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Writing on the Wind: An Anthology of West Texas Women Writers
"Stories about family, legacy, marriage, divorce, religion, all of them played out in relentless weather and under an all-encompassing sky. . . . These female writers come from a storied place most often described from the perspective of the men credited with shaping it. . . . This collection adds insightful dimension to a surprisingly inspiring place." —Fort Worth Star-Telegram "A moving and engaging collection of short stories often set in demanding rural conditions. . . . We learn how the seemingly blank, barren expanse that is West Texas is really a landscape of sublime and subtle opulence. . . . Beyond survival, anything hardy enough to endure here doesn't merely exist, but thrives and flourishes. The stories these women have to tell prove exactly that." —El Paso Times "The fullness of regional life is so engagingly chronicled here that you may never again think of West Texas without understanding the passions inspired by this seemingly empty land. . . . The women featured in this collection . . . focus on contrasts between the young and old, the East and West, the wet and the dry, the new and the old social norms. . . . This collection adds insightful dimension to a surprisingly inspiring place." —Philadelphia Inquirer "The vast skies west of Fort Worth have captured the endless space these authors love. This anthology . . . gives voice to their identities and their connections to place and the people who live there." —Review of Texas Books "The 26 contemporary women writers featured in [this] new anthology have one thing in common: West Texas. . . . All have been touched, inspired, or in some way affected by the landscape, the people, the climate, the history, the isolation, the sense of place. . . . The essays, memoirs, and short stories included here cover a range of topics, approaches, interests, emotions, and writing styles. Some are humorous, others poignant. Some take an academic approach to their subject, others are raw and personal. The writing illustrates the diversity, not only of the women selected for this anthology, but of the region itself" —Glenn Dromgoole, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal The vast, disparate region called West Texas is both sparsely populated and scarcely recognized. Yet it has given voice to a surprising number of women writers who have left more than a faint impression on its hardscrabble terrain and consciousness. These writers do much more than evoke the land and its celebrated skies. Often with humor and always with empathy, they manage to peg nearly every West Texas experience, including how West Texans respond to hardships, blessings, friendships, loneliness, tragedy, and yes, even sandstorms. The short stories and essays in this collection, through a strong emphasis on individual triumphs and failures, remind West Texans of their heritage and share with all readers an understanding of what it means to live in the endless space these authors know so well. “West Texas latitude inspires its occupants to make new beginnings, to explore spiritual response to the beauty of sunrises and sunsets, and to achieve understanding of the people coming and going in their daily lives.” —Lou Halsell Rodenberger, from the Introduction
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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About the author
Lou Halsell Rodenberger
11 books1 followerMolcie Lou Halsell Rodenberger, author and educator, is best-known for her studies of Texas women writers. Known by the name Lou, she was the eldest of two daughters and was born to Austin Carl and Annie Mabel (Falls) Halsell in Okra, Eastland County, Texas, on September 21, 1926. Her parents were both educators who moved frequently around West Texas during Lou’s childhood, so she attended a number of different schools. Her father, also a Methodist minister, and mother organized churches in the small communities where they taught.
Lou remained committed to the values taught by her parents as she became both a lifelong Methodist and an educator. At the age of sixteen, she graduated valedictorian from Anson High School and then earned a B.S. degree in journalism from Texas State College for Women (now Texas Woman’s University) in June 1947. While in college, she worked on the student newspaper, the Daily Lasso, and served as the paper’s business manager her senior year. She also was a member of the James H. Lowry Literary Club, Kappa Alpha Mu, and Theta Sigma Phi, an honorary organization for women in journalism.
After graduation Lou Halsell worked for the Kerrville Times as the society editor, then moved to Levelland, Texas, to teach high school English and journalism. There she met Charles A. Rodenberger, a petroleum engineer. The couple married on September 3, 1949, at First Methodist Church in Levelland. While they raised their two children, Kathryn Sue and Mark, Charles Rodenberger changed the focus of his career from petroleum to aerospace engineering. He earned a master’s degree in Engineering from Southern Methodist University and worked for General Dynamics Aerospace. For General Dynamics, he designed rocket fuel tanks that were considered by NASA for use in the second stage of the Saturn V launch during the Apollo missions, but the design by North American Aviation was accepted for the spacecraft (see LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER). He then received a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas while he taught in the engineering department at Texas A&M University in College Station.
When Texas A&M University began admitting women in 1963, Lou Rodenberger became one of the first female graduate students to attend the university. She earned both a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in English and was honored as the outstanding graduate student teacher. She also taught at A&M and Blinn College for a time before she and her family moved to the Abilene, Texas, area, where Lou briefly taught at Cooper High School and Cisco Junior College before beginning her twelve-year tenure at McMurry University. She retired from McMurry as a professor emeritus and was twice honored as an outstanding faculty member.
Lou Rodenberger edited or authored a number of books and articles. Her best-known works include Texas Women Writers: A Tradition of Their Own (1997) and Let’s Hear It: Stories by Texas Women Writers (2003), both co-edited with Sylvia Grider; Quotable Texas Women (2005), co-edited with Susan Kelly Flatau; and Jane Gilmore Rushing: A West Texas Writer and Her Work (2006), an authored biography (see RUSHING, MABEL JANE GILMORE). Twice Rodenberger was honored with the Stirrup Award from the Western Writers of America for articles in their Roundup Magazine. She served as a regent for Texas Woman’s University, where she was a distinguished alumna. In 2001 she was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters and later served as a director. She was a Fellow of the Texas State Historical Association, the West Texas Historical Association, and the Texas Folklore Society and served as president of the latter two organizations. She also served on the executive committee of the Western Literature Association and the Board of Western Writers.
Lou Halsell Rodenberger lost her battle with cancer and died on April 9, 2009, in Cross Plains, Texas. Her funeral service was held at First Methodist Church in Cross Plains,
Lou remained committed to the values taught by her parents as she became both a lifelong Methodist and an educator. At the age of sixteen, she graduated valedictorian from Anson High School and then earned a B.S. degree in journalism from Texas State College for Women (now Texas Woman’s University) in June 1947. While in college, she worked on the student newspaper, the Daily Lasso, and served as the paper’s business manager her senior year. She also was a member of the James H. Lowry Literary Club, Kappa Alpha Mu, and Theta Sigma Phi, an honorary organization for women in journalism.
After graduation Lou Halsell worked for the Kerrville Times as the society editor, then moved to Levelland, Texas, to teach high school English and journalism. There she met Charles A. Rodenberger, a petroleum engineer. The couple married on September 3, 1949, at First Methodist Church in Levelland. While they raised their two children, Kathryn Sue and Mark, Charles Rodenberger changed the focus of his career from petroleum to aerospace engineering. He earned a master’s degree in Engineering from Southern Methodist University and worked for General Dynamics Aerospace. For General Dynamics, he designed rocket fuel tanks that were considered by NASA for use in the second stage of the Saturn V launch during the Apollo missions, but the design by North American Aviation was accepted for the spacecraft (see LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER). He then received a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas while he taught in the engineering department at Texas A&M University in College Station.
When Texas A&M University began admitting women in 1963, Lou Rodenberger became one of the first female graduate students to attend the university. She earned both a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in English and was honored as the outstanding graduate student teacher. She also taught at A&M and Blinn College for a time before she and her family moved to the Abilene, Texas, area, where Lou briefly taught at Cooper High School and Cisco Junior College before beginning her twelve-year tenure at McMurry University. She retired from McMurry as a professor emeritus and was twice honored as an outstanding faculty member.
Lou Rodenberger edited or authored a number of books and articles. Her best-known works include Texas Women Writers: A Tradition of Their Own (1997) and Let’s Hear It: Stories by Texas Women Writers (2003), both co-edited with Sylvia Grider; Quotable Texas Women (2005), co-edited with Susan Kelly Flatau; and Jane Gilmore Rushing: A West Texas Writer and Her Work (2006), an authored biography (see RUSHING, MABEL JANE GILMORE). Twice Rodenberger was honored with the Stirrup Award from the Western Writers of America for articles in their Roundup Magazine. She served as a regent for Texas Woman’s University, where she was a distinguished alumna. In 2001 she was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters and later served as a director. She was a Fellow of the Texas State Historical Association, the West Texas Historical Association, and the Texas Folklore Society and served as president of the latter two organizations. She also served on the executive committee of the Western Literature Association and the Board of Western Writers.
Lou Halsell Rodenberger lost her battle with cancer and died on April 9, 2009, in Cross Plains, Texas. Her funeral service was held at First Methodist Church in Cross Plains,
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August 8, 2007
Jackie, you are lovely and brilliant! Grace from China by Jacqueline Kolosov is a beautiful story, especially if you are adopting a child, or want a wonderful story for an adopted child to read. She worked long and hard on it. I hate that it isn't listed on goodreads.
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