Literary Landscapes editor Dr. Andy Oler nominated my essay about Miriam Davis Colt for Best of The Net.
Dr. Andy Oler, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Humanities and Communication at Daytona Beach Campus, edits and curates the Literary Landscapes essay series for The New Territory. Literary Landscapes Volumes 13-14 are the result of “Literary Landscapes in Kansas: From the Ground to the Airwaves,” a collaboration between The New Territory and High Plains Public Radio.
Oler introduced the recent volume, where “Literary Landscapes in Kansas” begins with the same question as the rest of Literary Landscapes: how is the literature of a place relevant to the people who live there? The entire collection features insight-filled writing about writers and literary figures with a connection to Kansas, such as Taylor Krueger’s essay about author Sarah Smarsh.
My essay on Miriam Davis Colt and the Vegetarian Settlement Company was selected as one of ten contributions to the Kansas-based edition of literary essays. That alone is an honor. The essay was published online at The New Territory, featured as an audio essay at High Plains Public Radio, and appeared in The New Territory‘s most recent Issue 16 (order a copy here).
The essay about Miriam Davis Colt and her tragic tale represents a step in a new direction for my writing and, hopefully, the remainder of my career. People familiar with my work as a freelance writer, reporter, and author know the countless stories I have written for magazines, online publications, and four books. That body of work is grounded in reporting and creative nonfiction rooted in facts and history with some colorful storytelling blended in when appropriate. This Literary Landscapes essay offered me the opportunity to stretch as a writer and produce work with a more literary voice, as the series suggests.
As I write and report less for media, my goals now focus on producing more essays and books with an emphasis on literary storytelling and creative nonfiction. The Literary Landscapes essay signals a clear step in that direction, making its appearance in The New Territory and other avenues both rewarding and encouraging. Lastly, it is a reminder to “keep going” as my friend and fellow writer Tim Finn once told me as encouragement.
Oler nominated my essay, along with Rosemary Hope’s essay on Truman Capote, for Best of The Net, “an awards-based anthology designed to grant a platform to a diverse and growing collection of writers and publishers.” Whether this amounts to anything or not, the nomination is an honor and reinforcement for me to keep producing fresh work and push myself to grow. I have learned from experience that a published story or book, like KC Ale Trail, can open doors and create unimagined opportunities for years to come.
Keep writing, keep growing, keep going.