nedí nezų (Good Medicine)

• This is the second poetry book by Tenille Campbell, a Dene/Métis poet from Treaty Ten (Saskatchewan), Canada. Her first book, #IndianLovePoems, was published by the small Canadian press Signature Editions in 2017 and did not receive a proper US release.
• Tenille’s work deals with contemporary “NDN” relationships and Indigenous female empowerment; it is unabashedly self-confident and sexually frank in a way that celebrates Indigenous sexuality.
• In Tenille’s own words: “This collection explores the beautiful space that being a sensual Indigenous woman creates – as a partner, a fantasy, a heartbreak waiting to happen, but also as an auntie, a role model, a voice that connects to others walking the same path.” Her voice is a joyful assertion of Indigenous pleasure in which women are firmly in control of their own lives – a stark contrast to the systemic racism and sexual violence exacted upon Indigenous women across North America.
• Indigenous poets have rightfully seized the spotlight in recent years – Lakota poet Lavli Long Soldier (a National Book Award for Poetry finalist in 2017), Joy Harjo (the first Native American Poet Laureate of the US), Billy Ray Belcourt, and Joshua Whitehead are some poets who have inspired Tenille.