MFA vs. NYC. Which side are you on?

There's an interesting piece by Chad Harbach on Slate right now that argues that there are two distinct cultures in American writing right now. The first school is the MFA, the university-sponsored writing culture that is spread across the nation in college towns . The second is the New York culture; people like Philip Roth, Jonathan Safran Foer, Nicole Krauss, etc.

The article makes a lot of intriguing points about how each culture produces different writing. The MFA writer focuses on the short story form more than the New York writer. The MFA writer is also better-funded than the New York writer. If you teach writing, you don't have to make money from it. On the other hand, the MFA writer is pressured to publish frequently to beef up job credentials.

What camp do you fall into? And what about the people who aren't in either camp. If I'm neither a New Yorker, nor an MFA, do I even have a chance?

Ammo for Fighting Writer's Block

ThisRecording.com has an on-going four-part series filled with useful advice for the writing process from numerous famous authors such as Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Thomas Pynchon, Vladimir Nabokov, and Toni Morrison. There is much to be gleaned here about crafting poetry, short stories, or fiction. Here are two excerpts:

Sometimes I would sit at the machine for hours without writing a line. Fired by an idea, often an irrelevant one, my thoughts would come too fast to be transcribed. I would be dragged along at a gallop, like a stricken warrior tied to his chariot.

--Henry Miller

My method is one of continuous revision. While writing a long novel, every day I loop back to earlier sections to rewrite, in order to maintain a consistent, fluid voice. When I write the final two or three chapters of a novel, I write them simultaneously with the rewriting of the opening, so that, ideally at least, the novel is like a river uniformly flowing, each passage concurrent with all the others.

-- Joyce Carol Oates

Part One "Why and How To Write"

Part Two "How and Why To Write"

Part Three "Why, How to Write"

Part Four (to be published)

I Am A Man

Last week the UNL Bookstore featured a book club discussion in Joe Starita's "I Am A Man", which was chosen as the One Book One Lincoln book of the year. Here's a summary from www.goodreads.com:

"In 1877, Chief Standing Bear's Ponca Indian tribe was forcibly removed from their Nebraska homeland and marched to what was then known as Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) in what became the tribe's own Trail of Tears." "I Am a Man" chronicles what happened when Standing Bear set off on a six-hundred-mile walk to return the body of his only son to the Ponca's traditional burial ground. Along the way, it examines the complex relationship between the United States government and this small, peaceful tribe. It looks at the legal consequences of land swaps and broken treaties, while never losing sight of the heartbreaking journey the Ponca endured."

The reviews on this page were very interesting: everyone seems to agree on the historical significance of the story, but find it less riveting than other forms of literature. This gets me thinking: how much creative liberty are we allowed to take to make a historical story more interesting to our readership? How faithful should we be to the story? Are there instances where embellishment might actually do justice to the message of the story? Can we even have objectivity when it comes to relating an historical event?

Obviously "I Am A Man" has had a powerful impact upon Lincoln, Nebraska. I think the best way to answer these sorts of questions would be to read the book for yourself!

Sheldon Fall on Campus Contest

The Sheldon Art Museum is having a contest where students take pictures on campus that show what fall means to them. The winner is chosen by Sheldon employees, and receives a $25 gift certificate to the museum gift shop, and a Sheldon Photography coffee table book. Details on their website.

This sounds like a great idea! Fall is such a great season in Nebraska, I'm sure there will be a ton of beautiful photos.

(P.S. You know where else you can send photos of fall on campus? Plains Song Review!)

PSR now accepting submissions!

In case you didn't already hear, Plains Song Review is now accepting submissions for our 13th volume! Submissions are due January 19th, and the magazine will come out in April.

We take:
fiction
poetry
essays
artwork
photography
comics

Send us:
A hard copy
A electronic copy
The Permission to Print form

Check out the submission guidelines for more information!
Questions? Email Kaitlin Ek at plainssongreview@gmail.com

Michael Forsberg to Speak at CGPS Sept. 8

On Wednesday, September 8th (tomorrow), the Center for Great Plains Studies is hosting a seminar by Michael Forsberg, the conservation photographer. The seminar is part of the Paul A. Olson Seminars in Great Plains Studies series. It will be from 3:30-5:00 at the Great Plains Art Museum (1155 Q St in Lincoln).

Michael Forsberg is the photographer behind Great Plains: America's Lingering Wild, which PSR blogged about way back last October as part of the Plains Song Review Book Club!

He was a guest speaker in one of my friend's English classes, and my friend said he was really cool, and a great speaker, so this is definitely worth going to!

Art of the Plains at CGPS

Today is the first day of the Great Plains Art Museum's new exhibit: "Art of the Plains 2010." I walked through it earlier this week, and it's an even cooler exhibit than usual! There's a ton of art on the walls, and it's for sale. So if you have some money to spare (as in, a few thousand dollars), or if you just want to look at the art, you should check it out!

The Great Plains Art Museum is located at:
1155 Q Street, P.O. Box 880214
Lincoln, NE 68588-0214

It's open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 to 5:00, and Sunday from 1:30 to 5:00.
Free and open to the public

Photos from the Nebraska State Fair

My first experience with the Nebraska State Fair was two years ago. I was simultaneously fascinated and horrified by the "Beef Sundae" stand. Ew. However, I did like the pigs and the funnel cakes! And those geese that wear clothes!

The Journal Star's got a decent photo gallery of State Fair pictures.

Americana doesn't get any more American-y than this. Did you go to the State Fair, friends of PSR? Did you take pictures? Most importantly, are they good pictures, and will you submit them to PSR?

Trains on the Plains

The Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa, is my friend Blair's favorite museum. And who can blame him? This article in the Journal Star makes the Railroad Museum look like a lot of fun!

Curved walls flash archival photos from eight video projectors while audio tracks pipe the sounds of train bells, steam hissing from locomotives and random calls of "All aboard!"

Visitors can sit in period train seats installed in a simulated coach car. They can check out the UP-branded glassware used by railroad bartenders in lounge cars. And they can see real menus listing four-star meals prepared by the original iron chefs.

I wish trains were still like in the old days, like in Strangers on a Train, or in those murder mysteries you always see on AMC. Amtrak is somewhat less romantic.

Art matters at the Bemis Center in Omaha

There's a good article up on the Star City Blog about the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha. It sounds like they're doing a great job of supporting the arts up there!

An excerpt:

Bemis curator Hesse McGraw, who’s worked at galleries in New York City and Kansas City, Mo., said, “What distinguishes the Bemis Center from other arts institutions is that what drives it is the activity of artists and the work they're doing right now. We really try to think of it as a laboratory for artists. The residency program is focused on supporting an open process.”

McGraw, who curates shows in the center’s three main galleries, said, “The exhibition program tries to carry that sensibility through to the presentation of the work.” He said the Bemis encourages artists to do what they couldn't do in a different context or setting. “We really try to find ways of supporting them, whether curatorially, logistically, financially, to build-out projects significant in their career and in their practice.”

Check out the full article here. (P.S., the Star City Blog is one to watch if you want to keep an eye on the arts/literature scene in the Lincoln/Omaha area.)

Willa Cather's home at risk?

According to Slate magazine, many historical sites across the United States are at risk because of the small amount of government support they receive. This means the childhood homes of literary greats like Edith Wharton and Willa Cather could be shut down if they don't pull in enough. Slate tells you how to help here.

Do you ever go visit historical sites? Reading this article makes me want to take a trip to Red Cloud! (Plus, our 2010 interviewee Timothy Schaffert is working on a book about a writer-obsessed town like Red Cloud!)

Are you obsessed with the weather?

I have this theory that everyone in the Midwest is obsessed with the weather. After having lived in Nebraska for a few years, I have joined their number. It's just that weather here is so dramatic! It's either boiling hot or frigidly cold for a lot of the year. For Midwesterners, talking about the weather isn't a form of bland small talk; it's a life or death situation!

I check weather websites several times a day to keep track of the forecast. But lately I've been inspired to take my weather obsession to greater heights, by learning to forecast it myself! Okay, so I don't have the fancy schooling and stuff that real meteorologists have, but I do have this handy infograph that tells you how to predict the weather without gadgets!

So tell me, am I the only one who loves talking about the weather on the Great Plains?

Better Book Titles

Here's a chuckle for you this Friday afternoon: a new blog that makes up better titles for classic books. Here's the "improved" version of Infinite Jest:



Hee hee. What book titles do you think need improving? What would your "better book title" be for Plains Song Review? What about Great Plains favorites like O Pioneers?

Looking for inspiration? Try looking up!

You've been sitting at your desk all day, trying to come up with an idea for a great poem you can submit to the next Plains Song Review, but your mind is drawing a blank! You can't seem to find any inspiration!

Does this sound like you? If so, I would like to direct your attention to the Perseid Meteor Showers, going on now! They're going to be at their peak from tonight to the 13th. The best time to view them is just before dawn. Pack some bug spray, a thermos, and your notebook, and use the night sky as your muse!

Oddly, PSR doesn't get many poems or stories that deal with the night sky. People tend to focus more on grasses and flowers than anything else. Why do you suppose that is?

PSR Blog is Back!

Hello friends of Plains Song Review! It's been a while! I know I said I would post pictures of the reading way back in June, but clearly I lied. What a terrible blogger I am. Anyway, the PSR blog is officially back from it's summer vacation, and to celebrate our glorious return, I'm going to put up some pictures of our April reading! You can check the full album out here.

I'll be back next week with more exciting blog posts!

PSR Blog on Hiatus

Hello friends of PSR! I just wanted to let you know that the Plains Song Review blog is going on a brief hiatus while we all finish up papers and finals. We'll be back soon to post some pictures of the reading.

The Future of E-Books

New Yorker has a new article about the future of the e-book. It seems that Amazon's Kindle is going through some strife, but the iPad is poised to swoop in. I'm not a huge fan of the whole e-book idea, I must admit. Did you know Amazon can take back your e-book any time they want? And I love browsing at the bookstore. However, this comment made me think:

According to Grandinetti, publishers are asking the wrong questions. “The real competition here is not, in our view, between the hardcover book and the e-book,” he says. “TV, movies, Web browsing, video games are all competing for people’s valuable time. And if the book doesn’t compete we think that over time the industry will suffer. "

What do you think? Is the e-book the only way for publishing to survive?

PSR Reading TONIGHT!

R-Day is upon us, friends of PSR! That's right, today is the day of our annual reading and reception! I hope you're all getting excited! Can't come? That's awfully sad, but we'll be sure to tell you all about it later on the blog.

Plains Song Review XII Reading and Reception
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010
7:00 PM

Great Plains Art Gallery
Center for Great Plains Studies
1155 Q St.
Lincoln, NE

PSR in the news!

Plains Song Review was in the Daily Nebraskan today! The story is all about our upcoming release of PSR XII and the reading and reception on Wednesday, April 21st. Check it out here.

However, I'm afraid the article says the reading is on Tuesday. It is not! It's on Wednesday!

Are the books you read at age 12 the most important?

This writer thinks that the books you read as a child are the most influential and life-changing books you'll ever read. He says:

We love these books, dearly and uncritically, the way we love the smell of our first girlfriend's perfume, no matter how cheap or tacky it might have been. Let's be honest: We all know that Ulysses and A la recherché du temps perdu are "better" books than The Velveteen Rabbit or The Little Prince, but come on--which would you take with you on a spaceship to salvage from the dying Earth?

It's an interesting point. I think people often overlook the greatness of "young adult" literature. However, I feel like if a book can't change your life when you're an adult, you must be reading it wrong.

What were your favorite books as a kid? Have you read any really life-changing ones recently?