I recently participated in the Facebook meme that asks for a list of the ten most influential books on a person’s life. Here is my list with some brief comments: 1. boneyard by Stephen Beachy—This book showed myself to me in an exact way that I had never encountered before in literature. Queer and Anabaptist:Continue reading “The Ten Most Influential Books List”
Tag Archives: Mennonites
Books Acquired Recently
Gundy, Jeff. Songs From an Empty Cage: Poetry, Mystery, Anabaptism, and Peace. Telford: Cascadia, 2013. Jeff Gundy is one of my favorite poets, and he is also a friend of mine, so I buy anything he publishes. But I am especially excited about this book, which investigates the intersection between poetry and the transcendent. GundyContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently”
Books Acquired Recently
Bornstein, Kate. Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us. 1994. New York: Vintage, 1995. Bornstein, Kate, and S. Bear Bergman, eds. Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation. Berkeley: Seal, 2010. I’ve read bits and pieces of Bornstein’s work over the years and enjoyed it, and a colleague recently told me that she usesContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently”
Books Acquired Recently
Deer Cloud, Susan. The Last Ceremony. Kanona: FootHills, 2007. I bought this book today after Deer Cloud’s poetry reading at Utica College. It is always fascinating to hear poets read their work, and it is especially delightful when they read it well and when it is actually worth reading, which was the case in thisContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently”
Book Acquired Recently: Shirley Hershey Showalter’s Blush
Showalter, Shirley Hershey. Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World. Harrisonburg: Herald, 2013. Showalter was the president of my alma mater, Goshen College, when I was a student there, and we have since become friends, in part because we are both interested in Mennonite literature. Her new memoir, Blush, is sure to be anContinue reading “Book Acquired Recently: Shirley Hershey Showalter’s Blush”
Books Acquired Recently
The Mennonite Encyclopedia, Volume II: D-H. Scottdale: Herald, 1956. The Mennonite Encyclopedia, Volume III: I-N. Scottdale: Herald, 1957. I bought Volumes I, IV, and V of The Mennonite Encyclopedia over a decade ago at a conference at a steep discount ($15.00 apiece when they are normally $85.00) because they each had a few damaged pages.Continue reading “Books Acquired Recently”
Books Acquired Recently
Acker, Kathy. Bodies of Work. London: Serpent’s Tail, 1997. —. Don Quixote. New York: Grove, 1986. I love Kathy Acker, and have been meaning to read Don Quixote for quite a while now. I picked up Bodies of Work, a collection of her non-fiction, because it was only a dollar. It is in terrible shape;Continue reading “Books Acquired Recently”
Books Acquired Recently: More Canadian Mennonites Edition
D’anna, Lynnette. fool’s bells. Toronto: Insomniac, 1999. D’anna is the pen name of Lynnette Dueck, a Canadian writer of Mennonite origin. A friend who knows that I am interested in the intersection between sexuality and literature recommended D’anna/Dueck’s work to me; apparently it is quite explicit, which is a rarity in Mennonite literature. I mayContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently: More Canadian Mennonites Edition”
Books Acquired Recently: Mostly Mennonite/Mostly Canadian Edition
I’ve been thinking and writing about Mennonite literature a lot lately, and this latest round of book-buying includes some of the earliest novels published in the field. It also includes one of the more recent works of Mennonite fiction and a book by someone with a Mennonite-sounding name (Kroetsch), though to my knowledge he hasContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently: Mostly Mennonite/Mostly Canadian Edition”
Books Acquired Recently
Binnie, Imogen. Nevada. New York: Topside, 2013. As I mentioned in a recent post, I ordered this book from the publisher (Topside Press is a fantastic new venture dedicated to publishing transgender literature) after reading a glowing review of it by Casey Plett. I am excited to read it soon, perhaps this weekend. Gregg, Melissa,Continue reading “Books Acquired Recently”
Daniel Shank Cruz 