When Kinsale Drake reached out about photographing the authors of Beyond the Glittering World: An Anthology of Indigenous Feminisms and Futurisms, I was immediately excited!

As a photographer, there are projects that are creatively exciting, and then there are projects that feel meaningful because of the people involved. This was one of those rare opportunities that was both.

I had the chance to photograph Darcie Little Badger, Stacie Shannon Denetsosie, and Kinsale Drake for the anthology. I've admired the work each of these writers has done, so getting to collaborate with them was incredibly special.

One of my favorite things about photography is getting to help artists share their work with the world. By the time a book is released, readers see the finished product, but they don't always see the years of work that went into creating it. Every published book represents countless hours of writing, editing, revising, and believing in an idea enough to keep pursuing it.

Photography often becomes part of that final stage. The portraits, promotional materials, and cover images are some of the first things people see before they ever open the book. I always think about that when photographing authors and artists. My job isn't just to create a nice portrait. It's to help tell the story of the people behind the work.

As an Indigenous photographer, that responsibility feels especially meaningful when I'm working with Indigenous artists. There is often a shared understanding of how important storytelling is, whether it happens through writing, visual art, fashion, film, or photography.

I come from a family of storytellers, and while my medium looks very different today, I still think of photography as my way of continuing that tradition. Instead of telling stories with words, I tell them through images. I get to document people, preserve moments, and create photographs that help carry those stories forward.

That was something I thought about throughout this entire project. These weren't just portraits of authors. They were portraits of people who have dedicated years of their lives to developing their craft and creating stories that will now reach new audiences.

The anthology itself celebrates Indigenous women and genderqueer writers whose work explores identity, imagination, community, and Indigenous futurisms. It creates space for Indigenous voices to be heard while also imagining what comes next.

Being trusted to contribute to that project, even in a small way, was an honor.

Working with Kinsale, Darcie, and Stacie reminded me why I love photographing artists. I love seeing creative ideas come to life, and I love helping tell the stories of the people who make them happen.