Grace Snyder grew up in a sod home in the Nebraska Sandhills, wishing she could grow up to marry a cowboy and make beautiful quilts (she got an early start on quilting, making her first while as a girl when she was keeping an eye on her family’s cattle). She did both, and became such an influential quilter that her creations were featured in exhibitions across the country. Her best-known design, “Flower Basket Petit Point,” modeled after a china pattern, was named one of the top 100 quilts of the 20th century. In 1963, Snyder, with the help of her … Continue reading Two quilt exhibits and two quilt books

I’m a few days late getting to this, but April is National Poetry Month, and the Internet is celebrating. All sorts of publishers, newspapers and blogs are posting poems and videos of poetry readings online in observance of National Poetry Month. Poets.org, the Web site for the Academy of American Poets, however, is going all out. The Web site is sponsoring a Poem-in-Your-Pocket Day, a poetry caption contest and an email poem-of-the-day message each day of April. More info on these and other activities can be found here. Check back with the UNP blog throughout April for more poetry posts. … Continue reading National Poetry Month, and Mayor Helen Boosalis in the Lincoln Journal Star

Good morning, blog readers. This coming Friday is the first Friday of April, which here in Lincoln means that it’s artwalk time. Lincoln’s many art galleries will be open late and will feature new art by local artists, food, drink and in at least one case … books. The Noyes Art Gallery, 119 S. 9th St., together with Indigo Bridge Books, 701 P St., are co-sponsoring the book launch of new University of Nebraska Press title, Queens and Power in Medieval and Early Modern England, edited by Carole Levin and Robert Bucholz. Levin, will read from the book and sign … Continue reading Art, books and queens, all in one place

Today is the first day of spring. And today is also Abbott Sisters Day, which celebrates the accomplishments of social reformers and Grand Island natives Grace and Edith Abbott. Both sisters fought for better treatment of children, women, immigrants and the poor. They did much of their work in Chicago, but their ties to Nebraska remain strong; upon her death in 1957 Edith left most of her estate to the Grand Island Public Library, which is now named for her. Last year, The University of Nebraska Press published The Grace Abbott Reader, which is a collection of some of Grace … Continue reading Spring is here and so is Abbott Sisters Day

As the end of college basketball season (which I’ve devoted much space to on this blog in recent weeks) draws near, baseball season is in full force. And the University of Nebraska Press LOVES baseball season. NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture holds an annual conference each spring, and this year, two of our authors will be featured speakers there. Lee Lowenfish, author of Branch Rickey, will give a presentation on his book – which is now out in paperback – on Friday, and Monica Nucciarone, author of Alexander Cartwright, will speak on Saturday. The conference is in … Continue reading Baseball books, baseball song, and plain old baseball

Another week, another cold Friday, and perhaps, another snowy Saturday, too. It’s becoming all too predictable here in the Midwest. Luckily, there is news in the world of the University of Nebraska Press. First off, one of our authors is in New York this weekend, attending the Festival of New French Writing. Abdourahman Waberi, author of In the United States of Africa, will give a lecture this afternoon. The festival’s web site notes that In the United States of Africa was “unanimously hailed by critics” when it was published in French in 2006 (yay accolades!). The UNP’s English translation of … Continue reading