Twenty-one established and emerging D/N/Lakota writers convened at the Golden Buffalo Casino in Lower Brule from November 3-6, 2022.
Attendees represented a wide range of genres and backgrounds. Through the sessions and free time, as well as a short annual meeting, writers shared stories and writing in an Oceti Sakowin-centered space.
Our OLWS Community Read offered a fun exchange of writing. We might be the only group that gets equally excited about saucy poetry as it does about architectural specifications of settler colonialism. And ghost stories (off camera).
Learning from one another is always a huge part of the Oak Lake Writers’ Society retreats, and this year was no different. Discussion of recent events and issues in our communities provided inspiration for new and ongoing pieces of writing by those in attendance. We also had Lower Brule Sioux Tribe guests, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe President Clyde J.R. Estes and Lewis Grassrope, stop by to share their community’s history and current issues. A new Society anthology is now also in the works.
For those of us in the trenches the last few years, the energy and commitment of attendees at the retreat gave us great satisfaction that our work has been successful. We also know we have important work to continue to do.
Several new board members are also ready to onboard at the next meeting, as we make our first successful board member rotation transition. We are so grateful for the amazing board members who have served thus far.
We are also grateful for the staff at the Golden Buffalo Casino for their generous hospitality. In an area that hasn’t rebounded fully since Covid-19, us writers felt good that our non-profit dollars were going to support one of our own Oceti Sakowin communities. Despite hosting a larger gathering than we have seen in many years, we didn’t spend beyond previous year’s budgets. This was a concern considering we moved to a convention/hotel room retreat experience this year instead of the Oak Lake Field Station lodge.
Next year’s retreat date will be September 7-10, 2023. The place is officially TBD, though we would like to gather in He Sapa.
Huge thank you to our donors who made this year’s retreat and other events and staffing possible!