Submitted by Prairie Schooner on Mon, 07/09/2012 - 19:49
This is the fifth in a series of blog posts by guest contributor Nabina Das on Indian books and authors.
Trying to read a concentrated academic tome called In Defiance of Time by Dr. Angus Vine is perhaps not quite the way to relax, especially on a writing residency in bonnie Scotland, which is more like a retreat. But once I stumble upon the chapter “A Peripatetic Education: Antiquarian Travellers and the Apodemic Arts,” my interest is heightened by the accounts of a gentleman traveler of antiquarian interests. Not to be put off by the rather long and mysterious title of the chapter, further readings about an Englishman’s travels across continents spur some refreshing thoughts related to writing itself.
Submitted by Prairie Schooner on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 14:19
On Fictional Memoirs, Reality Fiction, and more
At the recent Nebraska Summer Writer’s Conference I took a workshop called “Two Truths and a Lie,” the object of which was to explore the intersections between memoir and fiction, self-writing and other-writing, autobiography and the novel…you get the point. It was taught by Michelle Tea, herself the author of several hybrid books that she referred to as “fictional memoirs,” a term I don’t think I’d heard before. Tea’s books, which are amazing sort of punk queer coming of age narratives, are all deeply informed by her own history but slide between non-fiction and fiction in representing specific characters and situations.
Submitted by Prairie Schooner on Wed, 06/27/2012 - 17:51
In this series, a Senior Reader talks about what drew them to a current Prairie Schooner story
In the first installment of this series, PS Senior Fiction Reader Robert Fuglei writes about the story "Bath," by Robert J. Stevens which appears in the current issue (Summer 2012).
Submitted by Prairie Schooner on Mon, 06/25/2012 - 11:27
in which Prairie Schooner contributors give us a glimpse into their writing spaces and sensibilities.
Garth Risk Hallberg is the author of the novella A Field Guide to the North American Family. His stories and essays have been published in Best New American Voices, The New York Times Magazine, Prairie Schooner,New York, Glimmer Train, Slate, Canteen, and The Pinch, as well as at The Millions, where he’s a contributing editor. A 2008 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in Fiction, Garth teaches at Fordham University and Sarah Lawrence College.
Submitted by Prairie Schooner on Fri, 06/22/2012 - 14:57
A week after NSWC's conclusion, PS staff reflect on the experience
From Arden Eli Hill, PS Editorial Assistant:
The Nebraska Summer Writing Conference was lots of fun and helpful for pulling me out of my summer writing slump. Michelle Tea's Two Truths and a Lie workshop was a great way to start each day. Tea was energetic, engaging, and knowledgeable. I was also impressed by the quality of work of my fellow participants and hope to read more of their writing in the future. There are many events I'm glad that I attended, in particular "Identity and the Writing Process," a panel which focused on writers of color. Panelist Carleen Brice's sense of humor and ability to get straight to the heart of audience questions was a key part of the panel's appeal. The conference went by too quickly and I'm already looking forward to next year!
Submitted by Prairie Schooner on Mon, 06/18/2012 - 17:27
If we didn't live in Nebraska we'd take this issue, with its typically fantastic blend of fiction, poetry, essays and reviews, right to the beach. Since we're here, we have to squint until the prairie grass starts to look like waves. But what does it matter when the writing's so good? Prairie Schooner Summer 2012 features Fleda Brown on dressing up for God, Justin Taylor on Portland friends, Sharon Olds on the power of the leg, Donald Platt on the body's inevitable decay, and Floyd Skloot, Garth Risk Hallberg, and Maxine Kumin on a million other things--to name a few!
Submitted by Prairie Schooner on Sun, 06/17/2012 - 16:06
This is the fifth installment of an ongoing series written for the blog by Richard Graham. Richard is an associate professor and media services librarian at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he studies the educational use of comics and serves as the film and art history liaison. His posts examine UNL’s, Nebraska’s, and the larger literary world’s connections with the comics medium.
In light of Father's Day I’ve found myself contemplating one of the staples of conflict often found throughout the arts and humanities: father-and-son-relationships. While my own family dynamics certainly have had, and continue to experience, moments of drama, it is not nearly dysfunctional enough to prove as compelling as some of the depictions I’ve encountered vicariously.
August is Women in Translation month and we wanted to celebrate by sharing a selection of brilliant authors from all over the world whose work we've published. Enjoy!
When asked about poetry, Ted Kooser, former Poet Laureate of the United States, responds, “One important objective for me is to write clearly and accessibly.”
