Linda Hasselstrom: The Woman Rancher as Nature Writer

Drawing selectively on Hasselstrom\u27s nonfiction and poetry of the last twenty years, I will examine her rancher\u27s perspective on the natural world. In the course of her career, she has written from both the insider\u27s and outsider\u27s viewpoint. Hasselstrom was raised, since the age of nine, on her stepfather\u27s cattle ranch located in southwestern South Dakota between the Black Hills to the west and the Badlands to the east. As an adult, she has divided her time between ranch work, the publishing and editing of regional literature, environmental activism, and writing. After working for years side by side with her second husband, George Randolph Snell, on her parents\u27 ranch, Hasselstrom experience major changes in her situation (George\u27s death in 1988; her departure from the ranch in 1992 as the result of a disagreement with her stepfather; and her stepfather\u27s death in 1992). Nevertheless, she has continued to feel inspired by the region and has continued to represent it as a lecturer, teacher, and writer