Dr. Susanne George Bloomfield
English professor, 308.865.8867 OR bloomfields@unk.edu
Across the state this weekend, Nebraskans are reading A Different Plain: Contemporary Nebraska Fiction Writers in preparation for the 13th annual Nebraska Literature Festival, which will be held on the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus Friday and Saturday, Sept. 17-18.
This year, for the first time, Dr. Susanne Bloomfield, a UNK English professor and director of the Nebraska Book Festival, initiated a One Book/One Community project. Individuals and book clubs across the state are reading A Different Plain, a collection of short stories by writers who have lived in Nebraska.
While Nebraskans are familiar with well-known Nebraska authors such as Willa Cather and Marie Sandoz, reading the anthology is an opportunity to get to know contemporary writers with Nebraska ties, Dr. Bloomfield said. The festival will also give people the chance to meet and hear from the authors of the anthology.
The Nebraska Book Festival committee has created a discussion guide to accompany the reading of A Different Plain so that communities can read this anthology together. A link to the discussion guide, and more information about the festival, can be found at http://www.nebraskabookfestival.org
On Friday, Sept. 17, high school students from around the state will be on campus for a series of writing seminars. On Saturday, participants of all ages will take part in presentations and discussions on major Nebraska writers, both classic and contemporary, all types of writing, many venues of publishing, and on organizing and revitalizing book clubs.
The festival is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book and the Nebraska Humanities Council. Co-sponsors include the University of Nebraska Press, Kearney Public Library, Kearney Hub, Nebraska Library Commission and UNK.
