Author: themuseumofamericana

Poet and museum friend Justin Evans talks to Western poet David Lee about his new book Last Call, retirement, and how his writing methods have changed with time. ~  ~  ~ A few months ago I was fortunate to share a phone conversation with my friend and mentor, David Lee.  He is the author of more … Continue reading Interview with David Lee

            Reviews editor M.E. Silverman is busy working on a handful of anthologies that might be of interest to our contributors and readers. See below for details. Call for poems about the body for new anthology Parts of the Whole: Poetry of the Body is looking for poems about the body. … Continue reading Three Anthology Opportunities

For those of you unfamiliar with David Lee’s poetry, you will have to adjust to the idea of narrative by way of colloquial vernacular. Lee’s ear for rural idiom and speech is impeccable, but not to be taken for granted. Some readers have found it necessary to find assistance in the reading by way of … Continue reading David Lee’s Last Call — Review by Justin Evans

the museum speaks to Issue Five contributor Keith Lesmeister about his flash piece "Under the Cottonwood Tree." We were struck by the juxtaposition in your flash piece “Under the Cottonwood Tree,” which places an iconic Iowa landscape against the backdrop of a cross-cultural relationship. Can you tell us what inspired the work? KL: The piece started with … Continue reading Q & A With Issue Five Contributor Keith Lesmeister

the museum talks to Issue Five contributor Allison Coffelt about her essay "The Mud Hut." “The Mud Hut” addresses what it’s like for friends and family to see a loved one enlist in the military and go to basic training. What led you to write about this particular topic? AC: I would say that rather than … Continue reading Q & A With Issue Five Contributor Allison Coffelt

Editor M.E. Silverman converses with Michigan poets Carol Smallwood (CS); Elinor Benedict (EB); Foster Neill (FN); and Robert Fanning (RF). In a grandiose style, how would someone introduce you to a crowded room? (CS): Carol Smallwood’s great grandparents homesteaded in Michigan; she has lived in Michigan all her life, and her children are Michiganders. While … Continue reading Interview With Four Michigan Poets

Issue Three contributor Kevin McKelvey interviews Midwestern writer Lee Martin. ~  ~  ~ Lee Martin’s novels, short stories, memoirs, and essays are infused with local history, geography, and culture, mostly from his native rural Illinois. But it’s not just setting.  He’s engaging local stories that became legends in the novels The Bright Forever (Pulitzer finalist) … Continue reading Interview With Lee Martin

Check it out: part two of Quiddity's radio program entitled "Finding Place in Placelessness," recorded in conjunction with the museum of americana's Midwest issue, is now live. In this segment, Midwestern Gothic editor Christina Olsen and the museum's own Justin Hamm talk about Midwestern literature. Here's the link: http://www.prx.org/pieces/112738-untitled-march-5-2014#description

Friends, we're excited to point you in the direction of Quiddity for the first part our Midwest-themed collaboration: a discussion with Issue Five contributor Monica Berlin and one of the museum's favorite fiction writers, Chad Simpson, about writing from the Midwest: http://quidditylit.com/?p=1109. And stay tuned: Issue Five is just around the corner, and Quiddity will have … Continue reading Monica Berlin and Chad Simpson on the Midwest @ Quiddity

Issue Three’s nonfiction includes Robert Iulo's essay on growing up in the parish of Old Saint Patrick’s in New York’s Little Italy. The essay, part history and part memoir, reveals what it was like going to church surrounded by a fortified wall built as protection against anti-Catholic nativists, and using an  eighteenth century graveyard for … Continue reading Interview With Issue Three Contributor Robert Iulo