In original essays commissioned by the Wyoming Center for the Book, nineteen writers with roots in the state tell how that "rough country" has influenced their work. Some, such as Wyoming Poet Laureate Robert Roripaugh, agree with Proulx: "A sense of place is essential to both the writing process and the work itself." Others, such as poet Dainis Hazners, tell us that "this place, though it matters to meis in some ways clearly incidental to my concerns/efforts as a writer and human being." Tom Rea writes half jokingly that there will never be a true Wyoming literature until it includes stories about homeless drug-addicted unwed teen mothers in Casper, referring to one of two urban places in this rural state. These writers, in their essays and accompanying excerpts from their poetry and fiction, bring new understanding to the American West. (464 pages, ISBN# 0-9714725-7-2.)