The Merry Barn Writers’ Retreat is honored to welcome Gabriel Frey and Suzanne Greenlaw, authors of “The First Blade of Sweetgrass,” to our next Community Literacy Event on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 10:30 a.m.

When their daughters were born, Suzanne and Gabriel were dismayed by the lack of children’s books written by native people, with native children as protagonists. Together the pair set out to create a beautiful and insightful story based on family traditions. It is a tale of indigenous harvesters and preserves multi-generational teachings. 

“The First Blade of Sweetgrass” follows Musquon as she ventures out with her grandmother to learn the traditional art of harvesting sweetgrass from the marshes for basketmaking. Musquon must overcome her impatience as she learns to distinguish sweetgrass from other salt marsh grasses. 

“ It’s our family’s story… it’s also a love letter to our community,” Gabriel says. 

We are thrilled to welcome Gabriel and Suzanne to our community and hope you can join us for a reading and book signing. Participants will also have a chance to braid sweetgrass bookmarks. The Merry Barn’s Community Literacy Events are community gatherings that highlight creativity through read alouds and hands-on projects. Events are free and open to children, adults, and elders alike. 

Merry Barn is at 417 River Road, Edgecomb. For more information, visit www.merrybarn.com or email: info@merrybarn.com or www.merrybarn.com.