaska’s Arctic Slope, dg nanouk okpik is Inupiaq, Inuit. She is the recipient of the American Book Award for her book of poems, “Corpse Whale.”
Haynes earned his master’s degree in fiction and a masters of fine art in creative nonfiction from Boise State University. His first novel, “Moving Towards Home,” was published in 1999. His newest novel, “Friday,” was published in 2015.
Natalie Peeterse, who curates the Open Country Reading Series and co-founded it with Henrietta Goodman, organized the Native Voices reading. She is very interested in nurturing and creating an environment for diverse and innovative writers and artists in the Northwest.
“This was a wonderful opportunity for our students to have their voices heard and supported by a large audience in Missoula,” said Claire Hibbs-Cheff, who started a year-long creative writing program at Ronan High School last year, focusing on poetry, short stories and novel writing.
“Writing is a powerful way for our students to communicate and empower themselves,” Hibbs-Cheff said. “The writing that has come out of the creative writing classes so far has been truly impressive. This reading is a beautiful extension of what is possible through a formal creative writing class.”
Ronan student Marlon Starblanket has been writing poetry since sixth grade, and read three of his poems at the event: “The Past” was about what he envisioned life to be like before the arrival of settlers; “Helper” reminds him of his grandfather, “who was my father figure to look up to,” and “Lost,” which was “an important time in my age because I just found out what had happened to my people.”
Starblanket also performed a song about native genocide after the Civil War.
Ronan student Kiana Brown, who participated in the reading, said there are facts and stories about her native people that aren’t taught in the classroom.
“The truth that is being hidden from the school systems inspires me to write about those missing pages in hope to make a change in what is and isn’t being taught in schools,” she said.
Brown composed a series of poems focusing on Native People and the cynosure of culture to read at Saturday’s event, including “Under The Storm,” a poem about the storm that clouds the minds of those who are facing depression and potentially suicide.
“This storm not only is causing mayhem here on the Flathead Reservation, but all over the world,” she said. “This is a storm we cannot run from.”
While reading, Brown said her emotions took over.
“But with the tears that flow I know my heart is just one more step to healing,” she said. “Pain is intertwined with the healing process, and reading Saturday night is helping me continue my journey to healing.”
Brown has been writing stories “as long as I can remember,” she said, and began writing poetry in middle school when Hibbs-Cheff was her English teacher.
“She truly was the one who got me to fall in love with the art,” Brown said. “Writing poetry has been something that has allowed me to escape as well as understand the unknown in my life … The fact that a pencil and paper holds so much power to potentially be the make or break in somebody’s life is amazing.”
