Interior Places by Lisa Knopp “[A] smart sequel to Knopp’s earlier study, The Nature of Home. . . . Rapt observer, botanist, birder and chronicler of the human condition, Knopp is also, in the best literary tradition, a wanderer of lingering curiosity. . . . Elegiac, soulful and discerning.”—Kirkus Reviews “Knopp explores the potent effects of environment and emotion through 16 perceptive and responsive essays that ring with a crystalline acuity. . . . [She] filters her worldly experiences in nature and among society through a keen understanding of her relationship to both.”—Carol Haggas, Booklist “Interior Places is a great … Continue reading Praise for Interior Places

Eight Women, Two Model Ts, and the American West by Joanne Wilke “[B]eautiful, filled with sharp, sensory details . . . . The letters the women sent home are a highlight of the book, brimming with the sort of pep and optimism that seems to be a hallmark of young people during this period of American history. . . . [T]he tale [Wilke] tells in Eight Women remains compelling throughout.”—Jenny Shank, NewWest.net “[C]ompellingly conveys the passion and determination that led these brave young travelers to ‘see some things’ together . . . . Throughout the book, Wilke expertly interweaves her … Continue reading More Praise for Eight Women, Two Model Ts, and the American West

Notes for My Body Double by Paul Guest “[A]ppealingly conversational poems. . . . It’s a book concerned with imagined futures and closed doors, with the lives we might be living if we weren’t living this one. . . . Guest knows how way leads on to way—how digressive life itself can be.”—Eric McHenry, New York Times Book Review Continue reading Praise for Notes for My Body Double

The Living by Pascale Kramer, translated by Tamsin Black

“The Living [is] an almost perfect example of the depth a ‘small’ novel can encompass. . . . [It is] translated with great acuity by Tamsin Black. . . . The physical specificity and ‘smallness’ of The Living actually makes it, in many senses, a very large novel.”—Britt Peterson, Washington City Paper

To read earlier praise for The Living, please visit http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2007/10/praise-for-the-.html.

Continue reading “More Praise for The Living”

University of Nebraska Press author Andy Brumer believes that golf is, quite literally, poetry in motion. His book, The Poetics of Golf, considers the game from unexpected and often surprising angles. At once contemplative and compelling, it explores the links between golf and life by way of art and literature, philosophy and psychology. Think making the case for golf as an art form is a, eh hem, “long shot?” Well, Andy Brumer would like to convince you otherwise, so he’s written a guest spot for our blog. Here are his musings on art, life, and his love of golf (yes, … Continue reading Would Pablo Neruda Have Played at Putting?

Linking to Lee (that’s General Lee to you, soldier!) New this month from the University of Nebraska Press is Benjamin Franklin Cooling’s Counter-Thrust: From the Peninsula to the Antietam. In its pages, Cooling tells the story of the summer of 1862, when a Confederate resurgence threatened to turn the tide of the Civil War. Counter-Thrust recounts in harrowing detail Robert E. Lee’s flouting of his antagonist George B. McClellan’s drive to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond and describes the Confederate hero’s long-dreamt-of offensive to reclaim central and northern Virginia before crossing the Potomac. Here in all its gritty detail … Continue reading Linking in Lincoln: January 10, 2008

On the Winter 2007 Issue… So the cover of my Prairie Schooner, Winter ’07 issue is already gone—I sliced it off with an X-acto knife so I could frame Chris Ware’s fantastic image of Nebraska for my wall. Chicago may try to claim Ware and the dark, comic vision of his graphic novels for themselves, but his roots are undeniably Nebraskan, and this cover is destined to be a classic. Of course the inside of the issue holds up as well. Highlights for me are: Leslie Lawrence’s stirring essay on the death of her partner of more than twenty years, … Continue reading A Word from Kate Flaherty on Prairie Schooner

A Very Whit-y Installment of “Tuesday Trivia” “To have great poets, there must be great audiences.”—Walt Whitman Walt Whitman knew the value of an intelligent and careful reader—a reader not unlike you, fellow blogger. So reward yourself for your devotion to the literary life with a healthy helping of “Tuesday Trivia.” This week’s theme is…you guessed it…Mr. “Leaves of Grass” himself. If you’re a fan of Mr. Whitman, you won’t want to miss Leaves of Grass: The Sesquicentennial Essays, edited and with an introduction by Susan Belasco, Ed Folsom, and Kenneth M. Price, a new volume from the University of … Continue reading Tuesday Trivia: January 8, 2008