OAKWOOD | 2020
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Oakwood ’
Oakwood
Oak-
wood
THE 2020 ANITA (SARKEES) BAHR AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTOR IS KENNEDY PIRLET.
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THE OAKWOOD STAFF LITERARY EDITORS
LITERARY ADVISOR
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT HEAD
COVER ARTIST
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OAKWOOD | 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS 6
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85| Perdendosi
128| The Oakwood
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George A. West: In Memoriam George A. West joined the faculty of the English Department at South Dakota State University in 1969 and taught there until his retirement in 2000, serving in his last eleven years as head of the department. He received his B.A. from SDSU and his graduate degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, earning his Ph.D. in Medieval English Literature in 1972. In 1983, George took a year’s leave of absence to teach English at King Saud University in Abha, Saudi Arabia, and he also received fellowships and grants to study in the U.S. and Canada. Of special value to him were those summers he took groups of teachers to Sinte Gleske University in Mission, South Dakota to attend seminars in Native American culture. George graduated from Crosier High School in Onamia, Minnesota in 1954 and was a student at Crosier Seminary for the next two years. He served in the Army from 1958 to 1961 (and in the Reserves until 1964), and in 1958 married Wanda Anderson of Bryant, daughters and one son. George was devoted to his family and fond of travel, and, thus, every summer he and Wanda would take their children on long camping trips, visiting 36 states and Canada by the time their youngest child left for college. In retirement, he and Wanda continued to travel, taking trips to England and Ireland, and pursued their interest in genealogy, traveling extensively in the U.S. to research their family histories. In both his personal and professional lives, George was generous of his time and talents, patient and kind, and possessed of a wry sense of humor. In all regards, he was a loving companion to his family and great company to his friends. George was born in Milbank, South Dakota on August 9, 1936 and died, while hospitalized, in Omaha, Nebraska on April 22, 2019.
West by George West: A Remembrance
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last
Of Grammatology or Allegories of Reading
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Home from Vacation: The Last 200 Miles to Brookings
from Oakwood #7, March 1981
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What is this Oak Wood
from Oakwood #7, March 1981
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The Color Orange
Winner of the 2020 Anita (Sarkees) Bahr Award.
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Things Worth Doing
The Recognitions, J.R.
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I’m Going to Have to Buy Another Ham
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The Woman Travelling With Me Talks to Her Husband
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Minds Claim
Bringing Flowers to Bae
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Winter Emotion
Can't Escape
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Written
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The Pleasure of Reading Doubled
Pride and Prejudice
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Balto
A Farewell to Arms.
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Wheel of Fortune
Jane Eyre, her Jane Eyre Jane Eyre
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Jane Eyre,
Jane Eyre
ë
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Black Lab
come
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Oasis on the Prairie
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Insomnia
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9
14
10
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20
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Ephesians 5:13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that is illuminated becomes a light itself.
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Jack
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On His Case Tractor
now
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Peeking Through
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The Lunatics
Sirius
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Sirius
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Ford Galaxie 500
Don’t make me come over there and love you, because I will, right now.
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The Laws of Thermodynamics
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Celebration
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Scrupulosity To make stained glass candy
Once sugar dissolves, raise to a boil
Stir in coloring and pour into pan,
After candy is set, break into pieces.
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Monks Enjoying the Morning Sun
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Pastor Alice
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Sitting in a cafĂŠ by the river,
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Five Questions
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It's Been a Wet Year
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Her Heart was a House Down an Overgrown Lane
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Even When
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EO Wilson
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Murphy’s Law: Modeled After Me? Murphy’s Law Part I: an application to my life of entropy Entropy: lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder. Murphy’s Law states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. It’s an old adage that contains a universal truth, modeled after the second law of Celiac Disease,
thermodynamics.
What eat for Thanksgiving?
I even
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couldn’t
Murphy’s Law Part II: where adversity is a given Adversity: “The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of any isolated system always increases.”
that
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Merry Christmas to me. Before.
Murphy’s Law Part III: where vigilance is needed Vigilance: great care that is taken to notice any signs of danger or trouble Synonyms for entropy include deterioration, degeneration, crumbling, decline, degradation, decomposition, breaking down, collapse, disorder, chaos.
I inconvenient. any
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1 in 10.
yes, there can be cross-contamination, no it’s not a big deal,
oh, it’s just a sensitivity
do
Murphy’s Law Part IV: where resistance is Thank you, Rawley.
found Resistance: the refusal to accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argue. Bravery means showing mental or moral strength recklessness means a lack of regard for the danger or consequences of one’s actions. Contains wheat.
Yikes.
only
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normal
Murphy’s Law Part V: where resilience is a victory Resilience: the capacity to recover quickly from easily to misfortune or change “The entropy of the universe only increases and never decreases.”
10 in 10
hurts,
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Interstellar
Young Murphy: “Why did you and mom name me after something that’s bad?” Cooper: “Well, we didn’t.” Murph: “Murphy’s law?” “Murphy’s law doesn’t mean that something bad will happen. It means that whatever
can
happen, will
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Once Upon a Pond
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Bubbles Marsha Warren Mittman
Watching in my grandchild’s playschool as a mechanical bubble machine continuously ejects hundreds bubbles to the delight of toddlers gamboling about squealing, laughing reveling in the spectacle reaching for a prize that instantly dissolves the moment it’s touched tears, pouts, wails when the machine is shuttered and the magic disappears Realizing how we, as adults, continue always, endlessly, disappointed surely we covet grander bubbles glistening, tempting, addictive with which to play, to distract, advertising propaganda promising endless delights, obscuring reality we thrill for the moment until the magic disappears then crash, waiting/wanting a next toy
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Baywatch Dolphin Tour, Galveston, Texas Dark is a way and light is a place, Heaven that never was Nor will be ever is always true
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The Night My Uncle Called the Cops For Ron
She tried to kill me
She tried to kill me
She tried to kill me
She tried to kill me
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Honey, your life is already over
Honey, your life is already over
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Olive Tanka
Small bitter drupes Full of the golden past and cured in brine.
Beloved
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Robin Williams
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A Wedding Gift (Part 1)
A Wedding Gift (Part 2)
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Herds of Love
Family Heirloom
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Navigating a Farmer’s Passing
whole
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Siblings Sally James:
Michael:
Michael:
The Virginian
James: James:
Michael:
Sally:
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Sally: Michael:
Michael
Sally:
Michael:
James Sally
Sally:
James:
Michael:
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James:
Sally:
James:
Mortimer's Memories
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Lazy Sunrise Motel
*
Whatever you think life is, it is
Haunted Hotels of Minnesota of North America her
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*
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*
* good
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*
*
Closed for renovations. Will open again on Monday, June 15th.
*
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*
,
,
* *
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*
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Fractions of a Voice
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Perspective
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Headed North
coyote
ranchos
mierda
Californios
troca How ironic, minutes ago Refugio told me he was in a El Norte
death box, and now he’s saying he stood not far from .
coyotes
coyotes
El Norte
putos esos bueys troca
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pendejos pinche vatos
coyotes cojones coyotes coyotes El Norte el patrรณn coyotes
coyotes frijol,
El Norte
coyotes
compa
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Simon primo
coyotes patrón
the coyote Migra
Qye pendejo, métete carbón ‘¿Qué quieres que nos jodan? ¡Oye buey!
“Ay carbon,
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Maybe it had been the coyote who turned us in. Those sumbitch coyotes, just the cost of our trip here to the United States .
coyotes
El Norte.
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Birds and Beasts
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Ducks Run Home
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Fallen Leaves
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Folk Art
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Perdendosi: Gradually Decreasing Tone and Rhythm
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plant, plant, plant
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Puzzles
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89
90
91
92
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Juxtaposition of Self
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Merry-Go-Round
testing, testing testing, testing testing
Monkey mouth
testing, testing
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testing
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There is a Oneness
Prarie Tree
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Whiskey Jacks
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100
101
102
103
104
105
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Waiting for Spring
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What Remains “A part of us remains wherever we have been.” Chinese fortune cookie.
You shouldn’t have
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Superior's Fury
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How we hold on
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Lighted Path
112
Square Peg in a Round Hole
113
The Day My Heart Broke
Threw that hollow
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Untitled
115
On the Road to Hooper Island
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Possibilities
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Untitled
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Requiem
119
'Tis better to have loved
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On Coming Out
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I’m gay
One, Two, Three, Four.
Dignity
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Embercast
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You Were a Blue Lake In Memory of David Strain
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Yew-Hah!
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Finding Other Worlds in Midwestern Towns: A Conversation with Jim Reese
Bone Chalk SS: In “Mid Heart West Land,” you ask “Is know then. Do you now?
of prose pieces, essays. Prior to this, you’ve published three collections of poems. What made you decide you wanted your next book to be essays rather than poetry? And what is your process like for deciding if what you are writing is going to be a poem or prose piece?
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SS: The term “otherworld” is referenced in the book, and to me, it seems to be a theme places we want to belong (for you, country/rural life), but are still foreign to us.
SS: I write about the Midwest a lot, but from a Minnesotan perspective, which feels very different than Nebraska. We’re not cornhuskers or bugeaters. We’re Vikings, Scandinavians doncha’ know. You could break down the Midwest region into two subregions: “Great Midwestern states feel different to you? Do you think someone from the coasts would be able to tell us apart?
identity rooted in where you live? Or are you still
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SS: I was surprised to read in “Buckets, Indians and Habaneros” that you are a Yankees fan. That doesn’t sound very Midwestern.
There is, of course, your boy Ted Kooser. But is it just Nebraska poets? Just Midwestern writers? who are outside of your region?
SS: What was the biggest challenge in writing this book or pulling the collection together?
SS: In the book, you said ten years ago, when have a comeback to “Why in the hell would you want to help prisoners?” After ten years, do you have an answer now?
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The Oakwood Digitization Project Oakwood
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Photo by Ruby Wilson
Oakwood.
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Contributor Notes
Times Emily Cass
Amanda Braun
Ken Curtis Betty L. Beer
Faces of Brookings Christian Dames
Roger Bommersbach
Adrian Day
Oakwood.
Oakwood Lin Marshall Brummels
Alyssa DeBough
Cottonwood Strong
Hard
th
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Lawrence Diggs Jacob Ford
The Equalizer
Lauren Franken
Sarah Elizabeth
Paul Gaillard Will Engelmann
E.O. Wilson Symmone Gauer Jerrod Fedorchik
Corinna German Eve Fisher Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine
Me Too Short Stories - an Anthology
Blood, Water, Wind, and Stone: An Anthology of Wyoming Writers , Manifest West: Women of the West High Plains Register
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Sue Grant
Leah Hofer
John Gutierrez
Linda Hoffelt
Rob Hunter Linda M. Hasselstrom
Gathering from the Grassland: A Plains Journal Dakota: Bones Grass Sky The Wheel of the Year: A Writer’s Workbook
September Swim
Caitlin Irish Bridget Henderson
Michael Keller Sara Henning
View from True North
Carey Kilmer
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Brittany Kopman
Rosemary Dunn Moeller
Cheyenne Marco
Wren Murphy
Lake Region Review, Rathalla Review, Turk’s Head Review, Prairie Winds Susan McMillan
Lindy Obach
North of Zenith Midwestern Gothic Pasque Petals South Dakota Review Scurfpea, North Dakota Quarterly Shelby Meyer
Sogen Okami
Marsha Warren Mittman You Know You Moved to South Dakota from New York City WHEN…
Chicken Soup for the Soul Patriarchal Chronicles Women’s Worldwide Tears
Scott F. Parker Running Oakwood
Kennedy Pirlet
The Joy of Running Qua Conversatioms with Joan Didion
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Oakwood Vickie Prussman Pamela Sinicrope
Appalachian Journal Erik Ritter
Richard Skorupski
Bird of Time
Art in the World
Destiny Soto Jocelyn Rutten
Stephanie Schultz ChloĂŠ Speas The Under Review Prairie Gold: An Anthology of the American Heartland Fracture: Essays, Poems, and Stories on Fracking in America Evan Sutherland Alison Simon
3 Elements Review The Talking Stick
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Terese Svoboda
Alan Weltzien
Rembrandt in the Stairwell
Headlands James Merrill Hawthornden Yaddo McDowell Bellagio
Jeremy Yoder
Gracie Terrall Spider Magazine
Star Trek with
The Collegian Codi Vallery-Mills
Rolf Yngve
Husker the Mule Steven R. Vogel Best American Short Stories ZZYZYVA Kenyon Review Glimmer Train, Dog Watches Saddle Road Press Dana Yost
Matthew Weisberg
Amanda Braun Linda Hasselstrom Sara Henning Cheyenne Marco Lindy Obach Terese Svoboda Alan Weltzien Rolf Yngve and more