Plains Song Review reading, photo exhibit April 21

The Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will host a reading by writers and an exhibit by photographers whose work appears in Volume 12 of Plains Song Review at 7 p.m. April 21 at the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q St.

The evening will feature readings by authors whose work is published in this new issue. Plains Song Review publishes poetry, prose, photographs and artwork by undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Nebraska's four campuses as well as other writers and artists from Nebraska and surrounding plains states.

The Christine Pappas Award for best work by an undergraduate student will be presented by Charles A. Braithwaite, editor of Great Plains Quarterly, who served as consulting editor of Plains Song Review. The award is a cash prize of $200. A reception will precede the reading.

"Writing that comes from Nebraska is as varied as the writing that comes from across the United States. I think when you approach a book written by a Nebraska writer, you really don't know what you're going to get," author Timothy Schaffert said in an interview with review editor Kaitlin Ek in the latest issue of Plains Song Review, published by the center. Schaffert, a lecturer in the UNL Department of English, is the author of three novels, including "Devils in the Sugar Shop."

Ek, a junior majoring in English at UNL, headed a student and community editorial board responsible for reviewing and selecting the final entries from more than 100 submissions. Members of the board included Joy Evertson, Jessica Fischer, Neal Gebhard, Joel Gehringer and Mike Van Haitsma.

Ek also produces a blog that expands the journal's print presence and engages writers and poets in an interactive relationship. That blog can be found at www.plainssongreview.blogspot.com.

Plains Song Review, founded in 1999 by Christine Pappas, is an interdisciplinary literary journal that explores a sense of place on the Great Plains through the writings, photography and artwork of emerging and established writers and artists. Volume 12 will be available for sale at the reading for the special rate of $5.

The reading, exhibit, and reception are free and open to the public. For more information, call (402) 472-3082.

WRITER: Linda Ratcliffe, Center for Great Plains Studies, (402) 472-3975