Fiction:

• Jennifer Weiner, Then Came You
• Ann Patchett, State of Wonder & Bel Canto
  
• Rachel Simon, The Story of Beautiful Girl
• Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus
• Suzanne Collins, the Mockingjay trilogy & and the Gregor the Overlander series 
• Louis Sachar, Holes
• Scott Westerfeld, Uglies & Pretties

Poetry:

• Leah Browning, Making Love to the Same Man for Fifteen Years
• Julia Cohen, Samaritan & The History of a Lake Never Drowns
• Jane Kenyon, Otherwise
• Sandra Kohler, The Ceremonies Of Longing
• Andrena Zawinski, Something About
• Ryn Williams, Adonis Garage

Other:

• the current issues of Blue Collar Review, Poet Lore, The Writer’s Chronicle, Crab Orchard Review, Poets & Writers, and The Journal
• many, many student papers

Earlier versions of the poems in this chapbook have appeared in Arabesques Review, Erosha, Illya’s Honey, Mixed Fruit, Niederngasse, Sketch, Specs, Spittoon, Swans, Tar Wolf Review, two poems,“Promise” and “Bundling,” first appeared in a limited edition series of broadsides with artwork by Kate Johnson, and two are forthcoming in an anthology that features Nebraska Women poets.

Yay!

The English Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is posting its recent news of publications, awards, and achievements. As a lecturer, I’m on their website, too.

I have poems in the current issues of Mixed Fruit, The Adroit Journal, SN Review, and in the anthology Science Poetry (McAlister, Neil Harding, 2011).

In past publications, Colere has digitized some of its earlier issues including my essay “The Possible Length of Touch.” Forthcoming, I have poems in Feminist Studies, Spittoon, and an essay in Dispatches from the Classroom.

No Name Readings Series is now available on iTunes, including my readings in November and March last year. 

Finishing Line Press has posted my upcoming readings.

Wonderful poet and editor Cati Porter posted a self-interview of her recent doings, including blurb writing for my forthcoming book SPRUNG.

Zomobo linked to my broadside collaboration with Kate Johnson.

Speaking of broadsides, I mentioned in my last post I have four prints left (two of “Posturing” and two of “The Gift“) and after I posted that, I sold two more prints (one of “Bundling” and one of “Promise“). Thankfully. Kate still had both of those in stock. And then I got a surprise email from someone kind of famous who was impressed by my broadsides and all the sales. I’m impressed too! I didn’t know a little series of art and poetry would be so popular. I’m just as tickled. Thank you, by the way, all those who’ve taken a print or two home. If you still want one, let me know, and I’ll get them right to you.

At the Prairie Center of the Arts for my six weeks summer residency, one of my succors was to read, much as research, some as pleasure and fun, and occasionally as inspiration. Here they are, organized by genre:

Novels & Creative Nonfiction:

• Lisa See‘s Dreams of Joy
• Deborah Harkness’ A Discovery of Witches
• Geraldine Brooks‘ Caleb’s Crossing
• Jodi Picoult’s Perfect Match
• Anna Quindlen‘s Good Dog Stay and Being Perfect
• Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad
• Sara Gruen’s Ape House

As for research, I read hundreds of newspaper articles written by or about Matilda Fletcher, a ream of paper concerning family lore, photographs, and genealogical discoveries, a short stack of analytical texts, and the frequent google search when I needed to double-check something. For example, I discovered the meaning of the word shivaree.

As for poetry, I read an assortment of collections that included Margaret Gibson‘s Memories of the Future: The Daybooks of Tina Modotti, Jen Kindbom’s chapbook A Note on the Door, and several current issues of literary journals like Poet Lore and the inaugural issue of Haven.

I think I swam in words this summer.

This month Poet Lore, The Adroit Journal, and Insolent Aardvark accepted new poems of mine. A big thanks to the editors! I have a funny story about Poet Lore that I thought I’d pass along. Since finishing my dissertation on Matilda Fletcher, I’ve been doing research on other ancestors. One of them was a Jessie Wiseman Gibbs, Matilda’s stepdaughter, who published the collection of poetry OVERTONES in 1913. In looking at her acknowledgements page, Jessie lists Poet Lore. I thought that was great! In the 1910s Poet Lore published my great-great-great-aunt and a hundred years later in the 2010s Poet Lore has published my poems.

In teaching news, I’ll be teaching classes this year in the English Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Future students, you’re in for some fun essay assignments and great texts to read. Speaking of teaching, in uber-smart husband news, there’s a piece on UNL news on his Distinguished Educator Award and an article in his hometown newspaper the Bloomfield Democrat. Here’s his video.

Apple Distinguished Educator from adam wagler on Vimeo.

I also have poems in print in The Delinquent and Illya’s Honey and the anthology Multi Culti Mixterations: Playful and Profound Interpretations of Culture Through Haiku.

And a Sprung sneak peek: I’ve been talking to the amazing artist Lisa Link about having her work as the cover art of my book forthcoming from San Francisco Bay Press. Yeah! More on that soon.

And finally, a thank you to all of you who’ve ordered a copy of Branding Girls from Finishing Line Press. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! If you haven’t reserved your copy yet, there’s still time. The pre-sale period runs until January 5, 2011.

Wishing you Happy Holidays!

Second, I received my contributor’s copy of the current issue of Eclipse, which includes a great piece by Judith Slater, also a member of the UNL community. My piece, “Hypotheses (or In the Lake of the Woods) is a poem I wrote in response to the Tim O’Brien novel, a book I taught in one of my composition and rhetoric classes. The poem also appears in my poetry collection Ghost Girl. In 2008, Tim O’Brien was the writer-in-residence here. I was lucky enough to take his master workshop. It was an unforgettable experience.

Third, my contributor’s copy of the anthology hell strung and crooked from Unhook Press has also just arrived. Yeah! It includes  a great interview with Mark Doty. Speaking of the poet, I’ve read a few of his books, but my current favorite is his memoir Dog Years. It’s a wonderful book. One of the best memoirs I read last winter.

And finally, today is the first day of a new semester. I’m teaching a composition class and a poetry class. The latter is my favorite class to teach because it combines women’s studies, women’s literature, and creative writing into a class called English 253A: poetry writing: Women’s Poetry. Along with a few short essays, this term I’m teaching Anne Sexton’s Transformations, Louise Gluck’s Averno, Natasha Trethewey’s Bellocq’s Ophelia, Carole Oles’ Waking Stone, Denise Duhamel’s Kinky and Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux’s edited text The Poet’s Companion. It’s going to be an amazing class. I’m so excited!