"Where the Language Lives: VI Hilbert and the Gift of Lushootseed" was just published May 24, 2022. We were thrilled to welcome the author, Janet Yoder just two days later!

This event was live-in-person in the shop and streamed on Facebook Live, and recorded and is available to watch on demand!  Watch here!

More information for you, in case you have questions once you have watched...

• The GoFundMe page for the Healing Heart of Lushootseed Symphony Documentary is here.
• Yes, Vi Hilbert's great granddaughter has just published a book that is on the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association best sellers list! "Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk" by Sasha Lapointe. More information about her book below.

January 2023: A new podcast features local author Janet Yoder and her amazing book "Where the Language Lives: Vi Hilbert and the Gift of Lushootseed."
Words from Janet: "Vi Hilbert’s daughter, Lois Dodson, joins me and my husband Robby Rudine to talk about her mother’s life and work to preserve the Lushootseed language and culture. Oh, and to commission a symphony along the way. We talk about Vi, what it was like to know her, and about the writing of the book ... "
Here is the link to the three episodes of this podcast, recorded January 3, 2023 at the La Conner Swinomish Library.

"This book arrives like a comet, bright and beautiful, illuminating a world of wonders in the life and work of Upper Skagit elder Vi Hilbert. It should be required reading for every resident of Puget Sound Country. It is a delightful and intimate look into the life and culture of one of the most respected elders of Coast Salish territory." --Lynda Mapes, author of "Breaking Ground: The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and the Unearthing of Tse-whit-zen Village"

'"Where the Language Lives" is a warm woven blanket of a book. With rich and reverent storytelling, Janet Yoder gifts us with stories of Upper Skagit tribal elder Vi Hilbert, continuing Vi's tradition of deep generosity while sharing lessons of language and life, community and connection, family and faith. This book lifted my spirits, held my heart, and spoke to me in a universal language--love." --Kira Jane Buxton, author of "Hollow Kingdom" and "Feral Creatures."

Seattle writer Janet Yoder's work has been published in literary journals, including the Baltimore Review, Chautauqua, Jet Fuel Review, Apalachee Review, American Literary Review, and Passages North. Her work has been recognized with a Pushcart Prize nomination and a Hedgebrook residency. She lives with her husband on a floating home in Seattle, Washington.

Visit her website for all kinds of information about the author and her works... www.janetyoder.com

A little bit of information about how/when she met Vi Hilbert and the results, with links to all kinds of additional information! Here.

Ms. Yoder will be in conversation with Carolyn Michael.
Carolyn Michael is a retired educator, writer and collage artist. She is the author of “Enchanted Companions:  Stories of Dolls in Our Lives.”  She lives in Burien, WA.