Beef Torrey and Cinnamon Dokken, of Novel Idea Books,
at Brownville's Wine Writers and Song Festival, 2010
(photo from Beef's FB page (Gregory Kent Torrey)
, posted by Beef's good friend Kevin Simonson)
one of Nebraska writing's dearest friends, Beef Torrey, passed away July 3rd -
I knew Beef from our many crossing and looping paths at many of the Nebraska Book and Literary events - he was always upbeat, effervescent, smiling, and so kind! He DID look a lot like David Crosby (who?) , and
here is an affectionate article from Jeff Korbelik of the Lincoln Journal Star:
Korbelik: Beef Torrey was one of a kind
Jeff Korbelik, LJS
The last time I saw Beef Torrey, I helped him fry deer testicles.
True story, which, now as I think about it, seems appropriate.
Interesting, quirky, humble, unique, learned, jovial, David Crosby-lookalike -- there weren’t enough adjectives to describe the man, who, sadly, passed away July 3 at age 55 after falling ill with complications from a defective aortic valve.
So standing over hot grease and swapping stories with Beef, well, that’s the way I want to remember him.
This was about three years ago at a semiregular, big-game feed hosted by my close friend and former co-worker Joe Duggan, who was a hunting buddy of Beef’s.
I had met Beef -- aka Gregory Kent Torrey -- for the first time at another feed years earlier. Afterward, Joe suggested I should write a story about him. He wanted to do so, but felt his friendship with him would make it inappropriate.
At the time, Beef worked as a psychologist associate at the Beatrice State Developmental Center.
But that wasn’t the hook.
No, it was Beef’s passion for literature and art, and the unusual, yet wonderful, connections he made because of it.
Richard Brautigan. Jim Harrison. Thomas McGuane. Tom Robbins. Ralph Steadman. Hunter S. Thompson. Russell Chatham. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Roger Welsch. Jim Fergus. William Hjortsberg.
They all were Beef’s friends.
No kidding.
These friendships resulted in many stories -- hunting with Harrison in Mexico, attending parties in Montana with Brautigan and, once, taking Vonnegut to a downtown Lincoln strip club.
I sat in Beef’s home on an acreage outside Crete and listened in disbelief. How does a fellow from Nebraska run in such circles?
But every story was true. I confirmed all of them, including the hunting trip to Mexico, with Harrison -- famous for his novel “Legends of the Fall” -- telling me of Torrey’s uncanny knack for picking off doves in the dark.
“This is a handy ability in our time,” Harrison joked.
In my feature story, which ran in May 2007, Torrey’s friend, Doane College English professor Liam Purdon, told me Beef was “one of those rare individuals who was at the right place at the right time.”
“Because Beef is the gregarious type of person he is and because he embodies many of the principles those writers strove to define, many of those writers gravitated to him and maintained their friendships with him,” Purdon said.
Those friendships led Beef to editing or co-editing collections of interviews with some those well-known artists. He also co-edited a comprehensive bibliography of Harrison’s work. I have a signed copy of Beef’s “Conversations With Thomas McGuane,” a book published by the University Press of Mississippi, featuring several interviews with the author, including one with Beef.
I was on vacation last week when Joe called and left me a message about Beef’s passing. Beef had left the State Developmental Center, where he worked for more than 10 years, and was a mental health practitioner at the Veteran Affairs clinic in Lincoln.
I texted back, thanking Joe for the message and noting Beef was quite a character. Joe responded with these words: World got less interesting today.
Indeed, it did.
Services for Beef will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in Heckman Auditorium at Doane College in Crete.
Reach Jeff Korbelik at 402-473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com, of follow him @LJSjeffkorbelik.
True story, which, now as I think about it, seems appropriate.
Interesting, quirky, humble, unique, learned, jovial, David Crosby-lookalike -- there weren’t enough adjectives to describe the man, who, sadly, passed away July 3 at age 55 after falling ill with complications from a defective aortic valve.
So standing over hot grease and swapping stories with Beef, well, that’s the way I want to remember him.
This was about three years ago at a semiregular, big-game feed hosted by my close friend and former co-worker Joe Duggan, who was a hunting buddy of Beef’s.
I had met Beef -- aka Gregory Kent Torrey -- for the first time at another feed years earlier. Afterward, Joe suggested I should write a story about him. He wanted to do so, but felt his friendship with him would make it inappropriate.
At the time, Beef worked as a psychologist associate at the Beatrice State Developmental Center.
But that wasn’t the hook.
No, it was Beef’s passion for literature and art, and the unusual, yet wonderful, connections he made because of it.
Richard Brautigan. Jim Harrison. Thomas McGuane. Tom Robbins. Ralph Steadman. Hunter S. Thompson. Russell Chatham. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Roger Welsch. Jim Fergus. William Hjortsberg.
They all were Beef’s friends.
No kidding.
These friendships resulted in many stories -- hunting with Harrison in Mexico, attending parties in Montana with Brautigan and, once, taking Vonnegut to a downtown Lincoln strip club.
I sat in Beef’s home on an acreage outside Crete and listened in disbelief. How does a fellow from Nebraska run in such circles?
But every story was true. I confirmed all of them, including the hunting trip to Mexico, with Harrison -- famous for his novel “Legends of the Fall” -- telling me of Torrey’s uncanny knack for picking off doves in the dark.
“This is a handy ability in our time,” Harrison joked.
In my feature story, which ran in May 2007, Torrey’s friend, Doane College English professor Liam Purdon, told me Beef was “one of those rare individuals who was at the right place at the right time.”
“Because Beef is the gregarious type of person he is and because he embodies many of the principles those writers strove to define, many of those writers gravitated to him and maintained their friendships with him,” Purdon said.
Those friendships led Beef to editing or co-editing collections of interviews with some those well-known artists. He also co-edited a comprehensive bibliography of Harrison’s work. I have a signed copy of Beef’s “Conversations With Thomas McGuane,” a book published by the University Press of Mississippi, featuring several interviews with the author, including one with Beef.
I was on vacation last week when Joe called and left me a message about Beef’s passing. Beef had left the State Developmental Center, where he worked for more than 10 years, and was a mental health practitioner at the Veteran Affairs clinic in Lincoln.
I texted back, thanking Joe for the message and noting Beef was quite a character. Joe responded with these words: World got less interesting today.
Indeed, it did.
Services for Beef will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in Heckman Auditorium at Doane College in Crete.
Reach Jeff Korbelik at 402-473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com, of follow him @LJSjeffkorbelik.
sse article at: http://journalstar.com/entertainment/books/korbelik-beef-torrey-was-one-of-a-kind/article_b078b9f9-2592-50ca-a2e9-3c4d8ef8e8ad.html
and a 2007 article : http://journalstar.com/entertainment/books-and-literature/article_0b0f7720-2df4-56f6-a8b7-e2fec03d1901.html
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Summer Local Author event at Barnes & Noble, the Lincoln's Southpointe store: Saturday the 20th of July, 2-3pm!
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Twyla Hansen started this Facebook page for the Bill
Kloefkorn CD!! :
https://www.facebook.com/events/194625957355882/
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https://www.facebook.com/events/194625957355882/
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Nominations sought for next Nebraska state poet
June 16, 2013 9:03 am • Associated Press
The Nebraska Arts Council, Humanities Nebraska and
the Nebraska Library Commission are seeking nominations for the next Nebraska
state poet.
Nominations must be submitted online no later than midnight July 26. The online application site is nebraska.slideroom.com.
Nominations will be reviewed by the State Poet Selection Committee, which is composed of five people who are established members of Nebraska's literary, cultural, education and academic communities. After the committee selects finalists, the governor will make the final selection.
The Nebraska state poet will be selected based on artistic excellence, exemplary professionalism, an established history of community service in the advancement of poetry in Nebraska, and the ability to present poetry and interact effectively with a public audience.
http://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/nebraska/nominations-sought-for-next-nebraska-state-poet/article_7f2249c8-d151-5d15-b81a-49049fbf4d63.html
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Petition to the Nebraska Television Network to issue audio tracks of Bill Kloefkorn's NET poetry programs!!!!!
our buddy, Dr John Walker, musician/poet/philosopher - writes to us:
Bon jour, all y'all
A couple of years ago a grass roots effort to get a new school in Lincoln named after Bill Kloefkorn took off with emails and phone calls and letters and, voila, today there is a new school in Lincoln named after Bill Kloefkorn.
Nominations must be submitted online no later than midnight July 26. The online application site is nebraska.slideroom.com.
Nominations will be reviewed by the State Poet Selection Committee, which is composed of five people who are established members of Nebraska's literary, cultural, education and academic communities. After the committee selects finalists, the governor will make the final selection.
The Nebraska state poet will be selected based on artistic excellence, exemplary professionalism, an established history of community service in the advancement of poetry in Nebraska, and the ability to present poetry and interact effectively with a public audience.
http://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/nebraska/nominations-sought-for-next-nebraska-state-poet/article_7f2249c8-d151-5d15-b81a-49049fbf4d63.html
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Petition to the Nebraska Television Network to issue audio tracks of Bill Kloefkorn's NET poetry programs!!!!!
our buddy, Dr John Walker, musician/poet/philosopher - writes to us:
Bon jour, all y'all
A couple of years ago a grass roots effort to get a new school in Lincoln named after Bill Kloefkorn took off with emails and phone calls and letters and, voila, today there is a new school in Lincoln named after Bill Kloefkorn.
Now,
today, a bunch of us think it would be a good idea to encourage NET to compile a
CD of some of Bill's poetry programs.
Ergo, I'm
asking each of you who would love to hear Bill's voice reading some of his
poems to email or write Nancy
Finken, Network Manager at ETV,
( nfinken@netNebraska.org )
and
encourage her to pursue this project.
If NET
did produce a CD, it could, of course, either be sold outright or used as a
fundraising premium. But in addition, and perhaps most valuably, it would stand
as a lasting tribute to a treasured poet, reader, teacher, and advocate for the
humanities and all education. Our longest standing State Poet deserves such a
tribute. NET has the resources to do it. It wouldn't cost very much. We should
do it.
John
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check out the new writing blog from Becky Breed and Lucy Adkins:
WRITING IN COMMUNITY: say GOODBYE to writer's block and transform your life
http://writeincommunity.com/
John
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
check out the new writing blog from Becky Breed and Lucy Adkins:
WRITING IN COMMUNITY: say GOODBYE to writer's block and transform your life
http://writeincommunity.com/
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Gratitude Bakery and Cafe', Lincoln, is starting writers' open mikes, and readings, and such - check out their FB page!, and this event for June 22nd https://www.facebook.com/events/142440312615369/
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MoJava Coffee in Uni Place is beginning a once or twice a month, a Thursday night for writers --- stop in!! see this FB page for June 6th at 7pm:
https://www.facebook.com/events/535944023122322/
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other book announcements AND
PUBLISHING NEWS
at the bottom of this page !!!
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The Lincoln Underground Magazine
Gratitude Bakery and Cafe', Lincoln, is starting writers' open mikes, and readings, and such - check out their FB page!, and this event for June 22nd https://www.facebook.com/events/142440312615369/
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MoJava Coffee in Uni Place is beginning a once or twice a month, a Thursday night for writers --- stop in!! see this FB page for June 6th at 7pm:
https://www.facebook.com/events/535944023122322/
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other book announcements AND
PUBLISHING NEWS
at the bottom of this page !!!
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The Lincoln Underground Magazine
is accepting submissions NOW!:
CLIK HERE
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Click HERE
for the latest info on Music and Poetry at
CRESCENT Moon COFFEE
8th & P sts, LINCOLN!!!!
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Pictures, Pictures: Go to this address for many, many Readings pictures --
https://picasaweb.google.com/110313286591675631051
...................................
check out more info at:
July 27-29 OSFest 5 Omaha, NE. Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival: Workshops, Science talks, Anime programming, Film and Television activities, Costuming workshops, Coffee with the Guests of Honor, Free book library, Masquerade and Hall costume contests, Author readings, 2013 OSFest Independent Film Festival, Room Parties. Sponsored by the Omaha Science Fiction Education Society.
Monday, July 29th, 7pm:
Poetry at the Moon
at Crescent Moon Coffee, 140 N. 8th, Lincoln (lower level)
every Monday:open mike, and sometimes a feature writer or two:
tonite: Tony Church and
Jeff Martinson
for info, see www.crescentmooncoffee.com
and for more info, email Jeff at poetryatthemoon@gmail.com
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Monday, July 29th-- 7-8pm, WriteLife Presents: Writers' Open Mic at The PS Collective (6056 Maple St., Omaha). There will be 10 minute slots available for writers to sign up to read their work. This can be poetry, an excerpt from your published book, a piece that you're working on...anything goes, as long as you wrote it! Not a writer, but want to catch a glimpse of local creativity and talent? Stop by and be entertained!
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Wednesday, July 31st -- 8pm-12am, Acoustic Open Mic for musicians and poets at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso (1624 South St, Lincoln). Hosted by Spencer. For more information call 402-477-2007.
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Monday, August 5th, 7pm:
Poetry at the Moon
at Crescent Moon Coffee, 140 N. 8th, Lincoln (lower level)
every Monday:open mike, and sometimes a feature writer or two:
for info, see www.crescentmooncoffee.com
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Tuesday, August 6th-- 7pm, Tuesdays with Writers at The South Mill (4736 Prescott, just west of 48th and Prescott, Lincoln). Featured readers are Rex Walton and Kirk Brown
. There is an open mic following the feature. For more information, contact Deborah McGinn at dmcginn@lps.org
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Wednesday, August 7th -- 8pm-12am, Acoustic Open Mic for musicians and poets at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso (1624 South St, Lincoln). Hosted by Spencer. For more information call 402-477-2007.
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Wednesday, August 7th-- 8pm, Travis Davis invites you to "Poet Show It" at 1122 D St. (Lincoln). Local writers come and read. Local people come and drink. Coffee, Booze, Poetry, Fiction. Discovery. Discovery. Discovery.
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Saturday, August 10th-- 7:30pm, the OM Center Poetry Slam and open mic (1216 Howard, Omaha). Tonight features poet Nicholas Bell. It's the longest-running slam in Omaha, often featuring some of the best performance poets in the nation. Open mic starts at 7:30 followed by the slam; sign up BEFORE 7:30 as signup is limited. Hosted by Matt Mason. $7 suggested donation. Call 402/345-5078 or go to OmahaSlam.com for more information.
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Monday, August 12th, 7pm:
Poetry at the Moon
at Crescent Moon Coffee, 140 N. 8th, Lincoln (lower level)
every Monday: open mike, and sometimes a feature writer or two
for info, see www.crescentmooncoffee.com
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Wednesday, August 14th -- 8pm-12am, Acoustic Open Mic for musicians and poets at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso (1624 South St, Lincoln). Hosted by Spencer. For more information call 402-477-2007.
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Wednesday, August 14th-- 11:45am-1pm, "Wednesday Words," at The KANEKO's KANEKO-UNO Library (1111 Jones St., Omaha) featuring award-winning NE poets and fiction writers as well as the winners of the Individual Artist's Fellowship Awards from the The Nebraska Arts Council, as part of our "Braided River" series. Bring your lunch and enjoy the show.
Our Featured Writer: Aug. 14: Richard DoolingA native of Omaha, fiction writer and essayist RICHARD DOOLING is the author of three novels, Critical Care (Picador, 1996); White Man's Grave (Farrar, Straus, 1994; Picador, 1995), which was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1994; and Brain Storm (Random House, 1998). Critical Care was made into a movie starring James Spader, Kyra Sedgewick, Albert Brooks, and Ann Bancroft, directed by Sidney Lumet. The rights to Brain Storm have also been optioned. He is a graduate of St Louis University (BA), attended University of Nebraska Medical Center, University of Chicago (RRT), and St Louis University (JD). Dooling's fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Smoke, and elsewhere. He is a frequent contributor to the op-ed pages of The New York Times. His essay, "Diary of an Immortal Man" has been nominated for a National Magazine Award A lawyer specializing in employment-discrimination cases, he lives in Omaha with his wife and four children. His latest novel, published in September of 2002, was Bet Your Life, named a New York Times Notable Book. Dooling is currently at work writing an ABC TV series, "Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital."
UPCOMING WEDNESDAY WORDS READERS:
Sept. 11: Marjorie Saiser
Oct. 9: Karen Wingett,
NAC Individual Artist Fellowship Writer
Nov. 13: Renee San Souci
Dec. 11: Marvel Maring: Book Arts
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Monday, August 19th, 7pm:
Poetry at the Moon
at Crescent Moon Coffee, 140 N. 8th, Lincoln (lower level)
every Monday:open mike, and sometimes a feature writer or two:
for info, see www.crescentmooncoffee.com
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Wednesday, August 21st-- 8pm, Travis Davis invites you to "Poet Show It" at 1122 D St. (Lincoln). Local writers come and read. Local people come and drink. Coffee, Booze, Poetry, Fiction. Discovery. Discovery. Discovery.
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Wednesday, August 21st -- 8pm-12am, Acoustic Open Mic for musicians and poets at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso (1624 South St, Lincoln). Hosted by Spencer. For more information call 402-477-2007.
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Saturday, August 24th - 7pm - Writers Open Mike at Gratitude Bakery and Cafe, 1551 N Cotner, Lincoln
(every 4th Saturday!!)
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Monday, August 26th, 7pm:
Poetry at the Moon
at Crescent Moon Coffee, 140 N. 8th, Lincoln (lower level)
every Monday:open mike, and sometimes a feature writer or two:
for info, see www.crescentmooncoffee.com
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Wednesday, August 28th -- 8pm-12am, Acoustic Open Mic for musicians and poets at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso (1624 South St, Lincoln). Hosted by Spencer. For more information call 402-477-2007.
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Thursday, September 12th -- 7pm, United States Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey is guest lecturer for the Creighton University Center for Health Policy and Ethics in the Witherspoon Concert Hall at Joslyn Art Museum (2200 Dodge St, Omaha). Professor Trethewey's presentation will focus on her poetry in which she examines the intersection between public and private history. The lecture is free and open to the public, donations are encouraged. Online registration is required and can be accessed beginning July 29th at chpe.creighton.edu.
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September 12 One Book One Nebraska Book Discussion 4:30 pm. Nebraska City, NE. Discussion of O Pioneers! by Willa Cather. AtMorton-James Public Library, 923 First Corso; call 402-873-5609 for more information.
--------------------- AND NOW -----
READING AND PUBLISHING NEWS:
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ocal writer and activist Mary Pipher has an article in the Local View area of the March 27 Journal Star that bears repeating --
Here it is, and CLIK HERE for the full commentary -- way to go, Mary!!
Pipeline concerns haven't diminished
By MARY PIPHER, Lincoln author, speaker.
"I am writing in response to the Journal Star editorial March 11 ("Last call on the pipeline"). I am a lifelong Nebraskan, a grandmother and the author of a book coming out in June that required me to study climate change. I also write as one who has closely followed the Keystone XL pipeline story for over two years.
I was dismayed by the aforementioned editorial. The first line compliments President Barack Obama for holding a hearing in Nebraska. Of course, I am grateful to him and urge our citizens to participate in that State Department hearing. But make no mistake, we Nebraskans are responsible for the hearing. We have been the people who protested TransCanada's assault on our natural resources and on the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers. Because of concerned Nebraskans' sustained attention to the problems with TransCanada, we have sparked a national discussion about this pipeline.
Unfortunately, the concerns of many Nebraskans have not been allayed in the slightest.Landowners are frightened of losing their property rights. Nebraskans from Spencer, to Fullerton, to Omaha are concerned about the contamination of the Ogallala Aquifer, rivers and wells. Water, soil and wildlife experts, not tied to the oil industry, have many worries and they were not consulted during the recent Department of Environmental Quality review.
Many safety issues have not been addressed. The public does not know what kinds of chemicals are in the tar sands sludge. We know it contains some highly toxic and carcinogenic substances, including benzene, but TransCanada will not reveal what is in their "proprietary" toxic goop. This means, among other things, that we cannot plan in advance to protect ourselves in case of a leak or spill. First responders cannot prepare for emergencies or respond quickly afterward. Furthermore, how can we say a situation is safe and under control when we don't even know what we are dealing with?
The recent impact report cited by the Department of Environmental Quality was a green wash. It says the new route avoids the Sandhills, but TransCanada did not change the route as much as it changed the map. According to TransCanada's own 2008 map that was submitted to the State Department, the area it is planning to traverse still is in the Sandhills. Meanwhile, the word ?aquifer? has dropped out of the discussion entirely.
I also take exception to the editorial's phrase "dwindling but vocal minority of Nebraskans who oppose the pipeline." The issues are technical and complicated, and many Nebraskans don't quite understand the exact nature of our current situation. Yet, according to a recent University of Nebraska poll, 78 percent of rural citizens want the pipeline route to avoid the Sandhills and the Ogallala Aquifer. The new route does neither.
Farmers, ranchers, urbanites, Republicans and Democrats, students and senior citizens as well as Native peoples oppose this pipeline. More than 880 people attended the DEQ hearing in Albion on a Tuesday evening in December. More than 125 Nebraskans traveled to Washington, D.C., to stand in the wind and the cold Feb. 17 because they cared about stopping the pipeline. We Nebraskans have united around this issue in great numbers. No other cause in my 65-year-old memory has sparked so much passion.
This pipeline will not help the United States with energy independence or security. Instead, the oil TransCanada transports will be sold on the international market to the highest bidder. We Americans could shoulder the risks of this pipeline and yet experience almost none of its suggested benefits.
Finally, I would like to speak up for environmentalists, the people who want to give all the grandchildren of the world a good future. The Journal Star editorial suggests that either people want to protect Nebraska or they want to stop this pipeline and slow down our use of fossil fuels by converting to cleaner energies. I would humbly suggest this is not an either/or situation, but rather a both/and situation.
As a long-term opponent of the Keystone XL pipeline, I both care deeply for our state and I want to work for a cleaner world. The two goals are not antagonistic, but deeply related. "
more books and workshop news:
Fred Zydek, writer living here in NE, writes about a new book of his, a memoir, "The Songs of Angels" ... ( see also http://fredrickzydek.com/ for this other titles by Fred ) :
When my goddaughter was born, her parents weren’t Roman Catholics anymore, but her paternal grandmother was. And Grandma really wanted the infant baptized. Her parents didn’t want a real priest to do it but agreed to have a ceremony at their home if I could do it. I accepted. Not many people know that it doesn’t take a priest to baptize someone. Any baptized person can do it. Who knows - maybe anyone can do it.
And I promised the baby girl’s grandma that I would do my best to get her to mass. I managed a mid-night Christmas mass or two - but that’s about it. Come to think of it, I believe Grandma was with us on a few occasions - and after Grandma passed, I think my goddaughter was only willing to go one last time - but as a tribute to her grandmother, not as a participant in the liturgy of the season.
Humanists exist at all points on the Bell Curve of life. Some of us occupy positions at the “persons of faith” end of the curve, and others occupy positions of Atheism and often as latent (and sometimes blatant) Agnostics. But before I understood and accepted the fact that my goddaughter would not be listed among those who celebrate and feel gratitude for a Divine Animating Principle (usually called “God.”) - I wrote a spiritual fantasy for her about the Archangels. I got the idea from a commentary in an ancient Midrash note that insisted the Archangels were commissioned by God to write and perform music (with the help of cherubims and saraphims, of course) for each phase of creation and each thing created. An enormous task when one understands that there are only four archangels. (I’ll bet you can name three of them right now - but will struggle for the name of the fourth.)
Of course the Archs (as they’re called by those who know them well) won’t have names until Adam comes along. It is, after all, his job to name things. (Think of it! Man had to create his own language!)
And there will be problems for the Archs. After all, how do you understand the concept of matter, or the difference between soft things and hard things, or sharp things and dull things, or hot things and cold things - when you haven’t a clue what things are because you haven’t a clue or ever experience anything made of atoms - because they are matter and you are not. But it may also be true that both matter and Angles are created from the same thing. Light.
And just wait until one of those Archs finds out that while they have been told that human kind will be created “a little lower than the angels” . . .humans can do something not even Archs (the highest form of consciousness in the celestial realm) can do - reproduce after its own kind. And what’s worse - it turns out that even something as lowly as a blade of grass can do it - but not Archangels. That’s going to make one of the archs pretty mad. His music is going to become much more like Stravinsky and Mahler than the music of the other archs.
I never gave the story to my goddaughter, although she was already an avid reader by the time I finished writing the story. By that time she was pretty much of the opinion that Jesus and the tooth fairy had a lot in common and she really didn’t want to be evangelized in any way. I felt like giving her the story could appear as an attempt to convert her to her Grandmother’s faith. It was clear that the fruit had not fallen very far away from the tree, and her that her parents appreciated that while she embraced sound and generous feelings about social justice and the human condition, like they did, she also embraced their distain for organized religion.
And I forgot about the story for a while. Then one day, while looking for a copy of my first novel (The City Camp Adventure) so I could revise it ONE MORE TIME - I found The Songs of Angels. I read through it. Did a minor revision here and there - and sent it off to my publisher for consideration.
Well - it’s ready. You can find out more about it at my web site (go to Fredrickzydek.com ) or click on the link below. It will take you there. You’ll find links to Amazon.com or one that will take you directly to my publisher’s manufacturer in case you don’t have an account with Amazon or don’t like shopping there. You can also order it from you local bookstore - but that takes a couple of weeks. Me? I love Amazon. I even shop for coffee there. I did all my Christmas shopping right here at my PC. And there was frosting! They wrap the gifts!
But I warn you. These aren’t your grandmother’s angels. They can be very funny. One of them can be rude as hell. They’re going to make you laugh and sometimes wish you could actually hear the music I write about. And you may cry.
I know most of you are going to be hit with a massive email blast from my publisher in a week or two. (I gave them every email I had) but I'm so excited about this book, I wanted to let you know about it right away.
I love this story. It’s a novella . . . about half the length of Old Pinhead. Let me know what you think about the story. I think this is the kind of book you’re going to like enough to purchase copies for birthday and Christmas gifts.
I dedicated the story to Nora Borgstrom. Some of you may know her. She’s Pat Borgstrom’s daughter. A Buckley kid. Nora is one of the angels in my life. I think of her as a kid sister.
Click here: Books | Fredrick Zydek
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SP CE is a writing room on the 2nd floor of the 14th & O building, downtown Lincoln:::: go up the stairs next to Novel Idea Bookstore on N 14th, veer right at the top, look for SP CE on the DOOR::::
every Saturday at 2pm, come up to talk writing -- see the FB page at:
https://www.facebook.com/spZce
How SP CE Writer's Group Works:
People who are interested in discussing writing come to SP CE every Saturday at 2 p.m.People who want their writing discussed bring copies of their writing.
All forms of writing are welcomed, but new or actively in-progress works are especially encouraged.
Everyone's writing is discussed for 10-15 minutes.
Those who want a bit of a challenge are encouraged to write for the prompt.
The prompt is: hair
Good times!
For those who wish to be further involved:
Prior to Writer's Group, there will be an Open Meeting where anyone can come and join in on a discussion of plans, goals, and ideas for SP CE as a collective entity. The Open Meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. and will be held before every Writer's Group.
After Writer's Group, anyone who is interested in continuing a dialog in a more casual setting is invited to reconvene at Yia Yia's* to partake in food and drink and further conversation.
*reconvening location subject to change
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ConStellation IV - A New Hope
Lincoln's own national Science Fiction Convention
is coming April 19-21!!
( http://www.constellationne.net/ for more info)
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We are proud to announce the 2013
Rex Walton has left the helm at Crescent Moon Coffee's 10-year reading Series, Poetry at the Moon. NOW, Crescent Moon Coffee is continuing the series as a weekly Open Mike, with occasional themes and guests, but THE OPEN MIKE CONTINUES!!!!!
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
1. continue to drop in, listen, read, and spread the word about a place to congregate as writers -
2. VOLUNTEER to be a once-in-a-while MC for the event - contact Melinda at Crescent Moon to be put on a list: crescentmoon@inebraska.com
3. GET OUT IN THE community, and use your writing skills to promote active movements in intellectual circles, social needs, political moves, ...
4. Keep Writing, talking, thinking as an aspiring ACTIVE citizen of our city, county, state, country - Democracy works when WE work to keep it active - if you can read and write with a thinking, critical eye, YOU can make a difference - I cite the current wave of activists such as (but certainly NOT limited to) Mary Pipher, Ben Gotschall, Mike Flood, Jane Kleeb, Dave Kramer, Chuck Hagel, Kate Witek, Kim Robak, ... and, you add to this list
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We are saddened to announce that Ed
& Diane Stevens, owners of Book Ends bookstore in downtown
Kearney, are closing up shop this month -- we'd like to thank Ed and Diane for
their many years of friendly, expert service in not only the bookselling world,
but the fine monthly reading series, Poetry on the
Bricks. Ed's bushy moustache and energetic smile,
and Diane's patience and professionalism, will be missed in the Nebraska
literary community!
( Ed is trying to find a downtown Kearney venue to host a continuance of their reading series - if you know of one, please send him a note at: bookends@rcom-ne.com )
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newest book out by Barbara Schmitz!
"Path of Lightning"
Author and poet Barbara Schmitz offers a heartful, funny, and deeply moving "spiritual autobiography" that brings the reader along on each stage of her fervent inner quest for mystical experience. Beginning with a Catholic girlhood in Nebraska, she graduates to an unlikely apprenticeship with Allen Ginsberg at the Naropa Institute; a dedicated transcendental meditation practice; and finally to thirty years of joys and struggles with a Sufi teacher (Shahabuddin Less) with whom she travels to Bali, Turkey, India, Kashmir, and the Holy Land. Incisive as lightning-the meaning of her Sufi name, Vajra-her questions and yearning are our own, and she doesn't let God, her teacher, or herself off the hook.
GO HERE to order the book...
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Lincoln professor Joy Castro's book, "Hell or High Water" has been optioned for a movie by Zoe Saldana and friends ... READ HERE
"Hell Or High Water follows New Orleans reporter Nola Céspedes as she is dragged into the city’s post-Katrina underworld on the trail of what she thinks will be her big scoop. The novel was released July 17 by Thomas Dunne Books and was called one of the best books of 2012 by The Kirkus Review."
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Nebraska author news!! emily m. danforth is one of five nominees for the 2013 Morris Award, given for a first-time young adults' book author! emily graduated from UNL last year with an MFA in fiction ....
The Miseducation of Cameron Post, written by emily m. danforth, published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
On the same day that 12-year-old Cameron kisses her best friend, Irene, her parents are killed in a car accident. Nearly crushed with guilt, Cameron spends the next several years in self-imposed gay-movie therapy with her VCR or drinking and smoking pot with her track and swim team friends, gradually coming to terms with her sexuality. It’s not easy being gay in rural 1990s Montana, and it’s harder still when your aunt drags you to an Evangelical church every weekend — where you meet the girl of your dreams.CLIK HERE for more ---
Nebraska Book Awards, 2012:
2012 (13th annual) for books published in 2011
A
short film by Dan Butler, inspired by Ted Kooser's poem "Pearl" has been making the rounds of the
film festivals, and the New England Festival has put it
online.
An
edition of Catharine Sedgwick's novel Clarence,
co-edited by English department faculty member Melissa J. Homestead, has been awarded
an Honorable Mention by the Society for the Study of American Women Writers for
its first Edition Award. The SSAWW Edition Award is given every three years at
the Society for the Study of American Women Writers’ conference to recognize
excellence in the recovery of American women writers. First published in 1830,
Sedgwick's novel of manners is set in New York City in the 1820s. Co-edited by
Homestead and Ellen A. Foster (Clarion University of Pennsylvania) and published
by Broadview Press, the edition features an introduction authored by Homestead
focusing on Sedgwick's place in transatlantic literary culture and her
imaginative engagements with New York City and the Caribbean, as well as a
selection of contextual documents and images.
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from the Bookguide at Lincoln city Libraries:
..... and, the Selection for the
2012 One Book - One Lincoln
is:
Destiny of the Republic
BookGuide
The readers' services page of the Lincoln City Libraries
Lincoln, Nebraska
http://www.lincolnlibraries.org/depts/bookguide/front.htm
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Click HERE
for the latest info on Music and Poetry at
CRESCENT Moon COFFEE
8th & P sts, LINCOLN!!!!
................................................................
Pictures, Pictures: Go to this address for many, many Readings pictures --
https://picasaweb.google.com/110313286591675631051
...................................
check out more info at:
...................................
Prairie Moon Reading & Music News:
http://moonreading.blogspot.com/
Matt Mason's Poetry Menu:
The Nebraska Poetry Menu at www.poetrymenu.com
Brett Spencer's Nebraska Center for Writers:
http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/NCW/
PRAIRIE SCHOONER BLOG: CLIK HERE
YouTube page at Creighton:
http://www.youtube.com/user/CreightonCCAS
Nebraska Center for the Book:
http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/index.asp
Backwaters Press - Omaha:
http://www.thebackwaterspress.org/
.........................................................
THE DAILY SCHEDULE:
Prairie Moon Reading & Music News:
http://moonreading.blogspot.com/
Matt Mason's Poetry Menu:
The Nebraska Poetry Menu at www.poetrymenu.com
Brett Spencer's Nebraska Center for Writers:
http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/NCW/
PRAIRIE SCHOONER BLOG: CLIK HERE
YouTube page at Creighton:
http://www.youtube.com/user/CreightonCCAS
Nebraska Center for the Book:
http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/index.asp
Backwaters Press - Omaha:
http://www.thebackwaterspress.org/
.........................................................
THE DAILY SCHEDULE:
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July 27-29 OSFest 5 Omaha, NE. Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival: Workshops, Science talks, Anime programming, Film and Television activities, Costuming workshops, Coffee with the Guests of Honor, Free book library, Masquerade and Hall costume contests, Author readings, 2013 OSFest Independent Film Festival, Room Parties. Sponsored by the Omaha Science Fiction Education Society.
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Monday, July 29th, 7pm:
Poetry at the Moon
at Crescent Moon Coffee, 140 N. 8th, Lincoln (lower level)
every Monday:open mike, and sometimes a feature writer or two:
tonite: Tony Church and
Jeff Martinson
for info, see www.crescentmooncoffee.com
and for more info, email Jeff at poetryatthemoon@gmail.com
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Wednesday, July 31st -- 8pm-12am, Acoustic Open Mic for musicians and poets at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso (1624 South St, Lincoln). Hosted by Spencer. For more information call 402-477-2007.
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Monday, August 5th, 7pm:
Poetry at the Moon
at Crescent Moon Coffee, 140 N. 8th, Lincoln (lower level)
every Monday:open mike, and sometimes a feature writer or two:
for info, see www.crescentmooncoffee.com
and for more info, email Jeff at poetryatthemoon@gmail.com
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. There is an open mic following the feature. For more information, contact Deborah McGinn at dmcginn@lps.org
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Wednesday, August 7th -- 8pm-12am, Acoustic Open Mic for musicians and poets at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso (1624 South St, Lincoln). Hosted by Spencer. For more information call 402-477-2007.
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Wednesday, August 7th-- 8pm, Travis Davis invites you to "Poet Show It" at 1122 D St. (Lincoln). Local writers come and read. Local people come and drink. Coffee, Booze, Poetry, Fiction. Discovery. Discovery. Discovery.
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Saturday, August 10th-- 7:30pm, the OM Center Poetry Slam and open mic (1216 Howard, Omaha). Tonight features poet Nicholas Bell. It's the longest-running slam in Omaha, often featuring some of the best performance poets in the nation. Open mic starts at 7:30 followed by the slam; sign up BEFORE 7:30 as signup is limited. Hosted by Matt Mason. $7 suggested donation. Call 402/345-5078 or go to OmahaSlam.com for more information.
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Monday, August 12th, 7pm:
Poetry at the Moon
at Crescent Moon Coffee, 140 N. 8th, Lincoln (lower level)
every Monday: open mike, and sometimes a feature writer or two
for info, see www.crescentmooncoffee.com
and for more info, email Jeff at poetryatthemoon@gmail.com
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Wednesday, August 14th -- 8pm-12am, Acoustic Open Mic for musicians and poets at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso (1624 South St, Lincoln). Hosted by Spencer. For more information call 402-477-2007.
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Wednesday, August 14th-- 11:45am-1pm, "Wednesday Words," at The KANEKO's KANEKO-UNO Library (1111 Jones St., Omaha) featuring award-winning NE poets and fiction writers as well as the winners of the Individual Artist's Fellowship Awards from the The Nebraska Arts Council, as part of our "Braided River" series. Bring your lunch and enjoy the show.
Our Featured Writer: Aug. 14: Richard DoolingA native of Omaha, fiction writer and essayist RICHARD DOOLING is the author of three novels, Critical Care (Picador, 1996); White Man's Grave (Farrar, Straus, 1994; Picador, 1995), which was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1994; and Brain Storm (Random House, 1998). Critical Care was made into a movie starring James Spader, Kyra Sedgewick, Albert Brooks, and Ann Bancroft, directed by Sidney Lumet. The rights to Brain Storm have also been optioned. He is a graduate of St Louis University (BA), attended University of Nebraska Medical Center, University of Chicago (RRT), and St Louis University (JD). Dooling's fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Smoke, and elsewhere. He is a frequent contributor to the op-ed pages of The New York Times. His essay, "Diary of an Immortal Man" has been nominated for a National Magazine Award A lawyer specializing in employment-discrimination cases, he lives in Omaha with his wife and four children. His latest novel, published in September of 2002, was Bet Your Life, named a New York Times Notable Book. Dooling is currently at work writing an ABC TV series, "Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital."
UPCOMING WEDNESDAY WORDS READERS:
Sept. 11: Marjorie Saiser
Oct. 9: Karen Wingett,
NAC Individual Artist Fellowship Writer
Nov. 13: Renee San Souci
Dec. 11: Marvel Maring: Book Arts
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Monday, August 19th, 7pm:
Poetry at the Moon
at Crescent Moon Coffee, 140 N. 8th, Lincoln (lower level)
every Monday:open mike, and sometimes a feature writer or two:
for info, see www.crescentmooncoffee.com
and for more info, email Jeff at poetryatthemoon@gmail.com
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Wednesday, August 21st-- 8pm, Travis Davis invites you to "Poet Show It" at 1122 D St. (Lincoln). Local writers come and read. Local people come and drink. Coffee, Booze, Poetry, Fiction. Discovery. Discovery. Discovery.
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Wednesday, August 21st -- 8pm-12am, Acoustic Open Mic for musicians and poets at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso (1624 South St, Lincoln). Hosted by Spencer. For more information call 402-477-2007.
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Saturday, August 24th - 7pm - Writers Open Mike at Gratitude Bakery and Cafe, 1551 N Cotner, Lincoln
(every 4th Saturday!!)
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Monday, August 26th, 7pm:
Poetry at the Moon
at Crescent Moon Coffee, 140 N. 8th, Lincoln (lower level)
every Monday:open mike, and sometimes a feature writer or two:
for info, see www.crescentmooncoffee.com
and for more info, email Jeff at poetryatthemoon@gmail.com
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Wednesday, August 28th -- 8pm-12am, Acoustic Open Mic for musicians and poets at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso (1624 South St, Lincoln). Hosted by Spencer. For more information call 402-477-2007.
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Thursday, September 12th -- 7pm, United States Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey is guest lecturer for the Creighton University Center for Health Policy and Ethics in the Witherspoon Concert Hall at Joslyn Art Museum (2200 Dodge St, Omaha). Professor Trethewey's presentation will focus on her poetry in which she examines the intersection between public and private history. The lecture is free and open to the public, donations are encouraged. Online registration is required and can be accessed beginning July 29th at chpe.creighton.edu.
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September 12 One Book One Nebraska Book Discussion 4:30 pm. Nebraska City, NE. Discussion of O Pioneers! by Willa Cather. AtMorton-James Public Library, 923 First Corso; call 402-873-5609 for more information.
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September 24 One Book One Nebraska Book Discussion 6:30 pm. Norfolk, NE. Discussion of O Pioneers! by Willa Cather. At Norfolk Public Library, W Prospect Ave.
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September 25 One Book One Nebraska Book Discussion 10 am. Norfolk, NE. Discussion of O Pioneers! by Willa Cather. At Norfolk Public Library, W Prospect Ave.
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September 26 One Book One Nebraska Book DiscussionColumbus, NE. Discussion of O Pioneers! by Willa Cather. At Columbus Public Library, 2504 14th St.; contact Rachelle McPhillips at rmcphil (at) columbusne.us for more information.
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Saturday, September 28th - 7pm - Writers Open Mike at Gratitude Bakery and Cafe, 1551 N Cotner, Lincoln
(every 4th Saturday!!)
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Saturday, September 28th - 7pm - Writers Open Mike at Gratitude Bakery and Cafe, 1551 N Cotner, Lincoln
(every 4th Saturday!!)
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September 28 Keynote Address with ReLeah Lent Lincoln, NE. Lent is the author of Keep Them Reading: An Anti-Censorship Handbook for Educators. Keynote address of the annual meeting of the Academic Freedom Coalition of Nebraska (AFCON), co-sponsored by the Nebraska English Language Arts Council and ACLU Nebraska. At Courtyard by Marriott. For more information, contact David Moshman at dmoshman1 (at) unl.edu.
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September 28 Adult Conference Day, Plum Creek Children’s Literacy Festival Seward, NE. Includes a wide variety of workshops presented by authors, illustrators and literacy experts.
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coming up down the road:
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--------------------- AND NOW -----
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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Writer and Activist Mary
Pipher of Lincoln has an opinion piece on the April 17th Editorial page of the
New York Times - on the Keystone XL pipeline - it Begins:
Lighting a
Spark on the High Plains
By MARY PIPHER
LINCOLN, Neb.
I GREW up in Nebraska. My great-grandparents homesteaded
here. Generally, Nebraskans are a polite, cautious people more interested in
weather than politics, and in pie than causes. That is, until
recently.
In 2008 TransCanada announced plans for its Keystone XL
pipeline, which would carry tar sands crude oil across the state’s fertile Sand
Hills region and over the Ogallala Aquifer, a vital source of fresh water for
irrigation. But it wasn’t until after the BP oil spill in 2010 that most
Nebraskans became concerned. Suddenly, small groups of people gathered in living
rooms, churches and cafes to discuss what might happen in the event of a spill
or leak. ....
for the rest of it, CLIK HERE ...
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LOUDER THAN
A
!BOMB! 2013:
Katharen Hedges
2nd: Marian HS: Haley Minnick
results from the NE
state Individual Slam meet, at Andersen Hall, UNL, Sunday night the 21st!
1st: Lincoln North Star: Katharen Hedges
2nd: Marian HS: Haley Minnick
3rd: Bellevue West HS: Drew
Shifter
(
there originally was a TIE for first, so we had a Haiku writing contest to
decide - really!!!)
THE STATE
CHAMPIONSHIP SLAM-OFFS !
Lincoln High Slam TEAM WON the Team competition!
Friday night in Omaha, here come the Links!
First: Lincoln High!
second: Duchesne Academy!
third: Lincoln North Star!
fourth: Omaha Central!
congrats to all the fine work, immense effort, and superb sportsmanship shown by all teams!
congrats to our Lincoln teams: North Star, with coach Stacey Waite & friends, who brought a first-year team into state!!
congrats to Lincoln High, with coaches Andrew Ek & Katie F S, and creative writing teacher Deborah, and a so-fine group of team-members and big-time supporters from all over Lincoln High!
see FB page Louder than a Bomb Omaha
and the Lincoln Journal Star's fine article (Journal Star reporter Margaret Reist was at the Finals, sitting in front of us, typing/editing/cheering madly to write this article! Way to go, Margaret! )
Lincoln High Slam TEAM WON the Team competition!
Friday night in Omaha, here come the Links!
First: Lincoln High!
second: Duchesne Academy!
third: Lincoln North Star!
fourth: Omaha Central!
congrats to all the fine work, immense effort, and superb sportsmanship shown by all teams!
congrats to our Lincoln teams: North Star, with coach Stacey Waite & friends, who brought a first-year team into state!!
congrats to Lincoln High, with coaches Andrew Ek & Katie F S, and creative writing teacher Deborah, and a so-fine group of team-members and big-time supporters from all over Lincoln High!
see FB page Louder than a Bomb Omaha
and the Lincoln Journal Star's fine article (Journal Star reporter Margaret Reist was at the Finals, sitting in front of us, typing/editing/cheering madly to write this article! Way to go, Margaret! )
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and, not
NEW news, but still sadly crushing for many here in Lincoln and Nebraska writer
scene:
The Nebraska
Summer Writers Conference
is currently on
hiatus
and
will
not
be offering
workshops
in
2013
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the Winter 2013 edition of The MacGuffin is finally out--now that it's spring! Local writer Shoshana Sumrall Frerking's story, "This is How I Know You," appears in it.
click here for info on MacGuffin
the Winter 2013 edition of The MacGuffin is finally out--now that it's spring! Local writer Shoshana Sumrall Frerking's story, "This is How I Know You," appears in it.
click here for info on MacGuffin
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ocal writer and activist Mary Pipher has an article in the Local View area of the March 27 Journal Star that bears repeating --
Here it is, and CLIK HERE for the full commentary -- way to go, Mary!!
Pipeline concerns haven't diminished
By MARY PIPHER, Lincoln author, speaker.
"I am writing in response to the Journal Star editorial March 11 ("Last call on the pipeline"). I am a lifelong Nebraskan, a grandmother and the author of a book coming out in June that required me to study climate change. I also write as one who has closely followed the Keystone XL pipeline story for over two years.
I was dismayed by the aforementioned editorial. The first line compliments President Barack Obama for holding a hearing in Nebraska. Of course, I am grateful to him and urge our citizens to participate in that State Department hearing. But make no mistake, we Nebraskans are responsible for the hearing. We have been the people who protested TransCanada's assault on our natural resources and on the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers. Because of concerned Nebraskans' sustained attention to the problems with TransCanada, we have sparked a national discussion about this pipeline.
Unfortunately, the concerns of many Nebraskans have not been allayed in the slightest.Landowners are frightened of losing their property rights. Nebraskans from Spencer, to Fullerton, to Omaha are concerned about the contamination of the Ogallala Aquifer, rivers and wells. Water, soil and wildlife experts, not tied to the oil industry, have many worries and they were not consulted during the recent Department of Environmental Quality review.
Many safety issues have not been addressed. The public does not know what kinds of chemicals are in the tar sands sludge. We know it contains some highly toxic and carcinogenic substances, including benzene, but TransCanada will not reveal what is in their "proprietary" toxic goop. This means, among other things, that we cannot plan in advance to protect ourselves in case of a leak or spill. First responders cannot prepare for emergencies or respond quickly afterward. Furthermore, how can we say a situation is safe and under control when we don't even know what we are dealing with?
The recent impact report cited by the Department of Environmental Quality was a green wash. It says the new route avoids the Sandhills, but TransCanada did not change the route as much as it changed the map. According to TransCanada's own 2008 map that was submitted to the State Department, the area it is planning to traverse still is in the Sandhills. Meanwhile, the word ?aquifer? has dropped out of the discussion entirely.
I also take exception to the editorial's phrase "dwindling but vocal minority of Nebraskans who oppose the pipeline." The issues are technical and complicated, and many Nebraskans don't quite understand the exact nature of our current situation. Yet, according to a recent University of Nebraska poll, 78 percent of rural citizens want the pipeline route to avoid the Sandhills and the Ogallala Aquifer. The new route does neither.
Farmers, ranchers, urbanites, Republicans and Democrats, students and senior citizens as well as Native peoples oppose this pipeline. More than 880 people attended the DEQ hearing in Albion on a Tuesday evening in December. More than 125 Nebraskans traveled to Washington, D.C., to stand in the wind and the cold Feb. 17 because they cared about stopping the pipeline. We Nebraskans have united around this issue in great numbers. No other cause in my 65-year-old memory has sparked so much passion.
This pipeline will not help the United States with energy independence or security. Instead, the oil TransCanada transports will be sold on the international market to the highest bidder. We Americans could shoulder the risks of this pipeline and yet experience almost none of its suggested benefits.
Finally, I would like to speak up for environmentalists, the people who want to give all the grandchildren of the world a good future. The Journal Star editorial suggests that either people want to protect Nebraska or they want to stop this pipeline and slow down our use of fossil fuels by converting to cleaner energies. I would humbly suggest this is not an either/or situation, but rather a both/and situation.
As a long-term opponent of the Keystone XL pipeline, I both care deeply for our state and I want to work for a cleaner world. The two goals are not antagonistic, but deeply related. "
...........
this Local View is from the Journal Star, March 27, responding to a Journal Star
editorial board piece.. CLIK HERE FOR THAT
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more books and workshop news:
Fred Zydek, writer living here in NE, writes about a new book of his, a memoir, "The Songs of Angels" ... ( see also http://fredrickzydek.com/ for this other titles by Fred ) :
When my goddaughter was born, her parents weren’t Roman Catholics anymore, but her paternal grandmother was. And Grandma really wanted the infant baptized. Her parents didn’t want a real priest to do it but agreed to have a ceremony at their home if I could do it. I accepted. Not many people know that it doesn’t take a priest to baptize someone. Any baptized person can do it. Who knows - maybe anyone can do it.
And I promised the baby girl’s grandma that I would do my best to get her to mass. I managed a mid-night Christmas mass or two - but that’s about it. Come to think of it, I believe Grandma was with us on a few occasions - and after Grandma passed, I think my goddaughter was only willing to go one last time - but as a tribute to her grandmother, not as a participant in the liturgy of the season.
Humanists exist at all points on the Bell Curve of life. Some of us occupy positions at the “persons of faith” end of the curve, and others occupy positions of Atheism and often as latent (and sometimes blatant) Agnostics. But before I understood and accepted the fact that my goddaughter would not be listed among those who celebrate and feel gratitude for a Divine Animating Principle (usually called “God.”) - I wrote a spiritual fantasy for her about the Archangels. I got the idea from a commentary in an ancient Midrash note that insisted the Archangels were commissioned by God to write and perform music (with the help of cherubims and saraphims, of course) for each phase of creation and each thing created. An enormous task when one understands that there are only four archangels. (I’ll bet you can name three of them right now - but will struggle for the name of the fourth.)
Of course the Archs (as they’re called by those who know them well) won’t have names until Adam comes along. It is, after all, his job to name things. (Think of it! Man had to create his own language!)
And there will be problems for the Archs. After all, how do you understand the concept of matter, or the difference between soft things and hard things, or sharp things and dull things, or hot things and cold things - when you haven’t a clue what things are because you haven’t a clue or ever experience anything made of atoms - because they are matter and you are not. But it may also be true that both matter and Angles are created from the same thing. Light.
And just wait until one of those Archs finds out that while they have been told that human kind will be created “a little lower than the angels” . . .humans can do something not even Archs (the highest form of consciousness in the celestial realm) can do - reproduce after its own kind. And what’s worse - it turns out that even something as lowly as a blade of grass can do it - but not Archangels. That’s going to make one of the archs pretty mad. His music is going to become much more like Stravinsky and Mahler than the music of the other archs.
I never gave the story to my goddaughter, although she was already an avid reader by the time I finished writing the story. By that time she was pretty much of the opinion that Jesus and the tooth fairy had a lot in common and she really didn’t want to be evangelized in any way. I felt like giving her the story could appear as an attempt to convert her to her Grandmother’s faith. It was clear that the fruit had not fallen very far away from the tree, and her that her parents appreciated that while she embraced sound and generous feelings about social justice and the human condition, like they did, she also embraced their distain for organized religion.
And I forgot about the story for a while. Then one day, while looking for a copy of my first novel (The City Camp Adventure) so I could revise it ONE MORE TIME - I found The Songs of Angels. I read through it. Did a minor revision here and there - and sent it off to my publisher for consideration.
Well - it’s ready. You can find out more about it at my web site (go to Fredrickzydek.com ) or click on the link below. It will take you there. You’ll find links to Amazon.com or one that will take you directly to my publisher’s manufacturer in case you don’t have an account with Amazon or don’t like shopping there. You can also order it from you local bookstore - but that takes a couple of weeks. Me? I love Amazon. I even shop for coffee there. I did all my Christmas shopping right here at my PC. And there was frosting! They wrap the gifts!
But I warn you. These aren’t your grandmother’s angels. They can be very funny. One of them can be rude as hell. They’re going to make you laugh and sometimes wish you could actually hear the music I write about. And you may cry.
I know most of you are going to be hit with a massive email blast from my publisher in a week or two. (I gave them every email I had) but I'm so excited about this book, I wanted to let you know about it right away.
I love this story. It’s a novella . . . about half the length of Old Pinhead. Let me know what you think about the story. I think this is the kind of book you’re going to like enough to purchase copies for birthday and Christmas gifts.
I dedicated the story to Nora Borgstrom. Some of you may know her. She’s Pat Borgstrom’s daughter. A Buckley kid. Nora is one of the angels in my life. I think of her as a kid sister.
Click here: Books | Fredrick Zydek
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SP CE is a writing room on the 2nd floor of the 14th & O building, downtown Lincoln:::: go up the stairs next to Novel Idea Bookstore on N 14th, veer right at the top, look for SP CE on the DOOR::::
every Saturday at 2pm, come up to talk writing -- see the FB page at:
https://www.facebook.com/spZce
How SP CE Writer's Group Works:
People who are interested in discussing writing come to SP CE every Saturday at 2 p.m.People who want their writing discussed bring copies of their writing.
All forms of writing are welcomed, but new or actively in-progress works are especially encouraged.
Everyone's writing is discussed for 10-15 minutes.
Those who want a bit of a challenge are encouraged to write for the prompt.
The prompt is: hair
Good times!
For those who wish to be further involved:
Prior to Writer's Group, there will be an Open Meeting where anyone can come and join in on a discussion of plans, goals, and ideas for SP CE as a collective entity. The Open Meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. and will be held before every Writer's Group.
After Writer's Group, anyone who is interested in continuing a dialog in a more casual setting is invited to reconvene at Yia Yia's* to partake in food and drink and further conversation.
*reconvening location subject to change
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ConStellation IV - A New Hope
Lincoln's own national Science Fiction Convention
is coming April 19-21!!
( http://www.constellationne.net/ for more info)
We are proud to announce the 2013
Louder Than a Bomb
Lincoln High School Slam Poetry
Team
(there will
be four individual performances, and a four-person group slam
piece)
In
alphabetical order:
Lillian
Bornstein
Reagan
Myers
Rawson
Ngoh
Elaine
Samsel
Itahi
Sanchez
Paul
Schack
Katherine
Stangl
Natalie
Wiebelhaus
Alternates:
Charlie
Curtis-Beard
Bobbi
Dyas
Thanks to
our judges:
Jen
Davis-Korn, Eric Holt, Charlene Neely and Rex Walton
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Rex Walton has left the helm at Crescent Moon Coffee's 10-year reading Series, Poetry at the Moon. NOW, Crescent Moon Coffee is continuing the series as a weekly Open Mike, with occasional themes and guests, but THE OPEN MIKE CONTINUES!!!!!
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
1. continue to drop in, listen, read, and spread the word about a place to congregate as writers -
2. VOLUNTEER to be a once-in-a-while MC for the event - contact Melinda at Crescent Moon to be put on a list: crescentmoon@inebraska.com
3. GET OUT IN THE community, and use your writing skills to promote active movements in intellectual circles, social needs, political moves, ...
4. Keep Writing, talking, thinking as an aspiring ACTIVE citizen of our city, county, state, country - Democracy works when WE work to keep it active - if you can read and write with a thinking, critical eye, YOU can make a difference - I cite the current wave of activists such as (but certainly NOT limited to) Mary Pipher, Ben Gotschall, Mike Flood, Jane Kleeb, Dave Kramer, Chuck Hagel, Kate Witek, Kim Robak, ... and, you add to this list
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( Ed is trying to find a downtown Kearney venue to host a continuance of their reading series - if you know of one, please send him a note at: bookends@rcom-ne.com )
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newest book out by Barbara Schmitz!
"Path of Lightning"
Author and poet Barbara Schmitz offers a heartful, funny, and deeply moving "spiritual autobiography" that brings the reader along on each stage of her fervent inner quest for mystical experience. Beginning with a Catholic girlhood in Nebraska, she graduates to an unlikely apprenticeship with Allen Ginsberg at the Naropa Institute; a dedicated transcendental meditation practice; and finally to thirty years of joys and struggles with a Sufi teacher (Shahabuddin Less) with whom she travels to Bali, Turkey, India, Kashmir, and the Holy Land. Incisive as lightning-the meaning of her Sufi name, Vajra-her questions and yearning are our own, and she doesn't let God, her teacher, or herself off the hook.
GO HERE to order the book...
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Lincoln professor Joy Castro's book, "Hell or High Water" has been optioned for a movie by Zoe Saldana and friends ... READ HERE
"Hell Or High Water follows New Orleans reporter Nola Céspedes as she is dragged into the city’s post-Katrina underworld on the trail of what she thinks will be her big scoop. The novel was released July 17 by Thomas Dunne Books and was called one of the best books of 2012 by The Kirkus Review."
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Nebraska author news!! emily m. danforth is one of five nominees for the 2013 Morris Award, given for a first-time young adults' book author! emily graduated from UNL last year with an MFA in fiction ....
The Miseducation of Cameron Post, written by emily m. danforth, published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
On the same day that 12-year-old Cameron kisses her best friend, Irene, her parents are killed in a car accident. Nearly crushed with guilt, Cameron spends the next several years in self-imposed gay-movie therapy with her VCR or drinking and smoking pot with her track and swim team friends, gradually coming to terms with her sexuality. It’s not easy being gay in rural 1990s Montana, and it’s harder still when your aunt drags you to an Evangelical church every weekend — where you meet the girl of your dreams.CLIK HERE for more ---
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Doug Smith of the Lincoln Arts Council sends us this:
How can I make a living with my art?
Where is the most colorful art for giving this season? What are they going to do with Canopy Street?
How can First Friday get more attention?
What’s up with Union Plaza on Antelope Creek?
Why don’t ducks wear shoes?
If these questions matter to you, and they should (mostly), we suggest that you seek the answers with the ever-changing group of people who join our Creative Conversations at the Mill in the Haymarket on Fridays from 8:30am to 10:00am.
Doug Smith of the Lincoln Arts Council sends us this:
How can I make a living with my art?
Where is the most colorful art for giving this season? What are they going to do with Canopy Street?
How can First Friday get more attention?
What’s up with Union Plaza on Antelope Creek?
Why don’t ducks wear shoes?
If these questions matter to you, and they should (mostly), we suggest that you seek the answers with the ever-changing group of people who join our Creative Conversations at the Mill in the Haymarket on Fridays from 8:30am to 10:00am.
We
focus on the arts, but aren’t above contemplating the higher mysteries of life.
We can promise you great coffee, great conversation, and a chance to make a
difference in the lives of every Lincoln resident. Join
us.
Doug
Smith --- doug@artscene.org
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Nebraska Book Awards, 2012:
2012 (13th annual) for books published in 2011
Anthology:
Aspects of Robinson: Homage to Weldon Kees, edited by Christopher Buckley and
Christopher Howell
Publisher: The Backwaters
Press
Anthology Honor:
Women on the North American Plains, edited by Renee Laegreid and Sandra
K. Mathews
Publisher: Texas Tech University
Press
Cover/Design/Illustration:
First Telegraph Line across the Continent: Charles Brown’s
1861 Diary, edited by Dennis Mihelich and James E. Potter
Publisher: Nebraska State Historical
Society Books
Designer: Reigert Graphics
Cover/Design/Illustration Honor:
Flushed During Play: 51 Pet Rodent
Deaths,
compiled by Jeff
Lacey
Artwork: Calvin Banks
Publisher: Rogue Faculty
Press
Fiction:
To Be Sung Underwater, by Tom
McNeal
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Nonfiction: Biography:
Rattlesnake Daddy: A Son's Search for His
Father,
by Brent
Spencer
Publisher: The Backwaters Press
Nonfiction: History:
The Rhythm Boys of Omaha Central: High School Basketball at
the ‘68 Racial Divide, by Steve Marantz
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Nonfiction: Nebraska as Place:
Portraits Of The Prairie: The Land That Inspired Willa
Cather,
by Richard
Schilling
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Nonfiction: Reference:
Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska and the Great
Plains,
by Jon
Farrar
Publisher: University of Iowa Press
Poetry:
Dirt Songs: A Plains Duet, by Twyla M. Hansen and Linda M.
Hasselstrom
Publisher: The Backwaters Press
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Ted Kooser's Poem Inspires a Film!
A
short film by Dan Butler, inspired by Ted Kooser's poem "Pearl" has been making the rounds of the
film festivals, and the New England Festival has put it
online.
(CLICK HERE for online
version
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Melissa Homestead Receives Honorable Mention by the Society for the Study of American Women Writers for its first Edition Award
An
edition of Catharine Sedgwick's novel Clarence,
co-edited by English department faculty member Melissa J. Homestead, has been awarded
an Honorable Mention by the Society for the Study of American Women Writers for
its first Edition Award. The SSAWW Edition Award is given every three years at
the Society for the Study of American Women Writers’ conference to recognize
excellence in the recovery of American women writers. First published in 1830,
Sedgwick's novel of manners is set in New York City in the 1820s. Co-edited by
Homestead and Ellen A. Foster (Clarion University of Pennsylvania) and published
by Broadview Press, the edition features an introduction authored by Homestead
focusing on Sedgwick's place in transatlantic literary culture and her
imaginative engagements with New York City and the Caribbean, as well as a
selection of contextual documents and images.from the Bookguide at Lincoln city Libraries:
..... and, the Selection for the
2012 One Book - One Lincoln
is:
Destiny of the Republic
by Candice
Millard!
Readers in Lincoln cast their votes in June and July, and by an overwhelming majority, the tome you all selected for this year's One Book - One Lincoln title was Millard's engrossing look at the assassination of President James A. Garfield.
You can visit this year's official One Book - One Lincoln website for resources related to this year's selected title. The special programs for this year are still being finalized, and we'll announce those on the libraries' website, on Facebook, and via the One Book - One Lincoln e-mail list and Blog as soon as possible.
Thanks for your continued support for One Book - One Lincoln -- we look forward to another Fall of engaging discussions and informative programming related to the selected book!
Readers in Lincoln cast their votes in June and July, and by an overwhelming majority, the tome you all selected for this year's One Book - One Lincoln title was Millard's engrossing look at the assassination of President James A. Garfield.
You can visit this year's official One Book - One Lincoln website for resources related to this year's selected title. The special programs for this year are still being finalized, and we'll announce those on the libraries' website, on Facebook, and via the One Book - One Lincoln e-mail list and Blog as soon as possible.
Thanks for your continued support for One Book - One Lincoln -- we look forward to another Fall of engaging discussions and informative programming related to the selected book!
BookGuide
The readers' services page of the Lincoln City Libraries
Lincoln, Nebraska
http://www.lincolnlibraries.org/depts/bookguide/front.htm
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Kwame
Dawes, professor of
English and Glenna Luschei Editor of Prairie Schooner, has received
a John Simon Guggenheim
Memorial Foundation Fellowship. He is among 181 scholars, artists and scientists in the United
States and Canada who were selected for the honor from nearly 3,000
applicants.
The fellowship will support his work on the poem cycle, “August: A Quintet,” which is based on the work of August Wilson, an American playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner whose work illustrated the African-American experience in the 20th century.
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The fellowship will support his work on the poem cycle, “August: A Quintet,” which is based on the work of August Wilson, an American playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner whose work illustrated the African-American experience in the 20th century.
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UNL professor Joy Castro's forthcoming debut
novel, Hell or High Water, has been
chosen as the September
2012 Book of the Month by the Las Comadres and Friends National Latino Book
Club. It's good national publicity for a first novel: there are book club
chapters all over the country, and Joy will be doing teleconferencing in
September.
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UNL
professor Wheeler Winston Dixon's book A History of Horror (Rutgers UP) has been chosen by Choice,
the ALA Library Journal, as an Outstanding Academic Book of the Year for 2011. As Choice notes, their list of
Outstanding Academic Books "comprise[s] less than 9 percent of the titles
reviewed during 2011 and 2.5 percent of those submitted during that same time
span, [ensuring that] these exceptional titles are truly the 'best of the
best.'" In addition, A History of Horror will be released as an audio book by
Redwood Audiobooks in 2012, and has just gone into a second printing from
Rutgers.
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Rex Walton
rexwalton@windstream.net
Prairie Moon Reading & Music News
www.moonreading.blogspot.com
Tuesdays with Writers
www.tuesdayswithwriters.blogspot.com
Brownville Writers
www.brownvillewriters.blogspot.com
Prairie Moon Reading & Music News
www.moonreading.blogspot.com
Tuesdays with Writers
www.tuesdayswithwriters.blogspot.com
Brownville Writers
www.brownvillewriters.blogspot.com
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