Our cover story is a profile of novelist-cum-cultural critic Francine Prose, whose eighth novel, Blue Angel, takes an unflinching look at academic and sexual politics, and the dark side of writerly ambition.
May/June 2000
Features
Tipping Sacred Cows: The Enlightenment of Francine Prose
A profile of Francine Prose.
Literary Success in the Midwest
Building the Center: How the Twin Cities Pioneered a Cultural Mecca
From Milkweed Editions and Graywolf Press to the Open Book center and Minnesota Center for Book Arts, literary outposts thrive in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
Homesteading Talent: New Issues Press Scouts the Unknown
A look inside the poetry press New Issues at Western Michigan University.
Bonfires of Humanity: Michigan's Rough Guide to Poetry
The Beach Bards and the Stone Circle in Michigan offer poetry performances under the stars every summer.
Does the Region Make the Man?
Wright Morris, in his photography and his prose, had an innovative way of evoking place.
Wright Morris's Field of Vision
Despite the span of his oeuvre, Nebraska writer Wright Morris was "arrested permanently on the brink of a major reputation."
News and Trends
The Feminist Press Celebrates 30 Years
The pioneering publisher of lost literary classics by American women and works by African American women continues to expand its reach after thirty years.
Four UMass Grads Establish Lit Mag
To the editors of jubilat, no subject is irrelevant to the poet.
Poetry Book Club Hits Cyberspace
The Academy of American Poets looks to grow its poetry book club initiative on the Web.
The Practical Writer
The U.K. Literary Journal Market: Where in the World to Get Published
A roundup of literary magazines from across the pond.
Putting the Work First: An Antidote to the Anxiety of Influence
Poet and literary journal editor Stephen Corey reveals his thoughts on editorial favoritism.
Reforming Rejection: Isn't Honesty the Best Policy?
More candid rejection letters might make better writers.
The Literary Life
Tales of a Literary Saloonkeeper: Running KGB Bar and Reading Series
The founder of the KGB reading series in New York City turned an old Ukrainian social club into a literary hot spot.
Writing Outside the Buffer Zone: Patricia Henley's Literary Activism
Novelist Patricia Henley channels her values through her prose.
Playing by Ear: Resist What Is to Find What Can Be
For one young writer, poetry is the best truth in uncertain times.