Coralville Courier

Iowa Review to co-host Small Press Book Fair June 11 at Old Brick

The University of Iowa's literary magazine, the Iowa Review, and the Council for Literary Magazines and Presses will host a Literary Magazine and Small Press Book Fair from noon to 6 p.m. Thursday, June 11, at Old Brick, 26 E. Market St. in Iowa City. The free event will include the works of more than 100 local, regional and national publishers as well as the opportunity to speak with more than a dozen editors from various publications.

"By being able to browse and sample such a range of magazines and indie press books, readers are sure to find something that fits their tastes," Lynne Nugent, managing editor of the Iowa Review, said. "Each literary magazine has its own sensibility, and once you find one you connect with, you get to have a continuing relationship with it through each new issue."

Some attending editors include those from the UI-based publications the Iowa Review and 91st Meridian, as well as Poetry, Make: A Chicago Literary Magazine, Canarium Books and Milkweed Editions. Writers interested in submitting their work can gain insight from editors about how to get into the publishing world literary work that doesn't fit the mold of large corporate publishing houses. Almost all magazines will be available for $2 and books for $4.

Founded in 1967, the Council for Literary Magazines and Presses is the nation's only nonprofit support and advocacy organization serving the community of more than 500 independent literary publishers. This program is made possible in part through support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

For more information call the Iowa Review at 319-335-0462.

For UI arts information and calendar updates visit http://www.uiowa.edu/artsiowa. To receive UI arts news by e-mail, go to http://list.uiowa.edu/archives/acr-news.html and click the link "Join or Leave ACR News," then follow the instructions.

Robinson wins Orange Prize for 'Home'

University of Iowa Writers' Workshop faculty member Marilynne Robinson has been awarded the Orange Prize for Fiction for her third novel, "Home," the companion to her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "Gilead."

[Note: A new episode of "Conversations from the Iowa Writers' Workshop" featuring Robinson will air several times in June on the Big 10 Network. The program, produced by the UI Center for Media Production, airs at 9:30 p.m. June 16, noon June 18 and 11:30 a.m. June 19, all Central Daylight Time.]

Robinson received the award during a ceremony at London's Royal Festival Hall Wednesday.

Robinson beat five other female fiction writers from around the world for the Orange honor, which included a $48,000 cash prize. Fi Glover, chair of judges, described "Home" as a "kind, wise, enriching novel" that was "exquisitely crafted." Added Glover, "We were unanimously agreed -- it is a profound work of art."

"Home" portrays other characters in the Iowa town of Gilead. Bob Thompson wrote in the Washington Post, "Set in precisely the same time and locale as 'Gilead,' it revisits characters the author found herself unwilling to give up. Yet it is not a sequel. With different people's stories moved to center stage, 'Home' manages to be both intertwined with its predecessor and a work that stands alone."

A starred review in Publishers Weekly called "Home" "an elegant variation on the parable of the prodigal son's return."

"In giving an ancient drama of grace and perdition such a strong domestic setup, Robinson stakes a fierce claim to a divine recognition behind the rituals of home," the review stated.

In addition to winning the Pulitzer in 2005, "Gilead" won the 2004 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and the 2005 Ambassador Book Award and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. Her first novel, "Housekeeping," was a Pulitzer finalist two decades ago, when it won the PEN/Hemingway Award. In the intervening years she wrote two nonfiction books, "Mother Country" and "The Death of Adam."

In 1998, Robinson was selected by the American Academy of Arts and Letters to receive a Strauss Living, a five-year stipend totaling a quarter of a million dollars that was established to enable writers to focus entirely on their work without requiring other employment. The UI responded in a manner that is astonishing by the standards of most institutions: she was granted a five-year leave of absence.

But Robinson soon found that teaching had become an essential part of her life. After only 18 months on leave, she turned down the remainder of the stipend to return to the workshop.

The Writers' Workshop is a graduate program in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. More information about the program is available at http://www.uiowa.edu/~iww/.

Iowa City Book Festival set for July 18

As a UNESCO City of Literature, Iowa City is home to a vibrant community of readers, writers and bookmakers. This summer, a new festival will celebrate and investigate the city's literary connections. The inaugural Iowa City Book Festival will be held Saturday, July 18, in Gibson Square outside the UI Main Library's south entrance.

Presented by the University of Iowa Libraries and the University of Iowa Press, the festival will feature a mix of local and regional booksellers with new and used books for sale, a music stage, children's activities, food vendors, book arts demonstrations, readings and panel discussions.

The Shambaugh Author Series will bring a mix of local, regional and national authors from a variety of genres to the Festival. Additionally, how-to discussions and hands-on workshops will give festival-goers opportunities to interact in a small group setting with other readers, writers and local literary experts on a wide range of topics. Readings and discussions will take place primarily within the library.

Discussions will focus on how to find or start a book discussion group; how to get involved with adult literacy programs in Iowa City; how to write a literary blog; how writers use libraries and archives to research; and how to work with a writers' group. The workshops will provide hands-on opportunities to use library resources to find consumer health information, add historical context to genealogical research, or read reviews of the latest best-sellers.

This first year of the Iowa City Book Festival will also commemorate the acquisition of the Libraries' 5 millionth volume and the UI Press' 40th anniversary. To recognize this partnership, the Libraries selected one of the Press' recent publications -- "The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa," edited by David Hudson, Marvin Bergman and Loren Horton. In addition to adding the physical book to the Libraries' collection, staff are developing a digital, fully searchable version of the book in the Iowa Digital Library.

Bergman will be among the speakers of the Shambaugh Author Series and UI Librarians will demonstrate the functionality of the Libraries' digital version of this Iowa reference resource.

More information and updates about the Festival can be found at http://www.iowacitybookfestival.org.

Book review of a local author - Paschal Eze of Coralville

Author C. Paschal Eze, a widely traveled former daily newspaper and monthly business magazine editor-in-chief, notes: "My hope is that the compelling facts, figures and analysis in Don't Africa Me, including interview responses I got from professionals from a number of African countries, would help many readers challenge their stigma of Africa."

This is a must read, an eye-opening read! ~ The Coralville Courier