Annie Proulx

An eloquent writer who’s partial to fierce individualists living in rough, rural places, Annie Proulx is the author of The Shipping News (Scribner, 1994); the short story “Brokeback Mountain,” which first appeared in The New Yorker (January 1, 1997) and was adapted for the Academy Award–winning film of the same title (2005), directed by Ang Lee; and her newest book, Bird Cloud (Scribner, 2011), a memoir of the isolated Wyoming prairie land she bought and has built a house on. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award, Proulx now lives in Wyoming and New Mexico, as she tells Wolf Schneider.

Q: Are you in New Mexico in the winter and Wyoming in the summer?

You guess correctly. In winter it is extremely difficult to get in and out of Bird Cloud, my Wyoming home, as the county road is not maintained in winter, and several miles of rural road fill up with deep, packed snow.

How is New Mexico like Wyoming, and how is it different?

For starters, Wyoming is the emptiest state, with roughly 500,000 people. The average elevation of Wyoming is greater than that of New Mexico. It is an agricultural state, mostly of cattle ranches. There are no large cities. Cheyenne, the largest, has 53,000 residents. There are tiny towns with populations of three or five people. Because of the big distances and scattered populations, Wyoming is something like the Four Corners area.

What part of New Mexico are you based in, and what’s the appeal?

Albuquerque. I’ve been a rural dweller most of my life and felt the need of some city time. I wanted access to streets and roads in winter. I wanted to avoid frostbite.

Is the landscape in New Mexico just as bold as in Wyoming?

Yes. While Wyoming has extensive jagged mountain ranges interrupted by great expanses of bunchgrass prairie, New Mexico has some of the same mountain features (though less wild) and truly amazing mesas, volcanic cones, and badlands. It is more mysterious to me.

On your first day on your Wyoming property you saw mule deer, pelicans, bald eagles, blue herons, ravens, and bluebirds. How does New Mexico compare?

The most wonderful wild creature I’ve encountered in New Mexico so far is the roadrunner. I’m in love with New Mexico roadrunners—handsome, smart, and wily, with strong personalities. I’m delighted to see them sashaying around Albuquerque.

Let’s talk about roaming cattle.

Both Wyoming and New Mexico are fence-out states; that is, if you don’t want cows roaming across your land, it is your responsibility to fence them out. But Wyoming—not for nothing does it call itself “the Cowboy State”—has more of them.

How do wilderness and nature nourish you?

I grew up in rural New England and have lived in rural places all my life. I’ve fished, canoed, hunted, hiked, and skied in rough country. Forests, wild places, rivers, and lakes are necessary to my sense of well-being.

Is New Mexico inspirational for you?

I’m not a believer in “inspiration.” Let’s just say I like New Mexico a lot. I find it extremely interesting and
beautiful.

Wolf Schneider has been editor in chief of the Santa Fean, editor of Living West, consulting editor at Southwest Art, and blogs at www.wolfschneiderusa.com.

 

[back to the top]

Discover more Southwest authors in our archives.