CHANNILLO
Series Description:
This true story of a Civil War-era, mixed-race woman carving out her identity is as relevant today as it was when she first created a figure from a block of marble.
Born in a wigwam, Edmonia finds her way to Oberlin College and is on track to become the first woman of African descent in the U.S. to earn a bachelor’s degree, a goal derailed when she endures a murder charge and a beating at the hands of racist vigilantes. Her defense attorney at Oberlin, John Langston, is a handsome, successful, mixed-race man whom any 17-year-old girl would fall for. They are drawn to one another, but their careers keep them apart as Edmonia moves on to Boston, then settles in Rome.
Edmonia struggles to keep in contact with Langston and with her brother, her only living relative, as she endeavors to find her place in the world. Touches of magical realism illustrate how the last vestiges of her Ojibwe spiritual beliefs combine with Catholicism to sustain her in Rome. As the only member of a group of ex-patriot women sculptors not paired in a Boston marriage, she is never truly accepted by them.
An outsider in every way, Edmonia ultimately overcomes the obstacles of her race and sex to become an internationally renowned sculptor who creates her true companions—the first images of Native American and African-American subjects. Although Edmonia Lewis was unique, many of the challenges she faced are universal.
Category/Genre(s): Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction
Updated: Weekly
Status: Ongoing
Author Bio For Paula Butterfield:
Paula Butterfield developed and taught college courses about women artists for almost twenty years before to turning to writing historical fiction based on their lives. Her debut novel, La Luministe, about Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot, was published by Regal House.
Forever Free: Edmonia Lewis, Carving Out a Life was a finalist in the Chanticleer International Book Awards.
Paula lives with her husband and daughter in Portland, Oregon.
Series Description:
This true story of a Civil War-era, mixed-race woman carving out her identity is as relevant today as it was when she first created a figure from a block of marble.
Born in a wigwam, Edmonia finds her way to Oberlin College and is on track to become the first woman of African descent in the U.S. to earn a bachelor’s degree, a goal derailed when she endures a murder charge and a beating at the hands of racist vigilantes. Her defense attorney at Oberlin, John Langston, is a handsome, successful, mixed-race man whom any 17-year-old girl would fall for. They are drawn to one another, but their careers keep them apart as Edmonia moves on to Boston, then settles in Rome.
Edmonia struggles to keep in contact with Langston and with her brother, her only living relative, as she endeavors to find her place in the world. Touches of magical realism illustrate how the last vestiges of her Ojibwe spiritual beliefs combine with Catholicism to sustain her in Rome. As the only member of a group of ex-patriot women sculptors not paired in a Boston marriage, she is never truly accepted by them.
An outsider in every way, Edmonia ultimately overcomes the obstacles of her race and sex to become an internationally renowned sculptor who creates her true companions—the first images of Native American and African-American subjects. Although Edmonia Lewis was unique, many of the challenges she faced are universal.
Category/Genre(s): Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction
Updated: Weekly
Status: Ongoing
Author Bio For Paula Butterfield:
Paula Butterfield developed and taught college courses about women artists for almost twenty years before to turning to writing historical fiction based on their lives. Her debut novel, La Luministe, about Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot, was published by Regal House.
Forever Free: Edmonia Lewis, Carving Out a Life was a finalist in the Chanticleer International Book Awards.
Paula lives with her husband and daughter in Portland, Oregon.