Author Event: Kiliii Yüyan

Sisters Festival of Books

Keynote speaker, Kiliii Yüyan, shares a collection of powerful images and stories.

Join Sisters Festival of Books for the keynote event of their Under Western Skies series. 

Photographer, speaker, and National Geographic Explorer Kiliii Yüyan captures life at the polar regions, beneath cold seas, and within the heart of human communities. Of Chinese and Nanai/Hèzhé descent, he works from deep immersion and a cross-cultural lens — camping on sea ice with polar bears, diving with Indigenous rangers, and making photographs that are sensory, unhurried, and deeply human. His work appears in National Geographic, TIME, Vogue, and WIRED, and has been honored with National Geographic's Eliza Scidmore Award for Outstanding Storytelling. Based in Seattle, he is more commonly found beneath the sea or atop the ice. kiliii.com

Guardians of Life

Guardians of Life: Indigenous Science, Indigenous Wisdom and Restoring the Planet, is an extraordinary visual journey that reveals Indigenous communities as Earth's most powerful protectors. The odyssey spans the globe, from Palau's coral reefs and Mongolia's steppes to Greenland's sea ice.

This stunning volume is powered by the collective wisdom of more than two dozen Indigenous voices, including activist Quannah Chasinghorse and Palauan statesman Tommy Remengesau Jr. Their expertise is brought forward through National Geographic photojournalist Kiliii Yüyan's striking imagery, the powerful writing of bestselling author (1491) Charles Mann, and writer Gleb Raygorodetsky's insights. Together, this collection of powerful images and stories proves how traditional knowledge and modern innovation unite to safeguard the planet.

About the Organizer

Sisters Festival of Books offers literary arts programming for all ages including writing and creativity workshops, author presentations and panels, storytelling events, authors dinners, author visits to schools and more! With programs offered throughout the year, we are committed to providing opportunities for enrichment through books, stories and writing for the Central Oregon community.

Sisters Festival of Books’ mission is to promote literacy, foster a love of reading and storytelling, and increase access to the literary arts across Central Oregon, with an emphasis on uplifting underrepresented voices. We aim to connect readers, writers and storytellers from across the NW and beyond in a celebration of all things literature, serving as a hub for cultural enrichment and engagement. 

Questions? Contact emilyc@deschuteslibrary.org