HYATTSVILLE – On Thursday November 17, the Hyattsville Busboys and Poets will host local author Kimberly D. Schmidt for an evening of discussion about her new novel, Magpie’s Blanket. Weaving together three generations of voices, the novel recounts the atrocities committed against the Cheyennes both at the Sand Creek Massacre and the Washita Massacre. Story Circle Book Reviews described the novel as a blend of “fact with imagination” that illustrates several important events still meaningful to the Cheyenne people today. Grab dinner at 6 p.m. and the
n join Schmidt for a reading from her novel followed by Q &A and a book signing.
When: Thursday, November 17 @ 7:00 p.m.
Where: Busboys and Poets, 5331 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville, MD 20781
Cost: Free admission
About Magpie’s Blanket:
In this thoughtful novel, Kimberly D. Schmidt brings to life the history of Plains Indian women and the white invasion an account not solely of violence and bloodshed but also of healing and forgiveness. Magpie’s Blanket begins with the story of a young Southern Cheyenne woman who survived the horrific Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 only to witness a second attack on her people at the Washita Massacre in 1868. Through the memories of three generations of Cheyenne people, the novel recounts the events of the massacres and the century-late reconciliation after the townspeople s misguided attempt to re-create the battle of the Washita with descendants of US soldiers.
About the the author:
Kimberly D. Schmidt is professor of history and director of the Washington Community Scholars’ Center of Eastern Mennonite University. She received her Ph.D. in American history from Binghamton University in 1995.
Publications include “Magpie’s Blanket” an historical novel for young adults and the volume, “Strangers at Home: Amish and Mennonite Women in History,” from The Johns Hopkins University Press. Kimberly divides her research interests between Amish and Mennonite women’s social history and women’s histories of the Southern Cheyenne. She teaches local multicultural history in Washington, DC and is particularly interested in accessing the histories of social movements and poor people’s experiences through various visual and performing arts media. She has lived in the Washington area since 1989 and has two children.
