Event Details

Winner of the 2022 Minnesota Book Award in Fiction

A haunting novel spanning several generations, The Seed Keeper follows a Dakota family’s struggle to preserve their way of life, and their sacrifices to protect what matters most.

Native women have protected indigenous seeds for many generations as both a food supply and as carriers of culture and stories.  Wilson wrote The Seed Keeper as a way to honor Native women and their commitment to keeping indigenous seeds safe for future generations. As a gardener as well as through her work with Native organizations, Wilson has helped preserve and restore indigenous seeds for the last twenty years. 

Diane Wilson is a Dakota writer. Her memoir, Spirit Car: Journey to a Dakota Past, won a 2006 Minnesota Book Award and was selected for the 2012 One Minneapolis One Read program. Her nonfiction book, Beloved Child: A Dakota Way of Life, was awarded the 2012 Barbara Sudler Award from History Colorado. Awards include the Minnesota State Arts Board, a 2013 Bush Foundation Fellowship, a 2018 AARP/Pollen 50 Over 50 Leadership Award, and the Jerome Foundation. Wilson has served as the Executive Director for Dream of Wild Health and the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance. She is a descendent of the Mdewakanton Oyate and enrolled on the Rosebud Reservation.

This event is supported by the Macalester Native and Indigenous (MNI) Initiative.

Refreshments provided.