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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 1999)
JOANNA FINDLAY, a graduate student in English, designed this year’s Lauras cover. Lauras diversifies as it ages By Dane SncKNEY Staff writer r Lauras has given fulfillment to a new throng of undergraduates hankering to lie published. This yearns edition of the literary magazine, a 350-page compilation, features a variety of cre ative works, including short stories, poetry, art work and a play. Greg Kuzma, a University of Nebraska Lincoln English professor and adviser for the Lauras, said it has been a literary magazine for the English department for nearly 25 years, but the magazine used to consist solely of graduate students’works. When Kuzma took control of the magazine five years ago, he decided to feature only under graduate work. “Graduate students should be published in national magazines,” Kuzma said. “It’s the undergrads that really don’t have much of an opportunity to get published.” Even though die magazine is made exclu sively of undergraduate work, Kuzma said, Lauras is a high quality magazine. “The quality of the undergraduate writers on this campus is great, and people sometimes don’t realize that,” he said. “The Lauras is just another step toward greatness^r the young writ ers.” The Laurus is still growing, and its goals are constantly evolving, Kuzina said “In lire past, it’s been a magazine for English and journalism students, and it taught us a painful lesson and showed that this is a fractured campus,” he said “We’re constantly trying to get students from other colleges to write for the Laurus. We’d like it to be the voice of the cam pus, not just a few colleges.” Despite Kuzma’s changes, the magazine retains its original name, but no one knows exactly what it means. “It’s mysterious,” he said “I don’t know the history. Every year, the editors want to know where the name came from, but we can never find out” Kuzma said he thought the Laurus was named after laurel leaves awarded to Greek ath letes as an honor for achievement. Mandy Snyder, an editor of the Laurus, said sire hadmo clue where the name came from, but die had heard a variety of ideas. “The onty thing we know for sure is that it is a plant or leaf or something,” die said “A lot of people have come up with ideas, but nothing is for sure. “Ws just worry about what goes in (Lauras), not what it’s called” And what is in the magazine this year is unique and exciting, Snyder said ^ Please see LAURUS on 14 store ■ Julie Kaewert, the creator of the Plumtree Press series, will discuss her latest novel at Lee Booksellers._ Danell McCoy Staff writer Not all mysteries involve gruesome killers and bloody plots. Some contain a simple mys tery mixed in with a little history. This is how Julie Kaewert would describe her latest book, “Untitled,” the fourth in her Plumtree Press series. “Untitled” is the story of Alex Plumtree, a publisher and antiquarian book collector. Plumtree finds a book in his library that is linked to the Roxburghe Club. The Roxburghe Club was founded after the Duke of Roxburghe sold a precious copy of die 1471 Valdarfer edition of Boccaccio’s “Decameron” to a group of men, who then started the club. “Untided” centers its mystery around Boccaccio’s book and the club. iR “It’s a book within a book,” Kaewert said. “I love to take a famous classical mid imbed it into the book that I am writing. All of my books have two focuses - one in the past and one in the present. It brings a sense of history into die story.” The other three Plumtree mysteries, “Unsolicited,” “Unbound” and “Unprintable,” carry this formula. The series also contains a little bit of Kaewert’s history as well. Kaewert, a native of Omaha, worked for a publisher i Bedford Square in England f five years before returning to i States and moving to Colora Many of the locations in her stc center on places she has live< worked near. The story in “Unsolicited” takes place in Bedford Square, where an anonymous manuscript shows up on Plumtree’s doorstep. The Plumtree Press, as well as many of the charac ters who work there, is based on the press where Kaewert worked while living in London In every book, Plumtree al works to improve literacy, not unlike Kaewert, who tutors inner city children in reading. None of this is coincidence. Kaewert said she planned it this way. “It was a way for me to go back to London after moving back to the States,” she said. “It is a way for me to continue to carry on that part of my life. “I base some of my characters on the people I met while I lived there and use some of the same places 1 used to go to in my stories.” Kaewert also said including a little bit of his tory i n W* ■ - • S Shawn Drapal/DN each story is important to her. “It makes for an interesting read, and the readers learn something at the same time,” she said. “True life has some far stranger stories than anyone can make up.” As for the titles, Kaewert said the idea to start every book in the series with a word that begins with “un-” came from a friend of hers who said all the books in the series should have a similar title. - Although the books are in a series, Kaewert said they are also “stand alone books.” Readers will be able to follow the story in one book even if they haven’t read the others. But reading the series provides a reader with more detail. “(The books) are a progression,” she said. “People who like to follow mysteries would probably prefer to go from beginning to end. That way the stories give more insight into the characters’ lives, and the romance aspect of the stories are B more visible.” B Kaewert’s latest goal is to write a B book separate from the B Plumtree Press series. * B Her new project will involve a professor who teaches about Willa Cather in a small college. Kaewert, who went to Dartmouth College, wrote her honors thesis on the works of Willa Cather. Besides writing, Kaewert, who lives in Niwot, Colo., also tutors, works on the school board and ’ raises her fami ly On Dec. 9, Kaewert will make her first Lincoln appear ance at Lee Booksellers’ Edgewood Center store, 56th Street and Highway 2, at 7:30 p.m. for a book sign ing and talk. The talk will include a discus sion on the exclusive collectors’ society on which she based some of her story. “Untitled” is available in paperback for $5.99 and is published by Bantam books. Story circles bring a focus to home By Jason Hardy Senior staff writer During Thanksgiving, home was undoubtedly on the minds of many Americans. But in recent months some Nebraskans have been rediscovering their home through one of die simplest forms of communication - storytelling. Through the Wagon Train Project’s Story Circle Project, many Lincoln residents have visited a home they didn’t know existed. The story circles are an effort to connect the community through the telling of stories about die concept of home, which is also the focus of the Wagon Train Is 1999-2000 season. Many of the sto ries told in the story circles will be featured this May in the Wagon Train’s Home/Land perfor mance. This site-specific event combines football players, American Indian dancers and otter com munity members. It will take place at Seacrest Field. On Nov. 20, Cathy Wilken participated in a story circle at the Roger’s House Bed and Breakfast Inn, 2145 B St, and said the experience was one she would always remember. “It was kind of a revelation to me,” Wilken said. “The concept ofhome made us think so harcl and it was something we took for granted, so it was a wonderful experience to meet new people and hear their stories.” The circle Wilken participated in was.oneof many held in Lincoln this fall. The circles, made of local groups such asITAs and neighborhood asso 66 I knew I loved my home, but I guess I didn’t know all the reasons until I sat down and put it on paper!’ Cathy Wilken story circle participant ciations, generally consist of a facilitator who directs he storytelling and 12 or so people. Nancy Marshall, he facilitator for Wilken’s circle, has facilitated eight circles and said at times, they can be quite moving. “When the expectations of the participants are he same as he expectations of he facilitator, hey go really well,” Marshall said. “It’s reminded me hat each and every one of us is in expert on our home setting. Everybody has a unique story.” For Wilken, the result wasa similar one. “You couldn’t go through the experience with out being changed,” she said. “I knew I loved the city. I knew I loved my home, but I guess I didn’t know all the reasons until I sat down and put it on paper. ‘It also made me realize hat my community isn’t home to everyone, so it makes you view your community in a new way, not necessarily a nega tive way, but a new way, and I think thaffc good.” She said at first, the idea of sharing personal stories wih strangers was fairly intimidating. “Initially, you’re kind of sizing everyone up and thinking if you fit in,” Wilken said. “Once you’re comfortable, it doesn’t take long to break down those barriers and have an open and honest discussion.” Marshall said the format for the story circles was simple. The group members introduce them selves and talk about the concept of home. Then, they’re each asked to make notes about what home is to them. They share these notes with the group. “With each group it was interesting because the group ran how it went Everybody didn’t want to write a story about home, and because it wasn’t an English class, they didn’t have to,” Marshall said. “In another group, it was women who have substance abuse problems, and they talked about what they hoped home would be when they fin ished their treatment” While the possible inclusion of the stories in the Home/Land performance is excitin& a greater importance lies in something much simpler. “I really think it's as simple as people listening to each other,” Marshall said. “You get into that really childlike mode of being open, you know, .C you’re not afraid. It gives you permission to tell