Buck Steichen is doing his best to endure the tribulations that accompany living in rural Minnesota during a time of drought, insect infestations, and other hardships. Buck eventually finds happiness with Ellie Eberling, and in July 1874, he marries her, purchases farmland, and builds a house. It seems Buck has realized the American dream-or so he thinks. Rough on Rats is an epic tale of a family's struggles in rural Minnesota as they do everything in their power to survive amid trying times. "The book captures your attention immediately and holds your interest throughout, wanting to find out what happens next to Buck. I think we can all relate to those who try so hard, only to be beaten down again and again." -Vicky Anderson, Otter Tail County Historical Society "I really enjoyed it. I actually found it easy and fast to read. I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next." -Mary Pfeffer, East Otter Tail County Museum
One of the founders of the posthumanities, Donna J. Haraway is professor in the History of Consciousness program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Author of many books and widely read essays, including the now-classic essay "The Cyborg Manifesto," she received the J.D. Bernal Prize in 2000, a lifetime achievement award from the Society for Social Studies in Science. Thyrza Nicholas Goodeve is a professor of Art History at the School of Visual Arts.
A comprehensive history of more than a century of sex research by a scholar who has been deeply involved in the field and who has known personally most of the players since Kinsey.
While analyzing Damon Runyon's high spirited work in terms of historical contexts, popular culture, and of the changing function of the media, Schwarz argues that in his columns and stories Runyon was an indispensable figure in creating our public images of New York City culture, including our interest in the demi-monde and underworld that explains in part the success of The Godfather films and The Sopranos . In his lively and exuberant chapters that include a panoramic view of New York City between the World Wars - with a focus on its colourful nightlife - Schwarz examines virtually every facet of Runyon's career from sports writer, daily columnist, trial reporter, and Hollywood figure to the author of the still widely-read short stories that were the source of the Broadway hit Guys and Dolls . As part of his discussion of Runyon's art and the artistry of Runyon's fiction, Schwarz skilfully examines the special language of the Broadway stories known as 'Runyonese', and explains how 'Runyonese' has become an adjective for describing flamboyant behaviour.
The 2020 issue showcases North Carolina expatriate writers, ranging from Harriet Jacobs, who moved north to escape enslavement in North Carolina to Glenis Redmond, who developed her poetic voice during her years living here in North Carolina and now travels over 35,000 miles a year bringing poetry to the masses, thus earning the title Road Warrior Poet." Between, find essays on other writers with North Carolina roots: Charles Chesnutt, Tony Earley, Lionel Shriver, and Stephanie Powell Watts. Read retired Emory Professor/Goldsboro native Jim Grimsley's interview with retired LSU Professor/Goldsboro native Moira Crone, featuring her own art. This interview was selected by Elaine Neil Orr to receive the 2020 John Ehle Prize. The issue's cover art is by A.R. Ammons, an Eastern North Carolina poet who spent most of his career teaching at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Also interviewed: Durham native/novelist/California television writer Gwendolyn Parker; poet Allison Adelle Hedge Coke, from her current residence in Hawaii; longtime Texas resident Ben Fountain, talking about growing up in Eastern North Carolina; and Raleigh native Mary Robinette Kowal, recipient of the three biggest speculative fiction awards, the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus, for her novel The Calculating Stars. Bringing up the oft-heard North Carolina remark, "You can't throw a rock in this state without hitting a writer," Editor Margaret Bauer notes, "It turns out that it might be dangerous for North Carolina writers if rocks are thrown anywhere, not just within the state's borders. The Old North State seems a fertile starting point, even if some writers do not remain." Despite these authors branching off to places far from Tar Heel soil, their writing roots are deep in North Carolina, and North Carolina has left its mark. The subject of one essay, Watts, for example, describes her novel as "The Great Gatsby set in rural North Carolina." And Hedge Coke says, "I am never really away from the land and waters there. ... Closing my eyes, [North Carolina] is always present." The Flashbacks section of the issue includes the 2019 James Applewhite Poetry Prize winner, "Meditation in a Glass House" by Wayne Johns; the other finalists selected for honors; and new poetry by the namesake of the award, James Applewhite, and former North Carolina Poet Laureate, Fred Chappell; the 2019 Doris Betts Fiction Prize winning short story "Something Coming" by Katey Schultz; the premiere Paul Green Prize essay by Rachel Warner about renowned author Zora Neale Hurston's brief residence in North Carolina; and an interview with Charlotte writer/musician Jeff Jackson.
The arrival of the 1980s saw millions living behind the Iron Curtain flee their homeland in search of a better tomorrow. Step-by-step, they trudged persistently to reach their dream of happiness. These were the Columbuses of the 1980s – risk takers who had the courage to test themselves and explore the notoriety of the western world first-hand. Was It Worth It is a modern odyssey spanning three continents and following one family’s path to a new, unfamiliar future. It tells of the characters’ struggle to adapt to foreign places, languages and customs. With settings in Lima, Paris, Ottawa, and exploring venues in other countries, the book offers readers an insight into what it takes to start from scratch in an unknown land. Did they find what they were looking for?
