Chisholm Book Focuses on Cowboys, Farm Life

George Rhoades of Duncan, Okla., award-winning writer, is the author of a newly released book of poetry, “After the Chisholm.”

 

The work contains poems, some humorous, some more thought-provoking, about the Chisholm Trail, cowboys and cowgirls, farm and ranch life and other recollections and observations.

 

“The Chisholm Trail gave rise to the American cowboy legend and western myth,” Rhoades said. “The settlers who came later tamed the prairies and made them productive. This is an epic story and needs to be honored.”

 

Rhoades’ earlier book, “Along the Chisholm Trail and Other Poems,” won a number of national prizes, including the Benjamin Franklin Award and the Will Rogers Medallion for Cowboy Poetry, and was also a finalist for the Western Music Association’s Book of the Year Award. In addition, the book won a second place Reader Views Literary Award and was a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Award.

 

Rhoades, born on a farm in Cotton County, Okla., is a former journalist who worked for UPI in Tulsa and Oklahoma newspapers, including the Watonga Republican, the Duncan Banner and the Lawton Constitution. He taught journalism at several universities, retired from UT-Arlington and moved to Duncan where he owned a hay farm.

 

The book is published by Outskirts Press.  Contact the author, George Rhoades at

grslrhoades@cableone.net

 

Oklahoma Writer Wins National Poetry Awards

George Rhoades of Duncan, Oklahoma, author of "Along the Chisholm Trail and Other Poems". has won several national poetry book awards, including the Will Rogers Medallion Award and the Benjamin Franklin Award.

 

He was presented the Franklin Award recently at a ceremony in new York City. The prize was given by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for the best book of poetry published by independent, university presses or self-published.

 

The Will Rogers Award, presented at an awards dinner July 28 in Fort Worth, Texas recognizes excellence in Western literature and media. The winning books were judged on literary quality and reflection of Western Americana, cowboy and ranch life.

 

"This was quite an honor and totally unexpected," Rhoades said.

 

Rhoades also won second place in the annual Reader Views Literary contest.  Reader Views is a national book reviewer company. In addition, his book was named a finalist in the National Indie Excellence Book Award, which recognizes books published by independent presses.

 

Also, the book was nominated for a CIPA Award present by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association.

 

One poem from the book, "Old Men at the Coffee Shop," received an honorable mention award in the 2013 Writers-Editors Network International Writing Competition.

 

The book contains poems about the Chisholm Trail, cowboys, tall tales, farm life, reflections and observations.  It was published by Outskirts Press.

Rhoades is a former journalist who worked for UPI and newspapers in Oklahoma.  He taught journalism for many years at the University of Texas at Arlington. After retirement, he moved to the Duncan area where he owned a hay farm.