“In the Ozarks, mystique is ubiquitous.”
- Jarod Kintz
Saturday I drove over to West Plains, Missouri. It's two hours east of here. A woman named Jamie Stauffer was having the grand opening of her new bookstore there and I wanted to support her effort. Kendra was on a trip so I made the solo jaunt. Nowadays, making a go of it with a small independent bookstore in a town of 12,100 people is a courageous endeavor.
The Bookshop is located on the charming downtown square of West Plains. I did not know the square existed since I'd only ever driven through West Plains on the bypass. Like every other bypass, you could be in any place U.S.A. for all its distinctiveness, you know: McDonald's, Taco Bell, Walmart, Casey's…"Where am I?" But downtown West Plains has its own unique feel, I learned.
As I said, I wanted to support Jamie's kickoff and driving over I was just hoping that there'd be a decent turnout and she wouldn't be discouraged. Oh, me of little faith. It started at 10:00 a.m. and I arrived at 10:30. I almost couldn't get in the door. I think everyone in West Plains and the surrounding area was there. I didn't think that many people in West Plains could read (I kid, I kid!).
Things didn't really lend themselves to perusing the shelves and stacks – too many folks. I picked up a copy of Winter's Bone, having seen the movie but not having read the book, and I called it a day. Mainly I just wanted to meet Jamie and wish her good luck. That took a half hour in line to check out before I could get to her. Judging from the attendance, she doesn't need my good luck wishes.
Okay, the book I bought, Winter's Bone, was written by a native of the Ozarks, Daniel Woodrell. He was born in Springfield, Missouri in 1953 and died in West Plains in 2025. He wrote nine novels and one collection of short stories. Most of his books are crime novels set in the Ozarks and fall into a category he called country noir. Three of his books were adapted for film and the movie Winter's Bone received four Academy Award nominations in 2011 - one for Best Picture and one for Best Actress for Jennifer Lawrence in one of her earliest acting roles.
The soundtrack for the film was written and recorded by a group of Ozark musicians known as Blackberry Winter. The band was fronted by a woman named Meredith Sisco. Meredith was a well-known and respected musician, folklorist and storyteller in these parts and beyond. She also spent 20-years as a journalist for the West Plains Quill in that city. The film's success and its accompanying music launched Blackberry Winter into unexpected stardom. The record label asked the band to go out on a 25-plus city tour in support of the album. Sicsco said it was all a little perplexing, “Here's this group of elderly hillbillies going off around the country to support our music.” All involved said it was the experience of a lifetime. When asked about the popularity of the music of the Ozarks region, Sisco said, “It's Irish music, and it's not; it is Appalachian music, and it's not. It just runs between those cultures — in very distinct but not in ways that are easily defined. So I think people get fascinated with it, and they want to hear more.”
Meredith passed away earlier this year and I attended the celebration of life they had for her a couple of weeks ago. It was an amazing gathering of musicians she'd played with and influenced over the years, performing songs she loved. It was quite something. Call it an end of life hootenanny. It's the way any musician would want to go out.
One of those people on stage and the master of ceremonies that night was David Wilson. David's been part of different iterations of Blackberry Winter and numerous other projects. He's a world class musician and producer. I've had the good fortune of counting him as a new friend since we moved back up this way. He's been kind enough to lend his talents to my projects. Anytime you hear a fiddle, a mandolin, a dulcimer or a lap steel (maybe a dobro) on my songs, that's David. Lucky me.
That's all for now. If you should ever be traveling through West Plains, get off that bypass and head downtown to the square. Porter Wagoner Blvd will take you there. Stop in at The Bookshop and say hi to Jamie. She'll be glad to see you.