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Leigh Anna

Nebraska Summer Writers' Conference Finale

he Nebraska Summer Writers' Conference has officially come to a close. This is only my second year participating in this true celebration of writing, writers, and Nebraska and I'll be returning for more next year! Faith Sullivan's weekend workshop on setting was great. We dove into writing and discussion, creating vivid settings, breathing and living as characters. Sullivan is a sweet woman with energy, encouragement, and valuable ideas about writing.

As for the readings...

The Floor of the Sky

The Floor of the Sky by Pamela Carter Joern

“Playwright Joern’s characters are as stern as the land, and the world of her debut novel is sturdy and memorable.”—Publishers Weekly

“[An] emotionally rich first novel about an unwed pregnant teen spending the summer with her grandmother in the hardscrabble Nebraska Sandhills. . . . [H]er visit stirs up long-simmering tensions for Toby, Toby’s bitter sister Gertie and George, who has worked on the farm for more than 50 years. Seventy-two and long widowed, Toby is no fawning grandma. Tough but loving, she still rides her horse regularly and can work up a man’s passions. . . . [George’s] unspoken love makes for irresistible reading. . . . [T]hink Paul Newman with Joanne Woodward. . . . A resonant love story, whatever the age of the lovers.”—Kirkus Reviews

“First novelist Joern is particularly skilled at depicting contemporary small-town life and the issues rural communities face: the difficulty small farmers and ranchers have staying afloat financially and the decision of younger generations either to leave for urban areas or to endure directionless lives. She packs a lot of story into 250 pages. . . . Essential for rural and regional public libraries.”—Library Journal

“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

“The Floor of the Sky honors the pleasures and pitfalls of family without a shred of sentimentality. . . . Joern . . . is a fine writer incapable of excess or artifice. Written in present tense, the book has an unintentionally cinematic quality. Its dialogue is varied and authentic. . . . Ron Hansen [Flyover Fiction series editor] . . . uncover[s] a quiet little gem in Joern’s debut.”—Pamela Miller, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Baseball before We Knew It  by David Block

“This is without question the book for anyone at all interested in the history of the world's greatest game or, for that matter, in the manufacture of history.”—Boston Globe

UNP Commended as “Beacon of Knowledge” in Omaha World Herald Editorial

Geitner Simmons, editorial page editor of the Omaha World-Herald, praises the University of Nebraska Press in a June 19 column titled “Beacon of Knowledge.” An excerpt follows:

"Year after year, the University of Nebraska Press continues its impressive work to inform and enliven cultural and intellectual life not just in Nebraska but also nationwide. Nebraskans should be aware that theirs is one of the largest university presses in the nation and a respected leader in its field. . . . The University of Nebraska Press deserves credit for keeping classic works in print. . . .  Since Omaha is hosting the College World Series, it is an appropriate occasion to note that one of the University of Nebraska Press specialties is the publication of sports books, with a particular focus on baseball. . . . The University of Nebraska Press deserves plaudits for its expansion into new areas of study. . . . Nebraskans can take pride in the impressive intellectual contributions being made by the University of Nebraska Press."

The Moon Maid: Complete and Restored

he fanciful works of Edgar Rice Burroughs do indeed blend multiple genres. They also draw in discussions of ethics, war, cannibalism, power, and more.

In The Moon Maid: Complete and Restored, one of the points of pride for those who brought together this edition was to have gathered up the corrupted or excised portions of the text and bring together what the title promises. Compared to many of the other Bison editions, the font is small because no one, original copy could be used. That just means the pages bear all the more adventure and leave plenty of space for the full-page illustrations.

As the Editor in Chief, now Director, Gary Dunham explains, this volume is to take the place of the abridged 1926 edition: “This edition contains the text of the original serialization of The Moon Maid, and thus it encompasses and reflects the scope and depth of the original vision of its creator. But there’s more.” And our Director is too dedicated to restoring and reprinting classic science fiction to lie about that.

For those who fear the story would be cluttered or overwhelmed, the editors have also added a list of the alterations of the original, serialized text so you can keep track of where memory fails and where the changes really are.

 

For mild spoilers and my take on the "Maid," read on.

Juneteenth Day

une 19th has come and gone this year, and I forgot about it.  On that day, in 1865, enslaved black folks in Galveston, Texas found out they were free.  Major General Cordon Granger of the Union Army went to Galveston to tell the people that the war was over and the slaves were free.

Ahem.  But the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in September of 1862 and was scheduled to be enforced on January 1, 1863.  And, General Lee surrendered in April of 1865.  Why was there over a two year gap between the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation?  Was it because it was so difficult to get news to Galveston? 

Gender biases in sf

here has been a bit of a blow up on the blogosphere.  Starting with Charles Coleman Finlay writing about a gender bias in science fiction writing, and especially in Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.  And this led to his suggesting a submission bomb, where a lot (hoping for 100) of women writers send in work on a specific day (August 18th) and we see what happens.  And there has been some responses.  Some positive, some negative. F&SF itself seems to be more happy at the idea of getting more submissions by women.  So is there a bias?

Of course this is my opinion, but maybe.  But I don't think it is a planned one.  For example, if 100 people, 50 male and 50 female, sent me stories and I had to pick out 10 to publish (and this is no where close to the slush pile they get) it would have to be a rare and wonderful action/adventure war story to get into that top 10.  It's just not what I do.  So if a bunch of the men sent in that kind of story...

Setting the Record Straight: An Interview of a Burroughs Expert

thought I’d offer you a break from my own semi-literate ramblings and speculations to offer the words of Bill Hillman, the official webmaster and more of Edgar Rice Burroughs information. After my comment about the film version of Tarzan’s “Me Tarzan. You Jane,” Bill stepped forward to set the record straight, as he has done on his official Burroughs websites.

I asked Bill to talk about his experiences with Burroughs' works, and he demonstrates his fan status and authority with the balance achieved only by a Canadian. Or maybe his professorship is to blame for the lack of Jerry Springer moments. I assume most of us will be glad of that reprieve, but there’s fun for sure and many "u"'s in unusual places.

The following are the questions that leapt to mind while I perused the Burroughs section in our new science fiction catalogue. The rest consists of his answers, pure and unabridged, (which means you have to click a link to read on. Tragedy.)

Calling All Ted Heads...

just perused Writing Brave and Free, jointly authored by Steve Cox and Ted Kooser.  When I opened this slim book, I expected a book full of writing exercises—chapters devoted entirely to Description, Setting, Character, Plot, etc.  Was I wrong!

1) The book speaks to all writing—be it writing fiction, poetry, journaling, even scribbling. Each act of writing is treated with importance.

2) I should mention (because I’m a lazy reader) that each chapter is just a very thin slice, often a couple pages long, focusing on one idea at time—getting to the point and moving on to the next lesson.