Over the past two days in Claremore, Oklahoma, I’ve had the privilege of speaking about the stories, history, and literary traditions of the American West. I spoke to the local Rotary Club about the Will Rogers Medallion Award program and its mission to honor excellence in Western literature.
I also had the pleasure of speaking at the Claremore Chamber of Commerce Leading Ladies Luncheon at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum, where I shared stories from my books about women of the American West, including Daughters of Daring: Hollywood Cowgirl Stunt Women.
Judging from the event photos, standing next to average-sized women apparently turns me into Hagrid from Harry Potter. I’m pretty sure people are looking at the pictures and thinking, “That woman could hunt geese with a rake.”
Tomorrow it’s on to Oklahoma City for presentations at the Oklahoma Historical Society, along with meetings with the brilliant Professor Bob Pickering and Professor Jill Kreftt at the University of Tulsa as we continue solidifying graduate degrees for the first-ever Will Rogers Western Literature Studies program.
So many places still to visit, so many stories waiting to be uncovered, and so many remarkable women of the West whose lives deserve to be remembered and celebrated.
