Rosalie Iron Wing has grown up in the woods with her father until one morning, he doesn't return. She is sent to live with a foster family in nearby Mankato, where she develops a friendship with the rebellious Gaby Makespeace that transcends the damaged legacies they've inherited.
Years later, Rosalie returns to her childhood home and confronts the past through her search for family, identity and a community where she can finally belong.
In the process, she learns what it means to be descended from women with souls of iron — women who have protected their families, their traditions, and a precious cache of seeds through generations of hardship and loss.
Diane Wilson is a writer and educator who has published four award-winning books and essays. The Seed Keeper received the 2022 Minnesota Book Award for Fiction. Other titles include her memoir, "Spirit Car: Journey to a Dakota Past;" a nonfiction book, "Beloved Child: A Dakota Way of Life;" and a middle-grade biography: "Ella Cara Deloria: Dakota Language Protector." Wilson is a Mdewakanton descendent, enrolled on the Rosebud Reservation.
Available at the library for checkout in book, large type, digital audiobook, e-book Playaway audiobook, and audiobook CD formats.
“The Seed Keeper”:
A Conversation with Diane Wilson
Thursday, April 13, 7 p.m.
For adults
Library Center main floor
A haunting novel spanning several generations, Diane Wilson's The Seed Keeper follows a Dakota family's struggles and sacrifices to preserve their way of life and protect what matters most.
Weaving together the voices of four indelible women, The Seed Keeper is a beautifully told story of reawakening and remembering our relationship to the world around us. Come together in this annual community read event to hear the author discuss her acclaimed novel — a story of family, identity and community.
MORE EVENTS
Book Discussions for "The Seed Keeper"
- Wednesday, March 8, 1 p.m., Fair Grove Branch Library
- Wednesday, March 8, 2:30 p.m., Willard Branch Library community room
- Thursday, March 9, 2 p.m., Republic Branch Library community room
- Thursday, March 9, 6 p.m., Downtown Springfield Association, 134 Park Central Square, Suite 120
- Monday, March 20, 4 p.m., Strafford Branch Library
- Tuesday, March 21, 1:30 p.m., Ash Grove Branch Library community room
- Thursday, March 23, 1:30 p.m., The Library Station Santa Fe Room
- Tuesday, April 11, 6:30 p.m., Schweitzer Brentwood Branch Library community room
- Wednesday, April 12, 1 p.m., The Library Center meeting room B
- Friday, April 14, 10:30 a.m., Northview Center, 301 E. Talmage St.
Reed Basket Making Demonstration
Thursday, March 23, 6 p.m.
The Station Frisco Room
For adults
Enjoy an evening of the art of reed basket making demonstrated by Barbara Craker as she shows her collection of baskets and shares how she learned this craft. Craker is active with the American Indian Center of Springfield and affiliated with the Quapaw and Shawnee tribes.
CANCELLED - Introduction to Laser Engraving: Acrylic Plant Stakes
Saturday, March 25, 10 a.m.
Midtown Carnegie Branch Maker Space
For adults
Learn to use the laser engraver software to create your own custom acrylic plant stakes. Library staff will teach you how to design and print using Glowforge Laser Engraver. Materials will be provided.
- Maker Space - Registration starts March 13
How to Grow a Three Sisters Garden
Saturday, March 25, 1 p.m.
Midtown Carnegie Branch upstairs meeting room
For adults
American Indian Center of Springfield Program Director Stephanie Le-Charles Hall will share the history of Three Sisters planting and how corn, beans and squash plants nurture and depend on each other. Patrons will learn how to grow Mandan Bride Corn, Trail of Tears Beans and Butternut Squash varieties. Participants will receive Heirloom Seed Library Three Sisters seed kits. Watch for more Three Sisters programs this summer and fall. This program is provided in partnership with the American Indian Center of Springfield and Springfield Community Gardens. *Note: The elevator from the basement to the 2nd floor is not operational. Please contact us two weeks prior to a program if you need special accommodation.
- upstairs meeting room - Registration starts March 14
"Warrior Women" at the Moxie
Sunday, March 26, 6 p.m.
Moxie Cinema, 305 S. Campbell Ave. #101
For adults
In the 1970s organizers of the American Indian Movement (AIM) fought for Native American liberation and survival as a community of extended families. "Warrior Women," not rated, is the story of Madonna Thunder Hawk, one such AIM leader. She shaped a kindred group of activists' children – including her daughter Marcy – into the "We Will Remember" Survival School as a Native alternative to government-run education. Together, Madonna and Marcy fought for Native rights in an environment that made them more comrades than mother-daughter. Admission is free.
Native American Cooking Demonstration
Saturday, April 1, 11 a.m.
Fairbanks, 1126 N Broadway Ave.
For adults
American Indian Center of Springfield Program Director Stephanie Le-Charles Hall demonstrates how to create three delicious and simple Native American recipes – amaranth pudding with berries and coconut, a microgreen salad with pomegranate salad dressing, and a bean dish. Seating is limited.
- Fairbanks, 1126 N Broadway Ave. - Registration starts March 18
Farming with Native Plants in the Ozarks
Saturday, April 1, 2 p.m.
The Station Frisco Room
For adults
A representative of Hamilton Native Outpost talks about the benefits of using native diverse grassland plants to restore soil health, provide nutritious forage for livestock and create attractive, low maintenance landscapes.
First Friday Art Walk
Friday, April 7, 6:30 p.m.
Park Central Branch
For all ages
Join us for First Friday Art Walk and the opening of a new exhibit.
"View Between The Lines: 'The Seed Keeper,'" featuring works of art by Springfield Regional Arts Council members and submissions from the public.
Living Ozarks: Ecology & Culture of a Natural Place
Saturday, April 15, 10:30 a.m.
Republic Branch community room
For adults
Ozarkers have a long history of nature writing, covering topics such as land use, sustainability and natural resources. Explore these topics and appreciate the natural Ozarks through selected readings from the anthology "Living Ozarks: The Ecology and Culture of a Natural Place." Presenters include Missouri State University’s James Baumlin. Books will be available for purchase.
Read-alikes
