The Author

Dan

Daniel Landes

Daniel Landes retired from South Dakota State University, where he served as the Assistant Dean of Arts and Sciences and as a professor of English for eight years. Daniel has written, directed, and acted in numerous plays in both college and community theater productions.

While at Williston State College, Daniel served as the director of the theater program where he directed and produced a number of plays, including One Flew Over a Cuckoo’s Nest, Bus Stop, Crimes of the Heart, The Good Doctor, and Mornings at Seven. While at East Central University, he received an Oklahoma Arts Council grant to produce a play he wrote entitled Governor, Governor. As of late, his creative writing interests have moved in the direction of writing screenplays. In 2011, with a grant funded by the South Dakota Humanities Council and the SDSU English department, he wrote and co-produced a short film directed by Aaron Toronto entitled “Danny’s New Teeth.”

Dan is originally from Williston, North Dakota and earned a Ph.D. in English at the University of North Dakota. He and his wife Martha are now living in Rio Rancho, New Mexico where Dan continues to pursue his love of script writing, film production, bicycling and coaching cross country and track.

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Martha

Martha Kemm Landes - Writing Consultant

After graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Music Education degree, Martha spent 24 years as a public school music teacher in Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. During her tenure, she wrote and produced 13 original musicals and wrote numerous other songs for her students including the official state children's song of Oklahoma - Oklahoma, My Native Land. Her songbook, Kids with Character! is used in many schools on a daily basis. While teaching, she started a music publishing company, Elemar Music.

She also spent five years as a community coach in ten rural South Dakota towns.

Now in New Mexico, she has begun her own writing career with two published books; Pity the Movie Lover and Pity the Garage Sale Addict.

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