“The history of every country begins in the heart of a man or a woman.” – O Pioneers! by Willa Cather  I first encountered Willa Cather’s work when I was in college and we read My Antonia for a modern lit class. I was impressed with the writing, but I never read anything else by Cather … until now.… Continue reading

It’s been a couple of years since the assault that tore Beartown and Hed apart. Some people are trying to move on, while others fight to hang on to what life was before everything fell apart.  A tempest blows and brings with it some change.  A local is killed as a result of the storm… Continue reading

We start in 1959 with the Garrett family (father Robin, mother Mercy and their three children – Alice, Lily, and David) taking their one and only vacation. Although vacations are often a time for families to be together and explore or relax together, the Garrett’s seem like strangers to one another. The ripple effect of… Continue reading

It is 1967 and drugs, Vietnam, and family farms giving way to corporate farming are the topics of conversation in many Iowa communities. Charles Weaver is graduating from his small, Iowa farming town high school as the valedictorian. He has great plans for his last summer in town before going off to Des Moines to… Continue reading