Bøger af Connie Cronley

"How can women wear diamonds when babies cry for bread?" Kate Barnard demanded in one of the incendiary stump speeches. In A Life on Fire, Connie Cronley tells the story of Catherine Ann "Kate" Barnard (1875-1930), a fiery political reformer and the first woman elected to state office in Oklahoma.

Often compared to authors Annie Dillard, Phyllis McGinley, Robert Benchley, and Mark Twain, Connie Cronley is a Southwest original, a writer who infuses her stories with joy, humor, beauty - and plenty of spice.

In Light and Variable, the reader is invited to join celebrated Oklahoma essayist and commentator Connie Cronley on a delightful romp through the calendar year. Honest, unpretentious, and laced with self-deprecating humor, the essays in this book revolve around special holidays or events, some of which you may never have heard of-Festival of Sleep Day, National Failures Day, and Blame Someone Else Day.Against a backdrop of celebrations and seasons, Cronley marvels at subjects close to her heart: siblings from outer space, small towns, champion whopper-telling ex-husbands, rascally cats, rescued dogs, deviled eggs, know-it-all hair dressers, church squabbles, books and authors, gardening efforts run aground, flocks of starlings, women's history, cowgirls, and her own Cherokee heritage. Woven throughout are fragments of Emily Dickinson's poetry; a few essays about food (not surprising from a former restaurant critic), including a history of celery in North America; a salute to rhubarb; and recipes from Frank Sinatra and Oprah Winfrey.Who knew that Oklahoma was such a magical place? Cronley introduces us to Oklahoma celebrities: movie stars Jennifer Jones and Tony Randall, glamorous café society singer Lee Wiley, champion poker player Bobby Baldwin, and one of the state's legendary American Indian ballerinas (and the author's personal friend) Moscelyne Larkin. Grab your hat and step into Connie Cronley's special world, where the mood, like Oklahoma weather, is always light and variable.