New Anthology Features Works of Carleton Faculty

Carleton College announces the publication of “Plain Songs II,” a collection of prose, poetry and essays written by 13 members of the Carleton faculty. A book launching celebration is planned for Saturday, Oct. 21, at 11 a.m. in Carleton’s Laurence McKinley Gould Library Athenæum. The writers will read from their works and the book will be available for purchase.

This anthology follows the first “Plain Songs,” which was published in 1992 and featured nine members of Carleton’s faculty. According to Keith Harrison, a contributor to both anthologies and professor emeritus of English at Carleton, “Plain Songs II” showcases those teachers on campus who are also writers in their own right, and proves that Carleton faculty “don’t just talk about writing, they actually do it.”

In addition to Harrison, this second collection features works by Clare Rossini, Robert Tisdale, Mary Moore Easter, Sigrun Leonhard, Wayne Carver, Susan Jaret McKinstry, Jane Taylor McDonnell and Gregory Blake Smith, and introduces four new voices with the inclusion of works by Jackson Bryce, Greg Hewett, John Ramsay and Clayton Zimmerman.

Parents and children is a recurring theme throughout “Plain Songs II,” which includes memoirs about aging parents and childhood experiences, poetry on family dynamics, travel and scholarship, and an excerpt from a novel in progress. Each writer also has included a statement about life, teaching and writing.

The collection was edited by Rebecca Harrison, a freelance editor and journalist and daughter of Keith Harrison. It was published by Black Willow Press and is available for $14.95 in the Carleton College Bookstore, 507.646.4153.