University of Nebraska Press

Stephenie Ambrose Tubbs Discusses Her New Lewis and Clark Book

Stephenie Ambrose Tubbs, author of Why Sacagawea Deserves the Day Off and Other Lessons Learned from the Lewis and Clark Trail, spoke to a crowd of 50 Lewis and Clark enthusiasts at the Great Plains Art Museum last week. Tubbs discussed the extraordinary symbolism that has been attached to Sacagawea's legacy as well as the importance of the Lewis and Clark expedition to capturing and developing the lifelong environmental interest of young readers, answered questions from the audience, and read from the title chapter of Why Sacagawea Deserves the Day Off:

"Again I ask that we reconsider the historical Sacagawea and give her credit for who she was. For example, although in popular culture she is celebrated as a guide, we do not celebrate her greater genius, which would seem to be her memory for landscapes, her ability to translate between highly different languages and worldviews, and her understanding of harvesting foods and moccasin reading. In modern times she might have been an engineer or a crime scene investigator or a foreign correspondent with those skills. In her world landmarks told stories and because of that they stayed fixed in her mind. Think of Beaverhead Rock. She remembered those places because as a young child she would travel there with her people looking for bison and roots. These travels were based on the seasons and the stories associated with the places they went. The landmarks told stories, and Sacagawea must have been a very good listener."

This Week in History: July 21-25, 2008

Well bloggers, it’s been awhile. You try and try, but sometimes life (or in this case summer classes) just gets in the way.  What’s important though, is that we’re together again and that even though we haven’t seen each other, history has prevailed. This week we’ve got everything from Jesse James to Praibha Patil, and a little Italian fascism just for fun.  Ready to pick up where we left off?

July 21, 1873: Jesse James and the James-Younger gang attempted and succeeded in pulling off the first successful train robbery in the American West.

Well I think it’s safe to say that Jesse James was a rebel of sorts (rebel, robber, murderer…you know) but if you’re interested in another kind of “bad boy” then please check out REBEL: The Life and Times of John Singleton Mosby by Kevin H. Siepel, which chronicles the life of this bipartisan Commander.

July 22, 1882: American Painter Edward Hopper was born today.
If you fancy yourself an art connoisseur   then please take a look at Beyond Madness: The Art of Ralph Blakelock by Norman A. Geske.

July 23, 1929: Fascist Italy bans the use of foreign words.
In the wake of a burgeoning bilingual culture, Americans are well versed in the foreign word controversy. If you find that you’re an advocate of words, regardless of their origin, then you may enjoy the book of poetry Modern Archaist by Osip Mandelstam.

July 24, 1783: Simon Bolivar, the South American liberator is born today.
There is so much to South American culture, the politics, literature, food, entertainment and sports. If the latter is what really appeals to you the please take a look at Venezualen Bust Baseball Boom: Andres Reiner scouting on the New Frontier by Milton H. Jamil.

July 25, 2007: Pratihba Patil is sworn in as the first women president in India.
The position of women in politics has risen considerably in the past 50 years. For a look at Lincolns first female mayor please take a look at Mayor Helen Boosalis: My Mother’s Life in Politics by Beth Boosalis Davis.

Ok, bloggers that’s enough history for today check out the UNP website for more titles.  Join us next week for a little Trivia and a few Links!

Linking in Lincoln: July 24, 2008

New from the University of Nebraska Press, is Chief Bender’s Burden: The Silent Struggle of a Baseball Star by Tom Swift.  Charles Albert Bender was the greatest American Indian Baseball Player of all time. His career unfolded in a time of great prejudice but his reputation for possessing an “unflappable demeanor” garnered him respect from the sporting world. This remarkable story told by journalist Tom Swift is sure to show you a side of baseball that is often overlooked, and his talent of utilizing both storytelling and the objectiveness of journalism recreates the “silent struggle” this sports hero endured. This week Linking in Lincoln will take a closer look at the player, the writer, and all the things in between!

Care to brush up on your Chief Bender bio?  If so then do it here at Wikipedia.

For you sports fanatics out there, you can take a look at his stats here.

Tom Swift is an award winning journalist and freelance writer. For more info take a look at his website, “Writers Notebook”.

Curious about other American Indian baseball players? Check out Baseball Almanac for a more comprehensive list.

There are numerous sports heroes out there, but My Hero-sports gives bios and introductions to who they consider to be the most significant.

Chief Bender grew up on the White Earth Reservation. Go to their website for a closer look at their significant history.

Hope you enjoy bloggers! Join us tomorrow for a little TWIH

Tuesday Trivia: July 21, 2007

Well bloggers it hotter than … (well, you know) outside. So to try and get our minds out of the heat this week’s Tuesday Trivia is going to take a look at UNP’s new book, Authentic Alaska II: Voices of the Far North, edited by Susan B. Andrews and John Creed.  Showcasing writers from the Arctic Ocean to the Southeast Alaska rainforests, their stories account for the diverse and unique culture this state has to offer. Their sometimes intimate pieces touch on everything from Global Warming to a mothers fight for her son to go to college. This sequel to Authentic Alaska features both native and non native writers from primarily rural communities. If nothing else then reading this book in the dead heat (like today) might cool you down just a bit!

A.    Alaska is derived from the word Aleut meaning what?
B.    5% if the state speaks one of how many indigenous languages?
C.    The Highest point in Alaska is what?
D.    True or False: Alaska is one of two states not boarded by another.
E.    Alaska is the largest state in the US and covers how much ground?
F.    In 1964 the “Good Friday Earthquake” killed how many people.
G.    80% of Alaska’s state revenues comes from what?
H.    True or False: Alaska has one of the highest individual tax burdens in the country.
I.    How many volcanoes reside in Alaska?
J.    True or False: It was purchased from Russia in 1867 for less than 2 cents per acre.

Ok, bloggers check back tomorrow for the answers!

Author Guest Blog: Beth Boosalis Davis

Reaching for the Brass Ring

By Beth Boosalis Davis, author of Mayor Helen Boosalis: My Mother’s Life in Politics

Flat on my back and sick as I’d ever been, I managed to write on the back of a nearby dental reminder card a specific timetable to do something I’d never before considered – write a book about my mother, Helen Boosalis, and her political life. Days later, after I recovered, I studied my scratchy bedside notes expecting to dismiss them as some delusional sickbed rant. Instead, I realized writing my mother’s story had not come out-of-the-blue but rather from a desire buried deep within. Perhaps my illness had knocked me into a rare state of stillness, a state where something deeper than the next to-do item on my list could command my attention.

Even with clarity of purpose I still had practical matters to consider, such as the fact that I knew nothing about what was involved in writing a book.  I may not have doubted the goal but I certainly doubted my ability to achieve it. That’s when I recalled advice my mother was given when she hesitated to jump into her first race for mayor:  “the brass ring may not come round again.”  I had my timetable, I had my parents still with me, I had my husband’s support.  Time to reach for the brass ring.

I didn’t presume to think I could just sit down and type out a book, no matter how familiar the subject.  First I converted a little-used 8 X 9 feet space to a “room of my own” for writing.  I started journaling, and on my daily walks along Lake Michigan I practiced by writing three descriptions of the lake each day. I bought several books on writing and even read a few, hoping the rest would be absorbed through osmosis. 

Lincoln in Linking: July 17, 2008

                                                    Linking the Bases!

      New this month from the University of Nebraska Press, is Clearing the Bases: The Greatest Baseball Debates of the Last Century by Allen Barra. I know at one time or another we have all asked ourselves who the greatest baseball player is in the last century? Ok, may not ALL of us (such as myself), but we cannot deny that someone, somewhere, has probably asked this at some time.  We also cannot deny the pervasive influence sports has in our culture and the questions that arise as a result.  As America’s favorite pastime the debates regarding the game often become boisterous and inflated. What sports journalist Allen Barra, whose column “By the Numbers” is often referenced on NPR, has done with his freshman book is to tackles these questions and provide his expert opinion. This week’s  Linking in Lincoln is going to dissect these topics and attack them at random. We will talk debates, baseball, and NPR. Think you can handle it blogger, or are we going to have to take this outside….?

Want to learn the ins and outs of the debating world (I know, don’t we all) then check out IDEA, or the International Debate Education Association, for all you’ll ever need (or want) to know!

In 1960 was the first televised National Debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Check out BBC for a closer look.

I’ve got three words for you: National. Public. Radio.  Need I say more?

Want to join your own debate? Then check out ForandAgainst.com, an online debating forum. The topic for today is children in restaurants…

Are you curious just how much of an “expert” Mr. Barra is? Well then check out an online archive of his work, here.

That’s it for today bloggers! Check back with us tomorrow for some TWIH.

Tuesday Trivia: July 15, 2008

                                                         IT’S A REBEL TUESDAY!

New from the University of Nebraska Press is Rebel: The Life and Times of John Singleton Mosby by Kevin H. Siepel. Rebel is the first complete biography of the Confederacy’s best-known partisan commander, John Singleton Mosby, the “Gray Ghost.” A practicing attorney in Virginia and at first a reluctant soldier, in 1861 Mosby took to soldiering with a vengeance, becoming one of the Confederate army’s highest-profile officers, known especially for his cavalry battalion’s continued and effective harassment of Union armies in northern Virginia. Although hunted after the war and regarded, in fact, as the last Confederate officer to surrender, he later became anathema to former Confederates for his willingness to forget the past and his desire to heal the nation’s wounds. Appointed U.S. consul in Hong Kong, he soon initiated an anticorruption campaign that ruined careers in the Far East and Washington. Then, following a stint as a railroad attorney in California, he surfaced again as a government investigator sent by President Theodore Roosevelt to tear down cattlemen’s fences on public lands in the West. Ironically, he ended his career as an attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice.

    This week Tuesday Trivia is going to take a look at Rebels down the years, and these bad boys may not be who you think.

Match the rebel to their legacy:
1.    Pancho Villa
2.    Robert E. Lee
3.    Emiliano Zappata
4.    George Washington
5.    Geronimo
6.    Leon Trotsky
7.    Spartacus
8.    Che Guevara
9.    Michael Davitt

A.    Decorated Southern General who supported Pres. Andrew Johnson’s plan for Reconstruction.
B.    Apache leader who defended his tribe against the advance of the US on his land.
C.    Roman slave who lead an uprising in 73-71 BC.
D.    An Irish politician was pivotal in the Land Act of 1881.
E.    Mexican Revolutionary General but violence prevented him from true hero representation.
F.    Bolshevik revolutionary who was a founding member of Politburo.
G.    First President of the United States
H.    Marxist and Cuban guerrilla leader who was executed in Bolivia in 1967.
I.    Prominent figure in the Mexico Revolution in 1910

Ok, bloggers check back tomorrow for the answers!!!

Hamlin Garland Biographer Interviewed on the Donna Seebo Show

Keith Newlin, author of the biography Hamlin Garland: A Life, was recently interviewed on the Donna Seebo Show. The author discusses a variety of topics during the program, including how he discovered Hamlin Garland as well as the agricultural environment in which Garland grew up and then chose to leave for a writing career. Listen to the interview from the BBSRadio link at the bottom of the author's web page:

http://people.uncw.edu/newlink/Garland_Bio_info.htm

Keith Newlin's biography of Hamlin Garland is the first to be published in over 40 years. In recognition of his achievements in literature, Hamlin Garland (1860–1940) received four honorary doctorates and a Pulitzer Prize. Newlin traces the rise of this prairie farm boy with a half-formed ambition to write who then skyrocketed into international prominence before he was forty.

The University of Nebraska Press is the publisher of several Garland books, including Main-Travelled Roads, Boy Life on the Prairie, The Book of the American Indian, Rose of Dutcher's Coolly, and Selected Letters of Hamlin Garland. Keith Newlin is also the editor of the new book, A Summer to Be: A Memoir by the Daughter of Hamlin Garland by Isabel Garland Lord, available through Whitston Publishing Company.

Linking in Lincoln: July 10, 2008

New this month from the University of Nebraska Press, Genealogies of Orientalism: History, Theory, Politics edited by Edmund Burke III and David Prochaska is a series of essays that argue for the extension upon Edward Said’s 1978 book, Orientalism, to explore what lies in beyond the title. With this collection they suggest that a look into the past as well as a re-evaluation of the theory is necessary for a multifaceted approach. This week Linking in Lincoln, is also going to take a comprehensive approach to this segment of the world, and see what it has to offer!

Interested in what Orientalism is all about? Check out Emory college for a further description of Edward Said’s book.

For a look at Orientalist art of the nineteenth century please check out this website.

Curious where you come from? Rootsweb: World Connect Project Global Search is a great (and free) place to research your genealogy.

For a more multifaceted look at the orient please check out Orient Magazine for some cuisine articles.

St. Martin’s Orient Beach is a beautiful vacation spot, check out youtube for the virtual tour.

If you need a place to stay while you’re traveling the Orient, then please check out Orient Express Hotel.

What do you think bloggers, do you feel like you’ve acquired a comprehensive perspective of Orientalism? Well, just in case these meager links have fallen short, please check out the University of Nebraska Press for Genealogies of Orientalism: History, Theory, and Politics. Have a great day!

Stephenie Ambrose Tubbs Appearance offers sneak peek at Lewis and Clark book

Next week, Stephenie Ambrose Tubbs, daughter of late historian and bestselling author Stephen Ambrose, will give a sneak preview talk about her upcoming book, Why Sacagawea Deserves the Day Off and Other Lessons from the Lewis and Clark Trail.  Tubbs will discuss her experiences and observations on the Lewis and Clark Trail, which she first followed in 1976 with her father. The talk and reception begins at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15 at the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q St., Lincoln.

In the book, Tubbs revisits the Lewis and Clark Trail and its famous people, landmarks, and events, exploring questions the expedition continues to raise, such as, What really motivated Thomas Jefferson to send out his agents of discovery? What “mutinous expressions” were uttered? What happened to the dog? Why did Meriwether Lewis end his own life? In the resulting trip through history, Tubbs recounts her travels along the trail by foot, Volkswagen bus, and canoe—at every turn renewing the American experience inscribed by Lewis and Clark.

Tubbs is also co-author of The Lewis and Clark Companion: An Encyclopedic Guide to the Voyage of Discovery and holds two degrees in history from the University of Montana. She currently writes local history and serves on the boards of the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center Foundation, the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Friends of Montana PBS and the American Prairie Foundation. She works with conservation and citizens groups to preserve and protect the trail and adjoining wilderness areas.

For more event information visit http://www.unl.edu/plains/index.shtml or contact Gary Moulton or Linda Ratcliffe at the Center for Great Plains Studies, (402) 472-3082.