Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle is the first published novelist of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. She came out with her debut novel, Even As We Breathe, in 2020.
The book takes place during World War II featuring a nineteen-year-old young man who was searching for a way to get out of his hometown, Cherokee, North Carolina. He picks up a summer job at a luxurious inn and resort that homes diplomats as prisoners of war. Soon after he is accused of abducting and murdering the daughter of one of the residents.
Clapsaddle also took part in a project, along with NC State professor Carter Sickels, Troublesome Rising. The novel brought together dozens of Appalachian writers to talk about the events of the catastrophic flood that devastated Central Appalachia in, July of 2022.
On Nov. 14 the English Department invited Clapsaddle to read snippets of her work as well as give a presentation on writing about place.
Clapsaddle said that she wanted all of her writing to be able to be used as a lens to look at contemporary American culture and how our country’s history got us to the place we are today.
When writing about place, there is a certain level of responsibility to stay true to history. Clapsaddle said “all fiction is historical fiction because we are trying to explain a point in time.” Whether something is considered historical now it will be considered historical at some point. But there is a question about whose history to adhere to. The history written inside textbooks or the history told by the people who lived it? That is something the author themself will have to answer.
No matter which history one decides to adhere to, there is a lot of research involved. Whether that research is looking into historical documents, works of literature, politics, etc. What’s most important is talking to members of the community you want to write about and asking them for their stories.
Clapsaddle said that a lot of people will come to her and ask if they can write a story about Indigenous people or include an Indigenous character in their work. Her answer to that is a question in return: “How many Native American authors are on your bookshelf?”
Although that isn’t an end all be all question, it is a conversation starter. She said that conversation is incredibly important because for a long time other people have created the aesthetic of Native American for them. There has been “Native American” literature for so long but it is almost never written by Native Americans.
Clapsaddle told us that there are seven core values that Cherokee use to guide their actions and attitudes, and tries her best to make sure her writing aligns itself with those values as well.
Without going too much into detail, the seven values are spirituality, group harmony, strong individual character, strong connection with the land, honoring the past by knowing one’s ancestors, educating the children by providing values-oriented education and possessing a sense of humor.
She then spoke to us about her hometown and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. There are three federally recognized tribes of Cherokee people. Two are located in Oklahoma while the Eastern Band resides in Western North Carolina, the historical homelands of Cherokee Nation.
One of the members of the crowd asked Clapsaddle the reason for her being the first published novelist from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. She said that there wasn’t anything concrete that caused it, but there were a few reasons that she speculated could have made it harder for her predecessors to get published.
The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians live in more rural parts of NC than the rest of the Cherokee Nation. Western NC is also smaller and more isolated, so there is a lack of resources and community for writers. Additionally, the history of publishing Native authors across the country is still new.
It is something that Clapsaddle is actively working to change as she feels a lot of responsibility to tell stories. She realized that she should not be the only one sharing stories because there are so many storytellers in her tribe.
After the event The Nubian Message talked to Clapsaddle about the work she is doing to help other members of the Eastern Band get their voices out there. She said, “I was able to partner with the Museum of the Cherokee People to create Confluence: An Indigenous Writers’ Workshop Series, to be able to bring in Indigenous writers from all over the country to work with our community, to help inspire writers from our community, to have access to the publishing world – oftentimes we feel isolated in regards to that – but also to have a space where you get to strip away all these conversations about identity. (Conversations) that often happen in writers workshops when you’re a Native writer because the first thing you have to do is explain your culture to everybody. But in this Writers Workshop, you just get to focus on your writing, and that’s what I think writers in our community crave. It’s really important to me that since I’ve been gifted with so many opportunities that it’s my responsibility to provide as many opportunities as I can for my community.”
We also asked her to recommend any novels written by Native authors that would allow others to learn more about the experiences of Indigenous peoples.
Clapsaddle recommended “chekease by Louise Erdrich. The Round House is one of my favorite novels by her. Gosh, there’s so many writers today. There’s a Cherokee Nation author named Kelli Jo Ford who wrote Crooked Hallelujah. There is, if you like horror, Stephen Graham Jones is a Native writer. He’s very prolific. There’s several books by him. Andrea L. Rogers is another Cherokee Nation author that I would recommend. Robin Wall Kimmerer wrote Braiding Sweetgrass. That’s more of nonfiction and is a beautiful, beautiful text. Those are a few. There’s so many.”
Clapsaddle was asked if she had any advice for any up-and-coming Indigenous writers who are trying to follow in her footsteps.
“Well, I hope they’re creating their own footsteps, but no, I would say write what you want to write. Don’t feel like you’re trying to fill a niche or or write what you think people want to hear about Native cultures. Write what feels real to you and is honest and true. I think that’s the most important.”
