A Storytelling of Ravens

According to Norse mythology, two ravens, Huginn (Thought) and Muninn (Memory), were Odin's most trusted companions. Every evening, they perched on Odin's shoulders to bring him news-and tell him stories. In 1969, the world was unspooling against the backdrop of Vietnam war protests, the first moon landing, Woodstock, the Manson murders, Kennedy family scandals, and changing race relations all over America. It's during this time that Jan Hamer began her travels as a Midwestern college student majoring in "demonstrations." From Kansas City to the mountains of Utah, from the tumultuous late-60s to 2020, Jan Hamer's personal essays and poems reflect a life, not just well-observed, but lived and captured. At the heart of this collection, tied together with intimacy and humor, is a story of family and one woman's expedition through the turmoil of mid-century America echoing with personal triumphs and tragedies. So it must be said that the most remarkable stories are told by ravens-and if you're fortunate enough to find perched on your shoulders, know they will not leave you unchanged.