Storytelling is the most direct connection between people. The way we live our lives tells a story, including how we treat one another and how we engage in the world. Storytelling is also the pathway toward healing and building a world of thriving & liberation. tai’s keynote will explore how storytelling helps us to nurture the best versions of ourselves to change the world.

Part of the 2023 Winter Read. This program will be livestreamed and available to watch later. Click here to watch online.

tai simpson (she/her)  is also named “The Storyteller” in the Indigenous language of the Nimiipuu, commonly known as the Nez Perce Tribe. As a direct descendant of Chief Redheart, tai takes great pride in serving her community as an organizer and advocate. tai catalyzed her racial and social justice organizing while studying Sociology and Political Philosophy & Public Law at Boise State University. 

tai is an organizer for the Indigenous Idaho Alliance. In 2018 and 2019, the Indigenous Idaho Alliance drafted the proclamations for Indigenous Peoples Day for the State of Idaho and the City of Boise. In 2020, the Alliance helped to draft a Concurrent Resolution acknowledging Missing & Murdered Indigenous Peoples Day in the Idaho Legislature.

As an co-Director with the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence, tai focuses on violence prevention and response within Idaho’s tribal communities. In 2019, tai gave a TEDxBoise talk exploring the belief that Indigenous “old ways” need to come back in style rejuvenated to interrupt harmful social norms. As an antiracism educator and community organizer, she uses Indigenous storytelling to depict the lens of “old ways” and how they protect the sacred, build strength in the community, and keep nature in balance; these principles support her work to champion radical inclusion, equity, and liberation.