Author: themuseumofamericana

  Neil’s Dreams The first girl I ever told I loved came to me from Cherokee Beach, a lakeside recreational area near my home of Bessemer, Alabama. Her name was Jean, and we were so shy with each other at the beach that we didn’t hold hands or say more than a few words as … Continue reading American Music Celebration — Terry Barr on Neil Young

Hello, Dolly For my thirty-third birthday in 2007 I drove down to Nashville from Wisconsin to see Dolly Parton on the hallowed stage of the Grand Ole Opry.  After the curtain came up, a stream of Nudie suits, cowboy hats, and colorful boots kicked off song after song like a well-oiled fiddle & steel guitar … Continue reading American Music Celebration — Stephen Roger Powers on Dolly Parton

Issue Six contributor John Zic ("The Borderlands") was happy to learn that his short story "A Secret Mother" was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by The Fabulist Words & Art. You can read the story at the Fabulist, at http://www.the-fabulist.org/2014/10/29/a-secret-mother/

the museum of americana is happy to announce that we are open to submissions for our Spring issue, which will be a special music-themed issue. We seek fiction, nonfiction, art, and photography, and of course songs, that explore and/or repurposes the cultural history of America's music, especially jazz, country, blues, rock n' roll. Please see our … Continue reading Call for Submissions for Music Issue

museum friends, this is just a quick note to let you know that our super-excellent seventh issue will be delayed a few weeks. Expect it to go live sometime in mid December. Thanks for checking in. We promise this issue will be worth the wait!

As a kid who only ventured into Detroit when my father was in the mood for a Tigers game or the jazz festival was in season, my early experiences with the city were pretty limited and sheltered. When I hit grad school, I developed a big fondness and interest in the place, and grew to … Continue reading A Detroit Anthology — Review by C.J. Opperthauser

Friends, please put your hands together for our Best of the Net nominees. And when you're finished, click on the titles below to re-read their excellent work.         Poetry Priscilla Atkins - "Letter to C, On the Road, Etc." Kathleen Kirk - "Making a Date" Monica Berlin - "It's true. There are … Continue reading Congratulations to our Best of the Net Nominees

Please put your hands together and welcome our newest member of the editorial staff, John McCarthy. Among other things, John will be leading the charge into print. The museum hopes to put out our first annual "Best Of" print anthology by the end of the year, with an eye toward other print projects in the future. John … Continue reading Welcome Assistant Editor John McCarthy

museum editor Justin Hamm's debut collection Lessons in Ruin (Aldrich Press) is now available for pre-order. Click here for more information. Bruce Guernsey, former editor of Spoon River Poetry Review and author of From Rain: Poems, 1970-2010, calls Lessons in Ruin "generous" and "wonderfully accessible and human poetry." Michael Walsh, author of The Dirt Riddles and winner of the Miller Williams Arkansas Poetry Prize, says, "With … Continue reading Editor Justin Hamm’s Debut Collection Lessons in Ruin

museum contributor Christopher Martin (Issue One) has not one but two new chapbooks coming out, and we’d like to share the ordering information with you so you don’t miss out on his thoughtful, moving poems. Everything Turns Away: Poems from Acworth and the Allatoonas is set to launch this Friday with La Vita Poetica Press. … Continue reading Contributor Christopher Martin Has Two New Chapbooks