Baseball and the Media by George Castle “George Castle, the veteran Chicago sportswriter and host of the syndicated ‘Diamond Gems,’ has written a hard-hitting and insightful expose of the decline of serious reporting about baseball. . . . [A]n insider’s view of Chicago’s press boxes and a harsh indictment of sports/talk radio. It’s Castle’s eighth book—and his best yet.” —Robert Feder, Chicago Sun-Times “This is not a scholarly treatise. [Castle] quotes from other sportswriters, team media directors, and athletes, rather than academic statistics, which helps the average reader relate. . . . His most interesting analysis comes when he compares … Continue reading Praise for Baseball and the Media

Famous by Kathleen Flenniken “At some point in our lives, most of us come to realize that we aren’t going to play for the major leagues or star on the silver screen or win the Nobel Peace Prize, that the accretion over time of our choices and mistakes isn’t adding up to a life quite as dazzling as the one we originally might have envisioned. Nonetheless, we’re still more or less the authors of our lives, and rather than throw in the towel we have to keep moving—sometimes blundering ahead, sometimes taking interesting detours, and only occasionally pulling up with … Continue reading More Praise for Famous

Nocturnal America by John Keeble “Writers write about the same 10 things over and over. Love, hate, loyalty, betrayal, innocence, guilt, birth, death, hope, despair. . . . There’s nothing new to write about. In the wrong hands, stories can be too familiar. In the right hands, stories show us how we live. John Keeble’s hands are the right ones. . . . [I]n issues of craft, Keeble is first-rate.”—Ellen Slezak, Los Angeles Times Book Review Read More Praise for Nocturnal America Continue reading More Praise for Nocturnal America

maha, Nebraska native Tillie Olsen died on January 1, 2007.  She was 94. Tillie Olsen was a renowned feminist, activist, scholar, and writer.  Her most famous short stories, "I Stand Here Ironing” and “Tell Me a Riddle,” are widely anthologized and often taught.  She also recovered books written by unknown women writers, such as Rebecca Harding Davis’ Life in the Iron Mills, published by the Feminist Press.  Olsen began writing her novel Yonnondio: From the Thirties in the early part of the 1930s and published the first chapter in the Partisan Review in 1934, but the novel was not published … Continue reading A Goodbye to Nebraska Native and UNP Author Tillie Olsen

fter a short hiatus, the keepers of the University of Nebraska Press Blog have returned.  This year, we promise you more exciting posts on all things books from freelance writers and book authors.  We’ll also have more interviews with independent bookstores, podcasts of book events, and much more. In the meantime, there are so many good books in our spring and summer catalog, and you can peruse the UNP website for these delectable titles.  Or, check out what’s new this month. 2007 will be grand! Continue reading Happy New Year!

Read More Contemporary Poetry Yeah, Milton is great, but what do you think about Josh Bell?  What about Ted Kooser?  Any women poets like Kathleen Flenniken or Cortney Davis? The Blizzard VoicesBy Ted KooserWith a new introduction by the author FamousBy Kathleen FlennikenWinner of the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry Adonis GarageBy Rynn Williams No Planets StrikeBy Josh Bell Leopold’s ManeuversBy Cortney DavisWinner of the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry Thirty Years War: Love PoemsBy Patricia FerrellIntroduction by Richard Howard2003 Winner of the Paris Review Prize in Poetry Techne’s ClearinghouseBy John Foy Mother QuietBy Martha Rhodes Continue reading New Years Resolution #3 or Yes Virginia, there are living poets!

Eat Better, or Culturally, or Learn a New Recipe, or Just Think about Food Differently Eat Culturally: The Food and Cooking of Eastern EuropeBy Lesley ChamberlainWith a new introduction by the author Learning a little about the food while learning recipes Masters of American Cookery: M. F. K. Fisher, James Beard, Craig Claiborne, Julia ChildBy Betty FussellWith a preface by the author Learn a New Recipe: Good ThingsBy Jane GrigsonFrom the At Table seriesA celebration of fresh daily fare lovingly prepared Think Differently and Literary about food while learning new French recipes: Dining with Marcel Proust: A Practical Guide to … Continue reading New Years Resolution #2

Appreciate More Music True to the Roots: Americana Music RevealedBy Monte Dutton Interviews and portraits of the folks who make Our Kind of Music (OKOM), or Alternative Country, including artists such as Jack Ingram, Brad Paisley, or bands such as Reckless Kelly. When You Sing It Now, Just Like New: First Nations Poetics, Voices, and RepresentationsBy Robin Ridington and Jillian Ridington Essays about stories.  Essays about hearing these stories.  Robing Ridington and Jillian Ridington share their experiences with the Athapaskan-speaking Dane-zaa people, who live in Canada’s Peace River area.  Check out the audio page for When You Sing it Now, … Continue reading New Years Resolution #1