Graining The Mare

The poetry of ranch women

Plot

This anthology includes a blending of nationally known authors such as Gretel Ehrlich, Linda Hasselstrom, Linda Hogan, and Luci Topahanso; performers at the annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko: Linda Hussa, Thelma Poirier, Gwen Petersen, Marie Smith, Myrt Wallis, Sue Wallis and others; and some relative newcomers. Through short biographical sketches, Teresa Jordan introduces us to the poets and sets the stage for our understanding the emotions of their hearts. Subjects of the poems are wide-ranging, and even though these women tell about events on the ranch, they are talking of experiences that are common to us all. They tell of loneliness and challenges, of sweet births and gut-wrenching deaths, of horses they have loved and livestock they have nurtured. They tell the stories of each other and draw from the strength of women who have gone it alone in the harsh seasons of life. Woven through the poetry is a self-determined sisterhood of voices, filled with humor, passion and faith.