I thought I’d take a quick break from the wonderful quiet of my writer’s residency at Prairie Center of the Arts, which I luckily was able to extend into August by the generous founders of PCA. Upon arrival, I realized, unexpectedly, that I had some research opportunities in the area. Though it’s too soon to tell what I’m working on, it is too much fun! In other PCA news, fantastic artist Kate Johnson has been posting interviews of other residents, such as Allison Lacher and Lauren Scanlon. More interviews to follow.

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.