The *~" c Vo lu me 15 Spring 2005 No. I A Publication of the Nebraska Center for the Book
Poet Laureate Ted Kooser Awarded Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Board awarded Ted Kooser's Delights BilJjngton said. "His verse reaches beyond his native and Shadows the 2005 Pulitzer Pri ze for poetry region to touch on universal themes in accessible (Review on page 7). The award recogni zes a distin ways." guished volume of ori ginal verse by an American Ted is a long-time leader in Nebraska literary author and is accompanjed by a prize of $10,000. effo11s and one of the Nebraska Center for the Book's Ted Kooser, of rural Garland , is one of Nebraska's earliest suppo11ers. In 1982, he served as founding most highly regarded poets and the country's current president of the Nebraska Literary He1itage Associa Poet Laureate. Kooser has been writing and tion ai1d he received the Mari Sai1doz Award for publi shing poetry fo r more than fo 11y years. "Ted signjficai1t, enduring contribution to the Nebraska Kooser is a major poeti c voice fo r rural ~md small book wo rld from the Nebraska Libraiy Association town America ai1d the fi rst poet laureate chosen from in 2000. the Great Plai ns," Librarian of Congress Jan1es H. For more info rmati on on the Pulitzer Prize see
by Mary Jo Ry an, Wouldn 't it be great if we could use this headline membership form on page 3 of this newsletter to join ebraska Llbraiy for a sto1y about tl1e groundswell of support fo r the the Nebraska Center for the Book or to renew your Commission ebraska Center for the Book? Since 1990, th is coali membership. lf you send your check today, your tion of org The llCBNews Vol. I S • Spring 2005 • No. I Nebraska C e nter for the Book Publications/Publicity is $ 125 for 1/8 page. NCB News is issued Board and Committees Linda Trout, Committee Chai r ; David May I , August 15, mid November I . The Bristow; Jem1eua Drueke; Ma1y Jo Ry:ui, staff advertising and copy deadline is six weeks Executive Committee Awards Art Coordinator prior to issue date. For details, contact Ma1y Shelly Clark, President; Chuck Peek, Past Denise Brady Jo Ryan, Ne br:L~ka Center for the Book, The President; Mel Krutz, Vice President/ Atrium, 1200 N Street, Suite 120, Lin coln, Tbis publication was President Elect; Jen y Krom berg, Treasurer; Ne br:L~ka Library Com mission Director Rod NE 68508-2023; phone 402-47 1-3434, 800- supported in part by tbe Rod Wagner, ex-officio Wagner is an ex:officio member of all .)07-2665, e-mail: < [email protected]:ue. Institute ofMuseu 111 comminees. ne.us>, < www.unl. edu/NCB> . and libra1y Seroices Funding/Membership under /be provisio11s of Committee Chai r ; Joan Birnie; Jeny 2005 Nebraska Center for the Tbe NCB Neu•s is published three times a tbe Library Seroices and Kromberg, Treasurer; Jm1e Smith; Molly Book Board Meetings year by the Nebraska Center for the Book, Tecbnology Act as Fisher (ex-officio) May 7 ...... Lincoln, Nebraska The Atrium, 1200 N Street, Suite 120, Lincoln , NE 68508-2023. Subscription is administered by Ibe 2005 Nebr-..iska Book Festival Weslevmi University state ofNe braska free with membership. Editor: Linda Trout. Shellv Clark, President, Co mmiuee Chair; J. August 6 ...... Centr:iI City · tbrougb tbe Nebraska Design and Production: Valerie Crook. V. Brl1mmels; Nm1cy Johnson; Marge Saiser; November 6 ..... Lincoln, Annual Meeting library Commissio11. Staff: Mmy Jo R)Y.UJ , Jacqueline Crocker, Peter Beeson (ex-officio) Advertising Belinda Fan ning, J:uiet Greser, Maria Programs/Projects 'llJe NCB News can accept up to four 1/8 Medrano-Nehls. page ads for each issue. The advertising rate Vicki Clarke; Rebecca Faber; Mel Krutz; :' All book cover art ;uid photos reprinted by Ellen Scott; Rod Wagner (ex-officio) permission of the publisher. page. '"" llCBNews LffffRs.FiEiouiiiiiiiiifunE ® Nebraska Leffers abouc - --...-Ulrtl~--_..... , ... -- -~-- . - -· ·-. . . ~·· ..,, __ ~--· ·-··.'. "• ...... ·---- . -··-'· Liceracure Winners Honored On March 15 , Governor Dave Hein e1rnm signed a A Amanda Wall from Henderson for a letter to proclamation declaring April l 0-16, 2005 as National Barbara Park Library Week in Nebraska, celebrated with recogni A john Welch from Hastings for a letter to Victor ti on of the Letters about Literature state award Hugo winners. Six young writers we re honored for their The Nebraska Center for the Book, as an affiliate letters to authors, living or dead, describing how the of the Center fo r the Book in the Libra1y of Congress, authors' books or stori es chru1ged their way of hosted the yo ung writers at a luncheon. Copies of the viewing the world. winning letters we re signed and presented for inclu TI1e winners are: sion in the archival collection in the Jane Pope Geske A. Fiona Loggie from Omaha for a letter to Dianne Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors, Lincoln City Gray Libraries. A. Elizabeth Milan from Herman fo r a letter to The Center for the Book in the Library of Misty Bernall Co ngress, in pa11n ership with Target Stores, sponsors A. Alexander J. Lin from Lincoln fo r a letter to Letters about Literature, a national reading and Mark '!\vain writing promotion progrru11 for children and young Alternates are: adults. The contest is sponsored locally by Nebraska A Alex Totusek from Omaha fo r a letter to Center for th e Book, Nebraska Libra1y Commjssion, Montrew Dunham and Houchen Binde1y, LTD. .A. What is the Neb raska llominace llow for Jane Geske Award Center for ominati ons are sought fo r the Nebraska Center acti vities. The Nebraska Writing Project received the the Book1 fo r the Book's J ~m e Pope Geske Award. Established in 2005 award. The Nebraska Center recognition of Jane Geske's contributions to the well omjnations and suppo11ing letters must be fo r the Book brings being of the libraries of Nebraska, the award recog received by July l 5 at Nebra<> ka Center for the Book togeth er the state's ni zes a NebnL'i ka association, orgru1i zation , business, Jane Geske Award, c/o Rod Wagner, NebnL<>ka Libra1y readers, writers, libra1y, school, academic institution, or other group Commission Director, 1200 N. Street, Suite 120, booksellers, that has made an exceptional long- term contribution Lincoln NE 68508-2023, 402-47 1-4001 , 800-307- librruians, publishers, p1inters, to the NebnL'ika Communjty of the Book in regard to 2665, fax: 402-47 1-2083, e-mail: educators, and Uteracy, books, reading, libraries, bookselling, ~mcVor < [email protected]> . scholru·s to build the writing in Nebra'ika. Geske, former Nebra<> ka Libra1y The 2005 Jane Geske Award will be presented at community of the Commission Director, was a founding member of the the November 6 Annual Meeting of the Nebra<>ka book. We are the Nebraska Center for the Book and a long- time, active Center for the Book in Lincoln. .A. people who know pa11icipru1t in 1rnmy Nebraska libra1y ru1d litera1y and love books, and who value the rich ness they bring to our lives. Our Nebraska Center ·------1 supports programs Join the Nebraska Center for the Book to celebrate and stimulate public Natlle ______Address ------I interest in books, Phone ______reading, and th e E- Mail : ------w1i tten word. We Name/address of a friend who might be interested in NCB membership: have been an affiliate of th e Center for th e Book in the Library _ _ $15 Indivi dual Membership __ $25 Orgru1i zationa.l Membership __ $50 Octavo Membership of Congress since _ _ $I 00 Quarto Membership _ _ $2 50 Folio Membership 1990. • Please send this fom1 and a check to: Nebraska Center for the Book TI1e Atrium, 1200 N Street, Suite 120 • Lincoln, NE 68508-2023 ..... ~'E page II llebraska Book Awards llominations Sou9ht The ebraska Book Awards, sponsored by the Award winners will be Rewiew: Nurder in tfolu111e by D. R. Meredith What happens when a mystery reading group Although Clark wo rks as a Berkeley Prime meddles in murder? That's the basic plot of Murder Librariru1 , not much of the book Crime, 2000 in Volume , by D. R. Meredith . The first in a series, takes place in the libra1y, except for ru1 opening chapter where Reviewed by the book is set in Amarillo, TX and follows assistrull Barbara reference Librarian Megan Clark as she so lves the she's working in the children's Rixstine, problem of first one, ru1d then two , murders related literan1re section . Most of the University of to her mystet)' group. action occurs in ;md around the ebraska-Lincoln Dr. Clark has her doctorate in forensic anthro Time ru1d Agai n Bookstore, where pology. After not finding much work in her field , (she the mystet)' group meets. I didn 't find much of the feels strongly that being only 26, petite, with curly red solving-by-author that the book jacket suggests, ru1d hair, and sounding sweet is part of the problem) , she most myste1y aficionados wi ll spot the murderer turned to Library work Helping her find ru1d solve before the denouement, but for book club members crimes is 45-year-old Ryan Stevens, curator of history 'md their sponsors, it's ru1 interesting take on at the Pru1hru1dle-Plains Museum at West Texas A & whodunits. .A. M. Stevens doesn 't know much about mysteries, but he Likes Clark. ;) a6'F5» k page . 111(' llCBNews Hi9h Plains Readin9 For summer readers interested in literature origi Like any journey on the western plains, there is a by Michael nating on the Great Plains, there are a number of lot of ground to cover when exploring the literary Cartwright, novels by which one can journey from Canada to territOI)' of plains novels. In Nebraska one can visit Chadron State Mexico and from the Missouri River to the Rocky Tom McNeal's Goodnight, Nebraska set in and around College Mountains. Ella Deloria's Waterlily is a good starting Hay Springs or Mari Sandoz's Old Jules, a biographical point. Deloria studied with the well-known anthropol novel about the author's pioneer father. No11heastern ogist Franz Boas, who encouraged her and Zora Neale Colorado is the locale of Kent Haruf's Plainsong. In Hurston to write about the people they knew best. Wyoming, Gretel Ehrlich 's Heart Mountain depicts the Deloria turned to her Native AmeriGm roots in South world of a WWII Japanese internment camp near , Dakota for material for her novel written in 1944, but Sheridan. Robe11 Day's The Last Cattle Drive is a not published until 1988. Waterlily follows the Life of a humorous satire of the myth of the American West, in wo1rnm steeped in the tribal knowledge and customs which a contra1)' Kansas nmcher sets out to drive his of the Lakota. contrary cattle herd east (not west) to market in From South Dakota one can move west into the K Rewiew: Loolfin11 #or Alaslfa by john Green Young adults searching for their own Holden Miles long for more of Dutton Children's Caulfield (J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye) will everything. Green's voice is Books, 2005 welcome Miles Halter tU1d his search for the "Great fresh, oh-so-sarcastic, ru1d ISBN: 0525475060 Perhaps." Thrust into a private prep school and clearly shows us who Miles Reviewed by armed with his collection of frunous last words, Miles is tU1d who he will Ellen Scott, seeks the metU1ing of life. What he finds is f1iendship , become. ..&. The Bookworm, love, ;md loss so great it seems unbearable unless he Omaha cru1 make sense of it. AhL<>ka is the girl who makes .... ~'E page . '"e llCBNews Review: Outside tfalentine : A Novel by Liza Ward If you go to the Uni versity of Neb raska-Li ncoln box Review: Deli9hts & Shadows, Poems by Ted Kooser by Ted Kooser, Ted Kooser is one of Nebraska's best poets, living and their "clouds of loose, lush Copper Canyon Press, proof that poetry does not have to be obscure and roses, I narcissus, pansies, 2004 difficult to avoid being ordinary and cliched. As a columbine," painted on pots, ISBN: 1-55659-201-9 poet should, he says more in a few clipped lines than teacups -"~" page. NONPROFIT IBE NEBRASKA do Nebraska Library Commission U.S. Postage The Atrium PAID CENTER FOR 1200 N Street, Suite 120 Permit No. 988 THE BOOK Lincoln , Nebraska 68508-2023 Lincoln, NE 34-00-00 m1 affilin te of t/Je Library of Congress 1erence Yfriter•s co: 's-1.4 set for Jun u Get Caught Reading Month ...... May ...... Nationwide Nebraska State Genealogical Society Annual Conference ...... May 6-7 .... :-Jonh Platte Con tact: Jeannett Cline, 308- 534-5040,