This collection of essays is from some of Western Americana's best-loved and most-read writers, including Margaret Coel, Elmer Kelton, Don Coldsmith, Robert Utley, and David Dary.Editor W. C. Jameson began the project after reading Elmer Kelton's "The Time it Never Rained." "I longed to ask Kelton how he did what he did. Where did he come up with the words? How did he know how to coax them onto the page and arrange them with such skillful expertise? I wanted to ask him how the Western landscape sparked his imagination, inspired his ideas, and influenced his style. I yearned to know more about him, about his obvious, intimate connection to the land, a relationship that he adroitly manifested between the covers of his books." Jameson encountered many authors, some successfully published and some just beginning their careers, who had similar questions for other known writers.There are three basic threads that run through these pieces: first, each writer has an intense and memorable connection to the land; second, each possesses a keen curiosity, a desire to seek out other people and times, a wanderlust to discover what lies beyond the limits of the cities; and finally, they all have a passion to write. Contributors: Win BlevinsLaurie Wagner BuyerMargaret CoelDon ColdsmithRobert ConleyDavid DaryMax EvansBill GulickPaulette JilesElmer KeltonRobert UtleyRichard S. WheelerPaul Zarzyski