Melody Graulich is emeritus professor of English and American Studies at Utah State University. During her academic career she published fifty essays (many available at MelodyGraulich.com) and several books of cultural and feminist criticism. The most recent is Dirty Words in Deadwood: Literature and the Postwestern (University of Nebraska Press, 2013). Upon retirement, she began writing fiction. “Granite Ledges” is her first publication. Another story is forthcoming from Front Range Review.