Tuesday, July 15, 2025 – Native romance writers move beyond the ‘bodice ripper’ stereotype

The main character in Chickasaw writer Danica Nava’s debut novel gets into trouble for making some questionable claims about her Chickasaw identity to try and get ahead in the working world. Cherokee citizen Christina Berry writes about an Austin woman’s sometimes funny, sometimes heart wrenching desire to start a family. And Karen Kay’s historical novel explores an interracial connection on the mid-1800s Great Plains frontier. What each of these books has in common is the quest for true love. They also have honest, complex, and engaging portrayals of Native characters written by Native authors. We’ll hear from them about their work and Native representation in modern romance literature. (This is an encore show, so we won’t take calls from listeners)

GUESTS

Danica Nava (Chickasaw), author of The Truth According to Ember

Karen Kay (Choctaw), historical romance author

Christina Berry (citizen of the Cherokee Nation), contemporary romance author

Break 1 Music: Cry of the Wolf (song) Wade Fernandez (artist) 4 The People (album)

Break 2 Music: Long Black Cadillac (song) Tribz (artist)