Buffalo Dreamer: An Interview with Author Violet Duncan [S7 EP. 228]

buffalo-dreamer-violet-duncan

Listen to the full episode below:

Books are so special because they allow you to see the world from the comfort of your own home (or classroom!). Our guest today, author Violet Duncan, brings part of her world to students around the world through her storytelling. Violet is Plains Cree and Taino from Kehewin Cree Nation and began self-publishing books when she didn’t see her family represented on bookshelves.

In this episode, Violet shares about her latest book, Buffalo Dreamer. It’s a middle-grade novel that explores Indigenous history, focusing on the legacies of residential schools and the discoveries of unmarked graves. If you are at the high school level, there is still a place for this book in your classroom, and we discuss different ways that it can be used across grades.

After you’ve listened to the interview, we would love to hear from you! Where do you see this fitting into your curriculum? How could it fill a gap that’s missing for your students? Send us a message on Instagram @bravenewteaching or an email to bravenewteaching@gmail.com. 

You can shop all of our favorite books on Bookshop.org (Amanda’s list and Marie’s list) or Amazon.

Topics Discussed:

  • Violet’s story of becoming a children’s author

  • The story of Buffalo Dreamer, and the gap it’s filling in middle grade curriculum

  • Why dreams are used so often in indigenous lit

  • Ideas for how Buffalo Dreamer could be used in your classroom

  • Texts that could fit alongside Buffalo Dreamer

  • The big takeaways that Violet hopes readers will have

Resources Mentioned:

meet Violet:

Violet Duncan is Plains Cree and Taino from Kehewin Cree Nation. As an accomplished author, educator, dancer, and storyteller, she has toured both nationally and internationally, sharing her talents and promoting wellness and cultural education across the US, Canada, and Europe. 

 After becoming a mother of four and seeing the need for greater Native representation in literature, Violet has authored three picture books: I Am Native, When We Dance, and Let’s Hoop Dance! Her next children's book, Life is a Dance will arrive in fall 2025.

 Most recently, she released her middle school novel, BUFFALO DREAMER, under Nancy Paulsen’s imprint at Penguin Random House. This exciting work has already received acclaim, making it onto the Longlist for the 2024 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.

Connect with violet:

check out other bnt episodes:

More about Brave New Teaching:

Join hosts Amanda Cardenas (Mud & Ink Teaching) and Marie Morris (The Caffeinated Classroom) in discussions about being brave, trying new things, and all things teaching! As seasoned classroom teachers, Amanda and Marie bring their experience, insight, energy, and oh, so many opinions and ideas... It's time for all teachers to take their classroom and teaching practice into their own hands!

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