Sense of Place in the American West
Where we live informs our character. What follows is a collection of essays and haiku that recollect places, spaces, landscapes, and experiences that come together to help inform a sense of what it means to live in this place we call the American West.
Essays and poems were written by Arizona Western College students in Spring 2013 for the class, Literature in the American West.
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Mid-September, monsoons, warm weather, sand and rocks, mountains and me. I step out of my car into the light rain drops falling down from the stormy sky,… -
It was a nice spring day, although I am not sure of the year, I do remember that it was clear and warm that day. My parents and I had taken a weekend trip…
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If there is any place in the American West that I have a connection with it would be El Camino Del Diablo, The Devil’s Highway. The highway started as a…
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The smell of freshly made beans and the sounds of drums in the air, the beauty of seeing the sun rise in the mountain and seeing it set with all of its…
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Bright lights, busy streets, and a fast pace are all things you would not normally think of when you think of the American West. Well, all of these words…
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I am the fourth generation in my maternal family living in Yuma, Arizona. I was born in Yuma and have lived here all of my life. I definitely consider…
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The Hassayamapa wash, located near Wickenburg, Arizona is a relic of the American West. With its slow and gentle stream working its way through the…
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Purple and gold. Two colors that in the American West represent not just a jersey but royalty, not just a franchise but a dynasty, and represent not just…
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Sugar Loaf Peak, with its surrounding rugged mountains and valley washes of varying heights, colors and sizes, is a desert environment that holds many…
