Ernestine Saankalaxt’ Hayes belongs to the Kaagwaantaan clan of the Eagle side of the Lingit nation. Her memoir, Blonde Indian: an Alaska Native Memoir, received the American Book Award in 2007 and is the 2016 Alaska Reads selection. According to Jonas Lamb (Juneau Empire), Blonde Indian “celebrates Tlingit culture, the strong connection between the people, this magnificent land, the animals and the spirits, it also brings to light the historic and contemporary fallout of colonialism and racism. The structure of the book will challenge many and the content will confront others, but all readers will find they are changed by the experience.” Ernestine Saankalaxt’ Hayes received her MFA in Creative Writing and Literary Arts from UAA and is an assistant professor of English at UAS. This extraordinary event is sponsored by the Alaska Center for the Book and the UAA Campus Bookstore.