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"The collection shows how everyday life can degenerate into disillusionment, leading to a hesitant desire to become someone different."
New review of ANTIPODES by Holly Goddard Jones. University of Iowa Press
Happy Pub Day to my friend and colleague, Holly Goddard Jones! ANTIPODES launches today from University of Iowa Press:
I super enjoyed Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory, and Family by Madhushree Ghosh, fresh off the press from University of Iowa Press! I hope you will too. :)
University of Iowa Press Spotlight!
Carolyn Chalmers's new book tells how, "Decades before the #MeToo movement, Chinese American professor Jean Jew M.D. brought a lawsuit against the University of Iowa, alleging a sexually hostile work environment within the university’s College of Medicine. Carolyn Chalmers was her lawyer.
This book tells the inside story of pioneering litigation unfolding during the eight years of a university investigation, a watershed federal trial, and a state court jury trial. They Don’t Want Her There is a brilliant, original work of legal history that is deeply personal and shows today’s professional women just how recently some of our rights have been won—and at what cost."
They Don't Want Her There is available now from University of Iowa Press!
I forgot to do #WhatchaReadingWednesday last week because I was traipsing around Chicago bookstores! I went to Uncharted Books, Women & Children First Bookstore, Quimby's Bookstore, Myopic Bookstore, and The Book Cellar––all fantastic!
Anyway, share what you're currently reading. :) I just finished Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory and Family by Madhushree Ghosh, the latest out from University of Iowa Press. It was excellent and I highly recommend! Stay tuned for a full review on Monday.
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT 📣
We are so excited to share more information with our community about the first-ever 📚 Great Bookmarks Challenge 🔖!!! The big event kicks of next Friday, April 8th and runs through May 18th. Scroll through to learn more about how to participate, find out what kind of prizes you could win, and check out this year’s locations.
The Great Bookmarks Challenge is a community-wide literary themed scavenger hunt. Participants will learn about our community's rich literary roots and contemporary happenings. Each station contains a unique writing challenge, so get ready to get creative and have fun! By visiting each station and submitting your entry as instructed below, you will have the chance to win all sorts of fun prizes from our generous area business partners.
Visit our website to learn more, download your maps 🗺, and set your intention to win all sorts of cool prizes.
Huge thanks to our partners, supporters, and friends! All raffle prizes were generously donated by our business and community partners. Huge thanks to Johnson County Conservation, Sidekick Coffee & Books, Iowa Book, Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department, University of Iowa Center for the Book, International Writing Program, Iowa City Public Library, North Liberty Library, Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature, Hancher, University of Iowa Press, Basta Pizzeria Ristorante, The Highlander Hotel, RAYGUNshirts, The Englert Theatre, Daydreams Comics, Beadology Iowa, The Iowa Children's Museum, New Pioneer Food Co-op, and others!
More info can be found here:
https://iywp.org/great-bookmarks-challenge
#iowacity #iowa #greatbookmarkschallenge2022 #iywp #scavengerhunt #universityofiowa #gohawks #uofi #unescocityofliterature #writingcommunity #writing #writemore #thingstodoiniowacity #libraries #parks #conservation #optoutside #explore #exploremore #thinkiowacity
Hello, please check out my new vlog, WILDLAND SENTINEL. This video features Iowa Department of Natural Resources conservation officer, author, and Hikowa artist Erika Billerbeck seeing her printed Hikeowa designs for the first time. A ride-along with Sergeant Billerbeck through Palisades-Kepler State Park in Mount Vernon, Iowa, and Hawkeye Wildlife Management Area in Johnson County, Iowa, as she recalls an incident she wrote about in her book, Wildland Sentinel: Field Notes from an Iowa Conservation Officer. University of Iowa Press, 2020. Band practice with The Complete Disaster and a ruck through South Sycamore in Des Moines, Iowa. Enjoy!
Tomorrow, 2/23/22, Sufiya Abdur-Rahman, discusses and reads from HEIR TO THE CRESCENT MOON, winner of the Iowa Prize in Literary Nonfiction from University of Iowa Press, at 5:30pm on Zoom (RSVP below). #antiracismUMD #CLCS_umd
Upon relocating from California to Iowa last winter, one of the first things I did was bundle up and hit the trails of the state parks and conservation areas. As a lover of the outdoors and hiking, I figured there’s no better way to get to know my new home state than to put miles down on foot. The second thing I did was go on the University of Iowa Press website and buy a stack of books detailing Iowa’s archaeological, political, agricultural, and natural history to read at home while thawing out from my snowbound rambles. It was a great and memorable winter of wandering through the trails and pages of Iowa.
One of the many books I purchased and read last winter was Wildland Sentinel: Field Notes from an Iowa Conservation Officer by Erika Billerbeck: Author of Wildland Sentinel. This book stood out as part heartfelt memoir, part thoughtful conservation essay, and a compassionate look into the life of a female law enforcement officer. Filled with humor, adventure, and tragedy, I read through it in a matter of days, often stopping to recount passages to my wife, Ann, and daughter Lucy.
I loved the artwork throughout the book, how it complimented and gave an even deeper dimension to the storytelling. It was no surprise then to discover the author herself did the art. This led me to reach out to Erika to see if she might be interested in doing some designs for a hiking brand I had dreamed up: Hikeowa. When she enthusiastically responded that she would, I decided it was time to take the Hikeowa idea from dream to reality. Erika sent me several drawings that would become the foundation for Hikeowa’s identity and our first product offering.
This past summer, I joined Sergeant Billerbeck for a couple of ride-alongs on water and land. Beyond the pages of her book, Sergeant Billerbeck gave me the opportunity to observe first-hand the work of an Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer and all that it entails. Out in the field, I learned even more about the job and Billerbeck as an officer and a person, which further strengthened my appreciation for her, her colleagues, and their efforts to protect Iowa’s natural areas.
Read the full-length story here:
https://www.hikeowa.com/erika-billerbeck
Photo: Madison Kim-photographer
“Every sentence in every story is nuanced and complete, creating layers of meaning in which loneliness and longing are palpable, woven into each word — then again, so is determination and fortitude.” New review of Cara Blue Adams’ YOU NEVER GET IT BACK. University of Iowa Press
