Southwest: Region Five
Bowman, Crystal J.
1951—
Place of Birth: Holland, MI
Place of Principal Residence: Grand Rapids, MI
Biography
Crystal was born in Holland, Michigan to Harold and Gerene Langejans in 1951. Crystal loved writing poems as a child, and wrote her first poem when she was 10 years old. Her teacher praised her work, and predicted that one day she would be a published author. Crystal went to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, graduating with a BA in Elementary Education with a specialization in Math. She did not anticipate becoming a children’s author, poet and lyricist. After graduation from Calvin in 1973 and took Graduate classes at the University of Michigan for Early Childhood Education while teaching preschool. In her Children’s Lit class, Bowman discovered her love for Children’s Literature. She began her writing career in 1990 as a lyricist for children’s piano music, and now has written over fifty books. Her children, Rob, Scott, and Teri, have been credited by Bowman has being her principle source of inspiration. Bowman has even kept a journal of her children’s funny quips that greatly add to the quality of her books. In addition to writing, Bowman speaks at a variety of functions, including conferences and school writing workshops. Currently Bowman lives in Grand Rapids, MI and Palm Beach, Florida Gardens, Florida with her husband, Bob, of whom she has been married to for over thirty-five years.
Selected Works
- Children’s Piano Lyrics (1991-2001)
- Ivan and Dynamos (1997)
- If Peas Could Taste Like Candy (1998)
- Windmills and Wooden Shoes (1999)
- A Star for Jesus (2006)
- My Christmas Stocking (2006)
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work
For her writing Bowman relies heavily on her childhood memories and experience raising three children in Michigan.
Donahue, James L.
June 1, 1938 -
Place of Principal Residence: Michigan
Biography
James L. Donahue was born to Velma and Edwin Donahue in Harbor Beach, MI on June 1, 1938. He attended Central Michigan University and graduated with a B.A. in Journalism and English Literature in 1961. For over forty years, Donahue worked journalism as a newspaper reporter, editor, and columnist with newspapers like the Huron Daily Tribune, the Times Herald, and the Kalamazoo Gazette. Part of his career involved a three-year stint in Arizona as a bureau reporter for the White Mountain Independent in Show Low. During this time, Donahue was able to study and observe the American Indian Tribes of the Southwest and even briefly living with a Navajo medicine man near Four Corners. Now Donahue is a freelance writer in Bad Axe, MI and takes particular interest in Michigan’s history – three of his published books deal with the subject. He and his wife have four children: Aaron, Ayn, Susan, and Jennifer.
Selected Works
- Schooners in Peril
- Steaming Through Smoke and Fire 1871
- Steamboats in Ice
- Terrifying Steamboat Stories: True Tales of Shipwreck, Death, and Disaster on the Great Lakes
Critical Reception
Because of his four published books on the subject, Donahue is considered an authority on Great Lakes history. The Historical Society of Michigan published his collaborative book Fiery Trial.
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work
Donahue writes historical books about the most distinguishing feature of Michigan, the Great Lakes. While working as a bureau reporter for The Times Herald, a Gannett-owned daily newspaper in Port Huron, Michigan, Donahue began writing and marketing a column dealing with Great Lake’s shipwrecks. Later, Donahue collaborated the Judge James H. Lincoln of Harbor Beach, Michigan, in the book Fiery Trial, a historic account of a forest fire that swept three counties of Michigan in 1881. In 1990, Donahue created Anchor Publications, and became the publisher of his own book, Steaming Through Smoke and Fire 1871. The book is a record of events on the Great Lakes during the year 1871, the year of the great Chicago fire and a forest fire that swept the states of Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, Michigan and Northern Ohio on the same day.
Harrison, Jim (James Thomas)
Dec. 11, 1937 –
Place of Birth: Grayling, MI
Place of Principle Residence: summer – Livingston, MT : winter – Patagonia, AZ
Bibliography:
Jim Harrison grew up roaming the woods in northern Michigan with his parents Winfield (a county agricultural agent) and Norma. At age seven his left eye was blinded by a piece of glass, an event he now attributes to his desire to stay outdoors in nature as a form of comfort. When a young man, Harrison set off to make his own way in the world, as his family was financially strained with five children. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University in 1960 and married his wife, Linda, with whom he has been with for over forty years. In 1964 Harrison got his Master’s at State University of New York. He worked as an assistant professor in English in 1965, but quickly concluded he was “temperamentally unsuited” to teaching. In 1966 Harrison moves back with his wife and newborn daughter to northern Michigan and supported his family through freelance journalism and manual labor. Eventually, his poetry brought him to the attention of major reviewers that in turn led to the release of his first book, Wolf, in 1971. Although his book Farmer, published in 1976, did not initially enjoy much success, his subsequent trilogy Legends of the Fall was a great commercial success and was later made into a film. Harrison also works as an artist, and in addition has taken up screenwriting. Critics have noted Harrison’s desire to preserve the South and rural America both in his art and writing. Harrison recently moved from his northern Michigan home and now spends his summers in Minnesota and his winters in Arizona.
Selected Works:
- Plain Song (1965)
- Out of the War Shadow: an Anthology of Current Poetry (1967)
- Locations (1968)
- Un Bon Jour pour Mourir (1973)
- Sundog : The Story of an American Foreman, Robert Corvus Strang (1984)
- Julip (1994)
- The Beast God Forgot to Invent (2000)
- True North (2004)
Awards
- 1967-1969 National Endowment for the Arts Grants
- 1969-1970 Guggenheim fellowship
- 2007 Michigan Notable Book Award for Saving Daylight
- Two awards from National Literary Anthology
Critical reception:
New York Times has praised Wolf: A False Memoir as “…a raunchy, funny, swaggering, angry, cocksure book; it is also a poignant, handsomely-written self-exploration…” Harrion’s book Legends of the Fall has enjoyed particular attention, being made into a movie starring Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins. True North has received mixed reviews, but Gordon Hauptfleisch (editor of Blogcritics Books and book reviewer for San Diego Union Tribune) wrote, “still, if Harrison’s newest work is flawed an uneven, it is nevertheless a rich and satisfying read for the strenuously poetic passages detailing not only the complexities, quirks, and intricacies of human emotions and interactions, but also for conveying a solid sense of place.”
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Growing up in northern Michigan has been strongly attributed by Harrison to influencing his writing. As a child he enjoyed hunting and fishing and spent many days roaming the woods. This is clearly represented in much of his writing is rural in nature. In addition, Harrison has developed a strong love of the South and rural America. While living in northern Michigan as an adult, Harrison wrote in an old granary on his property. His love for nature has never faded.
Lardner, Ring
March 6, 1885 - September 35, 1933
Place of Birth: Niles, MI
Biography:
Wilmer Ringold Lardner was born to Lena and Henry Lardner in Niles, MI in 1885. Despite a physical disability, Lardner participated in sports, particularly baseball, which later manifested to being a sports writer later on in his life. Early on Lardner had an interest in music, theatricals, and writing, composing his high school class’ poem that was published in the Daily Star. Lardner briefly attended Armour Institute of Technology for engineering, but dropped out and worked a variety of jobs before landing work as a reporter for the South Bend Times in 1905. In 1907, Lardner transferred to being a sports reporter for various Chicago newspapers, and later as an editor for Sporting News and a columnist for The Chicago Tribune. Starting in 1907 Lardner began building a reputation as one of the most insightful, entertaining, and innovative sports reporters in the country. Lardner in particular stood out for the humor, satire, and slang vernacular incorporated into his writing. Lardner reportedly could turn the most dull baseball came into a comedic, keen perceptive articles and columns. Eventually Lardner’s columns were printed in 115 newspapers, and over his lifetime he wrote 4,500 articles and columns. He has received much attention for his American slang vernacular where he studied the way people speak to relate to readers, instead of using it as a device to humiliate. Eventually Lardner focused more on his short stories and theatrical pieces that portrayed more satire of all aspects of American life than in his columns. Although he wrote many plays, his only success was June Moon, co-authored with George Kaufman. He has been compared to authors such as Sinclair Lewis and Mark Twain. Lardner died on September 35, 1933 of a heart attack.
Selected Works:
- Bib Ballads (1915)
- Gullible’s Travels (1917)
- Own Your Own Home (1919)
- Symptoms of Being 35 (1921)
- The Love Nest and Other Stories (1926)
- June Moon: a Comedy in a Prologue and Three Acts (1930)
Critical Reception:
Lardner was one of the lucky few who’s writing enjoyed critical and popular approval. During the 1920s, Lardner rose to great prominence, and was arguably one of the most influential writers of the decade. His noted style included satire and slang vernacular, and his sports columns were wildly successful, being published in 115 newspapers. In the last few years of his life, Lardner fell out of public attention. However, Lardner still remains the forbearer of relating personally with his readers by using humor and the common style of speech. Journalists today still follow his example.
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Lardner grew up in Niles, MI where he first developed his love for sports, particularly baseball, and writing, music, and theatricals. Later on in life, Lardner incorporated these interests into his career as a sports writer and author of theatricals.
Peattie, Elia Wilkinson
January 15, 1862 - 1935
Place of Birth: Kalamazoo, MI
Place of Principle Residence: Chicago, IL
Biography:
Elia Wilkinson Peattie was born to Amanda and Frederick Wilkinson in Kalamazoo, MI. The Wilkinsons moved to Chicago in 1871, where Peattie met and married her husband, Robert, in 1883. After being hired by The Chicago Tribune as their first female reporter, Peattie traveled widely, including to Omaha, Nebraska where Peattie and her husband relocated to in 1888, both taking jobs at the Omaha World – Herald. While Robert served as managing editor, Peattie became the Herald’s first female reporter and continued to travel, incorporating some of her experiences into her stories. Peattie published her first book, The Story of America, in 1889, and continued to write poems, short stories, and essays that ranged from romance on the frontiers to ghost stories for children. In addition to writing, Peattie was an advent feminist and involved herself in activities promoting women’s rights, included founding the Omaha Woman’s Club. Due to her husband’s frequent illness, Peattie sometimes found herself the sole supporter of her family of four children, and as a result produced a plethora of writing (once writing 100 short stories in 100 days for the Chicago Tribune) that she felt compromised her quality. In 1896 Peattie and her family moved back to Chicago where Peattie worked as a litereary critic The Chicago Tribune until 1917. During her lifetime, her work appeared in many journals, including Atlantic, Century, and Harper’s, and many of her stories were published in anthologies (like The Mountain Woman), newspapers, or unindexed journals like The Youth’s Companion. Peattie died in 1935 in Wallingford, Vermont.
Selected Works:
- The Shape of Fear: and Other Ghostly Tales (1899)
- The Beleaguered Forest (1901)
- Poems You Ought to Know (1903)
- Edda and the Oak Rand (1911)
- Lotta Embury’s Career (1915)
- The Wander Weed (1923)
Critical Reception
Peattie was a well-known feminist and writer, paving the way for young women to enter the field of journalism and promoting equal rights, as well as entertaining audiences with her short stories and poems. She lectured widely, and in 1893 read three papers at the World’s Fair. A year later, Peattie attended the General Federation of Woman’s Clubs in Philadelphia and shared stage with Susan B. Anthony.
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Peattie’s lack of hesitation in recording the vices of towns when reporting (including prostitution, racism, and poverty), point to her impovershed childhood in Kalamazoo, MI.