I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it has since come out. Absolutely stunning and absolutely important read. This is an extremely personal collection of letters by Indigenous people about a broad variety subjects. It's a 'sit with every letter' book.

Overall: I was really struck by a few of the letters. Specifically, the letter that details Murray Sinclair and the legacy of his diligence to his community was so endearing. Another letter was to allies. I appreciated the authenticity of the author and their recognition of allyship and simultaneously having difficult feelings towards those that would be considered allies. It was such an important reminder of the complexities of emotions faced by our Indigenous communities as a direct result of colonization and genocide. I thought it especially touching that the last letter was by Waubgeshig Rice to his future great-great grandchildren. His letter felt like an opus on his love and desire to speak Anishinaabemowin and pass the language down to his children. It was beautiful and touching! The perfect way to end this unique and timely collection of letters.

Rating: 4/5- I highly recommend this book. It is a quick and intimate read and highlights some of the challenges and richness of Indigenous lives.

So many brilliant voices in this anthology! The letter approach felt a bit uneven, as some of the writers engaged with it while others seemed to just write an essay and call it a letter. But this collection definitely made me think and introduced me to some Indigenous writers I'd like to explore more.

A Steady Brightness of Being is a luminous, deeply human collection that celebrates resilience, identity, and the quiet strength found in lived experience. Sara and Stephanie Sinclair weave together voices with tenderness and clarity, allowing personal histories to shine with honesty and emotional depth.

The writing carries both weight and grace—stories that are raw but never without hope, painful yet threaded with beauty. It’s a book that makes you pause, reflect, and carry its truths with you long after you close the final page.

If you’re drawn to works that highlight diverse perspectives and the extraordinary in the everyday, this one belongs on your shelf.

A Steady Brightness of Being is a beautiful book. I absolutely love hearing own voices and this definitely delivers. The format is interesting as we are presented with a variety letters that vary so much, some read like poetry. The sharing of wisdom and opening up of perspectives is refreshing to read. As with any piece like this some words speak to you more than others. The kind of book that you could read at different life stages and reflect on. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Getting to learn about Indigenous history, teachings, and stories through Indigenous voices was an absolute delight. Through stories of ancestors, long lost family members, love and grief, and residential schools, we're given short excerpts from celebrated voices across many different generations. Succinct and heartwarming to the very core.

This is a beautiful collection, full of thoughtful and well-articulated reflections by indigenous authors. As a non-indigenous reader, I feel like I learned a lot and was offered new and truly interesting perspectives. Highly recommend it, it's so worth your attention, especially if you take your time with each piece and really allow yourself moments of reflection.

A Steady Brightness of Being is a beautifully arranged anthology of Indigenous writing. It's made of love letters to the land, to our relatives in the ecosystems we call home, to the world around us and to ourselves. I've had the honour of knowing and being mentored by some of the writers featured in this collection, and it's always a joy to learn more from them. The introduction by Stephanie Sinclair was powerful and incredibly well-written. This book is a reminder to listen to our knowledge keepers and our relatives who know the lands, the medicines and the waters around us.

This was such a beautiful collection with a ton of my favourite authors as well as important Indigenous figures like Wab Kinew and Niigaan Sinclair. Each piece was thoughtful and held its own individual importance. I'm really glad to have had the opportunity to read it early.

As a non-indigenous reader, I found these letters to often be quite informative, all beautifully written from the spirit, but above all provided me a lot of fresh new perspective to mull upon.