Jane Little Botkin

Anniversary of the Everett Massacre

By Jane Little Botkin / November 5, 2018 / Comments Off on Anniversary of the Everett Massacre

Today is the anniversary of a horrific incident (which seems too mild of a word to use), where innocent men lost their lives at the hands of vigilantes who disagreed idealogically. The Everett Massacre reminds us Americans how we have a capacity to turn thoughtless, ugly, really, when it comes to our divisions. Today, we still have not…

The Bindle Stiff

By Jane Little Botkin / October 27, 2018 / Comments Off on The Bindle Stiff

When I was a kid at Halloween in El Paso, Texas, I often resorted to the easiest costume I could put together, short of cutting two holes in a white sheet and trick-or-treating as a ghost. While many of my peers often dressed as beatniks, my friends and I would dress as hoboes. Easy. Ragged…

Woodie Guthrie, Another Life Cut Short

By Jane Little Botkin / October 3, 2018 / Comments Off on Woodie Guthrie, Another Life Cut Short

I’m busy preparing my presentation for the High Plains Book Festival so no new post. Since today is the anniversary of American folk singer and writer Woody Guthrie’s death, I honor him, reposting a blog from my www.franklittleandtheiww.net “Chasing Rabbits” page: I first came across Woody Guthrie while researching another lyricist, IWW Joe Hill, whom…

David Street, Hollywood Actor

By Jane Little Botkin / September 30, 2018 / Comments Off on David Street, Hollywood Actor

I just returned from interviewing Jane Street’s grandson and gained a wealth of information. He had already destroyed some of her work, and I was prepared to find little. Imagine my excitement to discover about a 1 ½” stack of her type-written writings. Poems, short stories, jokes, protest articles. Who knew there would be so…

Me too, Jane, too?

By Jane Little Botkin / September 28, 2018 / Comments Off on Me too, Jane, too?

On a flight to Las Vegas, Nevada, my destination before heading to Bullhead, Arizona, and an interview with Jane Street’s grandson. I have waited all year for this opportunity. The trip is certainly refreshing after watching the drama this week regarding the Judge Brett Kavanaugh hearings. I wept during testimonies—for both individuals. I, like most…

So what does a book title suggest? The part after the colon?

By Jane Little Botkin / September 15, 2018 / Comments Off on So what does a book title suggest? The part after the colon?

Have you ever been to a wine tasting? You sip a delicious Shiraz and next want to try a Sangiovese. But before you can move on to the next wine, you must rinse the taste out of your mouth with a sip of water, or the two flavors will meld, giving a false impression. In other words, you…

Jane Street and the Housemaid Rebellion: Sex, Syndicalism, and Denver’s Capitol Hill

By Jane Little Botkin / September 11, 2018 / Comments Off on Jane Street and the Housemaid Rebellion: Sex, Syndicalism, and Denver’s Capitol Hill

Since I am about to resume work on my new book, Jane Street and the Housemaid Rebellion: Sex, Syndicalism, and Denver’s Capitol Hill, I am re-posting a blog from my Chasing Rabbits page at www.franklittleandtheiww.net. Later I will break down this title for readers. It sounds nasty, doesn’t it? I will say this, if the “Me, Too”…

Who’s Butch Cassidy? For Whom Do We Authors Write?

By Jane Little Botkin / September 9, 2018 / Comments Off on Who’s Butch Cassidy? For Whom Do We Authors Write?

Here I am, my brain processing facts, connections, and others’ analyses for two different books. I can’t believe I started writing at such a late period in my life, but it is what it is, and I have to be hyper-vigilant about my interpretations and analyses, and even word choices. Sometimes I type a word…

The Dude Was Born, and the Western Rockies Have Never Been the Same

By Jane Little Botkin / August 24, 2018 / Comments Off on The Dude Was Born, and the Western Rockies Have Never Been the Same

On my way home from Lander, Wyoming, after a horrible start, so bad that I questioned the wisdom in flying out last week. My Southwest Airlines flight took off an hour and half late because someone got the emergency exit door stuck. My connection in Denver was a charter flight to Riverton, WY. Instructions were…

The Best Part of a Story Is When It Changes

By Jane Little Botkin / August 20, 2018 / Comments Off on The Best Part of a Story Is When It Changes

My mom died. It is a strange feeling being an orphan at my age. I am uncomfortable with the void I feel. I talked to her every day for the last twenty-three years. She had been diagnosed with lung cancer in January. Four months later, gone. One of my best fans, gone. Of course, I…