ÿþ<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"> <style type="text/css"> <!-- A { text-decoration:dotted } A:hover { line-height: 1.5em; font-size: 13px; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; color: black; background-color: #adca81} --> </style> <title>(downtown) omaha lit fest</title> <style type="text/css"> body { background-color: black; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; background-image:url(skylinebggreen.jpg); background-repeat: no-repeat; } #Container1 { position: relative; float: left; width: 49%; } #Container2 { float: left; width: 49%; } #MainSection { width: 650px; position: absolute; right: -325px; background: white; height: auto; } #SecondarySection1 { padding-right: 50px; background: white; } #SecondarySection2 { padding-left: 50px; background: white; } img.floatLeft { float: left; margin: 10px 20px 3px 0px; } </style> <style type="text/css"> <!-- .style15 {color: #000000} #navigation { margin: 0px; position: relative; top: 25px; } #content { color: black; line-height: 1.5em; word-wrap: normal; font-size: 13px; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; z-index: 99; left: 301px; width: 320px; top: -160px; position: relative; } #typewriter { margin-left: 12px; margin-top: 40px; z-index: 98; top: -200px; height: 215px; width: 268px; } h2 { font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 3px; text-transform: uppercase; text-align: left; line-height: 1.5em; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; } p5 { text-align: center; color: #adca81; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 1.5px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; } A:link { line-height: 1.5em; font-size: 13px; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; color: black; background-color: none } --> </style> </head> <body> <div id="Container1"> <div id="MainSection"> <div id="navigation"> <img src="/logo-plus-links2.jpg" usemap="#Map" border="0"> <map name="Map"> <area shape="rect" coords="60,105,125,121" href="http://omahalitfest.com/writers.html"> <area shape="rect" coords="170,105,230,121" href="http://omahalitfest.com/events.html"> <area shape="rect" coords="283,105,350,121" href="http://omahalitfest.com/donate.html"> <area shape="rect" coords="400,105,470,121" href="http://omahalitfest.com/aboutus.html"> <area shape="rect" coords="525,105,570,121" href="http://omahalitfest.com/links.html"> <area shape="poly" coords="71,92,279,61,280,12,152,17,59,30,70,93" href="http://omahalitfest.com/index.html"> </map> </div> <div id="typewriter"> <img src="/typewriter-image.jpg" height="215" width="268"> </div> <div id="content"> <h2>LIT FEST PANELISTS</h2> <p><strong><em>Defining Omaha: Writing about local arts & culture</em></strong> (Thurs, Oct 13, 5 pm, W. Dale Clark Library) </p> <p><strong>Leo Adam Biga</strong> (<em>Defining Omaha</em>, Thurs., Oct 13, 5 pm, W. Dale Clark library) has written and published articles in arts, entertainment, culture, social justice, history, sports and African-American subjects in publications such as Omaha Magazine, Omaha World-Herald, The Reader, Jewish Press, and Midlands Business Journal. He reported on the set of Alexander Payne s <em>Sideways</em>, covered an Obama inauguration trip a group of Nebraskans made, and profiled several Holocaust survivors. His first book, <em>Open Wide</em>, is out this fall. A comprehensive gallery of his work appears on his <a href="http://leoadambiga.wordpress.com">blog</a>.</p> <p><strong>Kim Carpenter</strong> writes about art and art history for magazines such as Art Papers, Modernism, Ceramics Monthly, and Review and is a staff writer for Sculpture Review magazine. She is the author and co-author of several books and artist catalogues including <em>Steve Joy: Uncreated Light</em>, <em>Catherine Ferguson: Aida</em> and <em>Georgetown Icons</em>.</p> <p><strong>Sally Deskins</strong> (<em>Defining Omaha</em>, Thurs., Oct 13, 5 pm, W. Dale Clark library) is a mother, wife, writer, figure model and arts events organizer. She keeps a blog supporting women in art called Les Femmes Folles and is a visual arts columnist for The Reader.</p> <p><strong>Sarah Baker Hansen</strong> (<em>Defining Omaha</em>, Thurs., Oct 13, 5 pm, W. Dale Clark library) is the food reporter at the Omaha World-Herald. She writes restaurant reviews and reports on food industry news and trends, such as grocery prices and food safety. She also contributes stories about home cooking and the visual arts. For the past decade, Sarah has been writing about the visual arts in Omaha and Lincoln for the World-Herald and the Omaha Reader. Previously she was the marketing and public relations director at the Sheldon Museum of Art in Lincoln, and the marketing and PR manager at the Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism. She lives in midtown Omaha. </p> <p><strong>Mike Krainak</strong> (<em>Defining Omaha</em>, Thurs., Oct 13, 5 pm, W. Dale Clark library) is the senior contributing arts editor for the Omaha Reader and a free lance writer in the arts and film. He is also currently an adjunct instructor in film studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a member of the founding editorial board of UNO s Journal on Religion and Film.</p> <p><strong>Jasmine Maharisi</strong> is an award-winning freelance writer whose work has been featured in a variety of local print and digital publications including the Reader, El Perico, the Omaha Fashion Week blog and more recently, Les Femmes Folles. In her writing, she loves to incorporate stylistic flairs from other genres, including poetry and creative nonfiction. But her favorite aspect of arts writing is interviewing other artists and writers who, in turn, pass along their creative inspiration. She is currently the Communications Coordinator for the State of Nebraska.</p> <p><strong>Rainbow Rowell</strong> is the author of the romantic comedy <em>Attachments</em>, one of Entertainment Weekly's Best Summer Reads. Her first young adult novel, <em>Eleanor & Park</em>, will be released by St. Martin's Press in Fall 2012. Rainbow lives in Omaha, where she is a columnist at the Omaha World-Herald.</p> <hr> <p><strong><em>The Process of Small-Press and Self-Publishing: Creative approaches to getting your story in print.</em></strong> (Saturday, Oct 15, 11 am, W. Dale Clark Library)</p> <p><strong>Cindy Grady</strong> is the Managing Director of <a href="http://www.writelife.com">WriteLife, LLC</a>, a collaborative book publishing company in Omaha, NE.</p> <p><strong>Liz Kay</strong> holds an MFA from the University of Nebraska, where she was the recipient of both an Academy of American Poets Prize and the Wendy Fort Foundation Prize for exemplary work in poetry. Her poems have appeared in, or are forthcoming from, such journals as Nimrod, The New York Quarterly, The Iron Horse Literary Review, Willow Springs, and Sugar House Review. She is a member of the boards of directors for the Nebraska Writers Collective and The Backwaters Press, and is a founding editor of burntdistrict, a journal of contemporary poetry.</p> <p><strong>Jeff Kurrus</strong> is a nature writer and Associate Editor of <em>NEBRASKAland</em> Magazine, an award-winning wildlife publication. A former University of Nebraska-Omaha graduate, he has also freelanced since 1999 with more than 200 published articles as a writer. His first book, a children's picture book entitled <em>Have You Seen Mary?</em>, debuts this winter.</p> <p><strong>Erin Pankowski</strong> is the marketing manager for Concierge Marketing Book Publishing Services, working with authors to assist them in finding new and innovative ways to market their books and to make sure that those books are compliant with publishing industry standards. She assists in the initial creation of book cover and interior design, as well as edits copy and creates marketing materials for each book.</p> <p><strong>Nancy Rips</strong>, The Bookworm and regular book review contributor to KMTV and KGOR-FM, is the author of <em>Seder Stories</em>, <em>High Holiday Stories</em>, and the soon to be released <em>Hanukkah Stories</em>. She's the immediate Past President of the Omaha Public Library Board of Trustees.</p> <p><strong>Wendy Townley s</strong> first book, <em>Nerdy Thirty</em>, was published in 2010. She holds a bachelor s degree in journalism and a master s degree in communication, both from the <a href="http://www.unomaha.edu/">University of Nebraska at Omaha</a>. Townley has also been blogging since 2003 at <a href="http://wendywriter.com/">www.wendywriter.com</a>.</p> <hr> <p><strong><em>The Process of Design: Members of AIGA discuss book covers.</em></strong> (Saturday, Oct 15, noon, W. Dale Clark Library); Panelists TBA.</p> <p><strong><em>Manufacturing Glamour: Building the beauty myths.</em></strong> (Saturday, Oct 15, 1 pm, W. Dale Clark Library)</p> <p><strong>Lauren Cerand</strong> is an independent public relations representative specializing in strategic consultation, whose clients this year include Barnes & Noble (for the <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/upstairs-at-the-square/index.asp"> Upstairs at the Square </a> series), the band <a href="http://japanther.com/">Japanther</a>, the <a href="http://www.authorsguild.org/">Authors Guild<a/> (gala), the urban and landscape designer <a href="http://www.balmori.com/">Diana Balmori</a>, and the novelists <a href="http://www.christopherbollen.com/">Christopher Bollen</a>, <a href="http://www.megcabot.com/">Meg Cabot</a>, <a href="http://www.tayarijones.com/">Tayari Jones</a> and <a href="http://www.teresesvoboda.com">Terese Svoboda</a>. Lauren is an advisor to digital media properties including Booktrack, Figment, Storyville, She Writes and Fictionaut, as well as the private investment firm, Level Equity. She writes about fashion and other topics of style at her blog, <a href="http://www.luxlotus.com">www.luxlotus.com</a>.</p> <p><strong>Josefina Loza</strong> is an entertainment reporter with the Omaha World-Herald. She covers the city's fashion and entertainment scenes and writes a nightlife column that runs every Thursday in Go, the newspaper's entertainment section. She recently covered Omaha Fashion Week, which features the talent of 40 local designers and more than 200 models.</p> <p><strong>Rachel Shukert</strong> is the bestselling author of <em>Have You No Shame</em> and <em>Everything is Going to Be Great</em>. Her reporting and essays have been featured on NPR, and appeared in McSweeney's, Salon, the Wall Street Journal, Slate, and the Daily Beast, to name a few, and she is a contributing editor at Tablet Magazine. Rachel is currently at work on <em>Starstruck</em>, a YA trilogy set in 1930s Hollywood, which will be published by Random House in the summer of 2012 and is currently in development as a TV series with Weed Road Pictures at Warner Brothers. She lives in New York City.</p> <p><strong>Carolyn Turgeon</strong> is the author of three novels: <em>Rain Village</em> (2006), <em>Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story</em> (2009), and <em>Mermaid</em> (2011). Her first middle-grade novel, <em>The Next Full Moon</em>, comes out in January 2012. She lives in Pennsylvania and New York. Visit Carolyn's mermaid blog at <a href="http://iamamermaid.com/.">iamamermaid.com/</a>.</p> <hr> <p><strong>{Afternoon literary salon; 2-5 pm; W. Dale Clark Library}</strong></p> <p><strong>2 pm</strong> (W. Dale Clark Library)<br> <strong>Jeffrey Koterba</strong> is a writer, musician, and cartoonist. His memoir <em>Inklings</em> was named a Chicago Tribune Favorite Nonfiction book of 2009. Entertainment Weekly called <em>Inklings</em>  & a powerful and moving portrait of an artist. Since joining the Omaha World-Herald in 1989, he has been a finalist for Editorial Cartoonist of the Year from the National Cartoonists Society and has placed second in the National Headliner Awards.</p> <p><strong>David Philip Mullins</strong> is the author of <em>Greetings from Below</em>, a collection of stories. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop, and his work has appeared in The Yale Review, The Massachusetts Review, Fiction, and elsewhere. He has won the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction and the Silver Pen Award from the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame, and has received awards from Yaddo and the Sewanee Writers Conference. He lives in Omaha, Nebraska, where he is an assistant professor of creative writing at Creighton University.</p> <p><strong>Rachel Shukert</strong> is the bestselling author of <em>Have You No Shame</em> and <em>Everything is Going to Be Great</em>. Her reporting and essays have been featured on NPR, and appeared in McSweeney's, Salon, the Wall Street Journal, Slate, and the Daily Beast, to name a few, and she is a contributing editor at Tablet Magazine. Rachel is currently at work on <em>Starstruck</em>, a YA trilogy set in 1930s Hollywood, which will be published by Random House in the summer of 2012 and is currently in development as a TV series with Weed Road Pictures at Warner Brothers. She lives in New York City.</p> <p><strong>3 pm</strong> (W. Dale Clark Library)<br> <strong>Rainbow Rowell</strong> is the author of the romantic comedy <em>Attachments</em>, one of Entertainment Weekly's Best Summer Reads. Her first young adult novel, <em>Eleanor & Park</em>, will be released by St. Martin's Press in Fall 2012. Rainbow lives in Omaha, where she is a columnist at the Omaha World-Herald.</p> <p><strong>Mary Helen Stefaniak</strong> is the author of two novels, <em>The Turk and My Mother</em> and <em>The Cailiffs of Baghdad, Georgia</em>, and a short story collection, <em>Self Storage. Cailiffs</em> was a winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, which recognizes books promoting cultural diversity. She divides her time between Iowa City, where she and her husband John live in a 150-year-old stagecoach inn they restored, and Omaha, where she teaches at Creighton University.</p> <P>Called "disturbing, edgy and provocative" by Book Magazine, <strong>Terese Svoboda s</strong> work is often the surreal poetry of a nightmare yet is written with such wit, verve and passion that she can address the direst subject. A "fabulous fabulist" according to Publisher s Weekly, Vogue lauded her first novel, <em>Cannibal</em>, as a female  Heart of Darkness. "Astounding!" wrote the New York Post about her memoir <em>Black Glasses Like Clark Kent</em>. Her fifth novel, <em>Pirate Talk or Mermalade</em> (2010), is  a strange and nastily beautiful book, --The Millions.  She will, of course, compared to Willa Cather -- and deservedly so, wrote Kurt Andersen about her new Bohemian Girl. Svoboda has taught at Columbia s School of the Arts, Bennington, New School, Sarah Lawrence, Williams and elsewhere. </p> <p><strong>4 pm</strong> (W. Dale Clark Library)<br> <strong>Jo-Ann Mapson</strong> is the author of ten published novels, most recently <em>Solomon's Oak</em> in October 2010 from Bloomsbury Publishers. <em>Solomon's Oak</em> was an IndiePick and won the 2010 American Library Association's RUSA Award for Women's Fiction. Her other books include <em>Blue Rodeo</em>, <em>Bad Girl Creek</em>, and <em>The Owl & Moon Cafe. Blue Rodeo</em> was made into a TV film, and three of her books have been LA Times' bestsellers. Her new novel, <em>Finding Casey</em>, will be published in October 2012 from Bloomsbury Publishers. <em>Solomon's Oak</em> sold to the UK, Australia, and was published in Polish, Chinese, and several other languages. She is core fiction faculty in the University of Alaska Anchorage's Low Residency MFA Program in Writing which she helped create. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her husband and four dogs, where she is at work on her next novel.</p> <p><strong>Timothy Schaffert</strong> is the author of five novels, most recently <em>The Coffins of Little Hope</em>, which received favorable reviews from the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, People magazine, and NPR s  Morning Edition, among other publications and programs. His next novel, <em>The Swan Gondola</em>, is set at the 1898 Omaha World s Fair.</p> <p><strong>Carolyn Turgeon</strong> is the author of three novels: <em>Rain Village</em> (2006), <em>Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story</em> (2009), and <em>Mermaid</em> (2011). Her first middle-grade novel, <em>The Next Full Moon</em>, comes out in January 2012. She lives in Pennsylvania and New York. Visit Carolyn's mermaid blog at <a href="http://iamamermaid.com/.">iamamermaid.com/</a>.</p> <p><strong>7 pm</strong><br> Discussion at 7 pm; followed by reception/exhibit at 7:30-8:30 pm.<br> <strong><em>Bohemian Girl</em>: An evening with Terese Svoboda</strong><br> on Cather, creativity, literary theft, and historical fiction.<br> KANEKO (11th and Jones)</p> <hr> <p><strong><em>Personal Effects: Poetry Inspired by Objects in Art.</em></strong> A poetry/art tour Joslyn Art Museum, 6:30 pm. (cost: Joslyn admission)</p> <p><strong>Arden Eli Hill</strong> is a second year PhD student in UNL's creative writing program. His work has appeared most recently in Western Humanities Review, Kaleidoscope Magazine, and the anthology Women's Work. Arden is also a poetry editor for Breath and Shadow, a journal of disability culture and literature.</p> <p><strong>Adrian Gibbons Koesters</strong> is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she is a senior poetry reader for Prairie Schooner and has served as assistant editor of American Life in Poetry. She holds an MFA in poetry from the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University, and her poems have appeared in Crab Creek Review, A River and Sound Review, Literary Mama, and elsewhere.</p> <p><strong>Marianne Kunkel</strong> is a third-year Ph.D. student in poetry, specializing in women s and gender studies, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She holds an MFA from the University of Florida. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in 32 Poems, Columbia Poetry Review, Hayden s Ferry Review, New South, Poet Lore, River Styx, and elsewhere. Her poetry has twice been nominated for Best New Poets, and her chapbook The Laughing Game was a finalist for the 2011 Sow s Ear Poetry Review Chapbook Competition. She currently is preparing a full-length poetry manuscript about girlhood. She is the Interim Managing Editor of Prairie Schooner.</p> <p><strong>Cody Lumpkin</strong> was born and raised in Georgia. He serves as a Senior Poetry Reader for Prairie Schooner and earned his PhD in creative writing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His work has recently appeared in Tar River Poetry, New South, and Third Coast.</p> <p><strong>Michelle Menting</strong> is a PhD student in Creative Writing and Literature at UNL. Some of her work has appeared or is forthcoming in the Bellingham Review, Midwestern Gothic, Quarter After Eight, Ascent, Opium, Diagram, Pank, and other journals. Originally from the northwoods of Upper Michigan and northern Wisconsin, she now lives in Lincoln.</p> <p><strong>Trey Moody</strong> is from San Antonio and the author of the chapbooks <em>Climate Reply</em> and <em>Once Was a Weather</em>. His writing has appeared in <em>Best New Poets 2009</em>, Colorado Review, Denver Quarterly, Indiana Review, Sonora Review, and Washington Square, among others. A co-curator of The Clean Part Reading Series, he studies and teaches at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.</p> </div> </body></html>