The Big Empty:
Contemporary Nebraska
Nonfiction Writers
Copyright © 2007
by Ladette Randolph & Nina Shevchuk-Murray
U of Nebraska P
How to Buy
|
A vast, barren landscape or a place of subtle natural beauty; the middle of nowhere or the gateway to the cultural and
historical riches of the West; many things to many people and a cipher to many more — the great state of Nebraska is
by force of circumstances a place of possibilities. What these possibilities are and what they promise are precisely what
the writers of The Big Empty tell us.
Exploring the state from its rural reaches to its urban engines, from its marvelous ecosystems to its myriad historical and
cultural offerings, these narratives evoke Nebraska in all its facets. Writers as diverse as Ron Hansen, Ted Kooser,
Michael Anania, Bob Kerrey, Mary Pipher, Delphine Red Shirt, and William Kloefkorn, among many others, bring a wealth of
perspectives and styles to topics such as the Oregon Trail and the Cheyenne Exodus, farming and Internet cafés, politics,
weather, and family secrets. The result is a portrait whose broad strokes and rich detail capture the mysterious character
of Nebraska.
Contributors: Michael Anania, Ron Block, Alan Boye, Bob Gibson, Merrill Gilfillan, Ron Hansen, John Janovy Jr, Paul
Johnsgard, Bryan Jones, Bob Kerrey, William Kloefkorn, Lisa Knopp, Ted Kooser, Kenneth Lincoln, Kem Luther, Mark Monroe,
Mary Pipher, John Price, Delphine Red Shirt, Michael Rips, Bob Ross, Joe Starita, Ruth Thone, Jack Todd, Robert Vivian,
Eamonn Wall, and Roger Welsch. — from the publisher
|
A Different Plain:
Contemporary Nebraska Fiction Writers
Copyright © 2004
by Ladette Randolph
U of Nebraska P
How to Buy
|
O Pioneers! was oh so long ago, and yet Willa Cather's masterpiece has proven to be an enduring template for
readers' notions of Nebraska writing. The short stories collected here, so richly various in style, theme, and subject
matter, should put an end to any such plain thinking about writing from this anything-but-plain state.
Nebraska writers all, the authors explore the Midwest, a vastness of small towns, corn, cattle, football, and family
businesses. They also venture far afield, to desolate western lives, crowded urban relationships, poignant couplings,
comic families, and the worldly idiosyncrasies of characters everywhere. Whether about aging or coming-of-age,
leave-taking or coming home, falling apart or finding love, these stories represent contemporary fiction at its
best, from the high style of Richard Dooling's "Immortal Man" to Kent Haruf's soft-spoken "Dancing," from Ron Hansen's
"My Communist" to Jonis Agee's earthy, offbeat "Binding the Devil." Original, spirited, and surprising, these
contemporary writings depict a modern world on the move and extend the tradition of great fiction from Nebraska
into the twenty-first century. — from the publisher
In this fine new anthology, Ladette Randolph ... an accomplished short story writer herself, assembles a strong
collection of stories all bound together by that familiar place on the national map that we call Nebraska. ... There are
some real gems in this book. . . . Taken in its entirety, A Different Plain reminds readers that there is a whole other
American literature that is often overlooked by those on either coast. — Bloomsbury Review
|
This Is Not the Tropics
Copyright © 2005
by Ladette Randolph
U of Wisconsin P
How to Buy
|
The stories collected in This Is Not the Tropics come from the geographic center
of a divided nation, and its protagonists evoke a split personality — one half submerged
in America's own diehard mythology, the other half searching to escape tradition.
Together they form a portrait of the Plains that is both quirky and poignant.
While the themes in this collection are familiar —
love and betrayal, loneliness and regret, the needs of the individual versus the needs of
the community — the stories themselves are startling and new. Whether it is the story
of an eccentric, out-of-work accordion player; a woman ending a long marriage against the
backdrop of a visit from her failing mother; a young girl who wishes to solve a mystery
until real mystery enters her life; two sisters who watch as their mother battles an
entire town, including their father; a man who comes to be suspicious of his new
girlfriend's stalker story; or all of the men in a small Nebraska town who annually
compete in a hilariously earnest beauty pageant, these are tales that speak of the
lives lived in the small towns, the prairie cities, and on the dirt roads off blue
highways in the middle of nowhere and everywhere. — from the publisher
Ladette Randolph's stories have the sly, subtle intensity of a snake gliding through grass.
They sneak up on their characters and the reader alike, invoking humor, grace, and wisdom
before pouncing on us with exhilarating
epiphanies that are as dark and brutal as they are hopeful. — Meghan Daum
An accomplished, engaging debut collection that displays an impressive range. These are
wise, heartfelt, and graceful stories. — Marly Swick
Ladette Randolph's stories sink their teeth into the deep Nebraska Midwest the way that
Flannery O'Connor tore into the heart of Georgia. There's a wonderfully sly, deadpan
sweetness at work here, so that it may take a moment to realize how odd and twisty the
stories are. Randolph seems like such a nice, earnestly polite young woman —
and then suddenly your wallet is missing and she's driving away in your car! These are
beautifully crafty, beguiling stories: witty, wise, and wicked. — Dan Chaon
These are stories of compassion and surprising generosity, as characters who have been
trapped find escape, who have been lonely find company, and who have endured loss face
not sorrow, but transformation. — Erin McGraw
An utterly remarkable debut collection ... offers up a
clear-eyed portrait of the Plains, marked by heartache, fear, loneliness
and regret ... Quite honestly, this is the finest collection I've seen in years.
— Publishers Weekly
|
What the Critics Say
