Over 1 million copies of the book, Firekeeper’s Daughter, written by Angeline Boulley have been sold since it was released in 2021. Students and faculty members had the opportunity on Oct. 9 to listen in and talk to Boulley about her point of view and the writing process of the book. 

Angeline Boulley is an indigenous person from St. Marie, Michigan. One of the two books Boulley has published, Firekeepers Daughter, was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller, staying on the list for 14 weeks. The novel is being adapted into a television series on Netflix by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground. 

Boulley’s visit sparked an interest in many Greenhills community members, including School librarian Stefanie Halliday.

“Greenhills is such a diverse community, so it is very important for us to hear as many voices as we can,” said Halliday. “Having Angeline come here really resonated with us and our community. Indigenous voices are very under-represented points of views and we don’t get to hear from them often, so Angeline’s visit was a good opportunity to evaluate our book collection for native voices. Buying books with diverse voices is a primary importance to me here in the library.”

Boulley not only shared her own stories of growing up as an indigenous person and finding her passion for writing, but she also inspired young students to do the same.

“We had a 6th grade and 8th grade class come to a session hosted by Angeline here in the library,” said Halliday. “The students were able to ask a variety of questions about her writing process, and Angeline really valued their opinion and shared great ideas.”

Associate Head of School Quincy McLaughlin saw the benefits of Boulley’s visit on students as well.

“We are incredibly lucky that we get to host talented writers, especially those like Angeline who amplify a population that doesn’t typically see itself reflected in literature, and that is an important part of what we strive for at Greenhills,” said McLaughlin. “She is a great example of perseverance and hard work for the students.”

Getting a renowned and bestselling author like Boulley to come to speak to students and faculty wasn’t an easy task for English teacher Becky Randolph. Randolph is the director of the McDowell Writing Program, a writing competition within the community that all students can participate in. It also involves having different artists come and speak about their work. 

“As the director of the Mcdowell Writing Program, I am always thinking about who would be good to have come in to be a visiting writer,” said Randolph. “We try really hard to bring in a variety of writers. I was driving home from school in May, and I heard her interview on NPR. Her novel and her personality sounded very interesting, but also, she is local to Michigan and an indigenous person. I realized she was gaining a lot of attention and I really wanted her to come speak as a visiting writer.”

Randolph recognized the importance and impact that Boulley could make on students, and how having new voices and perspectives speak to students emphasizes the importance of diversity even more.

 “One of our many goals at Greenhills is to include diversity and different voices – when you read the stories of people from other cultures that enhances that mission. We were very fortunate to have Angeline at our school.”

Looking forward, Randolph would love to have more artists from different backgrounds come and share their stories with the students and faculty.