Episode Thirty-Two – Charles Finn and Barbara Michelman, Donna Lucey and Evelyn Cameron
On a Benediction of Wind was just named the winner of the Montana Book Award days before we recorded this episode, so we’re thrilled to feature the beautiful poetry of Charles Finn, and talk to him and Barbara Michelman about how they came to create this fabulous collaboration of poetry and black and white photography.
Photo of Charles Finn by Lynn Donaldson
You can order On a Benediction of Wind at Chatwin Books, which is linked here:
Barbara suggested the second book, and it was a perfect choice, as Evelyn Cameron has become renowned for her early photographs of rural Montana. Cameron’s photographs were largely unknown until a writer from back east, Donna Lucey, heard that a woman who lived near Terry, Montana had a collection of glass plate negatives in her basement, and Lucey gained the trust of Janet Williams and gained access to this remarkable early day collection of incredible photographs.
We’d like to thank the Montana Arts Council for their generous contribution to Breakfast in Montana, as well as our sponsor, Isle of Books and Isle of Books and Books.
Just listened to this delightful show and immediately purchased a copy of “On a Benediction of Wings.” Congratulations to Barbara and Charles for winning the Montana Book Award. I loved the co-authors’ discussion about their collaborative process, and also hearing Charles read his evocative poems. I especially enjoyed his final, “I’d like to be a…” for its very specific, concrete imagery. Nothing frivolous, just real life (a very Montana quality). The poem made me smile — but also made me think.
Also happy to hear mention of Evelyn Cameron. I am the author of the book featured. I had the great pleasure of discovering Cameron’s work that had been hidden away for decades by her protective best friend, then reading 35 years of her diaries and letters, and then printing all of her negatives during a bitterly cold January in Terry. Took me ten years to finish the book—a great labor of love and adventure.