There are many examples of writers using paintings and other visual art as inspiration to create an entirely new work. Think The Girl with a Pearl Earring or even The Da Vinci Code. That’s exactly what award-winning writer Donna Baier Stein did when she decided to write a new collection of short stories based on works by iconic American artist, Thomas Hart Benton. The issues Benton dealt with through the height of the Great Depression and on still resonate and echo today. We recently sat down with Stein to talk about her new book (Scenes from the Heartland), how she landed on Thomas Hart Benton, and the one piece that inspired the whole project.