Blue Hand Books + BAD BANANA

  Wednesday, September 23, 2026 — How Indigenous voices adapt to rapidly evolving media After centuries of having their stories told by outsiders, Indigenous people made considerable progress in having their voices represented in the media in recent decades. The 2012 book, “ American Indians and the Mass Media ,” co-edited by Meta Carstarphen, documented that growth in authentic Native voices. Now, a new book edited by Carstarphen and Cristina L. Azocar picks up where the original book left off. “ Storytelling Sovereignty: Indigenous Peoples and the Media, ” combines scholarly research and interviews with notable Native journalists and storytellers. It reviews the history of Native radio, television, news, and the arts and provides a first draft of the dramatic shifts in media just in the past ten years. We’ll hear from some of those featured in the book about how Native perspectives are making a difference.   Interview: 

  Aliet Paul learns traditional sacred birthing practices of her Mi’kmaq through her grandmother. But the outside world is changing and drives a wedge between her and her community. “ The Birthing Tree ” is the second novel from Amanda Peters (Mi’kmaq). It is a story of identity, overcoming tragedy, and redemption through one’s connections to family and culture. “ How Settlers Get Away with Murder ” by Liza Black (Cherokee) focuses on the real-life death and disappearance of five Indigenous people to exemplify the larger culpability of Western systems in ongoing violence against Indigenous people that fuels today’s MMIP crisis.   Use BOOKSHOP TO BUY BOOKS! 

Authors should have heard a business model collapsing in slow motion. Every function Amazon used to monopolize — trust, discovery, payment, printing, fulfillment — is being pulled apart and sold separately. IngramSpark, Lulu, direct sales. The default that made KDP "the whole game" is coming apart, and the data's been pointing this way for three years: 91%, then 87%, then 83%.

👉👀 listen and learn: BLOG: https://microcosmpublishing.com/blog/2026/09/are-book-returns-good-or-bad-for-publishers-w-jane-friedman-a-peoples-guide-to-publishing/