Book Spotlight: ‘Modern Natives‘
An Illustrated Collection of Reimagined Coast Salish Myths by Andrea Grant
For the Coast Salish peoples of the Pacific Northwest, stories are more than entertainment, they are truth. Rooted in deep cultural tradition, Modern Natives brings to life the ancient belief that the world is surrounded by supernatural beings who shape, challenge, and guide us. Unlike typical mythology books, these stories are not treated as fiction; they are sacred teachings and oral records offering insight into the laws of nature and the spiritual connections between all living things.
Where Ancient Spirits Meet Urban Reality
In this collection, storytellers are the knowledge-keepers. Andrea Grant honors this tradition by reimagining supernatural beings and ancestral figures in contemporary settings, from the crowded sidewalks of New York City to quiet suburban apartments.
These luminous stories move between past and present, dreamtime and urban reality. It is a world where:
- Water serpents haunt your sleep.
- A trickster god orders whiskey in a Tacoma bar.
- Wolves appear beneath the flickering streetlights of Manhattan.
Story Highlights
Modern Natives explores themes of identity, transformation, and mythic inheritance through several standout narratives:
- The Water Dream: Noah is haunted by a sea serpent stalking her dreams. As her family life fractures, the boundary between myth and reality dissolves, forcing her to dive into the very waters she dreads.
- Coyote Dances With Destiny: The immortal Trickster, haunted by loss, encounters the mysterious “Destiny” in a smoky blues bar. As they dance between temptation and fate, Coyote must decide if his memories are a curse or his only proof of existence.
- The Isle of Women: When a young girl goes missing, two sisters follow their elders to a secret island to reclaim ancient power. This story powerfully merges the tragedy of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement with a mythic tale of vengeance and survival.
A Visually Driven Experience
The book is a multidimensional feast for the senses, blending short fiction and poetry with illustrations from:
- Qwalsius–Shaun Peterson: Acclaimed Coast Salish artist.
- Bowera Studio: Contributing high-impact visual storytelling.
With Grant’s professional background spanning Condé Nast editing, graphic novels, and short films, she brings a cinematic perspective to the genre that translates beautifully from the page to the mind’s eye.
“This book invites readers to step into a world where animals speak, ancestors walk among us, and the unseen is just as real as the seen.”
About the Author: Andrea Grant
Andrea Grant is a Canadian-born writer and multimedia artist of mixed-blood Coast Salish Native ancestry. Her work is renowned for its unique melding of mythological stories, poetry, photography, and live performance.
An alumnus of Kwantlen University College, Grant has been recognized with several prestigious First Nations Storyteller grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the B.C. Arts Council, and the First Peoples’ Cultural Council.
SA Examiner 