Dreamcatcher in the Wry

Tiffany Midge is a citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation and was raised by wolves in the Pacific Northwest. She is a columnist for High Country News and formerly Indian Country Today. Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, the Brooklyn Rail, McSweeney’s, and more. She is the author of Bury My Heart at Chuck E. Cheese’s (Bison Books, 2019) and the poetry collection Horns. Midge aspires to be the Distinguished Writer in Residence for Seattle’s Space Needle and considers her contribution to humanity to be her sparkly personality. Devon A. Mihesuah is the Cora Lee Beers Price Professor at the University of Kansas. She is the author of numerous award-winning books, including Recovering Our Ancestors’ Gardens: Indigenous Recipes and Guide to Diet and Fitness (Bison Books, 2020).

“This irreverent memoir-in-essays from poet and satirist Midge (Bury My Heart at Chuck E. Cheese’s), a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, begins with mild musings on everyday frustrations before crescendoing into resonant commentary on colonialism and cultural appropriation. . . . Readers will be dazzled by Midge’s abrasive wit.”-Publishers Weekly “Readers familiar with Midge, fans of books like Samantha Irby’s Wow, No Thank You (2020), and those interested in internet-oriented humor writers will appreciate Midge’s insights.”-Zeja Z. Copes, Booklist “What’s black and white and read all over? The Dreamcatcher in the Wry should be. In the tradition of Alexander Posey, Alice Walker, Vine Deloria Jr., and other astute literary and social commentators, Tiffany Midge responds to life’s synchronicities and idiosyncrasies-trends, obsessions, observations, and life in quarantine-with her acute and original humor, wit, and trademark style.”-Chip Livingston, author of Saints of the Republic and Crow-Blue, Crow-Black “If you don’t have a friend who can riff on the joys and absurdities of life, you need this book. Tiffany Midge is a great companion, full of wit and insight, ranging in topics from Native American history to contemporary politics to can openers, and never taking herself too seriously. If you’re lucky enough to have a friend like that, then you’re going to need two copies, because your friend is gonna want one too.”-Beth Piatote, author of The Beadworkers: Stories “Tiffany Midge gets it. She’s a humorist with style, the Dorothy Parker of Indian Country. Blessed with a keen eye and a sharp bite, she swats at the inanities buzzing where Native culture and mainstream collide. Funny and irreverent, The Dreamcatcher in the Wry is all melody and syncopated rhythms, and Tiffany Midge can dance. Come join the party.”-Gordon Lee Johnson (Cahuilla/CupeÑo), author of Bird Songs Don’t Lie and Rez Dogs Eat Beans “Tiffany Midge’s short takes on life as an Indigenous woman are funny and witty from the title on. She sees humor and irony everywhere she looks and is always aware of history. She finds ‘satire to be much more fulfilling than inspirational messaging’ and is clear-eyed about the state of the world, including how much U.S. colonialism resembles Russia’s war on Ukraine. She knows who her grandmother would be praying for. The Dreamcatcher in the Wry generously invites us to join her in laughing and facing facts in equal measure, often together.”-Molly Fisk, author of Everything but the Kitchen Skunk: Ongoing Observations from a Working Poet

• Foreword by Devon Mihesuah1. Moscow/Pullman Daily News Columns1. The Dreamcatcher in the Wry2. I’m Not a Cat: America’s Funniest Housecat Videos3. What’s Schadenfreude Got to Do with It?4. Ramona Quimby Was My Very First Literary Hero5. Bitter Homes and Gardens and Decolonizing My Diet6. Happy Darth Vader Day: Resolving and Letting Go of the Past7. Madam Secretary in the Cabinet8. Get Out of the Rut and into the Groove9. The Native Americans Used every Part of the Sacred Turkey10. Going against the Grain Isn’t Always a Bad Thing11. The Goldilocks List: Cold Spots in Moscow12. My Dakota/Lakota Grandparents Pray for Ukraine13. Holding Space for Joy in the New Year14. Don’t Look Back, Maybe, I Guess?15. Is “Native American” Politically Correct?16. Changing Spaces17. Heart of the Diamond18. Poetry Matters19. Office Supplies Provide Link to the Past20. Opening Cans During Perilous Times21. Open Mouth, Insert Foot; the Man is a Human Train Wreck22. Scene from a Clinic’s Waiting Room: A Cautionary Tale23. Some Pig in a Brave New World24. Waist-Deep in Crocodiles: We Can’t Afford to Be Cavalier about Mask Mandates25. The Holiday Dinner Basket26. Things That Don’t Make Sense but Should27. Agape, Actually: Celebrating Valentine’s Day in Quarantine28. I Had covid-19 and Spent the Week in the Hospital2. High Country News, Heard Around the West: Mishaps and Mayhem from around the Region29. Free Bird, Lost-and-Found Bear, and Cowboy Pride, February 202230. Odd Twins, Rescue by Owl, and Dinosaur ipa, March 202231. Hungry, Habituated Bears, Viral Pirates, and Truffle Snuffers, April 202232. A Terrible Lighthouse, Swift Treasure Hunters, and a Paranormal Ghost, May 202233. Idiot Invasion, Outhouse Fail, and Rim-to-Rim Rule Rupture, June 202234. Out-Of-This-World Fest, Territorial Disputes, and Bear-Family Affairs, July 202235. Fish at Heart, Man as Island, and Port-a-Potty Convo, August 202236. Irked Sea Lions and a Strange Peanut Pusher, September 202237. Not-Murder Hornets, Sentient Chatbots, and an AirbearNBear, October 202238. Gnarly Weddings, Arachnid Entertainment, and Gorilla Gifts, November 202239. The Road Runner Problem, Hefty Squirrels, and Halloween Karens, December 202240. Toad Lickers, Bear Wrestlers, and Beard Fanciers, January 202341. Armed Bots, an hov Grinch, and Bikes for All, February 202342. A Little Pickle, a Fireball, and an Indigenous Astronaut, March 202343. Wienermobiles, Elephant Seals, and Mountains of Maggoty Acorns, April 202344. Good Drones, Coyote Living, and a Cow-Chip Lottery, May 202345. Ferry Felines, Ornithopters, and Tokitae Going Home at Last! June 202346. Baby Bears, White Whales, and “Freaky-Looking Fanged Fish,” July 202347. Orcas, Insects, and Other Roadside Attractions, August 202348. Bathroom Bison, Foul-Smelling Flowers, and Outlaw Otters on the Lam, September 202349. Backscratching Bears, Seismic Singers, and Happy Birthday to Herman the Sturgeon, October 202350. Too Many Snakes, A Hard-Rockin’ Dog, and a gps Truck-Up, November 202351. Sagebrush Sasquatch, Irritable Elk, and Spiders that Aren’t from Mars, December 202352. Beautiful Bats, Big Boulders, and a Seven-Armed Octopus, January 20243. Bonus Slices and Outtakes with Extra Cheese53. In the Good Way: Looking at Tribal Humor54. Beets55. Once Upon a Virus in Hollywood56. How to Scream inside Your Heart57. American (Indian) Dirt58. Fifty Shades of Buckskin: Satire as a Decolonizing Tool59. Missing Oregon Senators Shape-Shift into Wild Horses60. An Open Letter of Apology to Native Americans from One of the Covington Catholic School Students61. Westworld’s Dolores Abernathy Steps in for Betsy DeVos in “60 Minutes” Interview62. Tourist Tossed Like a Caesar Salad by Free Range Emo-Goth in Yellowstone National Park, Shits Pants63. Groundbreaking Research Finds Legendary Hunkpapa Leader Sitting Bull to be Pretendian64. Take a Page from Me, Elizabeth Warren, and Celebrate Your Quaint Family Lore65. Sole Non-Indigenous Person Has No Opinion Whatsoever about Senator Warren’s Spit Test66. Mount Rushmore Is Trending and Somehow It Doesn’t Occur to Anyone That It’s a Desecration of a Sacred Place and a Monument to White Supremacy and Genocide67. Field Guide to Southwestern Native American Women68. Gen. George Armstrong Custer’s Desktop in Hell69. How to Be Funny Tips70. Considering Idolatry, Iron Eyes Cody, and Bluffy Sainte-Marie71. Reductress Headlines for Native Women72. Typical Schedule for Native AmericanSource Acknowledgments