The biography explores the life of Sanora Babb, a novelist who poignantly depicted the struggles of the Dust Bowl and the plight of the 'Okies' during the Great Depression. Iris Jamahl Dunkle highlights Babb's resilience against hardship and prejudice, showcasing her artistic vision and spirit. Through meticulous research, including Babb’s letters, Dunkle reveals her complex character and deep compassion for marginalized individuals. This work not only honors Babb's contributions to literature but also positions her alongside great American writers like Steinbeck.
Charmian Kittredge London was the epitome of a modern woman. Free-spirited and
adventurous, she defied modern expectations of femininity. Today she is best
known as the wife of the famous American author Jack London, yet she was a
literary trailblazer in her own right. This biography is the first book to
tell the complete story of Charmian's life.
Iris Jamahl Dunkle's new book Gold Passage was chosen for the Trio Award by Ross Gay, who said "There is so much to admire in Gold Passage: the precise music; the strangeness and mystery; the deep wonder expressed in straight narratives and interior, chambered lyrics; a big human heart trying to make some sense of the unknowable world. And too, magical outbursts of image and song--'I bloomed like a goddamned hyacinth'--to which I say Amen." In this debut collection Dunkle writes about growing up in rural Northern California and the history that haunts her small town. The collection examines history and domestic themes such as growing up, finding a home and having children. In Dunkle's work the ordinary takes on mythic proportions and the spiritual life emerges tethered to the day to day. Many of the poems reflect of the self in the relation to the world around us. In the opening poem, "Dinosaur," which explores the idea of both scientific and spiritual faith, the speaker exclaims, "I am an alphabet of bones, / my own telling." Other poems such as "After Elegy" and "Body's Code" stretch the limits of lyric by incorporating computer programming. Throughout the collection nature reveals what the human mind cannot, the buried relics of history and the invisible cartography of love
