Shelf Life

Educator, poet, and comic-book creator Lee Francis IV (Laguna Pueblo) discusses how comics can fill a gap in Indigenous-created literature, while at the same time serving as a vehicle for presenting Native stories and identities in modern, dynamic settings rather than the ahistorical past in which pop culture often portrays Native characters. Lee joins us over the phone from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he is CEO and publisher at Native Realities Press and owner of Red Planet Books and Comics. He speaks with Will Hansen, Curator of Americana at the Newberry. --- Intro music: "Two Types of Awakenings" by Nheap