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Press Reviews

Casper JOURNAL: Former Casper Resident Publishes Wyoming Essays

ARTS AND COMMUNITY
Katey LaFrance ... the prairie beckons her
Former Casper resident publishes Wyoming essays

by Robin Beaver

"WindWords of Wyoming: Brief Essays on Nature, Spirituality, Animals & People" by Kat LaFrance


Katey LaFrance, a former Casper resident, is accepting orders for her new book, "WindWords of Wyoming: brief essays on Nature, Spirituality, Animals & People." She uses the name "Kat LaFrance" for this publication.

As one reader put it, "WindWords of Wyoming is one of the most genuinely wonderful collections that I have ever had the pleasure to read. Kat writes so wistfully and poignantly about her life and her Wyoming home, that you can feel the majesty of places like Shirley Mountain seen through her eyes."

First published in the Casper Star Tribune, her essay, "Teach Children Critical Thinking," was published by Greenhaven Press in its textbook anthology, "Violence in the Media: Current Controversies," released in 2000.

Other publications in which her works have been published include Liberal Opinion Week, New London Day (CT), WYOMING: Magazine of the Equality State, VISTA- New Perspectives on the West, Wyoming Women, CATS Magazine, Cheyenne Eagle-Tribune and Gillette News Record.

This time (when returning to the West), she had honed her writing skills and became active in writing op/ed columns, articles of interest and press releases that were carried in several Wyoming newspapers. She also was quite active in the Natrona County Grassroots Project, including its Wyoming CultureFests.

While living in Casper this last time, Kat began to write about Wyoming, spirituality, nature, pets and people for her friends and others. Some of these short essays have been used in online publications, as well as in classrooms in Canada. Her new book, "WindWords of Wyoming," is a compilation of these essays, poems and short stories -- almost all of them written while LaFrance was living in Casper.

The cover of her book features a photograph that she took from the top of Boysen Peak, looking out over Boysen Reservoir.

One may read of her impressions of Wyoming in such essays as "Home At Last (Wyoming)," "Tenacious Flowers of the Prairie" and "Snowy, Windy Reminder." Other sections include writings on such things as "All Horses Go to Heaven," "Feather of Remembrance" and "Kindness of Tibetan Monks."

There also are several that touch upon family and relationships, including "Making Music with Mom," "It's Okay for Dads to Cry" and "Widow's Peek."

In 2002, the LaFrances relocated to Colorado, where Roger accepted a new job.

To order "WindWords of Wyoming" or for more information, visit https://katsagewalker.tripod.com/katlafrance/ or www.cafepress.com and enter keyword "Wyoming."