aul A. Johnsgard is the Foundation Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences at the University of Nebraska and author of several books published with the University of Nebraska Press.  In 2004, he won the National Conservation Achievement Award and in 2001, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, both sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation.  Washington State Magazine has an in-depth feature article on Paul A. Johnsgard.  Joel Sartore (Author of Nebraska: Under a Big Red Sky) took photos for the article. Books by Paul A. Johnsgard: Those of the Gray Wind: The Sandhill Cranes Birds of the Rocky Mountains Crane … Continue reading Paul A. Johnsgard Interview in Washington State Magazine

The Mover of Bones by Robert Vivian “Vivian writes in a poetic, almost hallucinatory style. He clearly seeks to give consolation or redemption to those who have lost loved ones to a similarly appalling tragedy.” —Library Journal More Reviews of The Mover of Bones Continue reading More Praise for The Mover of Bones

The Rainforest by Alicia Steimberg “From Argentine novelist Steimberg . . . comes a poetically written and beautifully translated perspective on personal happiness, solace, and mature love.”—Library Journal More Reviews on The Rainforest  Continue reading More Praise for The Rainforest

Century of Locusts by Malika Mokeddem “Many of Mokeddem’s sentences have the breath of poetry upon them. . . . Indeed, a question worth asking of literature in translation is whether it does not give us an unfamiliar English with powerful new shapes and cadences—the expressive possibilities of another language reinvigorate our own. One believes this to be true of the work of Laura Rice and Karim Hamdy here, as also of Erdag Goknar’s striking translation five years ago of Orhan Pamuk’s My Name Is Red. . . . Mokeddem’s locusts become a most complex symbol, bleakly suggestive not just … Continue reading More Praise for Century of Locusts

Chuck Hagel: Moving Forward by Charlyne Berens “How could the onetime toast of the GOP have fallen so far, and what are the chances that Hagel will run for president in 2008 in the face of so many obstacles? In her new book, Chuck Hagel: Moving Forward, University of Nebraska at Lincoln journalism professor Charlyne Berens attempts to answer those questions with a sympathetic portrait of a public figure who is immensely appealing and astute, yet the architect of his own political frustrations.” —The Washington Post “Readers keeping an eye on the next presidential election will appreciate this profile of … Continue reading Praise for Chuck Hagel: Moving Forward

I, Nadia, Wife of a Terrorist by Baya Gacemi “[A] fascinating autobiography. . . Nadia’s is a rare, firsthand account by a female Islamist extremist, and it reveals the personal, domestic dramas underlying the political turmoil of our times.”—The Washington Post Book World Read More Reviews on I, Nadia, Wife of a Terrorist Continue reading More Praise for I, Nadia, Wife of a Terrorist

, up until this moment, may have been the last American blogging virgin.  That’s right, never read one and had never posted.  "Why start now?" you ask.  It’s a great question.  Simply put, it scared me.  To put my thoughts down in writing is one thing. But to put them out there in the great wide everywhere for everyone to read (judge) scared me.  It can only be compared to stage fright. You’ve practiced, prepared, and waited for your big chance to prove to the world that you’ve got the chops–the curtain goes up–and you choke, freeze, forget what and … Continue reading A brief, yet personal, introduction

ainmakers: A Photographic Story of Center Pivot Irrigation inspires a visit to Nebraska by production and film crews. Film crews from The Weather Channel and HBO were in Nebraska in early August for productions dealing with current drought issues and possible links to global warming. Ken Dewey of the University of Nebraska’s National Drought Mitigation Center shared a copy of Rainmakers: A Photographic Story of Center Pivots with the producers from the Weather Channel. Producers were so inspired by the book, that they added a trip to Eugene and Ted Glock’s farm in Rising City, Nebraska, to film a special … Continue reading “Rainmakers” inspires Weather Channel segment

The Rainforest  by Alicia Steimberg, translated by Andrea Labinger “Labinger’s melodic translation lyrically enhances Steimberg’s potently symbolic portrait of a woman in transition.”—Booklist “From Argentine novelist Steimberg . . . comes a poetically written and beautifully translated perspective on personal happiness, solace, and mature love.”—Library Journal Continue reading Praise for The Rainforest

The Floor of the Sky  by Pamela Carter Joern “Joern intricately weaves together a compelling family saga and a beautifully rendered paean to the land her characters love and are struggling to preserve. . . . Joern’s lyrical and painterly descriptions of the vast Sandhills are the perfect backdrop for this subtle drama.”—Booklist Continue reading Praise for The Floor of the Sky