The Trickster Riots: An illustrated poetry book (Abalone Mountain Press, 2022)
In this debut illustrated poetry collection, Two Spirit Lakota storyteller Taté Walker steps into the role of a contemporary trickster to continue the purposefully disruptive legacy of a cultural icon: Iktómi, the Spider. The Trickster Riots weaves through the origins of a lost baby queer in love and spiritache to shapeshift into a momma spider exploring what it means to be a good relative, an obliterator of status quo, and a builder of community.
Click here to watch Taté give an interview to ICT Newscast on World Poetry Day about their new book (12:30 mark).
Ohíya Walker (Lakota/Ojibwe/Mvskoke) translates their mother's poems into beautifully quirky and emotionally-driven illustrations, perfectly paring with the provocative wordplay to channel Iktómi as they examine Indigeneity. Buckle up: The Trickster Riots journeys through fury and disaffection, libratic ceremony, and the lightning bolts of a struggling future ancestor.
Released June 1, 2022. Order here, from Abalone Mountain Press, the first Diné woman-owned publishing house.
About the Author: Taté Walker (they/them) is a Lakota citizen of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. They are an award-winning Two Spirit storyteller for various national news and magazine outlets, as well as a contributor for several anthologies.
About the Illustrator: Ohíya Walker (they/them) is a Lakota citizen of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and is also Red Lake Ojibwe and Mvskoke Creek. They are an award-winning 13-year-old trans/nonbinary painter and graphic artist combining contemporary and traditional imagery and mediums.
Read my essay, "Origins," featuring PtesáÅ‹wiÅ‹ (White Buffalo Calf Woman) in this award-winning anthology.
From Lisa Peet (Library Journal & Bloom): "Thirteen essays spotlight history’s heroines who have slipped under the radar, ranging from the legendary Lakota White Buffalo Calf Woman to pioneering black nightclub owner Ada 'Bricktop' Smith to cross-dressing Revolutionary War soldier Deborah Sampson, offering a glimpse into often-forgotten lives that have potent resonance for today’s activists, rebels, teachers, and dreamers. And their authors’ own interwoven stories offer an affirmation, at a time we need it most, that the boundaries between the personal and the political are always porous.​ FIERCE is indeed fierce, bursting with erudition, scholarship, and passion."
Welcome to the professional portfolio site of Taté Walker. Here, you'll find all sorts of projects I'm involved with, past, present, and future. You'll see my best and latest photography, video, and writing assignments, in addition to a wide range of causes that move me to action. I am always looking for the next great adventure, so contact me with your proposal today!
​