Buffalo Commons

I read Debra Marquart’s book, The Horizontal World: Growing Up Wild in the Middle of Nowhere, and I think she is a tease. Snatches of her story reveal the sexual thoughts of teenage girls not normally told to strangers (even though we did think them); the sensuousness of fingerfeeding calves from a milkbucket; and visions of beautiful, young, creamy-thighed girl cousins owning a small town. This rock musician/author/university professor is not your typical academic. Her live-on-the-radio interview (Hear It Now, North Dakota Public Radio) did nothing to deter my opinion, as she just happened to sneak in a mention about how good she looks in leather and spandex. Teaser! And then, her reading at Zandbroz on the night of September 15, 2006, secured the appropriateness of the label. Her selections included the sensual side of castrating (firmly pressed thighs and all); being pulled out of bed in her white nightie; and a warning about the farm boys’ touch and their proclivity for planting seeds. A guest at my table remarked, “It sure is hot in here.” However, in her reading to the enthralled audience of at least thirty, she did not just tease; she delivered. Smiles and nods encouraged her to go on as she spoke knowledgeably of hauling hay, plucking chickens, and all other nasty farm chores. The audience empathized with Marquart’s experiences in the outside world, where people have to touch the first person they ever met from North Dakota, and then they went home satisfied, with autographed books under the arms.

In my Plains Folk weblog, "Travel on the Gravel," I've begun blogging some images from Eastend, Saskatchewan, boyhood home of Wallace Stegner. I've posted photos of the grave of Corky Jones, Stegner's mentor, and will post others pertaining to Wolf Willow in the next few days.

Here are a couple of literary events worth noting.

At 7 pm Friday, September 15, Deb Marquart will read from Horizontal World at the Zandbroz. This new book is getting quite a bit of buzz. I'm about 2/3 through it and will review it in my radio feature, Plains Folk. A review of it also will appear in this blog.

At 7:00 pm Wednesday, September 20, Leif Enger will read from Peace Like a River at the Fargo Theatre.

Both these readings deserve coverage in this blog, and so we hope to line up reviewers of the events.