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Voices from the Heartland
Volume II
Edited by Sara Beam, Emily Dial-Driver, Rilla Askew and Juliet Evusa
Published by: University of Oklahoma Press
Imprint: University of Oklahoma Press
250 Pages | 6 x 9
$24.95
$21.95
Despite progress in recent years, Oklahoma hardly ranks as woman-friendly. The state holds the highest incarceration rate of women in the nation. It offers women no legal protection against being fired due to sexual orientation or gender identity. Its Native American and immigrant populations struggle for access to community resources. And Oklahoma is still governed largely by men, leaving women without adequate political representation.
In 2007, the highly acclaimed anthology Voices from the Heartland provided a much-needed platform for Oklahoma women—prominent and unknown—to tell their stories. This timely sequel reflects an even broader cross-section of women’s experiences.
Just like its predecessor, Voices from the Heartland: Volume II offers memorable accounts of struggle and transformation. It does not sugarcoat the problems that women face in contemporary Oklahoma—and in many parts of underprivileged America: racism, sexism, homophobia, poverty, addiction. The 38 contributions gathered here are honest and, at times, raw. They cover such varied topics as girlhood, trauma, the workplace, parenting, politics, and religious beliefs. Taken together, the essays comprise a living artifact of women’s history, accessible and, as an anthology, ideally suited for classroom use.
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, it is more important than ever to listen to what women have to say about their own lives, including—and perhaps especially—women from flyover states like Oklahoma. As Sara N. Beam states so eloquently in her preface, “You’ll read their stories here as they want them told: in a mix of poetry and prose, in the voice of a relative, in the voice of a tired person across the breakroom table, in a secret hush, or in a voice not unlike that of your best friend or mother.” These voices from the heartland inspire us to pause, to listen, to understand, to evolve, and to make a difference.
Sara N. Beam is the Director of the Writing Program and Applied Assistant Professor of English at the University of Tulsa.
Emily Dial-Driver is Professor of English and Humanities at Rogers State University.
Rilla Askew is a novelist, essayist, and short-story writer known for her award-winning historical fiction. Fire in Beulah, her novel about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, received the American Book Award. Her Dust Bowl novel, Harpsong, received the Oklahoma Book Award, and her essay collection, Most American: Notes from a Wounded Place, was long-listed for a PEN America Literary Award. She is Associate Professor of English at the University of Oklahoma. To learn more about her work, visit rillaaskew.com.
Juliet Evusa is Professor of Communications at Rogers State University.
“Through heartfelt and believable essays, Voices from the Heartland: Volume II invites a conversation. It offers multicultural voices and speaks to contemporary and underacknowledged Oklahoma. The honesty of the voices is admirable.” —Ken Hada, author of Spare Parts
2020 -
Oklahoma Book Awards, Nonfiction -
Short-listed
2019 -
Sarton Women's Book Award, Non-Fiction, Story Circle Network -
Short-listed