Writers, artists and activists James Alexander and Dark Rain Thom live and work in a log cabin in rural southern Indiana.
Jim Thom rebuilt the cabin using tools from the 19th century as research for one of his historical novels.
The view to the west from Thoms' property overlooks the Owen County countryside, when Jim grew up. Indians have named him "Sunset Watcher" for his predilection for watching the sun retreat.
Inside, the cabin is as much a museum as anything else, with every nook and cranny filled with objets 'd art, including tiny wood carvings that Jim's father created. The Thoms sat down for an interview with The Bloomington Alternative's Alison Hamm on Jan. 19, 2008.
Dark Rain and Jim collaborated on the novel Warrior Woman, the story of Nonhelema, a late 18th-century Women's Peace Chief of the Shawnee Nation.
While they acknowledge that the collaborative process was touchy at first, Dark Rain says that in the end, they weren't sure exactly who wrote many passages in Warrior Woman.
Jim is also an artist and a cartoonist, who started writing political cartoons when George W. Bush came to power. He says writing columns about Bush for the Alternative has taken away from his "bread-and-butter" writing. At the moment, he has multiple projects in the works, including a new novel and a nonfiction book on how to book historical novels, and he's ready to start writing a screenplay with some Indian collaborators.
Dark Rain said Indians are appalled at the dearth of education Hoosier students receive about Indian culture. She is working with the Indiana Native Affairs Commission to help improve the situation.
Several of Jim's drawings will be on exhibit at the Wandering Turtle Art Gallery during February. He discusses them here with the Alternative's Alison Hamm.
Several of Jim's wood carvings will also be on display at the Wandering Turtle exhibit. As a youth, Jim received a scholarship to the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis but had his heart set on being a forest ranger at the time.
Jim carves only wood from trees that fall on his property. He says it is less intimidating for him to carve than it is to write.