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Reader’s Guide for Leaning into the Wind and Woven on the Wind.

The editors of these groundbreaking collections, all three ranch women, used to joke about the west’s stereotyped images and perennial popularity. As Deirdre Stoelzle points out in her essay in "The Curtsy" (Leaning, p. 296), “The fake cowboys are the ones wearing hats and western shirts and are often overweight and have full beards. The real ones look oddly unobtrusive.”

But they also recognized how quickly the rural west’s population is changing. And the women of the region have much to do with this. Linda Hasselstrom, Gaydell Collier and Nancy Curtis resolved to offer these women a platform from which to speak. They appealed to writers through announcements in newsletters, newspapers, libraries and arts organizations -- a grassroots effort in the very real sense of the word. Somewhat to their surprise, a near avalanche of manuscripts arrived, including excerpts from old photo albums or family trees. In poems and memoirs, real western women write with passion and conviction to describe their lives as mothers, farmers, daughters, ranchers, wives and teachers in the heart of America’s west.

Leaning into the Wind

The editors presented women with the following questions, in the words of Linda Hasselstrom: “What, we asked, do they think of their companions, both animal and human? What conditions – weather? isolation? – affect them most? What do they think when a friend remarks how they’re wasting their lives or their educations in a barren land?”

For Discussion:

(1) This anthology contains quite a few reflections by women who moved to the west in their adulthood. Do women who arrive later in life have a different relationship to the land and their neighbors than women who are natives to the area? Are these recent migrants any more or less “children of the land” than women who have lived and worked in the west all their lives? (Cindy French, "Child of the Land," p. 5)

(2) Unlike metropolitan areas in which families may move frequently because of changing jobs or growing families, some of the families in this book have dwelled on the same farm or ranch for generations. How are their relations with neighbors different than less rooted families?

(3) Quite a few women moved out west as young brides to follow their husbands. How would you characterize the relations between couples who opted to become ‘pioneers’ together?

(4) Women who work with animals must necessarily be confronted with death. How do these women approach death? See, for instance, “The Handmaiden” (Louise Steneck, p. 36), “Porky’s Hard Labor” (Lois J. Moore, p. 21), and “Curley” (Rhae Foster, p. 219).

(5) Modern technology and the growth of a world economy have transformed farming and ranching. How are the challenges modern women face distinct from or similar to those of their forbears? See, for instance, “Night Lambing” (Phyllis M. Letellier, p. 15), “American Dream on an Elk Ranch” (Noreen McConnell, p. 32), and “The Auction” (Shannon Dyer, p. 212).

(6) Linda M. Hasselstrom cites a stereotype of western women as “slim blondes in tight jeans on prancing palominos. Or musclebound heifers who look and smell like old leather” (Introduction p. xiv). Before reading this anthology, what was your assessment of women of that region? How has your understanding changed after reading Leaning into the Wind?


Woven on the Wind

The editors noticed that though women expounded on a variety of relationships in the previous anthology, they seemed reluctant to examine their relationships with other women. In their appeal for submissions to this anthology, the editors requested that women write about their connections to other western women.

For Discussion:

(1) Which relationship is most memorable to you? Which is most like a relationship you have experienced?

(2) There are quite a few stories of young or middle-aged women forming close bonds with more experienced, older plainswomen. What does such a friendship offer each woman?

(3) Wanda Rosseland remarks that “men rule” in the west ("Because Men Rule," p. 122). After reading the recollections of this diverse group of women, do you agree or disagree? How are women limited by stereotypes of what a “rancher” or “farmer” or “cowgirl” should be?

(4) Busy calving and harvest seasons make afternoon tea a difficult proposition for female ranchers and farmers. How do these women reach out to communicate and bond with their friends and neighbors?

(5) Why do you think the contributors were initially hesitant to discuss their relationships with other women?


Both books -- For Discussion:

(1) Many entries in these books come in the form of letters -– some are loving, some angry, but each is charged with an emotion that the writer feels she must convey. Who would you like to write to in this manner? What would you say?

(2) The editors compiled this anthology in order to confront stereotypes they thought were misguided, untrue, or unfair. Are there stereotypes about women in your region? If you asked women in your community to write about their lives how would their evaluations differ from or conform with these stereotypes?


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