Jim Dodge
Encyclopedia
Jim Dodge is an American
novel
ist and poet
whose works combine themes of folklore
and fantasy
, set in a timeless present. He has published three novels, Fup, Not Fade Away and Stone Junction and a collection of poetry and prose, Rain on the River.
commune
in West Sonoma County, California
. He has had many jobs including apple picker, a carpet layer, a teacher, a professional gambler, a shepherd
, a woodcutter and an environmental restorer. He received his Master of Fine Arts
in Creative Writing/Poetry from the University of Iowa
Writers Workshop in 1969. He has been the director of the Creative Writing program in the English Department at Humboldt State University
in Arcata, California
since 1995. He lives in Manila, California with his wife and son.
Some of Dodge's nonfiction essays focus on bioregionalism
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
whose works combine themes of folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, set in a timeless present. He has published three novels, Fup, Not Fade Away and Stone Junction and a collection of poetry and prose, Rain on the River.
Biography
Dodge was born in 1945 and grew up as an Air Force brat. As an adult he spent many years living on an almost self-sufficientSelf-sufficiency
Self-sufficiency refers to the state of not requiring any outside aid, support, or interaction, for survival; it is therefore a type of personal or collective autonomy...
commune
Commune (intentional community)
A commune is an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, property, possessions, resources, and, in some communes, work and income. In addition to the communal economy, consensus decision-making, non-hierarchical structures and ecological living have become...
in West Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
. He has had many jobs including apple picker, a carpet layer, a teacher, a professional gambler, a shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
, a woodcutter and an environmental restorer. He received his Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in Creative Writing/Poetry from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
Writers Workshop in 1969. He has been the director of the Creative Writing program in the English Department at Humboldt State University
Humboldt State University
Humboldt State University is the northernmost campus of the California State University system, located in Arcata within Humboldt County, California, USA. The main campus, nestled at the edge of a coast redwood forest, is situated on Preston hill overlooking Arcata and with commanding views of...
in Arcata, California
Arcata, California
-Demographics:-2010 Census data:The 2010 United States Census reported that Arcata had a population of 17,231. The population density was 1,567.4 people per square mile...
since 1995. He lives in Manila, California with his wife and son.
Some of Dodge's nonfiction essays focus on bioregionalism
Bioregionalism
Bioregionalism is a political, cultural, and environmental system or set of views based on naturally defined areas called bioregions, similar to ecoregions. Bioregions are defined through physical and environmental features, including watershed boundaries and soil and terrain characteristics...
.
Books
- Fup (1983), City Miner Books ISBN 0900944047. A duck, named Fup, who lives on a farm with an old man who believes he is immortal due to the homemade whiskey he drinks. The recipe for the whiskey, also known as "Old Death Whisper", was bestowed upon him by a dying IndianIndigenous peoples of the AmericasThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
.
- Not Fade Away (1987). "Floorboard" George Gastin is part of an insurance scam to wreck a pure white, mint condition '59 Cadillac originally intended as a gift for The Big BopperThe Big BopperJiles Perry "J. P." Richardson, Jr. also commonly known as The Big Bopper, was an American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star...
as a token of an admirer's love. Floorboard George has other ideas and when he disappears with the car, gangsters and cops are soon in hot pursuit. On the road he meets crazy characters, hitch-hikers and demented preachers as he covers many miles—and states of mind—in his quest to find the true spirit of rock 'n' roll.
- Stone Junction (1990). Daniel Pearse's journey from childhood to adulthood amid magic, mayhem and mysticism all guided by a mysterious organization named AMO, the Alliance of Magicians and Outlaws. A series of apprenticeships teaches Daniel meditation, safe cracking, poker and the art of becoming invisible.
- Rain on the River (2002), Grove PressGrove PressGrove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1951. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it into an alternative book press in the United States. The Atlantic Monthly Press, under the aegis of its...
. selected poems and prose from 1970–2001.
Essays
- "Living By Life: Some Bioregional Theory and Practice". CoEvolution QuarterlyCoEvolution QuarterlyCoEvolution Quarterly is a descendant of Stewart Brand's Whole Earth Catalog. It eventually became the Whole Earth Review.-History:...
, Winter 1981, pp. 6-12. (pdf version) - "Routes" in Peter Berg, ed. Reinhabiting a Separate Country: A Bioregional Anthology of Northern California. 1978. Planet Drum Foundation, San Francisco.