Linda Helstern, associate professor of English, presented a paper on the work of contemporary Blackfeet novelist Stephen Graham Jones at the 46th annual conference of the Western Literature Association in Missoula, Mont., Oct. 5-8.

The conference brings together scholars from across Europe, Canada and the United States to focus on the literature and culture of the trans-Mississippi West.

Helstern’s paper, titled “ ‘Not the Same Elk’: The Return of Native Agency in Stephen Graham Jones’ Ledfeather,” considers how this highly experimental text, a rewriting of the history of the Blackfeet starvation winter of 1883-84, reinforces key principles of Native thought through the play of language and story. It is part of an ongoing research project on historiography and Native American literature.

Joshua T. Anderson, a 2011 NDSU English graduate, also presented at the conference. Winner of the 2011-12 Western American Literature Editorial Fellowship at Utah State University, Anderson is pursuing his master’s degree in American studies.