Prairie Schooner – Spring 2004

There is always something for nearly every serious reader in Prairie Schooner. It’s not because Raz lacks a consistent editorial vision. On the contrary, issue after issue the journal feels whole and unified. It’s more because her vision is large and generous. The prose is especially strong this issue, with a tender and memorable story by Tamara Friedman (“Stealing Sherisha”) and a fine example of literary journalism by David A. Taylor, “Nailing a Freight on the Fly: The Federal Writer’s Project in Nebraska.” Taylor’s essay is a solid and pleasingly humble combination of competent research, travel writing, and literary history.

There is always something for nearly every serious reader in Prairie Schooner. It’s not because Raz lacks a consistent editorial vision. On the contrary, issue after issue the journal feels whole and unified. It’s more because her vision is large and generous. The prose is especially strong this issue, with a tender and memorable story by Tamara Friedman (“Stealing Sherisha”) and a fine example of literary journalism by David A. Taylor, “Nailing a Freight on the Fly: The Federal Writer’s Project in Nebraska.” Taylor’s essay is a solid and pleasingly humble combination of competent research, travel writing, and literary history. Three short fiction pieces by Iranian writer Leonardo Alishan (“Black City my soul called home.”) will likely encourage readers, as it has me, to seek out his collections of poetry. As usual, there’s an abundance of fine poems. Poems by Judith Arcana (“Facts of Life”) and Peter Viereck (“Two Liners”) demonstrate the range of styles represented in this issue. From Arcana: ” All that we do, living, is killing; birth / and death the pumping hearts of life.” And from Viereck, this two-liner (“Progress”):  “What has the tech age left the soul for food? / Look for the road kill crushed across the road.” [Prairie Schooner, 201 Andrews Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0334. E-mail: [email protected]. Single issue $9. www.unl.edu/schooner/psmain.htm] – SR