The Wide Open

"From the pens of writers such as Judy Blunt, Rick Bass, Thomas McGuane, Barry Lopez, Richard Ford, Gretel Ehrlich, Peter Matthiesen, Richard Hugo, and James Galvin and through the stark lenses of photographers Lee Friedlander, Lois Conner, and Geoffrey James, we deeply inhabit the American prairie, a seemingly immutable place of hard-scrabble ranches, rivers, bears, birds, and wolves—a land so patiently alive we might miss it."—Maurice Manning, Bookforum

"Smith and O'Connor have done an excellent job in putting this collection together. In the end they have in fact presented a literate portrait of the prairie and the animals and folks who cooperatively attempt to make it home."—Pete Warzel, Montana Quarterly

"A superb evocation of the prairie and its life."—ForeWord Magazine

"Using photographs, fiction, and nonfiction, the editors have skillfully assembled a complex portrayal of the West's high, dry, and cold plains into a beautiful book."—Orion

"The Wide Open is a beautiful memoir of the short-grass prairie of the northern Great Plains, which has channeled its voice through the writers and photographers found within the book."—Tom Wylie, Bloomsbury Review

"Annick Smith, an accomplished writer, and Susan O'Connor, philanthropist and arts advocate, have done an exceptional job compiling an essential anthology that celebrates the voice and spirit of the prairie. Anthologies can be hit or miss—this collection of poetry, prose, and photographs is right on the mark."—Jim Reese, Great Plains Quarterly