Episode 214 with Leah Myers, Chronicler of the Heartfelt, the Specific, the Universal, and the Myth and Proud History of the Jamestown S’Klallam in the Memoir, Thinning Blood

Notes and Links to Leah Myers’s Work

 

   For Episode 214, Pete welcomes Leah Myers, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early reading and inspirations, formative experiences in writing and self-growth, the ways in which she has seen Native Americans represented and misrepresented in literature and cinema, the rage and despair-inducing Pocahontas, and salient themes from her memoir, including US governmental neglect and violence toward Native Americans, blood quantum and other terminology, ideas of external and internal prejudices, as well as writing about sensitive personal experiences and about family members.

   Leah Myers is a member of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe of the Pacific Northwest. She earned her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of New Orleans, where she won the Samuel Mockbee Award for Nonfiction two years in a row. She now lives in Alabama, with roots in Georgia, Arizona, and Washington. Her work has previously appeared in The Atlantic, Craft Literary Magazine, Fugue Journal​, and elsewhere. Her debut memoir, THINNING BLOOD, is published by W.W. Norton, and received a rave review in the New York Times.

 

 

Leah's Website

 

Buy Thinning Blood

 

Maud Newton Reviews Thinning Blood for New York Times

At about 1:40, Leah discusses her childhood relationship with the written word, “surrounded by books”

 

At about 3:10, Leah discusses the power in reading Natalie Diaz and Joy Harjo and ideas of representation 

 

At about 5:05, Leah references the writers and writing that challenges and inspires her in the present day, including Natalie Diaz, anthologies like Never Whistle at Night (edited by Shane Hawk) and Jordan Peele’s Out There Screaming

 

At about 6:55, Leah responds to Pete’s question about the genesis of the writing bug for her 

 

At about 8:45, The two wax poetic about the great Tommy Orange and 

 

At about 9:55, Leah expounds upon the significance of wise words from an MFA professor

 

At about 12:00, Leah outlines some seeds for her memoir 

 

At about 13:10, Leah discusses the usage of terms like “tribe” and “Native American” and “indigenous” and the evolving ways in which they’re used

 

At about 15:10, Leah discusses the book’s introductions and rationale in using the totem poles as structural

 

At about 17:55, Leah responds to Pete’s questions about the title’s significance and the effects of blood quantum 

 

At about 20:05, Pete uses a quote from the memoir that enumerates each of the preceding women in Leah’s family and transitions into talking with Leah about the book’s opening called “Real Live Indians”

 

At about 22:00, Leah replies to Pete’s questions about the significance of the Mother Bear/Bear totem in her memoir 

 

At about 24:00, The two discuss the ways in which Leah writes about family members and her mindset in handling “mixed feelings” 

 

At about 27:50, Leah discusses the salmon and its significance as a totem in the book and connections to her identity

 

At about 29:40, The two discuss government actions referenced in the memoir 

 

At about 32:40, Pete gives background information on Leah’s early days in her ancestral home and asks Leah about the metaphor of her grandmother Vivían “swimming upriver” like the salmon

 

At about 35:20, Part III, with the totem of the hummingbird, is discussed, and Leah speaks about the painful ways in which she has processed the Disney movie Pocahontas over the years

 

At about 39:25, The two discuss the gradual loss of the S’Klallam language 

 

At about 41:55, Leah responds to Pete wondering about the ways in which she sees the Raven as part of the S’Klallam myths

 

At about 44:00, Forced adoptions of Native Americans and stats around misogynistic violence are referenced as written about in the book

 

At about 45:30, Leah discusses writing about a painful personal experience and bringing a human story to complement/highlight the statistics 

 

At about 46:35, Leah gives her rationale and mindset in writing a part of the book that is a letter to her prospective future relative

 

At about 49:10, Leah defines “infrasound” and she and Pete detail its power and connection to her memoir 

 

At about 50:55, The two discuss the myriad ways in which the Raven can be viewed and its connection to Leah’s identity 

 

At about 54:10, Leah gives some idea of upcoming projects 

 

At about 55:25, Leah gives contact and social media information

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   Please tune in for Episode 215 with Nick Fuller Googins. Nick is the author of the novel, The Great Transition, and his short fiction and essays have appeared in The Paris Review, Men’s Health, The Sun, The Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. He works as an elementary school teacher.

   The episode will air on December 5.