October 29, 2011 -- The University of South Dakota's biennial
John R. Milton Writers' Conference has just concluded with a generous reading from
Mark Spragg (above, in a coat), whose work as a ranch hand in Wyoming began at age 11 and paid $30 a month, plus three squares a day. That boyhood, and an education from the likes of
Robert Roripaugh (in denim), now a professor emeritus and a former Wyoming poet laureate, has inspired three novels, a memoir, and a
feature film.
Earlier conference highlights included readings from
David Marshall Chan (in black) and
six other featured authors. RBM moderated two panels and on Friday read from a manuscript,
Zen and the Art of Conquest, at USD's
Danforth Chapel (also pictured above).
