The Plains Political Tradition: Essays on South Dakota Political Culture, Volume 2

Publisher Marketing: South Dakota is often thought of as a conservative or red state, but its political culture is much more variegated and unpredictable than such color-coded references might imply. The state contains its own geographic variations and political subcultures. The first volume illustrated the complex nature of state politics and cyclical change over time, and this new group of essays concentrates on some of the unpredictability and contradictoriness of the state and its citizens. The editors have brought together ten essays on a diverse number of topics to consider the state's underlying political culture. Contributors deliberate over such topics as the influence of political organizations, conservatism, patriotism, leadership, local and national political culture, people's movements, and cowboy politics in an effort to develop a fuller sense of where South Dakota fits into the growing study of modern political culture. Review Citations: Foreword 01/31/2012 (EAN 9780982274927, Paperback) Contributor Bio:  Miller, John E John E. Miller is a life-long storyteller and the gatekeeper for The Mad Man. He is also the coauthor of Bones of the Woods and the Dime Store Novel series. John has worked a lot of places -- including owning a game shop and doing phone support. Both of these jobs provided fodder for the stories in this book. John is currently studying 3D animation and directing. Rachelle Reese has been making up stories for over 40 years. Her earliest stories were acted out by Barbie, Skipper, and Ken. Now her stories are acted out by the voices in her head. She has an MA in English from San Jose State University, where she wrote poetry and fiction. She ran the Art @ 8 open poetry readings and performed frequently at galleries and other venues. She is a self-taught programmer and was the first student at SJSU to complete her thesis as an interactive work of fiction. After meeting John, she began role-playing. Many of their story ideas and characters emerge during a game of Dungeons and Dragons, Call of Cthulhu, or World of Darkness. However, the mythos of their world is their own. Rachelle writes fantasy, paranormal urban fantasy, and a bit of horror. She and John are the authors of two short story collections: Bones of the Woods and Mind of a Mad Man. They are also the authors of the Dime Store Novel urban fantasy series. Rachelle has published several short stories in anthologies. Her latest was "The Rescue," published in The Bitter End: Tales of Nautical Terror. Rachelle also writes training courses and certification prep materials for programmers, network administrators, and computer support professionals. John and Rachelle live in rural Missouri. They raise cattle and donkeys. They are devoted to their dogs...who pretty much run the household. She enjoys a good dry wine, immersing herself in a book, dancing, and long walks in the woods. She has recently taken up quilting. She blogs at http: //rachelleandjohn.blogspot.com. The Dime Store Novel characters blog at http: //dimestorenovel.blogspot.com.