photo by: Ashley Golledge

Author Louise Erdrich speaks at Haskell Indian Nations University on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. Erdrich discussed her latest book, "The Night Watchman."

Award-winning novelist Louise Erdrich will be returning to Haskell Indian Nations University Saturday to launch her new novel, “The Mighty Red.”

Erdrich, 70, is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. She has written nearly 30 books and has won both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (for “The Night Watchman” in 2021) and the National Book Award for Fiction (for “The Round House” in 2012). In addition to many novels, she has also written poetry, children’s books and a memoir of early motherhood.

Erdrich, wearing a Haskell T-shirt “with pride,” spoke at Haskell in 2020 when the “The Night Watchman” came out, as the Journal-World reported.

After her talk Saturday, scheduled from 7 to 8 p.m. in Haskell’s auditorium, The Raven Bookstore will sell copies of “The Mighty Red” for signing. The event, titled “An Evening With Louise Erdrich,” is free and open to the public. No tickets are required. The Lawrence Public Library has touted the event as part of its “Booktoberfest” program.

“The Mighty Red” is a reference to the Red River of the North. The book is set in North Dakota and is told from a variety of perspectives. A review in The Guardian calls it “part romcom, part overblown family saga, part cli-fi warning, part absurdist heist, part small-town satire, all tumbling out amid the turmoil of the 2008 financial crash.”

photo by: Ashley Golledge

Author Louise Erdrich speaks at Haskell Indian Nations University on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. Erdrich discussed her latest book, “The Night Watchman.”