Regional authors Jamie Lee, Jim Bowers, Renee Carrier, and Jeanne Rogers will present and autograph their new books at an open house Friday, July 20, 5-7 p.m. at the Spearfish Arts Center Gallery, 614 1/2 Main Street, Spearfish. SD. The open house is co-hosted by the Spearfish Arts Council Bearlodge Writers. Refreshments will be served.
Lee, of Rapid City, recently received the prestigious Ben Franklin Award for Best New Voice in Fiction from the Publisher's Marketing Association for Washaka-the Bear Dreamer. Based on the dream of Leon Hale, a Lakota man from Cheyenne River Reservation, this young adult novel was also a finalist in the Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Award (Young Adult) and has been named to the Scholastic Reading Program and the Accelerated Reader Program for schools. Lee, who has authored several books, also manages Many Kites Press, a small publishing house in Rapid City.
Bowers, of Spearfish, taught English at Black Hills State University and has since his retirement compiled over thirty of his short stories into the collection, Voices from the Underground, published by Many Kites Press. According to a reviewer, readers will find his tales "disturbing and uplifting-sometimes together" as he "explores with courage and honesty the nature of the human heart." His stories "challenge us to be as daring in subjecting our own innermost thoughts and fears to the crucible of honest attention-"they speak to the soul."
Carrier, of Hulett, Wyoming "writes elegantly of both the natural and spiritual realms" in A Singular Notion, published by Pronghorn Press. Winner of Wyoming Writers' 2007 Western Horizon Award, reviewers say this collection chronicles the author's "journey from a magical childhood through adulthood by relying on her 'antidotes,' music and spiritual longing. A remembered encounter inspires a philosophy of living, loving, and learning, whether from stones, kindred spirits, or through her parents' deaths and joy returns through listening, noticing, and acknowledging connections."
Rogers, of Sundance, Wyoming has written a commemorative history of our nation's first national monument. Standing Witness: Devils Tower National Monument, A History, published by the National Park Service, is based on the notes of past superintendents, monument archives, historical publications, and personal interviews. This book includes a nice selection of photographs, is well-indexed, and boasts an extensive bibliography. In the Shadow of the Bear Lodge, Writings for the Black Hills, the popular anthology produced in 2006 by Bearlodge Writers, will also be available. This volume includes book excerpts, short stories, poetry, and
essays.
