Diné College hires Diné journalist as Editorial Director, prepares to relaunch the College’s press
TSAILE, Ariz. Diné College has appointed Indigenous journalist Shondiin Silversmith as Editorial Director, tasked with relaunching the college’s publishing house.
The Navajo Community College Press was established in 1969, a year after the college was founded. It was the first tribally operated press in the country, publishing 37 books and other academic works before ceasing operations in the mid-1990s.
The newly established Diné College Press aims to strengthen the College’s role as a center of knowledge production and preservation rooted in Diné values, language, and sovereignty. The press hopes to provide a space where Navajo scholars and creatives can publish their work for print and digital audiences.
“There has never been a more important time – aside from when Natives fought to gain control over their own educational systems – where voices from Indigenous peoples need to be heard because voices are being erased,” Diné College Provost Alysa Landry said.
Landry said that even though Diné College is 57 years strong, the college still does not have control over how their stories are told and revitalizing the press is an opportunity to gain that control and provide Navajo scholars and creatives an outlet to share their knowledge.
The revitalization of the college press is motivated by the vision of late Diné College President Dr. Charles “Monty” Roessel. During a 2024 lecture series, Roessel said bringing back the press is “an idea long overdue.” He envisioned the press as a platform for “bringing people together with ideas” to deliver quality creative works to the Navajo community.
Silversmith is an alumnus of Diné College, where she earned her associate’s degree in liberal and fine arts before obtaining her bachelor’s degree in inter-personal communication from the University of New Mexico and a master’s degree in journalism from Northeastern University. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at Arizona State University.
Silversmith has more than 15 years of experience as a Diné journalist covering Indigenous affairs, where her stories have appeared in local and national news publications across the country. In her new role, Silversmith will develop and implement the press’s goal to spotlight Navajo scholars and creatives in publications that advance Indigenous storytelling and scholarship.
“On the Navajo Nation, we always tell young people to get an education and then return home to share what they learned with their people,” Silversmith said. “A college press, operating at the country’s first and oldest tribal college, provides the opportunity for Diné people to share that knowledge.”
Silversmith is Honaghaahnii (One Who Walks Around), born for Kinyaa’áanii (Towering House). Her maternal grandfather is Bilagáana (Italian descent) and her paternal grandfather is Tódích’ii’nii (Bitter Water). She is from Steamboat, Arizona.
The Navajo Community College Press published its first book in 1971, “Navajo Studies at Navajo Community College.” Edited by Ruth Roessel, co-founder of Diné College, the book features a collection of student experiences and includes illustrations by Navajo artists Raymond Johnson and Jason Chee.
Many of the books NCC published have gone out of print, and most can only be viewed as part of the special collections at the Kinyaa’aanii Charlie Benally Library on the Tsaile campus of Diné College.
Through Diné College Press, Silversmith will work on the potential republication of previously published books through the NCC Press as well as focus on developing the necessary infrastructure to launch an academic journal by Spring 2027.
The implementation of the journal will start by establishing an editorial board and developing editorial policies informed by Diné knowledge and values. Once all preparations are complete, an open call for papers will be issued, contributing to the inaugural issue of the journal.
If you are interested in volunteering for the editorial board, please reach out to Shondiin Silversmith at shonsilversmith@dinecollege.edu.
All press inquiries can be made to marketing@dinecollege.edu.
