My husband, George, had been dead only a few months and I was unwilling to have Jeff stay in the house, so he rented a motel room in Rapid City, more than twenty miles away. I’d spoken with him on the telephone and was not enthusiastic about his visit. He either already had a tentative assignment from Life magazine, or he was hoping to sell the story. (See his website Jeff had come to South Dakota to photograph calving season on the ranch. The photo was taken by Jeff Jacobson, a freelance photographer, during April of 1989. Q: How did the cover of Dakota Bones come about? Among the best of those who have lived part of that nation-defining history on ranches and reservations and in small towns across the West: Wallace Stenger, Ivan Doig, Patricia Nelson Limerick, James Welch, Linda Hasselstrom, and a few more. There is a band of western writers today examining where their region has come from and where it’s headed. To this reader were instructive, intelligent, real, and both artistically and emotionally moving.īrad Knickerbocker, Christian Science Monitor She works every day on her ranch, but she also publishes at least one good book a year. Hasslestrom is living proof that literature can flourish without a steady supply of grants, fellowships, five-figure advances, national awards, and comfortable sinecures. Death, isolation, and hard work are the major themes in the poems, but mingled with stern subject matter are reminders of what makes the effort worthwhile: sunsets and shimmering grass, rodeos and lemon pies, ‘a single lilac shoot beside a rain-pooled rock.’ Her images are stark, exposed, down to the bone. This place-driven collection of two previously published books of poetry plus thirty new poems vividly expresses the poet's ranching experiences, her complicated, sometimes difficult, often heartening personal relationships, and the western South Dakota landscape. Plains Press (formerly Spoon River Poetry Press)Ĭharles Woodard, Distinguished Professor of English, South Dakota State University You may order the book directly from the publisher, especially if you are buying in bulk or wholesale. You may order the book from Linda and she will autograph it for you. Poetry, Published 1993 by Spoon River Poetry Press reprinted Here are Linda’s observations on the past, present and future of her life in the West, touching on local history (“Homesteading in Dakota”), her childhood (“Tomboy”), ranching (“Rancher Roulette”), living on the land (“Now I Know Grouse”), lessons learned from older relatives (“Handbook to Ranching”), and the unanticipated changes in her life (“Walking the Dog”).ĭakota Bones: The Collected Poems of Linda Hasselstrom The book contains the complete texts of Linda’s earlier work, Caught By One Wing (1984, reprinted 1990) and Roadkill (1987), both out of print, and adds 28 previously unpublished poems (including the perennial favorite, “Mulch”), a preface, a brief autobiographical sketch, and an alphabetical index of titles. “Here’s a hug for your soul for all those times you found yourself at a dark crossroad / C’mon shine your light let it show which way is gonna bring you home / Whoa oh oh oh whoa oh oh whoa oh oh oh / Raise a glass you’re on the path let it shine whoa you’re almost home.Dakota Bones collects the poems of rancher-poet-essayist Linda M. The title track travels on country-gospel flavored tones topped by Josephine’s drawling voice, full of delicious rasping touches. ![]() “In The Field,” a beautiful, shimmering instrumental number, features a glistening ukulele backed by emerging, glowing coloration. Josephine’s rich, evocative voice infuses the lyrics with gentle, slightly exotically inflected timbres, at once alluring and lush. Josephine explains, “I’m not 25, I’ve never been married, I put myself through school, I book my own shows, I’m the roadie, I’m the writer, I’m the singer, and I am doing exactly what I want to do.”Įncompassing six tracks, Double High Five begins with “Built To Last,” opening on a thumping rhythm topped by dreamy, creamy folk colors. With three full-length LPs under her belt already, Josephine, who holds an MA in English from Humboldt State University, has an apartment in Nashville but performs and teaches in Georgie, South Carolina, and California. It’s a message of hope and encouragement to keep going, even during heartbreak.” Speaking to the EP, Josephine shares, “Without sounding too Pollyanna, this EP is for everyone who toils tirelessly. Josephine Johnson | Photo: Bailey Davidson
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