Greg Sarris, Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, discussed his latest novel, The Forgetters, in conversation with Jane Ciabattari at The Chan National Queer Arts Center on February 20, 2025. San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus Artistic Director Jake Stensberg welcomed guests to the event that blended storytelling with history.
Sarris explored the power of memory, identity, and healing through the lens of Southern Pomo and Coast Miwok traditions. Heyday Books, the publisher of The Forgetters, shared this summary:
“Perched atop Gravity Hill, two crow sisters—Question Woman and Answer Woman—recall stories from dawn to dusk. Question Woman cannot remember a single story except by asking to hear it again, and Answer Woman can tell all the stories but cannot think of them unless she is asked. Together they recount the journeys of the Forgetters, so that we may all remember. Unforgettable characters pass through these pages: a boy who opens the clouds in the sky, a young woman who befriends three enigmatic people who might also be animals, two village leaders who hold a storytelling contest. All are in search of a crucial lesson from the past, one that will help them repair the rifts in their own lives.”
Sarris at the event also read through his breakthrough contemporary queer indigenous novel Watermelon Nights (1998). He additionally spoke about his forthcoming novel about a powerful shapeshifting native woman who becomes a bear. The book is scheduled for release in March 2026.
Sarris has long been lauded as a remarkable storyteller whose journey spans literature, academia, film, and leadership at the highest levels. Currently serving his seventeeth term as Chairman of his tribe, which was formerly known as the Federated Coast Miwok, Tribal Chairman Sarris co-authored a bill, H.R. 5528, on behalf of his people, and on December 27, 2000, then President Bill Clinton signed the bill, restoring the Federated Coast Miwok as a recognized American Indian Tribe.
To learn more about Sarris, go to: https://greg-sarris.com/ For information about upcoming Chan National Queer Arts Center events: https://bit.ly/4iaa2Ko
Arts & Entertainment
Published on February 27, 2025
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