Books/ OKIE CHRONICLES
"...poetry of a high order, as artfully nuanced and evocative as it is intellectually complex.” —B. H. Fairchild
The chorus of voices, at once tough and intimate, that sing the poems of this collection, tell a multi-generational story of family life in Oklahoma. Pamela Harrison’s Okie Chronicles is a memorable portrait of life enduring, and triumphing, in hard country.
REVIEWS “In the Dust Bowl of the 30’s, Okies traveled west away from hopelessness. Here we see the second and third generations, man, woman, and child, poem by poem, in hard times but also beautiful in the illuminated detail that is the work of poetry.” —Grace Paley “Writing in lines as tough, supple, and capable of heart-breaking grace as the lives of her characters, Pamela Harrison locates poetry where few in postmodern American culture seem to believe, or acknowledge, it existed: the working-class Southwest…. Okie Chronicles is a history of a people, and of a place, but it is also poetry of a high order, as artfully nuanced and evocative as it is intellectually complex.” —B. H. Fairchild AUTHOR LETTER Letter to a Fan of Okie Chronicles, by Pamela Harrison "What a rare and wonderful surprise for me to receive your thoughtful and searching letter in response to Okie Chronicles.... Writing poems is generally such a private calling, and poets so seldom learn (though we most certainly hope) whether our words actually speak to others unless passionate readers take the time to reach out and articulate their experience as you have done. I would be honored to try and answer your fine questions." Read the full letter (PDF)> |
LISTEN
Pamela Harrison reads her work: "Boarderland"
"The Long Haul"
"The Gist of It"
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