Amber Blaeser-Wardzala Presents Bennett Fellow Assembly

By MICHELLE CHOO, ANGELA HE,  WILLIAM INOUE, and ANDREW YANG

On Friday, Jan. 24, Amber Blaeser-Wardzala, an Anishinaabe writer, beader, and Jingle Dress Dancer from White Earth Nation in Minnesota, read from her book before an enthralled audience in the Assembly Hall. As the 2024-2025 George Bennett Fellow, Blaeser-Wardzala “comes to campus to live for a full year and write…without any other responsibilities or expectations,” explained Instructor in English Todd Hearon, a member of Exeter’s George Bennett Committee.

Blaeser-Wardzala holds an MFA in Fiction from Arizona State University and a BA from Denison University. Her work has appeared in renowned publications such as “The Iowa Review” and “Passages North” Additionally, she was a 2022 Tin House Fellow and secured a two-book deal, a milestone she describes as one of the most memorable moments of her career.

“I’ve published short fiction in literary magazines and in an anthology, but I haven’t had a full-length work dedicated just to my own writing. Getting a deal where they wanted two books from me and believed in my writing was really inspirational and made me feel, once again, that ‘I can do this and I can keep going forward,’” she shared.

Blaeser-Wardzala’s passion for storytelling blossomed at a young age with the support of her mother. “I start-=ories. My mom, a poet, was incredibly encouraging and inspired me in my early years.”

Today, her fiction focuses on the intersection of storytelling and advocacy, shedding light on Indigenous peoples in the United States. “I hope my novel can spark conversations about this issue and lead to action,” she explained. Blaeser-Wardzala sees writing as not only a way to express herself, but also as a platform to amplify underrepresented voices.

As English instructor Mercy Carbonell described at the beginning of the assembly, fiction writing is a way for authors to guide their readers through a series of truths and emotions and allow them to experience, “what is too often unseen and unwitnessed.” She added that fiction writers “cull from the ordinary, the mundane, the quotidian, and offer us truth after truth after truth…even when we know the setting is not empirically existing anywhere on Earth or in the universe.”

Lower Leon Xie expressed his views on the value of fiction. He commented, “Fiction writers don’t necessarily try to illustrate a single event to us, but they tell a story in order to convey a universal truth. They illustrate these life lessons in an interesting way that may even help readers perceive them a little bit differently.”

Prep Raph Sycip shared, “Through fiction, one can delve deep into their imagination and express their emotions through stories, and these stories help them explore certain truths.”

Besides writing, Blaeser-Wardzala enjoys hobbies such as beading and Jingle Dress Dancing. Not only does she view this as a way to connect with her culture, but she also utilizes these activities to recover from writing about serious subjects. “For me, writing can be emotionally draining, especially when dealing with heavy topics,” she said. “Beading, on the other hand, is a way to create something beautiful and culturally significant. It fills me back up and allows me to continue writing.”

As Exeter’s 2024-25 George Bennett Fellow, Blaeser-Wardzala hopes her time at PEA will inspire students to explore Indigenous writers and history. “Indigenous communities and issues are often overlooked,” she said. “I hope my work sparks curiosity and understanding in students…I hope it sparks people to look into indigenous history and to read work from indigenous writers.” 

Xie commented, “Though the stories from her novel might not be events that actually happened in her life, it did show me a little bit more about what it’s like to be a Native American woman in today’s society.”

Lower Simon Taylor added, “I think the assembly overall was really insightful, powerful, and was something that really made you think critically. She inspired me to write more and take writing much more seriously. I’m excited to read her work further, and I’m also excited about her new book.”

“Read people from all different backgrounds and identities, even those you might not agree with,” Blaeser-Wardzala said. “And don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do this. Writing can be a career. It doesn’t have to be just a hobby,” she claimed. 

Blaeser-Wardzala also invites students to stop by the library’s fourth floor at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays for her office hours. “I’d love to meet and chat with students about writing, Indigenous issues, or anything on their minds.”