Women Writers of Western America

Announcing new online women’s writer’s forum.

(PRWEB) February 25, 2006 -- Women Writers of Western America is a new online discussion group for women to come together with a common interest; writing about the multifaceted multi-cultural American West. Women interested in joining this group can subscribe by following this link: womenwritersofwesternamerica-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

The American West has a fascination for many writers, but probably none as prolific as the many women who write and publish books and article about the American West. One of the most successful is Annie Proulx, Wyoming native who wrote Brokeback Mountain. Fiction is a popular genre among women who write the West, but women also write non-fiction, which can run the gamut from Native Americans to the study of water rights in the Southwest. Their writing also reflects woman’s perspective on the experience of those who found the West home.

Women who write about the America West continue a tradition and build on the legacy of the women such as Willa Cather (1873-1947) and Mari Sandoz. Willa Cather’s novel describe of the Southwest reflect her love of the land and the changes taking place in America as played out on the western landscape. She also created strong female characters, demonstrating women’s contribution, along with men, in developing western society. Her novels include “My Antonia,” “Death Comes for the Archbishop,” and “O Pioneers.”

Along with Willa Cather, Mari Sandoz (1896-1966) wrote about regionalism, focusing on her home state of Nebraska. Probably one of her most enduring novels was “Ol’ Jules,” a story based on the rugged life of Sandoz’s father. But perhaps her most significant achievement was her Great Plains series that provided an interpretation of the High Plains starting with the Stone Age to the twentieth Century. In all Mari Sandoz published Twenty-two books.

Willa Cather and Mari Sandoz forged a frontier for women writing about the America West. Their legacy inspires today’s women to continue to define and redefine the western landscape through their words in their books about the men and women who lived and still live in the American West.

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