Originally published in 1997 by Houghton Mifflin, this is a collection of true stories, essays and poems which tell of the glories and rigours of living close to the land.

The grassroots publishing sensation that began with "Leaning Into the Wind" continues in this second volume of women's writing from the heart of the American West.

This is the first published collection of short stories by one of the foremost voices in science fiction today. This significant volume contains many characters and situations that later evolved into their own novels. "Mandala" features technologically perfect cities that eject their sinful human occupants, a premise that can be found at the root of Bear's later novel, STRENGTH OF STONES. In "Hardfought", Bear brilliantly handles the classic science fiction dilemma of human communication with aliens. Other stories include "The Wind From a Burning Woman" in which a woman holds the world hostage by controlling a giant asteroid; "Scattershot", in which the inhabitants of many universes meet in an undefined limbo space; and "Petra", a story of a world where chaos rules, stone moves and the mind controls reality. Hailed by readers and critics alike, THE VENGING has been described as "an excellent collection" and its author praised as "one of the freshest writers to break into the science fiction field in many a year".

Worn down by the constant petitions of the villagers who think she has special powers, sixteen-year-old Sonia leaves behind her shawl covered with milagros and her mountain home and sets out to live a life of her own choosing in the capital city.

"Messengers of the Wind goes beyond the autobiographies of everyday women. These are women who have long been an invisible part of American culture. Their stories are haunting, frightening, encouraging, and courageous. . . . Katz is a faithful guide." --The Minnesota Daily In Messengers of the Wind, Native American women, old and young, from a variety of tribal groups, speak with eloquence and passion about their experience on the land and in urban areas; about their work as artists, activists, and healers; as grandmothers, mothers, and daughters; as modern women with a link to the past. And as each woman, renowned and obscure, tells her remarkable personal story, it is clear that each has tapped into the power that comes from within and has reached back into a history that brings with it courage and hope. " 'Giving energy to Mother Earth' -- Yes. That is our duty as women, as Natives, and as human beings. Messengers of the Wind is a way of doing just that. It is not a dance, feet patting our mother, but it is an offering, the voices of the women sent to comfort her. Thank-you, Jane Katz, for your offering. It is a special and much-needed gift." --Paula Gunn Allen Author of Voice of the Turtle "COMPELLING. . . INTIMATE." --The Cleveland Plain Dealer "A RICH COLLECTION OF PERSONAL STORIES. . .REWARDING. . . These are powerful women with important stories to tell." --Kirkus Reviews

To save the people she loves, Sheena must dare to look where she's most afraid and put her trust in angels. The mystery continues in this second installment of the Sheena Meyers series. Sheena learns her family has been hiding something from her. Something BIG. Ever since the day she first saw the being in the hospital, another world now exists for Sheena. A world where the Murk is carried with the wind, angels send text messages, and she is almost killed while witnessing a kidnapping. Now Sheena and her two best friends, Chana and Theodore, begin a dangerous investigation to answer Sheena's three big questions: Who am I? What do I believe? Are we danger? The truth is unsettling and remarkable and will turn their world upside down. Sheena must call on her courage and fight for her classmates. Can one thirteen-year-old save missing children and stop an evil that plagues the city?