McEwen shares background on new book

Robert F. McEwen, longtime professor of English and humanities at Chadron State College, recently published his second book of poetry, “Casey Joe MacBride’s White River, Volume I.”

The book is a collection of blank verse poetry along with some prose poetry. McEwen chose this medium because he found it to be the best way to make the writing carry the flow of the White River.

When asked how long it took to complete the book, he responded, “I’ve been working on this book for about four to five years technically, but I may have subconsciously began writing it when I was about 19. At least, that is when I got the idea in my head.”

Many of the poems in this book take place in the borderland, which is land that surrounds the Native American Reservation. Chadron is included in this borderland.

“These stories are a distillation of experiences that any young person growing up in this borderland could have had,” McEwen said.

Casey Joe MacBride is the character that reminisced the stories that are included in this book of poetry to McEwen.

The book chronicles some of MacBride’s most memorable experiences while growing up in the borderlands. MacBride, who grew up on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and Chadron, is now a social studies teacher in eastern Nebraska.

McEwen met MacBride through Frank Bear Killer, another former Chadron resident. Bear Killer and McEwen became acquaintances when they were working as tree trimmers in the Slim Buttes area, which is just north of Chadron on the Reservation.

McEwen began working as a tree trimmer in 1968, and sold wood around the Slim Buttes area for many years.

Tree trimming gave McEwen a unique outlook on not only life, but also on writing.

“Writing is just like a tree trimming job,” McEwen said. “The best way to overcome being stumped is to go out and do the damn job.”

McEwen said that he really has no process to his writing.

“I collect words,” McEwen said. “And I put them in metrical pattern until they make sense.”

McEwen not only enjoys writing, but he also enjoys his teaching. His favorite class to teach is a remedial writing class. It is a class for students who need help bringing their writing up to college level. He teaches this class one-on-one in his office. This gives him the opportunity to really focus on the needs of the individual.

McEwen will hold two public readings at the Chadron Public Library this month. He will read at 6:30 p.m., tonight and 3:30 p.m., Saturday.