The Penhallow Bakery is almost a character in itself in Sherrie Flick’s Reconsidering Happiness. It’s where the two main characters, Vivette and Margaret, spend late nights and early mornings baking scones, cookies, cakes, loaves of bread. It’s where they meet friends and lovers, where they go to celebrate and to mourn. It’s what ties the women to their community, and its recipes are something they take with them when they ultimately move away. And it’s also based on a real bakery where Flick once worked – The Ceres Bakery (on Penhallow Street) in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Clara Silverstein wrote about … Continue reading The real Penhallow Bakery

Montana is a wonderful backdrop for a story – it’s beautiful, sparse, romantic, and wild – or at least is perceived as such. The University of Nebraska Press has published many books set in Montana or by Montana authors and in one of the more recent ones, All Our Stories Are Here, a number of Montana authors examine both the way Montana is portrayed in fiction, as well as contributions Montanans have made to the literary community. Among topics covered: representations of the state in popular romances, and the importance of the University of Montana’s creative writing program in fostering … Continue reading On Montana and Montana writers

The latest Ken Burns Documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea is on PBS stations everywhere this fall. Critics have praised the beautiful camera work and the thorough history this series tells (of the National Parks' founding fathers, of course, but also of the Native groups displaced, of mysterious deaths, of interesting visitors and more). Some of the stories told in this series are also stories told in books published by the University of Nebraska Press. And many of these stories are on sale, through the month of November. The National Parks co-producer Dayton Duncan is the author of several … Continue reading The National Parks and the University of Nebraska Press

Short stories, while not as popular in form as novels, are, in a lot of ways, more convenient. They’re short. It’s easy to read an entire story in a single sitting. Even if that sitting is at a computer, or an iPod. Writer/editor/teacher Dan Sinker has begun a project called CellStories, in which he’s posting a short story a day at http://cellstories.net/. The reason, according to the Web site: “Because we still think the best place for something wonderful to read is in the palm of your hand and, when you combine the amazing technology of modern web-enabled phones and … Continue reading Work from Terese Svoboda to be features on CellStories

The Nebraska Cornhuskers will play the Louisiana-Lafayette in a sold-out stadium this Saturday. It will be the 300th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium. Anyone who knows Nebraska football knows that the consistent sellout crowds are an important part of the game day atmosphere. There’s a certain feeling of privilege that comes with scoring tickets, and there’s a certain feeling of camaraderie that comes with being part of an enormous, enthusiastic crowd. University of Nebraska Press author Steve Smith talked to 10/11 News about the significance of 300 consecutive sellouts, as well as the significance of Husker Football to fans across … Continue reading Huskers (and UNP authors) in the news