Circles in the Wind

About the Book

Circles in the Wind is a creative nonfiction memoir of the “back to the land” movement of the 1970s and the counterculture of the late 1960s. The novel documents the wanderings of Red Dawge, Blackjack, and Memphis Dennis across the country from commune to commune, hobo camps, and remote mountain hideaways. From the story of the Rainbow hippies to the loner Houndog Tom, the novel weaves an intricate tapestry of the life and times of those who sought a different existence from the mainstream. The story moves through time and space, from tipi to hogan to earth lodge, from hitchhike to freight train to horseback, circling back its own beginning and becoming the déjà vu.

About the Author

Blackjack is a poet, short story writer, and novelist. He has been published in The West Wind Review, Buffalo Music Hall Reviews, The Okanogan Natural News and other periodicals. A graduate in English/Creative Writing from So. Or. Univ., he was winner of the Dankook Award (96’) and studied under Oregon Poet Laureate Lawson Inada. He has worked on editorial staffs, as writing project consultant, and been a college writing tutor. He is an accomplished songwriter and musician as well, having played concerts throughout the Northwest. He has performed on NPR and PBS, benefits for libraries, co-ops, and historical societies and recorded on various albums as a studio musician.