Teresa Jordan and James R. Hepworth, Editors

The Stories That Shape Us

Contemporary Women Write About the West

"An anthology to vindicate all anthologies. . . . Serves as an introduction to writers you might otherwise not meet; it allows you to taste their ideas and beg for their voices again."-Elgy Gillespie, San Francisco Bay Guardian

This is an extraordinary anthology of 26 personal essays by both emerging and established women writers, ranging widely across the regions and the cultures of the West and relating stories of family and commitment, race and gender, spirituality and commitment to the earth. Contributors include Leslie Silko, Terry Tempest Williams, Kathleen Norris, Nancy Mairs, Patricia Limerick, Judith Freeman, Mary Clearman Blew, and Linda Hasslestrom.

"For sheer richness and diversity of voice, The Stories That Shape Us is unbeatable. This book gives the widest possible perspective on what it means to grow up female in the West." -Susan Lyman-Whitney, Desert News

"An exceptional anthology of 267 stories of survival and struggle . . . extraordinary essays by women from far-flung location and widely divergent cultures." -Margaret Laybourn, Caspar Star-Tribune

"Inspired . . . the whole book should make you want to scamper into the wilderness, notebook in hand."-Joanne Rubiner, Los Angeles Reader