Oregon State University – Cascades will host Nimi:pu, also known as Nez Perce author Beth Piatote for an evening of storytelling and discussion on May 19.
The event, titled “Indigenous Futures, Ancient Echoes: A Conversation in Story and Language,” will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Charles McGrath Family Atrium in Edward J. Ray Hall. It is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Catered hors d'oeuvres will be served.
Piatote, an associate professor of English and comparative literature at University of California Berkeley, will read from her recent work. She’ll also join a panel conversation with Patrizia Zanella, a visiting faculty member, and Jennifer Reimer, an assistant professor, both in OSU-Cascades’ American studies program. The discussion will explore Indigenous language revitalization, adaptations of ancient Greek literature, contemporary Indigenous poetry, place-based writing, and the evolving role of Indigenous voices in literature and academia.
Piatote is the author of “The Beadworkers: Stories,” a PEN/Bingham Prize long-listed collection, and the monograph, “Domestic Subjects: Gender, Citizenship, and Law in Native American Literature.” Her debut play, “Antíkoni” premiered in Los Angeles in 2024 and will be published in The Methuen Drama Anthology of Native American Plays: Indigenous Spaces.
An enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Piatote is a community-engaged scholar and co-founder of the Designated Emphasis in Indigenous Language Revitalization at UC Berkeley. Her writing has appeared in American Quarterly, Kenyon Review, POETRY, World Literature Today and PMLA, among other publications.
To register visit beav.es/beth-piatote. For disability accommodations or questions, contact 541-322-3100 or events@osucascades.edu.
About OSU-Cascades: Oregon State University’s campus in Bend brings higher education to Central Oregon, the fastest growing region in the state. Surrounded by mountains, forest and high desert, OSU-Cascades is a highly innovative campus of a top-tier land grant research university, offering small classes that accelerate faculty-student mentoring and experiential learning. Degree programs meet industry and economic needs in areas such as innovation and entrepreneurship, natural ecosystems, health and wellness, and arts and sciences, and prepare students for tomorrow’s challenges. OSU-Cascades is expanding to serve 3,000 to 5,000 students, building a 128-acre campus with net-zero goals.