Bonnie Larson Staiger

In Plains Sight Wins Two Awards!

Who knew . . .

. . . from the time we studied word origins in school, I’d be fascinated with puzzling words together and the fusion of words on the printed page—their mouth-feel, their musicality, and the magic that can be created within the frame of white space. Poetry seems the perfect art form to bring it all together.

Growing up in western North Dakota, I feel deeply connected to our history, the poignant subtleties and often harsh life on the high plains and short grass prairies. Those ties to peoples, landscape, and the realities of our changing cultures and economies that make up the “New American West” creep inexorably into my writing.

Most poets hope their work carries a universal thread of humanity to readers. My goal is to speak to that shared core within others who may or may not call this place home and to show this region is much more than fly-over country. This is the heart of a continent.

My first chapbook, Destiny Manifested, was awarded the “Poetry of the Plains and Prairies Prize” by North Dakota State University (NDSU) Press and the “Independent Press Award: Distinguished Favorite.” My second book, In Plains Sight, a full collection (also available from NDSU Press) was nominated for the PEN America Literary Award in Poetry, received the Silver Medal from the Midwest Independent Publishers Award, and Women Writing the West: WILLA Literary Award in Poetry, Finalist. Both are available from Amazon and the online store: NDSU Press/Shop Now You can also find them on Goodreads.

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Most of all, I love living on the edge of the Badlands. Here, life is like the oil production of sweet crude nearby – both sweet and crude. More on that in my books.

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