Tales from an Inkslinger, the Memoir of a Maverick, written by Ione Nettum Greene Woodford, is a true hidden gem of a book. The book tells of her life growing up in a small North Dakota farmstead in the 1920s and follows her through life and a world filled with adventures and discoveries. The pages are full of happiness, a bit of sadness, and above all a wonder for our world and a need to learn more about it and its peoples.
My favorite story is of her visit to Norway. She and a friend biked and walked their way through that wonderful country and at one point, in one small town they were interviewed by the local newspaper. Ione was very excited to see their story of adventures in print, however when they read the story the reporter focused mainly on the unorthodox thought of two ladies unaccompanied and wearing lipstick! Gasp! I highly recommend curling up with this book this winter.
Ione wrote this memoir to share her adventures. You can get Tales from an Inkslinger at amazon.com. Here’s a review of the book from Amazon:
“In 1929, a band of gypsies invaded the North Dakota farm where five-year-old Ione Nettum lived with her family. Though shocking and scary, the encounter left behind something more precious than anything they stole: wanderlust, the desire to move, to travel, and to taste all that life has to offer.
Tales from an Inkslinger: The Memoir of a Maverick, is the story of that life–a life lived both simply and on the road, and a life of romance filled with both grand adventure and simple pleasures.
Looking back on the nine decades of her life, Ione picks and chooses her stories, giving us–her lucky readers–glimpses not only into her life, but into the changes the past century has held.
Even now, with the Internet making the world a smaller and smaller place, her joys and experiences in life as a Wander Vogel (bird of passage), are some most readers can all only dream of matching.”
Editor’s note: Ione Woodford was a founding member of the Camden Community News and frequent writer. She lived in Camden for decades and has always been an active advocate for our community. She was a longtime neighbor in Lind Bohanon and served on the neighborhood board. Ione has recently moved to a care center in Fargo.
This article was written by Ann Moe