When Braiding Sweetgrass author Robin Wall Kimmerer gave a lecture in Norman, Okla., on November 1, the first day of Native American Heritage Month, Scribner arranged an exclusive shipment of Kimmerer’s forthcoming The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, whose official publication date is November 19. Green Feather Book Company, one of the event’s cosponsors, was able to sell copies of The Serviceberry more than two weeks early in an exclusive opportunity that benefited the author, publisher, bookstore, and community.
Oklahoma is home to 39 Indigenous tribes, including Kimmerer’s own Citizen Potawatomi Nation, whose VP, Linda Capps, facilitated the author’s visit alongside the nonprofit Norman Cultural Connection, several University of Oklahoma departments, and Green Feather Book Co., which is owned by Chickasaw Nation member Heather Hall. “It’s always rewarding to be in the midst of so many diverse Indigenous communities and meet new relatives” in family tribal lands, Kimmerer told PW.
Early access to books is “very much on a case-by-case basis,” explained Christie Hinrichs, director of Authors Unbound, the speakers’ agency representing Kimmerer. “For authors doing events near publication time, we do ask publishers” whether early copies might be made available, because “it generates a lot of interest with the host organization.” Authors Unbound worked closely with Scribner to “collaborate as much as we could,” Hinrichs explained.
Marial Martyn, executive director of Norman Cultural Connection, said that “the planning process began nearly two years ago.” She’d long wanted to bring Kimmerer to Norman, because Braiding Sweetgrass “has resonated with a broad and diverse audience” locally. She said Oklahomans are “eager to learn how we can acknowledge and honor our relationship with the natural world, while being challenged to take action with a deeper understanding of reciprocity, stewardship, and regard of nature in our everyday lives.”
Kimmerer agreed that she was “eager to share ideas of Braiding Sweetgrass and The Serviceberry with a Norman audience that might find them challenging, perhaps especially in election season.” The ethnobotanist and environmental advocate thought, “I’m maybe not preaching to the choir here, where fossil fuel extraction is such a big part of the culture and economy. I hope to expand our collective imagination of what a sustainable economy could look like.”
Hall, of Green Feather, said that the 200-seat event “sold out in two hours,” and that she was thrilled for the opportunity to sell The Serviceberry as an exclusive. Hall founded her independent bookstore in 2021, and “we’re the first truly indie bookstore in my lifetime in Norman,” she said. “We are still trying to establish ourselves as a great place for storytellers to come to do events.” For Native American Heritage Month, Hall has booked Indigenous authors Tiffany Midge (Horns; Bury My Heart at Chuck E. Cheese’s), Devon Mihesuah (The Bone Picker), Andrea L. Rogers (The Art Thieves), and Traci Sorell (Mascot), among others.
As the supplier at Kimmerer’s event, Hall observed that “literally everyone has a copy of Braiding Sweetgrass,” and attendees might get personal copies signed rather than purchase an additional copy or pre-order The Serviceberry. Actually having the new book on hand was a significant perk, said Hall, “and there’s already a ton of enthusiasm.”
Nan Graham, publisher at Scribner, applauded the collaboration. “We at Scribner are thrilled to bring Robin Wall Kimmerer’s timeless and timely message about reciprocity and abundance to readers who know her work already, and to those who will discover her singular and vital voice in The Serviceberry,” Graham told PW.
