Great Michigan Read author visits Ironwood

By MEGAN HUGHES

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Ironwood - Critically acclaimed bestselling author Anne Boulley visited the Ironwood Area on Thursday, speaking about her novel, "The Firekeeper's Daughter," for this year's Great Michigan Read.

She gave her presentation at Gogebic Community College, with students from the college and area high schools, along with members of the public, gathering to listen to her 35-year journey in writing the novel.

Boulley earned her degree from Central Michigan University, pursuing a career in indigenous education, working as assistant executive director for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and as director for the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education.

"The Firekeeper's Daughter" is a fiction book about an Ojibwe girl who never quite fit in anywhere, according to Boulley, and follows her story as she is wrapped up in a federal investigation and learns just how far she will go for her community.

Boulley says the novel was inspired by a story from her own life that she had experienced in high school, when a friend of hers told her about a new boy attending a neighboring school. Her friend said he might be her type.

"And so I was dateless and intrigued, and I would ask about him," said Boulley. "The problem is, that several weeks into the school year, I'm still asking about him and my friend says, 'He is really not your type. He doesn't play football, and he hangs out with the really hardcore partiers."

She said that her interest faded after that, until about a month before the year's end, where the friend mentioned that there was a drug bust in the community. "It turns out that the new boy was an undercover police officer. And this was a few years before the original "21 Jump Street" series, and so I did not know that it was a possibility - that a young-looking law enforcement officer could pose as a high school student as part of an undercover drug investigation."

This story captured her imagination, and according to Boulley, got her thinking about what would have happened if she had met and gotten to know that officer. Thirty-five years later, the book "The Firekeeper's Daughter" was published.

Boulley spoke about her creative process, answered questions for the audience, and recognized the importance of the novel in the landscape of native authors.

GCC held a meet and greet with Boulley following the presentation, during which she signed copies of the book, and met with students who were studying her novel as part of their classes.

Miah Billie, a student attending a GCC literature course that focuses on personal identity, said that she loved the novel. "I loved the class as a whole, as it felt like an advanced book-club," said Billie, "I felt like I was sort of represented in the book with the age group. ... I felt like the characters were relatable."

Billie said that she enjoyed that presentation immensely. "I loved really hearing her story and learning her thoughts about the characters," she said.

Boulley later told The Globe that she was amazed at how many people showed up for the presentation. "So many partnerships - the school, the library, the college, all of the community groups coming together," she said. "Those are my favorite events."

Boulley said that she had been a part of four events during that week and had a few more downstate left to go on the tour.

Ironwood Carnegie Library Director Lynne Wiercinski was happy with the turnout of the event. "There were so many students here today," she said. "That was nice to see."