Join us for the local launch of Morgan Talty's Night of the Living Rez. Talty will discuss his book with Donna M. Loring, author and elder of the Penobscot Indian Nation. 

About the book

Set in a Native community in Maine, Night of the Living Rez is a riveting debut collection about what it means to be Penobscot in the twenty-first century and what it means to live, to survive, and to persevere after tragedy.

In twelve striking, luminescent stories, author Morgan Talty—with searing humor, abiding compassion, and deep insight—breathes life into tales of family and a community as they struggle with a painful past and an uncertain future. A boy unearths a jar that holds an old curse, which sets into motion his family’s unraveling; a man, while trying to swindle some pot from a dealer, discovers a friend passed out in the woods, his hair frozen into the snow; a grandmother suffering from Alzheimer’s projects the past onto her grandson; and two friends, inspired by Antiques Roadshow, attempt to rob the tribal museum for valuable root clubs. 

A collection that examines the consequences and merits of inheritance, Night of the Living Rez is an unforgettable portrayal of an Indigenous community and marks the arrival of a standout talent in contemporary fiction.

About the Authors

Morgan Talty is a citizen of the Penobscot Indian Nation where he grew up. He received his BA in Native American Studies from Dartmouth College and his MFA in fiction from Stonecoast’s low-residency program. His story collection Night of the Living Rez is forthcoming from Tin House Books (2022), and his work has appeared in Granta, The Georgia Review, Shenandoah, TriQuarterly, Narrative Magazine, LitHub, and elsewhere. A winner of the 2021 Narrative Prize, Talty’s work has been supported by the Elizabeth George Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts (2022). Talty teaches courses in both English and Native American Studies, and he is on the faculty at the Stonecoast MFA in creative writing. Talty is also a Prose Editor at The Massachusetts Review. He lives in Levant, Maine.

Donna M. Loring, D.H.L, B.A.

Donna is an elder and former council member of the Penobscot Indian Nation she held the position of the Nation’s Representative to the Maine State Legislature for over a decade. Her legislative service ended on October 1^st, 2008.
She is most recently former Senior Advisor on Tribal Affaires to Governor Janet Mills.
She hosts her own radio show, Wabanaki Windows at WERU Community Radio in Orland.
She is a graduate of the University of Maine at Orono was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Maine Orono. She received a second Honorary Doctorate from Thomas College in Waterville Maine this May 2022.
Donna is a Vietnam Veteran.
In May of 2008 Donna’s book titled “In The Shadow of the Eagle A Tribal Representative in Maine” was published. The book is a journal of her experiences in the Maine State Legislature as a Non-voting Tribal Representative. Donna Co-Authored a documented History of Tribal State relations published by the  Maine Permanent Commission titled 'One Nation Under Fraud A Remonstrance. A HIstorical Reference. A version of this article will be published by the Maine Law Review 75.2 issue in 2023.
On October 1, 2009 the University of New England Women Writers Collection established an annual lecture series in the name of Donna M Loring. The Donna M Loring lecture series is held annually featuring a keynote speaker on Native, Civil Rights, Environmental or equal justice issues.
Donna was recently appointed to the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance Board of Directors 
She was Awarded the  ‘Courage is Contagious Award’ by the University of Maine School of Law 2021
Appointed to the University of Maine System Board of Trustees to fill the first Wabanaki Permanent Seat by Governor Janet Mills 2022