reviews

Author, Betty Blanks, brings a fresh and remarkable vitality and breadth of personal knowledge to the life and times of poetess Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel. If you are not aware of Wilma’s work, you would be shocked at her poetic skill and sophistication. Add to that, the author’s firsthand knowledge of her subject and the many overlapping aspects of their mutual provenance.

This biography does not disappoint and offers up a rare inside vision of the life and times of an extraordinary woman who conquered poverty and adversity and created poetic magic with her remarkable mind and pen. A must read!!

This was a sweet and loving memory of a brilliant poet from humble origins who lived her life simply, but developed extraordinary relationships with intelligent creatives decades younger. Several became her "children" and were dedicated to supporting her written word and getting it out there. In the end, they were incredibly devoted to trying to support, care for and love her in the tragic long goodbye of dying.

Having come later into Wilma's world, I had the privilege of knowing her, receiving some of her affection and fondness, and also had the good fortune to spend time with her "children" my age, writers, publishers and artists of one kind or another. These experiences enriched my life, as did lunches with Wilma, her brother, cousin and friends. Reading the book was like time traveling back to visit old friends.

Blanks' descriptions took me right back into Wilma's tiny apartment, and to many of the stomping grounds and places that she had readings, or Literary Landmark dedications. This is a good description of Wilma's life journey and invoked much in memories and images from her actual life.

I can almost promise that if you love California literature you will love this book. The poet Wilma McDaniel appointed herself a chronicler of the Okie immigrant experience. Her own chronicler and the author of this book, Betty Blanks, shared a similar Dust Bowl working class background and a long friendship with the poet. One critic who reviewed McDaniel's work once said her poems were like American quilts. This is one of those "how could this writer have been so undersung" books.

Betty Blanks is a skilled writer and brings to life the dust bowl migration and the wonderful poetry and life of Wilma McDaniel. I found it hard to put down.

Author Betty Blanks brings a very personal biography to light in this work. Superbly written in a prose that is wonderfully accessible, The Life of Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel opens a view on the unique character of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl and the people who made the exodus to California. Although there have be a few brief works on McDaniel, this biography was meant to convey the depth of the soul of the Poet Laureate of Tulare County.

Betty Blanks has written an important, thoughtful, and beautiful book about Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel, the Okie poet laureate. Her research for the book is extensive and meticulous. Blanks shows McDaniel to be much more than an observer of the Dust-Bowl-era Okie migration to California. The poet was also a keen observer of life, people, and culture. Blanks captures McDaniel’s warmth, foibles, humor, and talent … her enormous talent. The book is easy-to-read, has depth, and takes us into a world that seems distant yet not-too-far from today. I highly recommend.

Though not related by blood, author Betty Blanks and poet Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel shared a kinship of background and family experiences that made them at times almost like mother and daughter. This gave the author rare insight into a poet who had many contradictions. She was a recluse who nevertheless loved people, a lay Franciscan who took a vow of poverty, but loved indulgences like See’s candy. The book is painstakingly researched, and full of anecdotes chronicling the life of the Okie Poet Laureate. It’s a must read for anyone interested in American history, poetry, literature or family.