Our Peerless Staff
(Diné/Navajo) Carolyn is the Birchbark Native Arts webstore manager. Her taste in books varies depending on her mood, but these days she finds herself most interested in reading about the lives of people and therefore has been gravitating toward memoir, but she enjoys fiction as well. A lover of animals and nature, Carolyn is an artist at heart that works with many different types of materials. Lately, she finds herself making beaded earrings, which can be purchased at birchbarknativearts.com/beadwork or etsy.com/shop/beautybeforemestudio
(Citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation) Jack is an Anishinaabe-Michif bookseller and beadworker with a background in Native Studies. Besides expanding his own artistic practice, he hopes to collaborate with other Native artists as well as Native writers, designers, and filmmakers. Jack is passionate about Ojibwe language revitalization and also tries to stay involved with his European communities. He is an avid fan of O-Zone, both the band and the layer.
(Fond du Lac Ojibwe) Halee is a poet and teaching artist in love with wetlands, obscure birds and plants, and public transportation. You may find them teaching writing classes at The Loft Literary Center and Hamline University when not at Birchbark. Their favorite part of bookselling is recommending poetry collections to readers just getting into the genre. Some of their favorite poets are Natalie Diaz, Kazim Ali, Heid Erdrich, and Frank O'Hara.
Nadine is an avid reader, especially dedicated to science fiction. She's currently in graduate school at St. Kate's for her master's in Library and Information Science. Born and raised on Madeline Island in Northern Wisconsin, Lake Superior has her heart. She lives in Minneapolis with her overflowing bookshelves and two cats, Pig and Burger.
(Ojibwe) Anthony is a poet/bookseller/enthusiastic reader/alright cook. If you don't catch him working at Birchbark, you might find him around town at a poetry reading or holed up in a cafe writing his angsty goth heart out over a turkey sandwich. He believes the best poems start with a pen and paper. Sometimes he tries to write essays. These attempts are not always successful. He is a first generation descendant of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
Penny is an avid gardener and beekeeper. She loves visiting new places and has a goal of traveling abroad every year. When
Penny is in MN and not at Birchbark, she spends her free time hanging
with her many pets, reading historical fiction and sci fi or pole
dancing.
Kate juggles our bills and everything else besides.
Nathan gives his time and love to carefully construct and manage this website. Also buys books.
Tom (pictured right) grew up just outside of Minneapolis, and was a delighted customer of Birchbark for many years before joining the staff. He primarily enjoys fiction, history, and cultural and legal theory, but is always open to suggestions. He is an aspiring dog-owner, and an enthusiastic uncle of eight.
Ray (they/them) delights in crafting and sharing books with friends. When they are not assisting Carolyn at the web art store or selling books at the bookshop, they can be found drawing caricatures at fairs, making protest art, playing DnD, or flourishing outdoors!
Cat lady and Fantasy book lover, Kate is a wanderer whose feet are grateful for a place to stand at Birchbark Books.
