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!

Mary Harwell Sayler Reviews NATURAL THEOLOGIES by Denise Low for RATTLE

This is the beginning of a review in RATTLE, by Mary Harwell Sayler.  Quoted from the review:
"....I got to know the diverse [Midwestern] voices in this 'first critical study of contemporary Mid-Plains literature'—a book that includes much-admired poets and writers but also a wide range of Midwestern voices I had not previously heard. Denise Low obviously knows each of those voices well. Not only has she taught at various universities and won prestigious awards for her own books, she’s a fifth-generation Kansan, whose roots go as deep as prairie grasslands. More importantly, perhaps, her personal lineage of European and tribal peoples have given her a uniquely blended background for intelligently discussing relevant topics—from the landscape to the Lakota to the contemporary literary achievements of native Midwesterners."

This reviewer understands important threads of this project. Sayler continues:

"Taking cover under the book’s title, four sections come together in 'A Revised Frontier Literature' (with a variety of accomplished poets and writers, including Denise Low), 'Settlement. The Cities' (with Langston Hughes, David Ray, Mbembe Milton Smith, Stanley E. Banks), 'Hard Land, Strong Character' (William Stafford, Robert Day, Patricia Traxler, and others), and 'Natural Theologies,' which looks at 'Ted Kooser’s Poetics of Devotion,' the 'Poets in the Bible Belt' (Michael Poage, Jo Mcdougall, and Kathryn Kysar), and 'Louise Erdrich’s Magic Spells, Prayers, and Parables.' That fourth section drew me to the book, but touched on more than I’d imagined, such as how 'American Indian religions derive belief from specific sacred sites,' or how poems by Ted Kooser 'begin located in solid reality, but then surreal leaps occur. . . .'”

 

To continue reading, see http://www.rattle.com/poetry/2013/08/natural-theologies-by-denise-low/   
For more information about the reviewer, see   www.marysayler.com
To obtain a copy, see Amazon or Barnes & Noble or order from The Backwaters Press www.thebackwaterspress.com 
And thanks to the fine journal Rattle at www.rattle.com

"BIG THING" Blog Entry for Denise Low Is Literary Essays Book

MariJo Moore invited me to join a blog chain 2013 & THE NEXT BIG THING - a series of interviews with authors about what they’ve been working on. I understand it has been going since October! Here is the link to her blog: http://marijomoore.blogspot.com/   Here is my own latest book, not yet a year old: Natural Theologies: Essays about Literature of the New Middle West (ISBN 978-1-935218-22-7. 185 pages, $20.00)  http://www.thebackwaterspress.org/our-authors/denise-low/    I hope to promote it in 2013.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Middle West and Great Plains writers continue a “frontier” legacy with topics of nature, weather, the relationships among Native and European settler writers, urban-rural dialectic, and community life.
What genre does your book fall under?
Non-Fiction, critical essays.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
This is like some studies of ethnic literatures, but this is the first book that considers literature of this region.
Who is the publisher?
The Backwaters Press in Omaha, published by Greg Kozmicki. He has done so much as an independent literary publisher.  He is an unsung hero, and a fine poet himself. Working with Kozmicki and his copy editor were a gorocess.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I realized other regions of the country celebrate their literature, but in the plains and prairies, writers do not have the same recognition.
What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
I have been grateful for some wonderful reviews from the Kansas City Star, the Manhattan Mercury, and others. A reviewer for  American Indian Library wrote: “This is the first book of critical essays about contemporary Midwestern writers. Denise Low, of Delaware and Cherokee heritage, foregrounds Native writers, including Louise Erdrich, Heid Erdrich, Diane Glancy, Joseph Marshall III, and Adrian C. Louis. The four sections of Natural Theologies are about history, settlements in the Plains, Midwestern people and their character, and nature. The author considers not only the legacy of “frontier,” but also the enduring narratives of settler/Native interactions.”
Where did the idea come from for the book?
As a young writer, I learned that writing is a dialogue with books. I began reviewing books after my M.A. in literature as a way to expand my writing practice. This book includes expanded essays on books that have influenced me.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I really don’t think this book will be made into a movie, but I really think N. Scott Momaday is very cinematic. I’d like to see a movie about his writings. He has influenced many Native and Southwest/plains writers, especially because of his insistence that the oral tradition as a valid literary genre.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I had some ideas and a few drafts, but I spent one summer drafting this, working intensively every day, and then another year editing it.
And to keep 2013 THE NEXT BIG THING going, here is another wonderful writer, Lisa Hase,  and her next big thing: http://zingarapoet.net/author/zingarapoet/ 

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