'Moon of the Snowblind' offers a fuller picture of the Spirit Lake Massacre

About this episode

This episode revisits a conversation about the Spirit Lake Massacre and features discussions on the life and work of poet James Hearst.

Renowned artist and illustrator Gary Kelley passed away on April 12, 2026. On this episode, we revisit a conversation with Kelley and Kevin Mason about the history of the Spirit Lake Massacre and Kelley's graphic novel, 'Moon of the Snowblind.' Then, we talk with UNI professor Jim O’Loughlin about the life and work of poet and professor James Hearst. O'Loughlin has compiled Hearst's work into the James Hearst Digital Archive housed by the University of Northern Iowa. (Segments of this program were originally produced in March 2021 and August 2025.)

People in this episode

Guests: Gary Kelley, Kevin Mason, Jim O’Loughlin

Topics covered

• Spirit Lake Massacre
• graphic novels
• poetry
• art history
• James Hearst
• cultural history

Keywords

• Spirit Lake Massacre
• Gary Kelley
• Moon of the Snowblind
• James Hearst
• poetry
• graphic novel
• art

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Northern Iowa

Books & works: Moon of the Snowblind

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