Denise Low's NATURAL THEOLOGIES, Essays about the Middle West: Explorations of Literature and Place, Ecocriticism, and Creative Writing

PADDLEFISH #7 (2013)  has a great review of my book Natural Theologies: Essays about Literature of the New Middle West. I am so pleased to see his attention to some of the too often undervalued authors I critique: Heid Erdrich, Louise Erdrich, Ted Kooser, Diane Glancy, Linda Hasselstrom, Adrian C. Louis, and Joseph Marshall III, to name a few.

David N. Cremean, author of Cormac McCarthy: Critical Insights and professor at Black Hills State University, writes:

“Natural Theologies ultimately not only provides valuable criticism, but also teaches about writing itself. It could (and should) be used in classrooms exploring literature, literature and place, ecocriticism, and perhaps above all creative writing: both relative to exploring writings, poetry in particular, and to insights how to go about that writing itself. In such ways, and many others, this volume goes a long way in showing how ‘literary works propose solutions to both the surface and the entire field of philosophical inquiry.’”

Other contributors to this issue are David Lee, Adrian C. Louis, William Trowbridge, Charles Bowden, Tom Gannon, and Kevin Zepper. For more the full review and information about subscription ($12) and the William Kloefkorn Poetry Prize ($12 includes a subscription), see www.mtmc.edu/paddlefish.edu or write directly to Jim Reese, Mount Marty College, 1105 West 8^th St., Yankton, SD 57078. Cover photograph by Rich Lofthus. My continuing gratitude to Greg Kosmicki of The Backwaters Press (www.thebackwaterspress ) in Omaha for taking the risk and investing the capital to publish Natural Theologies!

Excerpt from Natural Theologies introduction: defining the West

This book of critical essays about contemporary literature of the American grasslands region begins with an essay that defines the region, and then introduces settler and Indigenous writers with themes of frontier, settlement, people, and nature.
"The landmass known as the West or Middle West or Grasslands or Great and Lesser Plains is an area first conceived by European Americans as a frontier zone. Subsequent histories and American Indian perspectives complicate representations of this region, as contemporary and recent 20^th century writers rework themes of history, settlement, personal identity, and theology. Despite the complexities, these writers return to a fundamental truth unaltered by any human constructions: the natural world persists as the defining characteristic of the region."

Nov. 2011 National Book Critics Circle blog Critical Mass mentions Natural Theologies along with other NBCC member news

NBCC notes publication of my new book of personal critical essays about contemporary grasslands writers: "Former Kansas poet laureate Denise Low has published a collection of her review-articles and other prose, Natural Theologies: Essays about Literature of the New Middle West from The Backwaters Press. . . ." and more on the NBCC blogmember news summary.The link to The Backwaters Press is http://www.thebackwaterspress.org/new-releases/. Thanks to editor/publisher Greg Kosmicki! He's great to work with. Paul Hotvedt did the cover art--an amazing artist collected by museums & universities for teaching techniques--  http://paulhotvedt.com/. More on my writing is at www.deniselow.com

Natural Theologies: Essays about Literature of the New Middle West, is the first critical study of contemporary Mid-Plains literature. Denise Low, former Kansas poet laureate, shows how the region’s writers inherit a Frontier legacy from Indigenous and American settler communities. Myths continue to provide framework for fiction writers and poets, as well as nature and the rich community life. Not all of the region is rural. Cities like Minneapolis, Omaha, and Kansas City, have presence in the literature—but in context of the great acreage around them.  This innovative book defines the region’s character while at the same time illuminating a panoramic past. Indigenous peoples and their philosophies add to this unique look at the Mid-continent’s literary culture. Writers whose work comes to Low’s attention include: William Stafford, Louise Erdrich, Langston Hughes, Ted Kooser, Robert Day, David Ray, Heid Erdrich, Jo McDougall, William Kloefkorn, Adrian C. Louis, Joseph Marshall III, Thomas Fox Averill, Linda Hasselstrom, Diane Glancy, and other Mid-Plains writers .