On this episode of Resounds, co-hosts Corby Sinner and Anna Paige sit down with Rodney Gottula and Donna Cochran, two of the finalists in the Children’s Book category of the 2019 High Plains Book Awards.
Rodney Gottula grew up in Shepherd, Montana, studied English Literature and Philosophy at Rocky Mountain College in Billings and earned his M.A. in Linguistics on his way to becoming a National Board Certified Teacher of English Language Arts. He is currently a high school administrator.
His story Double! Not Half explores how people of mixed races or cultures are referred to as "half" - a term which fails to take into account the tremendous beauty and sophistication that accompanies those who "walk in two worlds."
Donna Cochran was born and raised in Montana. During her elementary teaching career, she had a passion for teaching reading and enriching her students’ lives through literature.
Her book, Prison Paws: Max’s Story, is the journey of an abandoned dog who finds his way into a forever home with Donna and her family. Prison Paws is based on a real program at the Montana’s Women’s Prison in Billings.
Do you have a book that was published in 2019? Submissions for the High Plains Book Awards open in January 2020. The High Plains Books Awards recognize regional authors and/or literary works which examine and reflect life on the High Plains. The High Plains region includes Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
View a list of the 2019 High Plains Book Award winners!
Categories include: Children’s, Young Adult, Fiction, First Book, Indigenous Writer, Nonfiction Award, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Art & Photography, Medicine & Science, Short Stories, Woman Writer, and a new category, The Big Sky Award honors books in any category written by authors living in Montana.
