Jewelweed (70 page)

“Things are changing around here,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “And with Winifred giving up preaching, I'd just like to know what's going to happen next.”

“Everything that can,” said Blake.

The gradual emergence of
Jewelweed
, from the bits and pieces of past events, imagined scenes, notes on the backs of envelopes, overheard conversations, dreams, and the shadow cast by fleeting premonitions, was greatly assisted by the help of many.

Edna, my wife, believed in the possibilities of a novel from the first glimmer of a story; her unflagging assurances and assistance, combined with her inspired understanding of the psychological layers behind scenes I was trying to depict, made the completion of the book possible. I am also deeply thankful for the generous encouragement and support from the John Guggenheim Foundation, whose fellowship created the much-needed space-time for the research and writing. My agent, Lois Wallace, offered welcome enthusiasm for the magical elements of the story, and Daniel Slager, my editor at Milkweed Editions, left his invaluable stamp on the text through intuitions into characters, pacing, and phrasing. Special thanks to my longtime friend James Noland, whose insights into the work of William Blake, Marcel Proust, and others led to the refinement and clarification of time-honored themes. I am also indebted to Edward Schultz for accompanying me on many difficult afternoon journeys through ideas too wide to go around and too tall to jump over.

Many others were instrumental in grounding the narrative within the real world, critiquing early drafts, offering information and recommendations, and sharing from the deep well of their own experience. Thank you, Mike Austin, Ben Barnhart, Andre Bernard, Calvin Clarke, Kate Fitzgerald, Joanne Greenberg, Darrel Hanold, Will Kilkeary, Charlie Knower, Jim and Leslie Kolkmeier, Kevin Larimer, Olive Anne Miller, Fred Milverstedt, Linda Murkin, Jan Netolicky, Paul and Karla Niederdecker, Emily Rhodes, Luther Rhodes, Alexandra Rhodes-Stanton, Paul Schaefer, Zach Schaefer, Lindel Settle, Robert Smith, Ron Stoltz, Peggy Swan, Ron Troxel, and Jim Vriesacker.

As a young man,
David Rhodes
worked in fields, hospitals, and factories across Iowa. After receiving an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, he published three acclaimed novels:
The Last Fair Deal Going Down
(1972),
The Easter House
(1974), and
Rock Island Line
(1975). In 1976, a motorcycle accident left him partially paralyzed. In 2008, Rhodes returned to the literary scene with
Driftless
, a novel that was hailed as “the best work of fiction to come out of the Midwest in many years” (Alan Cheuse). Following the publication of
Driftless
, Rhodes was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2010, to support the writing of
Jewelweed
. He lives with his wife, Edna, in Wisconsin.

Interior design by Connie Kuhnz

Typeset in Dante

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