The Magic of the Red Dress Rhymes of the Women Who Tamed the West

The Magic of the Red Dress is a collection of poems about aspects of life in the old west with special emphasis on the women who influenced many changes in their surroundings.

Judie Cole is a 21 year resident of Arizona. She lives in Peoria, Arizona with her husband and 7 lb. Maltese, Sassy. Before retiring she lived in Illinois, Geneva, Switzerland and Moscow, Russia. She received degrees from the University of Hawaii and the University of Illinois, receiving a bachelor's and master's degree. She last worked as a licensed private practice psychotherapist. She also taught at the university level and directed admissions in the Graduate School at Bradley University.

Of great interest to Judie has always been the American West. She and her husband built a horse barn and housed several horses early in their marriage. They rode and attended horse shows and rodeos at every opportunity. They also travelled to western states and enjoyed learning about early western culture and lore. She discovered the fun and beauty of poetry about life in the west by attending many cowboy poetry gatherings. This inspired her and her friend Louise Halotek , who shared her passion, to begin writing themselves. Their special interest was focused on the women of the west and their effect on changing the predominately male west to a more pleasant place. This book is a culmination of those efforts. After retiring from a successful career with a Wall Street firm, Louise Halotek packed up her husband and dog in their Cadillac and drove cross country to settle in Arizona. There she met her poetry partner, Judie Cole. Intrigued by the history of the southwest, a visit to the Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Durango, Colorado led them to begin writing poetry about the women who settled in the west. When she is not working on a new poem, Louise is playing fantasy football with her three grandsons and taking road-trips to explore the southwest with her husband of 60 years.