About
Lisa Hendrickson is the author of "Burning the Breeze: Three Generations of Women in the American West," published in 2021 by Bison Books/University of Nebraska Press.
The book was a finalist for the WILLA Literary Award in Creative Nonfiction presented by Women Writing the West. It also was a finalist for the Evans Handcart Award, which recognizes “works with a personal perspective and strong storytelling on the Interior West.” Jurors commented, “This is a fascinating personal story of Montana women and their interventions in a male-dominated society.”
Lisa edited a series of three books on Indiana’s 200th anniversary for the Indiana Bicentennial Commission and co-authored, with Dick Hall, "Kiritsis and Me: 63 Hours at Gunpoint." Her articles have been published in the Indiana Historical Society magazine "Traces," "Montana Historian" magazine and other publications.
Before starting her own business, Lisa served as director of communications at Park Tudor School in Indianapolis. She also handled media and public relations for Ameritech, Indianapolis (now AT&T) and Merchants National Corporation (now PNC) and worked as an executive producer, producer, and statehouse reporter for Indianapolis broadcast media.
Lisa holds B.A. degrees in English composition and French from DePauw University and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She is working toward an MFA degree in creative fiction at Butler University.
Featured Work
Burning the Breeze: Three Generations of Women in the American West
In the middle of the Great Depression, Montana native Julia Bennett arrived in New York City with no money and an audacious business plan: to identify and visit easterners who could afford to spend their summers at her brand new dude ranch near Ennis, Montana. Julia, a big-game hunter whom friends described as “a clever shot with both rifle and shotgun,” flouted gender conventions to build guest ranches in Montana and Arizona that attracted world-renowned entertainers and artists.
Bennett’s entrepreneurship, however, was not a new family development. During the Civil War, her widowed grandmother and her seven-year-old daughter—Bennett’s mother—set out from Missouri on a ten-month journey with little more than a yoke of oxen, a covered wagon, and the clothes on their backs. They faced countless heartbreaks and obstacles as they struggled to build a new life in the Montana Territory.
Burning the Breeze is the story of three generations of women and their intrepid efforts to succeed in the American West. Excerpts from diaries, letters, and scrapbooks, along with rare family photos, help bring their vibrant personalities to life.
