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A Cherokee language revival is underway, thanks to the efforts of the Cherokee Nation and their communities in Oklahoma and western North Carolina. The story of Cherokee language history and the work to create Cherokee language schools and immersion communities are told in the award-winning documentary, We Will Speak. I'm talking with one of the directors and Blurry Pictures co-founder, Michael McDermit, about the making of this documentary and what it meant to collaborate with Native speakers and teachers to tell this story. Then, we'll pivot to another project of McDermit's called Strange Devotion, a book of photography and creative prose that tells a different story of resilience in Appalachia's rustbelt.

Audio clips from We Will Speak were included with permission from Michael McDermit
More about Cherokee language schools: Cherokee Nation Education Services
More about McDermit's projects and Blurry Pictures (to purchase a video or educational license:Blurry Pictures (blurry-pictures.com)

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Unless another artist is featured, acoustic music on most episodes: "Steam Train" written by Elizabeth Cotten and performed by Landon Spain