It is morning in these acknowledgments. “Greet the day in a grateful state,” is what my Ojibwe language teachers urged. My own relationship with gratitude is complicated by my concern for the state of the world. I often greet the day with anxiety, instead of seeing the gifts each day gives. Here in this anthology, in this place shared with relatives, this poetry nation, here I can acknowledge my gratitude to my ancestors and literary elders who persisted so we could live and create. Miigwech Gokomisinan. Miigwech Nokomisinan. Miigwech Aadisookaanag.
My most profound thanks to the poets included here who shared their poetry without hesitation and who took the time to help me relate to work from their first books. Your work is the work of this anthology and I have done nothing but make a place to offer your words, a place you all made possible. Thank you as well to authors who are not included here, but who suggested new poets for me to read and consider. Your assistance and openness impressed me and told me of the breadth of our Native literary community and the support so many established poets offer to new writers. Thank you to poet b. william bearhart for crucial conversations while I worked on the anthology. Thank you to Sherwin Bitsui for encouragement of the project as well as the cover image that completes this book.
My deepest thanks to Graywolf Press editor Jeff Shotts, who received the prospect of this anthology with sincere excitement when I first proposed the idea in late 2013. Jeff’s curiosity and respectful dialogue sustained me in this work these four years. To all the staff at Graywolf Press, I am truly grateful for your welcome, your work, and your kindness.
Not going to lie, an anthology is a lot of tasky-task work, and it is not to be done alone. Thank you to Li Boyd, who made the huge project of preparing the manuscript of New Poets of Native Nations possible. John E. Burke, as always, my deep gratitude for your technical help and always for telling me to take heart and then giving me heart.