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Gregory Hasman

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Pastures of the Empty Page: Fellow Writers on the Life and Legacy of Larry McMurtry (Charles N. Prothro Texana)

by George Getschow

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Gregory Hasman said: " Larry McMurtry touched many people's lives.

In Pastures of the Empty Page: Fellow Writers on the Life and Legacy of Larry McMurtry, 38 writers whose lives intersected with or were profoundly influenced by the legendary author looked back and paid homa Larry McMurtry touched many people's lives.

In Pastures of the Empty Page: Fellow Writers on the Life and Legacy of Larry McMurtry, 38 writers whose lives intersected with or were profoundly influenced by the legendary author looked back and paid homage to the literary cowpoke.

Their perspectives offer glimpses into how much of an impact he had in shaping their own literary destinies. The writers featured in the collection include Skip Hollandsworth who had the envious job of interviewing McMurtry and his brother, Charlie, who endured the cowboy life on the family ranch Larry left behind.

On a personal note, I was blessed to have met McMurtry during an Archer City Writers Workshop inside the Spur Hotel several years ago. Admittedly, I was nervous. I did not know what to say as I knew my writing skills at the time were (and still are) nowhere near his level. Fortunately, he allowed me to sit next to him and pose for a picture, which I still have on my phone.

Before he left, he signed my favorite book by him, Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen. I did not know it then, but the book played a role in increasing my desire to travel down two-lane highways and write about and photograph places like restaurants. I learned to just listen to the locals who often stopped by these places so I could catch glimpses of what life was like in that community with a camera phone and a pen.

Dairy Queens, like local mom and pop establishments combine the functions of a bar, filling station and general store; "they were simple local roadhouses where rambling men and stay-at-homes could meet. To them would come men of all crafts and women of all dispositions," McMurtry wrote in Walter Benjamin.

I thank you, Mr. McMurtry, for your influence on my travel writing career and to the talented writers who shared their memories of him in Pastures.

My own memories of my meeting Larry McMurtry and having him pose for a photo of the two of us inside his gigantic book barn on the Town Square still stirs in me the sort of passion and excitement that I experience every time I set out on the open road. ...more "

Nov 01, 2023 04:59AM · see review