Summer 2002 No

The $ a:5iE?» ,, 1News Volume 12 Summer 2002 No. 2 A Publication of the Nebraska Center for the Book

2002 llebraska Book Festival Set for September I ;i-14 in Grand Island most appropriate museum venue. Some of these will 'Clnd Island's Stuhr Museum ofthe be devoted to adult interests, others to small children, Prairie Pioneer (and associatedfitcili and sti ll others to students. Weather permitting, many Gties) tl'ill be the site ofth e next displays and events will be outside. However, indoor Nebraska Book Festival. alternatives will be ready. Scheduled for September 13- 14, 10:00 A.M.- 5:00 PM. CDT, the Festival emphasizes a public cele Festival Inclu d es Student bration of books Center for the Book (NC B) in coopera The 2002 Nebraska Book Festival Committee tion with the Neb raska Libra1y Commission , with recently tU1nounced the Festi val 's Student Writing fundin g from the Nebraska Humanities Council , Competition. The competition is open to all interested programs for adults, chi ldren, ~m e! yo uth will focus Nebraska middle school . Ent1y deadline is September .) . A $75-Couple (includes two tickets Museum admission is $8 for students and one signed copy of Bob Greene's On~t~ --U~t::-~n STUI-JR book) a iowii ~, on Friday (includes lunch) and $5 for all participants on Saturday. In fo rmation A $25- Book (each additional auto I he :\1u.111~ ol d1< _,urth l'l;iut· C,mlnn graphed book) about Grand lshmd hotels and motels is li sted at <\V\vw.gionline.net/bizpages/index.html >. Saturday will be devoted to book displays from publishers and literary cen ters. (Vendo r registration For more inform ati on abou t the Festival , contact deadline is September I 0. Sec Diane l·ltmey, Festival CoonLinato r, 308-.)84-6209. e-mail : , or P;un Sno\\', .) Readi ngs by Festival Chai r, 308-.)81 -8681 , various writers and a wide variety of programs, m of them hands-on experiences, will take place in th e ... Li•erary ln•esrity Critical by Gerry Cox, But month s befo re Goodwi n's revelation , the Nebraska Center hoots will soon be open. Students will be Ameri can public could no longer ignore news stories for the Book hard at work. All the messages they grotl' about plagiarism. In 200 1 readers and history buffs Editor Stp tl'ith tell them to do the best they can, we re di smayed by proof that popular historian get the best grades they can. and get into the best Stephen Ambrose used other writers· materials in his college they can so that they will be success.fit! in book, The Wild Blue. lie challenged critics to find the.future. un attributed wo rk in . They liowever. th e messages of recent events cloud the fo und it in the boo k Crazy Horse and Custer ( 1975) , distincti on between what it takes to be successful in in the third vo lume of his Nixon biography, ru1d in today·s wo rld and how to become ethically successful. Citizen Soldiers ( 1997). Americans are used to hearing many excuses why These were highly successful writers. The smart, influential executi ves failed to protect giant Nebra<; ka Boo k Festival , plrurned for September 13- 14 cotvorati ons and thei r workers and stockholders will feature many successful Ne braska writers. Mru1y from fin ancial di saster. Book lovers loval to certain middle mid hi gh school students will attend the wo rk authors are disillusioned by revelations of plagiarism. shops at th e Book Festival . What about them a.;; Romance noveli st Nora Roberts· wo rk was plagiari zed budding writers? Will their teachers beli eve in their in 1997 by .J anet Dail ey, also a successful romance own ru1 d the students· integri ty7 (Last year a K on dental as she was taking longh

The llCBNews Vol. 12 • Summer 2002 • No. 2

Nebraska Center for the Book Publications/Publicity Advertising Board and Committees Gerry Cox. Committee Chair: Ol iver The .VCB ,Ve/l's cim accept up to four 1/ 8 Pollak: Mar v Jo Rrnn, staff page ads fo r each issue. The adve rtising rate is $ 12 5 for I / 8 page . .\'CB .\'eics is By-Laws Awards Art Coordinator issued May I . August 15. mid November Jmm Birnie. President; Kathy Johnson, Denise Bradv I . Th e adverti sing ;md copy deadline is Vice Presidenl/President Elect: Moil\' six weeks prior to issue date. For det

. This publication was President : Robert \'edderman , Connie Book Board Meetings supported in part by /be Osburne 'ovember 3, Annual Meeting The ,\'CB .\'e1l's is published three limes a Institute ofM useum year by the N e bnL~ ka Ce111 er for the and library Services Gere Library. Li ncoln, Nebraska Book Festival Book, Th e At rium, 1200 N Stree t, under the provisions of 2-.1 1 >. ~ 1 .. Annual Membership Meeting Suite 120. Lincoln. NE 68508-2025. the Library• Sen•ices and Shelly Clark. Commillec Chai r: Peter :i -'-1 1 >. ~1 .. Board Meeting Technology Act as Beeson ; 'l\\'\'la Hansen: Jerry Kromherg, Su bscription is free with membership. admi 11slered by the Treasurer; Chuck Peck : Brent Spence r Ed itor: Gerry Cox. slate ofN ebraska. Design mi d Producti on : Valerie Dayton . Programs/Projects Staff: Mar\' Jo Rvmi , .J acqueline Crocker, Joan Birnie. President. Commillee Chair: Janet Grese r. Vi cki Clarke: Mel Krutz. Sec retar\': Linda Trout All hook cover art reprillled bv page . permission of th e publisher. //JellCBNews Students Ur9ed to Enter Leffers About Literature Contest Letters About Literature is a national reading National Library Weck. Two national winners on each promotion for children and young adults sponsored competition level will receive a $500 cash award, by the Center for the Book in dle Library of presented by Weekly Reader Coqmration. The Congress Je bm5ka Center for the Book wil l select st.ate finalists. ~ll1d locally coordinated through the Nebraska l\ebraska finali sts will be honored by the governor at Center for dle Book. Participants compete on three a ceremony at the State Capitol and receive a cash levels: Level I for grades 4-6; Level II for grades 7-8; award , search on Letters (Level I), became a part of their life (Level II) , or About Literature or con tact Mary Geibel at 402 -4 71- ch for a print copy. Deadline Contest winners arc announced in April during for letters is December 6. .._ llebraska Readin9 Groups Span Three Centuries by Mel Krutz One of the most enjoyable . Join some of th e members of the community of the her works mld life to stu dy. They followed it up book. We are the some of her novels . .. Th ey were soon being called today's groups at the l\ebraska Book Festival's people who know 'The George El iot Club ,· and the name stuck ... "Gath ering of the Groups," Saturday, September 14, and love books, ruld I :4 5-:)::)0 I'.. \ I. CDT. .6. who value the rich ness they bting to ,------. I our lives. Our Name/address of a friend who might be I Join the Nebraska I I ebraska Center interested in NCB membership: I I I supports programs Center for the Book I to celebrate and I stimulate public Nm11 e ______interest in books, _ $15 In dividual Membership reading, and the Address ______$2 5 Orgm1 izational Membership Wlitten word. We __ $50 Octavo Membership have been an affiliate __ $I 00 Quai10 Membership of the Libra1y of __ $2 50 Fo li o Membership Congress National Phone ______Please send tllis form and a check to: Center for the Book Nebraska Center for the Book since 1990. E-Mail: ------Tile Atrium, 1200 N Street, Suite 120 Lincoln, NE 68508-2023 ~ ... ~,, page . 2002 llebraska LHera•ure Fes•ival Schedule Sense of Time, Sense of Place ' ' Friday, September I i Saturday, September 14

8:00 to 8:30 A.M. Registration for Student Day Activities: 9:00 A.M.-3:30 P.M. Book Binding Demonstrati on/Shaun Padgett Railroad display Open Mike Readings/Steve Kin g, Moderator 8:30 to 9:15 A.M. Storyteller: Lyn DeNaeyer Messersmith Vendor Fair/ Displays ai1d Exhibits Students will rotate through four concurrent 9:00-10:00 A.M. Presenters: presentations. Loren Ei seley's Place in our Time/Christy Group A: Middle School Rothermund Author-J.W. Ril ey/Deborah Greenblatt l~ esea r c hin g Local History/Gene Budde Active-Musical Instruments/David Seay john G. 1 eihardt of NebnL<; ka/Barbara Enrichment/History-Lincoln Hi ghway/ Sommer Maiy Anderson My Own Private 1ebraska/Greg Kosmicki Poet1y Writing-Don Welch Fi ction Writing/Brent Spencer Group B: High School Readings: Author-Pioneer journalists/Susanne Chaparral Poets/Harriet Delay \vi th six George Bloomfield readers in two rooms Active-Virginia ReeVfim Smith 'J\vyla Hansen, Ron Block, Enrichment/History-Abbott Sisters/Steve Sarah McKin stry- Brown Fosselman, et al 10:15-11:15 A.M. Presenters: Poet1y Writing-Chai"les Fort An ncommon Woman: Elia Peatti e m1d the Omaha Wo rld Herald/Susanne George Group C: High School Bloomfield Author- Wright Morris/Martha McGahan The Creative Process at Work/BiJJ Kloefkorn Active-Draina/Carol Quai1dt Willa Cather's Lands/Ann Billesbach Enrichment/History-Bookbinding/Shaun Medical Care on the Lewis and Clark Padgett Expedition/Dr. Ri chard Fruehling Poet1y Writing-Bill Kloefkorn Bess Streeter Aldrich/ Fran Heinehr 9:30 A.M. 1st Session Readings: 10:30 A.M. 2nd Session Barbara Schmitz, Charles Fort, Monica 11:20 A.M. - 12:35 P.M. Lunch in the arboretum Kershner Fulgei, Lyn DeNaeyer Teachers: Laureen Riedesel "AIJ About Messersmith , Jonis Agee, K::u-en Shoemaker Authors" 11:30 A.M.- Keynote Session: The Children's 12:45 P.M. 3rd Session 12:30 P.M. Champion/j ohn Sorensen 1:45 P.M. 4th Session 12:30-1:4 5 P.M. Picnic with Poets-Lunch will be 6:30 P.M. Evening celebration at the Riverside available to purchase on grounds Country Club 1:45-2:4 5 P.M. Presenters: Banquet Program: Nebraska's Afri Gm Ameri can Master of Ce remonies: Chuck Peek Homesteaders/David Bristow Bob Greene, author of Once UjJon a Town: Inhabited Spaces: Teaching the Work of The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen Wri ght Morris/Martha McGah m1 Presentations: T/Je C/Jristmns of t/Je Pho11ograp/J Records, by Nebraska Center for the Book Nebraska Mm·i S ~mdoz/Virg ini a Opocensky Book Awai·ds Readings: ebraska Center for the Book Mildred Nru1cy McClee1y, Timothy Schaffe rt, Marge Bennet Award Saiser, Lowen Kru se, Bev Merrick, Mark Nebraska Book Festival Committee's s~md e r s Community Spirit Award I :4 5-3:30 P.M. A Gathering of Groups: A Workshop Nebraska Book Festival Committee's Student for Book and Writing Groups/Mel Kru tz, Writing Competiti on Pri zes Don Welch , ~md Laureen Ri edesel page II 11'C llCBNews Literary Centers Honor Nebraska Authors This fall , facilities will be dedicated to two major < rhull @unlnotes.u nl. edu>. Nebraska writers, Mari Sandoz and Willa Cather. The The newly renovated Red Cloud Opera House Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center on the will reopen November 30 and December I in Red campus of Chadron State College will open September Cloud. Author Willa Cather delive red the VaJedictoriru1 9. A life-size sculpture of Mari S member Dick Cavett wil l aJso attend. The newly Ed. note: These two buildings are

or Ron Hull , e- mail: September 13- I4. A

DI IPLE Lo9an Press Offers Book to Libraries of a11 byj.V. Nebraska's libraries may receive Disciples ofa11 Introduction ;md Afterword U NCERTAI Brummels, Uncertain Season and Other Poems by Lany by his fri ends, poets Red SEASO Logan House Holhmd for a $3 shipping ru1d handling fee (as long Shuttleworth publishing Disciples ofa n ebrao;;ka Ubraries are Uncertain Season and Other Poerns. The co ll ection in vited to send $3 before September 30, to Loglli1 presents th e earlier book in its entirety, a section of House Press, R.R. I, Box 154, Winside, Nebraska previously uncollected poems, ru1d a new 68790 or e- mail: . A

Rewliew: Dirt

by Sean We meet Quince Bishop in the opening chapter of its surprising personifica Doolittle, the mystery, Di1t, a passage that offers llil unex pect tions , similes, and metaphors. Uglytown, 2002 , eclly amusing picture of a fun eral. Described by the Describing how Quince do zes ISBN: 096634734.X author as an "habituaJly sem i-employed loafer unwill off while looking at a picn1re ingly thrust headfirst into a mystery,.. Quince quickJy of his nephew, the author Review by endears himself to invited funeraJ guests by tackling, says, "lie was still looki ng at Richard Miller, chasing, he nears age thirty. "happened·· to aJ l the characters in the book. It's a Di1t is Omaha writer Se;m Doolittle's first novel. good read ~md recommended fo r library acq uisition , The author, llil excell ent story tell er, has a ve ry active especiall y for those libraries attempting to stock writing style that sometimes anrnses th e reader with NebnL'>ka authors. A

, .. ~(,LI;, page II The Deutsche Literaturarchiv and Leaf Books by OliverB. 'l\vo doors down the hill from Schill er"s bir1hplace Pollak, isited Marbach, Germany, in ju ~Ji. It is the is the Schiller Antiquariat (used books) in the space University of } birthplace of Friedrich Schiller (1759 -1805) of a form er tai lor store. It W not yet really open. Nebraska at and the home ofth e Deutsche Bernd and Gabe Klumpp were still putting up shelves Omaha Litera turarch iv. and unpacking boxes. Their special ty is aphorisms, A book person 's heaven, it combin es elements of epigrams , quips, ;md print bites of which they have the Newbeny, Huntington , and Library of Congress. co lJ ected more than I 00,000 in Germru1 . At twenty Marbach (Nebraska City-sized) is about fifteen miles fo ur square meters, it is a small bookstore. lf yo u from Omaha-sized Stuttgart. Publi c tnmsportati on printing. I 1946. He was ·' Eleph,mt uncle·· because of the way have al ways wruHed m1 incunable ("'from the cradle'· he made four fin gers of his hand into legs, m1d the books published before 1500) . The paper, print, index fin ger into a trunk. It"s a variation of eensy binding, smelJ , feel, content , ru1d duration of exis teensy spider. I have long harbored thoughts of tence evo ke awe. I have been to Maggs in London , writing about him . At my wife·s urging, I looking over ;md perused Sotheby a original wood boards. Incidentally the Stuttgart quasi-Royalist, 'mti -fascist, internati onalist. Madol left library luL<; a preeminent 14,000 vo lume Bible school at age sixteen gered species-royal ty. prepared to purchase it. Neil gave it to me. So please How did Madol write m1d publish several biogra buy his books, including my A Year at the Sorbonne, phies? Davi d McCullough says that two thirds of the A Proustian Life (2 001 ) . way through a typescript neither the biography nor its In Marbach I purchased the IO I-page En gLi sh writer are the sru11 e person. How do yo u write fi ve language catalogue of A Mirror of the World, Three drafts of your autobiography, ru1d not find a Thousand Years ofB ooks and Manuscripts from the publisher? Why did he read Proust ru1d Balzac ru1d Martin Bodm er coll ecti on that appeared in Zurich, avoid Kant, Spinoza, ru1d Marx' Why clid he write Marbach , Dresden, and New York (2000-200 I). The hundreds of pages recording his dreams and day Germ m1 catalog comprises two much thicker dre,m1 s, but not read Freud? Th e ru1 swers to these volumes. • questions will spin out ove r th e next couple of years. Nebraska Literary Directory Available The Nebraska Litermy Direct01y is now available , click on on the Nebra5 ka Department of Educati on Nebraska Litercn:r Direcl01J'. Reading/Writing Web site. Access the directory at

page. Jlle llCBNews

Review: The Phantom Limbs tJu 'll ~if,,.Ji: of the Rollow Sisters •ft/It. by Timothy 'Ip.-.. f;1w; Scba.ffert, Timothy Schaffe11·s The Phantom Limbs ofth e imaginations. The ending, is Putnam, 2002, Rollatt' Sisters is literary fiction combining comedy both surprising and sati sfyi ng. ISBN: and pathos. The title is pe1fect. The " ph ~mtom limbs" Suddenly there ru·e new 0-3991 49007 are the unce11ainties ru1d pain that linger after literal prospects and new significances or metaphoric amputation or terrible loss. Mabel ;md that couldn't be guessed at , Review by Lily Rollow are sisters, two yo ung women left on their without a thorough reading of Joanna Lloyd, own , who lost their fath er to suicide, ru1d were aban the book. Jane Pope Geske doned by their mother and gnmdmother. The sisters The Phantom Limbs of the Rollow Sisters is Heritage Room of live in Ne bnL<> ka in a house that was once intended to Schajjert's first novel. The author lives in Omal1a and Nebraska Authors be ;m antique store. They have few customers ru1d works

Web Site Lists Poetry Events J.k -p-o-~A..i ~ by Matt Mason, Back in February of 2000, it seemed to me th at The Poetry Menu gets more thru1 four hundred The Poetry Menu there were, maybe, three poetry readings in Omaha, user hits per month and suppo11s a weekly e-mail to ;md usually all three on the same ni ght. I figured if a about one hundred subscribers, including the Omaha simple, user-friendly, and well -mai ntained Web site World-Herald, The Reader, ruid the Omaha JIU:el? ~V. existed to list these events, maybe people would use it My hope is that it lays a decent, accessible ground when plruming events ;md when looking for poetry work for poetry event information , including open events to attend. It turns out, when you look for mic, featured reading, poetry festival , reading series, poetry events, they are defi nitely happening in poett)' slrun , almost anything poet1y. Running the Web Nebraska. But before I started The Poetry Menu, site takes many more hours per month to maintain , it took some searching to find thru1 I expected when I figured there were just three out about mru1y of these. How much is out there? Last events per month to keep track of. But it's been worth April (National PoeftJ' Month) more than fifty events it. I love a good poetry reading. Anything I can do to were listed on The Menu , but even a summer month see that more of them happen is time well spent. .A like July already has twenty-five events li sted, mostly in Omaha ru1d Lincoln.

Author/Readers Sou9ht Tecumseh State Correctional Institution is estab Avai lability of competent ru1d constructive feed lishing a Writer's Workshop for inmates who are back is one of the most useful inputs to a writer's serious ahout creative writing. Writer's Workshop development. The Writer's Workshop hopes to membership ru1d activities wilJ be coordinated connect creative writers of poett)' ru1d prose through th rough Librari;m Kellie Wiers. Membership is limited co rrespondence with Workshop members. The focus to fifteen particip,mts with demonstrated skill and an of this interchru1ge is the craft of w1iting. Naturally, enduring interest in creati ve writing, both prose and correspondence between inmate writers and poet1y. Prospecti ve members nmge from those who author/readers would be mediated through the are published authors to those still struggling to get Library to insure reader privacy (Llld confidentiality, started. Educational backgrounds nmge from Ph .D. to where desired. Please con tact Kellie Wiers, Tecumseh GED/self-educated. Motivation to improve ;md to State Correctional Institution Librari~

1.ibrary Card Sign-t:p Month . .\m erican l.ihran .\ssociation <1nrn.a\a.org>...... Sept...... \alio1111 idc 111e Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Ce nter Dedication. Chadron State Co ll ege Co ntact: Ken Ko11c. ;108--152 -606(>. or Ron llull. . . . . S('pt. ') . Chadron Nebraska Book Festiral. Stuhr Muse um . Contact Diane llane1·. 508-58+6209. . or l';un Snow. 508-,)8 1-8681. . Sept. 1.\.1-t ... l;rand Island Paul A. Olson Seminar: Salt Creek 'tiger Beetle: Ecoloi,•y and Impact on Del'elopmcnt in Lincoln Co ntact: Great Pl ains Studies. -102 --1-2 -.\082. < q~ps @ unl.edu > ...... Sqit. 18 . .... Lin col n Richard Dooling. \mclist. Omaha l'uhlic 1.ihran. ~ l ihon Abrahams Branch Contact: -102--1-1+-1800. ...... S c ~ . 19 ... Omaha John H. Ames Reading Series: Poet Ste\'e Lang;m. Jane Pope (; eske Ileritage Room of \ehnL,ka .\uthors Contact:-102 --H 1-8; 16. ...... Sept. IlJ ...... Lin co ln Banned Books Weck ...... Sept. 21-28 . . . \ationll'idc 7th Annual Go\'ernor's Lecture: 'lliomas Friedmm1 . \ehr;L,ka ll umanities Cou ncil. Thompson Forum on \X'orld Affairs. l '\ - L Contact: Cindi Epp . ;02--t-+2 I 5 I. ext. 11 . ...... Sept. 25 . . .. Lincoln Plum Creek Children's Literacy f'estival. Contact:Janell l'ITc\m;m , -t02 -6-t5-- _118 . Sept. 2(>-28 ...... Sell'ard 'ational Arts and Humanities Month ...... Oct. . \atim111 ide Uncoln City Libraries Book Sale. State Fair Pa rk, Contact: Barbara ll ansen. -102-'l-t 1-8) 12. . .. .. Oct. 5-6 . .... l.inco\11 "Old West Days" with Nebraska Cowboy Poetry Gathering Contact: Man· Mulligan. ·102- r6-585-t . 800-6'i8--t02-t ...... Oct. 5-6 ... \ ;t\entinc Bess Streeter Aldrich Remembr:mce Day. Erening of dinner. music. and program . Con tact: Teresa Lorensen . -102-99-1-.)8);. ...... Oct.; . . El n111ood "Rim of the Prairie Day.'' All da\' fcs1i1al :church se 1 ~ · ice. food . car sho\\', craft sho\\', activities. demonstrations.' and par;tde. Contact: Teresa Lorensen. -102-')')+58;;. ...... Oct. (i . . .. Eln111 ood Ne braska English Language Arts Council (NE LA<:) Annual Conference Contact: Clark Koltcnnan. ...... Oct. - ...... Omaha National Book Festival. The Libra!' of Congress. < \\'11w. \ oq~m/hookfest > ... Oct. 12 ...... \\';L,h in gton . D.C. Paul A. Olson Seminar: W. Sue Fairbanks. l"\0. Deer. Bi ghorn Sheep and Prongho rn Antelope llcsearch in Western \ebr:L,ka. Contact: (;real Plains Studies. ;02--t - 2-5082. .. Oct. l(i . . Lin coln John H. Ames Reading Series: Writer Christine Pappas. Jane Pope Geske Il eritage l{oom of \c\1r;L,ka .\uth ors. Contact: ;02--t-t 1-8) 16. ...... Oct. 1- . . Lin col n Ne br-.iska Writers Guild Fall Conference. Contact: ll ugh l{cilly. '102-5'+.r ;,5, <[email protected]> .. Oct. I') .... . Sell'ard Jmnes Solheim. Nmelist. Omaha l'uh\ic l.ihran. :\.V. Sorensen Branch. Co ntact: -102-+1-1--1800. <1nrn.omaha.lih.ne.us > ·. Oct 20 . ... Omaha Nt,VNEMA Conference. \ehraska Lihran· Association . :'\ehm,ka Educational Med ia Association Co ntact: Sharon O se n ga. < sosc n ga @ nol . or~ >. Hegistcr: < llW\\'. nol . o rw'ho m c/\ l ,Vcon ferencc/i nde ~. html > ...... Linco ln Nebr-.iska Center for the Book Annual Meeting. Co111act: Joan Birn ie. 308-8- 2-29r. ..... \m. 5 ... Linco ln Paul A. Olson Seminar: Refugees on the Great Plains: Policies. Practices and Potentials. Contact: (;real Plains Studies. -10 2--1 - 2-508 2. ...... \m. 12 ...... Lin co ln John H. Ames Reading Series: Poet ''fancy Mc<:leery. Ja ne Pope Geske ll eritage Roo m of \ ehraska .\uthors. Co ntact :-102+1 l-H; 16, ...... :\m. 21 . Li nco ln Willa Cather Pioneer Memorial & Educational Foundation. Grand Reopen ing 188; Red Cloud Ope1~1 llouse. Contact: Ste' en Rian at -102 -- -16-26;5, ...... \m. 50-Dec. . Red Cloud Journey into Christmas with Bess Streeter Aldrich I lolida1· open IHni>e on Sat. & Sun. afternoons. 2:00-; :00 pm . Contact: Teresa Lorensen. '102 -99+58;;, ...... \m . .\O-Dec.22 . . . Eln111ood