Hank Redding grew up on the South Dakota plains in a family that came to the country with little more than its hands and a respect for work. He spent his working life as a lineman, a job that meant going out in bad weather and paying attention to the conditions around a wire, a pole, and the people who depend on them.
Writing began in the hours after work. Pages accumulated in notebooks and boxes before the stories found readers beyond family and friends. The Reckoning of Silver Butte was the first story he chose to let go of; the catalog has continued to grow around it.
Hank and his wife, Claire, live on Wyoming mountain land. The days include cattle, horses, a cold creek, fly tying, and weather arriving over the ridge. These are ordinary details, but they keep the work close to what a person can see, repair, carry, or lose.
The books range from historical mysteries and railroad stories to strange Western country. Their common ground is the question beneath the event: what people owe one another, what a town chooses to remember, and whether a system can make a decision without understanding the life it changes.
Start with the work
Read The Weight of the Record free, choose a complete story from the free Western story guide, or browse the books and novellas.
For Hank’s full author letter, current catalog, news, and contact information, visit the official Hank Redding website.