By SIU Press

Near the dawn of the 20th century, more than a million Americans had subscriptions to popular magazines, and many who did not subscribe read the periodicals.
Far more men and women were learning advanced literacy through reading these magazines than by attending college.
Yet this form of popular literacy has been relatively ignored by scholars, who have focused mainly on academic institutions and formal educational experiences.
In Circulating Literacy: Writing Instruction in American Periodicals, 1880-1910, author Alicia Brazeau concentrates on the format, circulation, and function of popular and influential periodicals published between 1880 and 1910, including the farming magazines Michigan Farmer, Ohio Farmer, and Maine Farmer, which catered to rural residents, and two women’s magazines, Harper’s Bazar and the Ladies’ Home Journal, that catered to very different populations of women.

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Posted on November 28, 2016

By The Society Of Midland Authors

The Society of Midland Authors is accepting submissions for its annual literary awards, which will honor books by Midwestern authors published in 2016.
Each winner will receive $500 and a recognition award. The judges in each category may also deem one or two honorees as worthy of recognition, and each finalist will receive a commemorative award. These honors will be given out at the awards banquet the second Tuesday in May.

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Posted on November 22, 2016

Sick, Sad World

“Forty-nine years after the publication of his first book, Mr. Wideman has forged Writing to Save a Life: The Louis Till File, perhaps his most impressive armament so far,” Norman Conti writes for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“Like so many of Mr. Wideman’s books, it opens on the streets of Homewood before leading the reader on a tour of cities and nations all situated in the heart of the author.
“The journey begins with Emmett Till, as he travels from Chicago to the Mississippi scene of his gruesome murder and the exoneration of his killers. Then, Mr. Wideman takes us deeper into this nation’s heart of darkness with an examination of the case of Louis Till, Emmett’s father.
“Louis Till, a soldier in WWII, was executed by the U.S. Army; his case file was eventually exhumed to discredit the Till family, in order to prevent a retrial of Emmett’s killers for kidnapping – charges they had admitted to during their murder trial. Decades later, Mr. Wideman obtained his own copy of the Louis Till file – poring over it, internalizing content and blending it with the striking parallels between the Tills and his own family. Mr. Wideman combines the official record with his own experiences and imagination to produce a discourse on truth, power as well as the lie of race and its consequences.”

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Posted on November 14, 2016

By The Chicago Book Expo

The Chicago Book Expo, Chicago’s biggest fall literary event, featuring more than 70 exhibitors from Chicago-area publishers and literary organizations, plus 20 events with local authors on a wide range of topics, will be held this Sunday from noon to 5 pm. at Columbia College, 1104 S. Wabash Ave. in Chicago. The event is free and open to the public.
This year’s Chicago Book Expo features 20 different programs, including a tribute to Roger Ebert as a writer (with Chaz Ebert emceeing a conversation and reading with Michael Phillips, Laura Emerick, and more about Roger’s work), a panel on books about Chicago music moderated by Jim DeRogatis (with Steve Krakow, Sally Timms, and John Dugan), and other sessions about mysteries, poetry & protest, comics, Chicago history, diversity in publishing, Chicago novels, translation, drinking in Chicago, and much more.

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Posted on November 10, 2016

Meadows, Woods, Hedges And Fields

Outdoorsman Scott Shalaway includes three nature books from the University of Chicago Press in his holiday reading gift guide. Let’s take a look.
Shalaway:
“Voracious Science & Vulnerable Animals: A Primate Scientist’s Ethical Journey by John Gluck (2016, University of Chicago Press, $17.50) traces the evolution of one researcher’s path from research scientist to ethicist. If you’ve ever had concerns about how captive primates are used in psychological research, you’ll find this a compelling read. Many primates can live for decades, and their care extends far beyond their utility as research subjects.”

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Posted on November 5, 2016