September 9, 2004

Boise State's Ahsahta Press Releases New Version of Women Poets of the West

Ahsahta Press at Boise State University has released a newly designed and formatted edition of the groundbreaking anthology Women Poets of the West, by Tom Trusky. Trusky is director of the Idaho Center for the Book and a Boise State English professor. Emphasizing the work of poets writing between 1850 and 1950, the collection highlights the work of 14 women, from the Mormon writer Eliza Snow (many of whose poems are still sung as hymns) to Janet Lewis, who died in 1998. “Loneliness, space, fortitude, enforced by a stark expansive landscape, are the symbols that permeate this book,” wrote poet Ann Stanford in the introduction. Gwendolyn Haste’s “The Stoic,” for example, tells of a Montana woman whose pride keeps her strong despite difficult years: But when, sometimes, the children in the spring/ Searching through barren hill or ragged butte,/ Would heap her lap with loco blooms, and bring/ Clouds of blue larkspur and bright bitter-root,/ Then would she run away to hide her pain/ For memory of old gardens drenched with rain. The new format places biographical information about each poet alongside a selection of that writer’s work. An appendix includes bibliographies for each of the poets. “We tried to design a book that is comfortable for the reader as well as practical for classroom use,” said Janet Holmes, Ahsahta Press director. The book was redesigned by Holmes with the help of Boise State student Jarrod Hurlbert. Ahsahta, Mandan Indian for “Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep,” has produced 66 volumes over its 30 years of publishing, including books by such poets as Dan Beachy-Quick, Graham Foust, Liz Waldner and Lisa Fishman. The press awards a $1,500 prize for the best manuscript of poetry submitted to the press between January 1 and March 1 each year. Women Poets of the West will be available from the Boise State Bookstore, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725; from Small Press Distribution at www.spdbooks.org ; and from Ahsahta Press at ahsahtapress.boisestate.edu . “Women Poets of the West: An Anthology, 1850-1950, edited by Tom Trusky ISBN 0-916272-08-7 paper 6” x 8” 123 pages $16.95 -30- Contact: Janet Holmes, Ahsahta Press director, (208) 426-2195, jholmes@boisestate.edu  Media Contact: Kathleen Craven, communications and marketing, (208) 426-3275, kcraven@boisestate.edu