In St. Paul this weekend, a book launch celebrates Afro-Indigenous poetry, a gallery show brings together Black artists experimenting with form and texture, and installations by a young Hmong American artist explores belonging across borders and generations. 

Poetry launch honors Afro-Indigenous identity

In her debut poetry memoir “Sweetgrass and Soul Food,” Minneapolis-based writer and educator Marique B. Moss invites readers into “Blindian Country” (Black-Indian Country), a personal and cultural landscape she describes as existing outside of maps and Census boxes, where “braids meet beadwork,” powwows meet block parties, and the kitchen is blessed with “burning cedar and Motown.”

Through 55 poems, Moss draws from lived experience as an Afro-Indigenous woman, tracing her journey toward cultural pride shaped in part by a mentor who helped her fully embrace her Indigenous identity. 

“I had a teacher who helped me internalize: Marique, you are Indigenous. You’re Native American. You are a Hidatsa woman through and through,” Moss said. “It was something that I knew but I wasn’t ready to announce to the world. Now I say it with my whole chest.”

For Moss, co-founder of Mashkiki Studios — a creative and educational hub developing Indigenous curriculum for local school districts, wellness products and community workshops — the poetry collection began unintentionally through journal entries. 

“It started as a therapeutic release for me and now it’s something I want to share with the community and people that look like me or identify like me,” she said. 

The book’s title reflects her blended cultural heritage — sweetgrass symbolizing her mother’s Hidatsa and Dakota roots, and soul food honoring her father’s African American roots. 

One poem, “Subtle Glam,” celebrates the confidence found in her “big Native auntie earrings,” while another recounts her upbringing in Catholic school as one of the few students of color. In “Make It Home,” she honors her father’s presence and the lessons he passed down to protect her.

Moss sees the collection as an extension of her work as an educator and a way to connect with others whose stories are often left out of classrooms and bookshelves.

“I always say when I was teaching Indian education, if I can help one person, my job will be completed and well done,” she said. “I want somebody to feel how I felt — that click, that beam of light.”

The book release party and community gathering on Sunday will feature eight woman-owned vendors offering wellness products, hand-beaded jewelry, beadwork, fragrances, press-on nails, and art from Courtney Cochran, Adair Carroll and Aiyana Kline. Soul food, vegan desserts and refreshers will also be onsite.

Black visual artists shine in group exhibit

“Afrocentric Eclectic,” a group art show hosted by artist Rajine Williams, will showcase experimental works by 20 Black artists at the F-O-K Studios gallery, including printmaker Sofia-Rose Nagberi, abstract painter Nailah Ali and Demri Havin exploring her Black, Indigenous and European lineage. Other featured artists include photographer Maasia Si-Asar Apetv who reimagines Afro-punk aesthetics, ballroom culture and the 1980s music scene; Brit Sigh whose work celebrates Black youth through magical realism and digital artist Lokho’s Lens whose art is shaped by her Muslim identity. 

An opening reception will take place Saturday and will feature performances by burlesque dancer Texas Tea Cakes and artist Sun Chile, along with film screenings by Willians and Biochemical Lemons. An artist talk is scheduled for Friday, July 11, from 5 to 9 p.m.

Artist traces Hmong story through immersive installations

At the Xia Gallery and Cafe, Hmong American artist Alex Yang will debut his first solo exhibit, “Weaving the Hmong Legacy.” The show explores themes of Hmong culture and diaspora through digital illustrations and immersive installations that highlight traditional clothing and jewelry, paj ntaub (textile art), song poetry and oral storytelling. 

The opening reception, set for Saturday, will feature a video screening of curated Hmong folk poetry by Tou Long Xiong, followed by a panel discussion and social hour. 

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