Coast Salish author, poet and artist Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe details her journey through lived trauma, ancestral history and healing in her memoir “Red Paint,” the subject of several upcoming Whatcom County-based workshops.
LaPointe’s autobiography of a Coast Salish punk, “Red Paint,” is Whatcom Reads’ 2024 pick. Events on March 14–16 will explore themes from the book and feature discussions with LaPointe.
A related Saturday, March 2 event featured Seattle author, Janet Yoder, who presented her book of essays “Where the Language Lives: Violet Hilbert and the Gift of the Lushootseed.” The book focuses on Yoder’s 30-year friendship with Hilbert, a Skagit tribal elder and LaPointe’s great-grandmother, who sought to preserve the Lushootseed language.
LaPointe cited Hilbert as a major source of guidance throughout her life and in writing “Red Paint.”
“She was such a fierce storyteller and activist, which taught me early on the importance of language and story,” LaPointe said. “I wouldn’t be a writer without my relationship to her.”
LaPointe began her work on “Red Paint” through her unreleased undergraduate project “Little Boats” for the Institute of American Indian Arts. The prompt was to write about her most traumatic memory. LaPointe recalls that she was not ready to pen a detailed piece about the memory of her sexual assault, which resulted in post-traumatic stress disorder.
After a long mental health break during which LaPointe processed her trauma, the project became “Red Paint.” Ancestral history is woven into the story, a source of both hardship and empowerment for LaPointe.
“‘Red Paint’ to me feels very much like a lesson in healing, taking care of your spirit and taking care of yourself,” LaPointe said in a recent interview. As she wrote in her autobiography, “healing is different than self-medicating. Healing is exhausting.”
Being an author, poet and band member, LaPointe was inspired by the way the Olympia-based punk band Bikini Kill could scream and jump around on stage, but also stop to say something profound and poetic. LaPointe said the idea that women who were in pain and angry could create impactful art moved her to write the confessional poetry that is interspersed throughout “Red Paint.”
Events featuring the author begin on Thursday, March 14 at the Deming Library, where Joshua Olsen, member of the Nooksack Tribe and public service assistant for the Deming Library, will discuss “Red Paint” with LaPointe.
Later that day, the author will be at Chuckanut Radio Hour, where she and Washington State Poet Laureate Arianne True will discuss the autobiography. The event will also feature skits, poetry and live music by Lummi Nation violinist Swil Kanim.
On Friday, March 15, LaPointe will host the Art and Craft of Writing, a writing workshop where people can learn more about LaPointe’s process and apply new techniques.
The author will conclude her in-person events the same day with a presentation at Mount Baker Theater about “Red Paint,” poetry book “Rose Quartz” and her upcoming book of essays, “Thunder Song.”
On Saturday, March 16, in an online event, LaPointe will reflect with fellow author Kristen Millares Young about what it was like to share her work in Whatcom County, where several key parts of the book take place.
LaPointe is now based in Tacoma, working on poetry about orcas inspired by Coast Salish legends. On Tuesday, March 5, she released “Thunder Song,” about heritage, history and music. Recently, when LaPointe was recording a new song with her band, the song expanded into an essay that will be part of her upcoming book of essays “Thunder Song.” At the end of the essay, LaPointe includes the original lyrics.
“I can write about the world around me, about things that bring me massive joy, but also things about the world that bring me a lot of anxiety … I’m able to look outward instead of inward,” LaPointe said.
All events featuring the author are free except the Chuckanut Radio Hour event, and some require registration ahead of time. The full list of upcoming events, more information and registration links can be found at whatcomreads.org, and more about LaPointe’s work is available at sasha-lapointe.com.
