An elderly Native American couple make their last journey together – to Wewoka, capital of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. Frankie is dying and intent on seeing his estranged daughter and a grandchild he has never met. Irene, whom he left years earlier, has chosen to be a loving companion on the trip.

Their poignant story, told in 2009’s Barking Water (NR, 85 min.), continues a series of film screenings in conjunction with Big Read 2022. Written and directed by Sterlin Harjo, a member of the Seminole and Creek Nations, the movie is “most notable for its evocative photography of the bleak Oklahoma landscapes,” The Hollywood Reporter said. And for “memorable turns by its two leads (Richard Ray Whitman and Casey Camp-Horinek), who bring a haunting, world-weary gravitas to their performances that feels utterly authentic.”

Big Read 2022 revolves around the first Native American to serve as U.S. poet laureate, Joy Harjo, and her acclaimed book An American Sunrise. The nearly two-month initiative is a celebration of poetry and reading, as well as Native American literature and culture.

Explore Big Read 2022 at kclibrary.org/bigread.