Broadway's Bravest Woman: Selected Writings of Sophie Treadwell Book

Dr. Sadler is a truely gifted writer who is not afraid to tackle new forms and genres, and it has been my pleasure to work with her to bring Foot Ways to readers.

My first contact with Dr. Sadler came in 2005 when she submitted her gorgeous poem, Again--Les Fleurs du Mal for our annual writing contest. Dr. Sadler's beautiful word choice and elegant meter captured the headbreak of her poetic tale.

I was surprised when Foot Ways came across my desk for the 2006 writing competition. Instead of the formalized, romantic style I read in her poem, Foot Ways presented a folksy, down-home linguistic style that perfectly suited her modern fairy tale of the strange Mr. Rufe, who arrived each spring in the quiet small town.

"Everybody seemed to know it was time for Mr. Rufe to arrive, with the appearance of what Aunt Florence referred to as "the First Breath of Spring," which was a flowering bush no matter how much Aunt Florence hated for people to "generalize" about the plant world, though it was not such in that context. The housewives would be all a-flutter to get his quarters ready. Mostly, he'd stay two or three days at a place, then move on to the next house. Ours was always the longest. I'm not making that up. It didn't just seem long. Mr. Rufe stayed a good week at our house out in my playhouse. All the ladies fought to keep him as long as possible, their hospitality being judged by the length of his stay. I did my bit, along with Daddy and, I suspected, other fathers and sons, to shorten his visit with us."

Masterfully switching back and forth through time and perspective, Dr. Sadler tells us her story through the eyes of three characters, Polly Junior, Polly Senior, and Dan Asher. Each adds depth to the view of the other, and in the end we are left with a new Southern Folktale.

For more information on Foot Ways, please visit the Foot Ways homepage.