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My Grandfather’s Diary
My maternal grandfather died peacefully two weeks ago, and going through his things the family discovered that he had kept a diary for much of his life. It is surprising that he lived to be 96 and no...
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Books Acquired Recently: Holiday Edition
My family exchanged gifts today rather than on the 25th. Here is a list of all of the books I was fortunate enough to receive: Bechdel, Alison. The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For. Boston: Houghton,...
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Two Recent Publications
I’ve recently had two publications appear online. The first is a review of Michael Moon’s book Darger’s Resources, which appears in both the print and electronic versions of the Rocky Mountain Review,...
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Books Acquired Recently
Gass, William. Willie Masters’ Lonesome Wife. 1968. Normal: Dalkey, 1989. I recently read about this novel, which includes a number of photographs, figures, and elements of typographical play. I am...
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Books Acquired Recently
Baym, Nina, ed. The Norton Anthology of American Literature Volume A: Beginnings to 1820. 8th ed. New York: Norton, 2012. —. The Norton Anthology of American Literature Volume B: 1820-1865. 8th ed. New...
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Ode to Mennonot
Mennonot, a zine “For Mennos [i.e., Mennonites] on the Margins,” published thirteen issues between 1993 and 2003 (though issue 12 appeared in 1999 and issue 13 did not appear until four years later)....
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Books Acquired Recently: Massachusetts Writers Edition
Espada, Martín. The Trouble Ball. 2011. New York: Norton, 2012. Espada gave a reading at my college this past Thursday, and I also had the privilege of having him speak in one of my classes. He is...
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Books Acquired Recently
Delany, Samuel R. The Mad Man. New York: Kasak, 1994. I found this copy of the first edition of The Mad Man, one of my favorite Delany novels, online in good condition and for a good price from one of...
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Books Acquired Recently
Bergen, David. The Age of Hope. Toronto: HarperCollins, 2012. Bergen is one of my favorite novelists, and I just found out that he has a new book out. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been published in the...
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Books Acquired Recently
Binnie, Imogen. Nevada. New York: Topside, 2013. As I mentioned in a recent post, I ordered this book from the publisher (Topside Press is a fantastic new venture dedicated to publishing transgender...
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Books Acquired Recently: Mostly Mennonite/Mostly Canadian Edition
I’ve been thinking and writing about Mennonite literature a lot lately, and this latest round of book-buying includes some of the earliest novels published in the field. It also includes one of the...
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Books Acquired Recently: More Canadian Mennonites Edition
D’anna, Lynnette. fool’s bells. Toronto: Insomniac, 1999. D’anna is the pen name of Lynnette Dueck, a Canadian writer of Mennonite origin. A friend who knows that I am interested in the intersection...
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Books Acquired Recently
Acker, Kathy. Bodies of Work. London: Serpent’s Tail, 1997. —. Don Quixote. New York: Grove, 1986. I love Kathy Acker, and have been meaning to read Don Quixote for quite a while now. I picked up...
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Books Acquired Recently
The Mennonite Encyclopedia, Volume II: D-H. Scottdale: Herald, 1956. The Mennonite Encyclopedia, Volume III: I-N. Scottdale: Herald, 1957. I bought Volumes I, IV, and V of The Mennonite Encyclopedia...
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Book Acquired Recently: Shirley Hershey Showalter’s Blush
Showalter, Shirley Hershey. Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World. Harrisonburg: Herald, 2013. Showalter was the president of my alma mater, Goshen College, when I was a student there, and...
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Books Acquired Recently
Deer Cloud, Susan. The Last Ceremony. Kanona: FootHills, 2007. I bought this book today after Deer Cloud’s poetry reading at Utica College. It is always fascinating to hear poets read their work, and...
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Books Acquired Recently
Bornstein, Kate. Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us. 1994. New York: Vintage, 1995. Bornstein, Kate, and S. Bear Bergman, eds. Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation. Berkeley: Seal, 2010....
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Books Acquired Recently
Gundy, Jeff. Songs From an Empty Cage: Poetry, Mystery, Anabaptism, and Peace. Telford: Cascadia, 2013. Jeff Gundy is one of my favorite poets, and he is also a friend of mine, so I buy anything he...
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The Ten Most Influential Books List
I recently participated in the Facebook meme that asks for a list of the ten most influential books on a person’s life. Here is my list with some brief comments: 1. boneyard by Stephen Beachy—This book...
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Book Acquired Recently: Stand Our Ground: Poems for Trayvon Martin & Marissa...
Osayande, Ewuare X., ed. Stand Our Ground: Poems for Trayvon Martin & Marissa Alexander. Philadelphia: FreedomSeed, 2013. I received this anthology from my father, who works with Osayande at...
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