This past Friday, I laughed hard and thought hard at Prairie Lights. I was part of an enthralled inter-generational crowd listening to Lyz Lenz discuss her debut book, God Land: A Story of Faith, Loss, and Renewal in Middle America. The book combines the personal and the political. Lenz analyzes the cultural work performed by … Read more
How do you make the most an author’s campus visit? How do you lay the groundwork? I’ve pondered these questions since I started teaching at Mount Mercy 26 years ago, back when my friend and colleague, the poet and essayist Jim McKean, directed our Visiting Writers Series. The questions have become more important to me … Read more
Last night I savored the University of Iowa production of The Wolves. The 2016 debut play by Sarah DeLappe features the pregame warm-ups of an indoor girls soccer team. The cast list identifies each of the nine high school juniors only by her jersey number, yet each girl possesses a distinct voice and story. I … Read more