For indigenous author Angeline Boulley, storytelling has become almost second nature. A longtime communication liaison for local tribes, Boulley honed her storytelling skills in fairly demanding medium: writing grant applications for the various Native American tribes with whom she worked.

“That was my storytelling training because you’re creating compelling narratives for people who don’t know anything about your community,” she says. But as Boulley worked with local tribes on making their members’ educational dreams a reality, she also began to ruminate on fictional possibilities for her own book. A story inspired by Boulley’s own tribe, the novel Firekeeper’s Daughter follows Daunis Fontaine — a character Boulley initially based on herself — whose biracial background makes being ‘accepted’ both on and off her reservation feel futile. But when a new and potent form of meth hits uncomfortably close to home, Daunis is forced to go undercover, where the stakes are — literally — life or death.  

On Thursday (December 9), Boulley will appear in Traverse City for the National Writers Series, an event that will be held in person at the City Opera House and also live-streamed. Read more about Boulley, her novel, and the NWS event in this week's Northern Express, sister publication of The Ticker. The Northern Express is available to read online, or pick up a free copy at one of nearly 700 newsstand spots in 14 counties across northern Michigan.