Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 1 9 10 MONTANA'S APEX PREDATORS PAGE 12 LIZ LARCOM, a trained biologist and journalist, often writes about the natural world. Her work has appeared in national, regional, and statewide publications. In her spare time, the Great Falls resident rambles the countryside looking for birds. CLEARWATER RIVER CANOE TRAIL PAGE 17 Pictures and words have always been a prevailing theme in KAY BJORK'S life. As a child she loved to create greeting cards and to write stories and poems. is love for words and pictures along with a curiosity about the world's people and places manifested itself in a career as a feature writer and photographer for newspapers and magazines. eir home on Swan Lake has provided the perfect base camp for writing, photographing and exploring the great outdoors with family and friends. SHORT FALL HIKES IN MONTANA PAGE 22 MAGGIE SLEPIAN is a full-time editor and writer living in Bozeman. When she's not in front of a computer, she's probably outside backpacking, climbing, shooting archery, wrecking her dirt bike, or attempting to skate ski. Writing and editorial projects can be found at maggieslepian.com. PUTTING ON THE DOG PAGE 29 MELISSA KWASNY is the author of six award-winning poetry collections, among them Where Outside the Body Is the Soul Today, Reading Novalis in Montana, and Pictograph. She is also the author of a collection of essays, Earth Recitals: Essays on Image and Vision; the editor of Toward the Open Field: Poets on the Art of Poetry 1800-1950; and the coeditor, with M.L. Smoker, of I Go to the Ruined Place: Contemporary Poems in Defense of Global Human Rights. She lives outside Jefferson City in the Elkhorn Mountains. SOME RAINBOW PAGE 41 GREG KEELER has published two memoirs, Waltzing With the Captain: Remembering Richard Brautigan (Limberlost Press) and Trash Fish: a Life (Counterpoint Press). e Bluebird Run (Elk River Books) is his latest of eight collections of poetry. He illustrated Jim Harrison's chapbook, "Livings- ton Suite," NPR's Car Talk aired his song "WD-40 Polka," and Garrison Keillor read his poetry on three segments of Writers' Almanac. He Lives in Bozeman where he taught in the English Department at Montana State University from 1975 through 2014. MONTANA ENTERTAINERS PAGE 43 BRIAN D'AMBROSIO is the author of more than 10 books; his articles have been published in local, regional, and national publications. D'Ambrosio's favorite journalistic topics or subjects: history, music, architecture, vernacular artists, boxing, photography, forgotten inventors, and obscure American poets and authors. He may be reached at dambrosiobrian@hotmail.com WILD WEST WORDS PAGE 46 CHRYSTI M. SMITH was raised on a farm in northeastern Montana and now wrangles words for her daily radio series, "Chrysti the Wordsmith," produced at KGLT-FM in Bozeman; it can be heard on public radio stations through- out Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and worldwide on Armed Forces Radio. www.wordsmithradio.org LEARNING TO COOK WITH MARY HEMINGWAY PAGE 52 VALERIE HEMINGWAY is a freelance writer who lives in Boze- man. She is author of a memoir, Running with the Bulls and contributed to the recently published Bozeman From the Heart. MONTANA'S SPECIAL SCARECROW FESTIVALS PAGE 56 JOSEPH SHELTON is a freelance writer and photographer who lives in Bozeman. He reads a lot, works at a record shop, and enjoys long strolls around Costco. Follow him on Instagram at @agentgordoncole. SHIN-PLASTERS AND BRASS CHECKS PAGE 62 LYNDEL MEIKLE is a Montana native and historian with many publications. THE GHOSTS OF OLD FAITHFUL INN PAGE 66 EDNOR THERRIAULT'S Montana Curiosities, published in 2009, became the best-selling title in Globe Pequot's Curiosi- ties series. Myths and Legends of Yellowstone was published in 2018 by TwoDot. Playing music under the name Bob Wire, Ednor performs around the state and has released five albums of original music. He lives in Missoula. 7 SCENIC FALL DRIVES TO DO THIS YEAR PAGE 70 ASHLEY ARCEL is a writer living and working in her home- town of Whitefish. She is the founder of Proline Creative and a graduate of Montana State University – Bozeman. A BARN COLLAPSES UNDER SNOW PAGE 76 Raised in Bozeman, DOROTHY BRADLEY served as the only woman in the Montana House of Representatives for 16 years, and acquired a law degree. Dorothy was the Demo- cratic nominee for Governor in 1992, campaigned by riding her horse across the state, but lost. She has worked in posi- tions dealing with water and criminal justice. CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTORS VALERIE HARMS has edited this magazine since 2005 and says it is like throwing a party every season. A writer as well as editor, she is the author of 10 books and numerous articles. A graduate of Smith College, for seven years she was an editor at the National Audubon Society in New York City. She has taught writing and given workshops around the country, plus in Greece and Canada. In 1995 she moved to Montana to see wild animals in their habitats and explore the mountains and rivers. For more info see her Web site at www.valerieharms.com. Email queries to valerie@distinctlymontana.com. ROBERT RATH collects hyphens. Currently, he's an illustrator-designer-author-art director-dog walker living in Bozeman. He is currently teaching graphic design at Montana State University–Bozeman. His clients include Lucasfilm, Scholastic Books, Farcountry Press, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, and many others. He isn't allergic to anything, can't remember names of housing subdivisions or birthdays, likes to cook, can wiggle his ears, and hates writing bios. www.robARTrath.com OUR ALEXIS PIKE TOM RATH LYNN DONALDSON

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