The paradelle is a new poetic form to me, and Natural Light is definitely new subject matter for poetry to me, too. They come together surprisingly well in "Paradelle for Natty Light" from @jessicascory.bsky.social's new chapbook, "Disposable."

Why John Steinbeck thought of his novel "In Dubious Battle" as "honest fantasy" instead of "social realism": "I still think that most 'realistic' writing is farther from the real than most honest fantasy." (From the intro to the Penguin Classics edition.)

Why the publisher of John Steinbeck's "In Dubious Battle" first rejected it: "The manuscript fell into the hands of an editor with communist sympathies who rejected it because he considered the marxist ideology of the strike organizers inaccurate." (From the intro to the Penguin Classics edition.)

All of us at OUP are saddened to hear of the loss of scholar Laurence Hauptman. We were fortunate to work with him on several projects and his absence will be deeply felt.

⚡️ Around 800,000 of Ukrainian publisher's books destroyed in overnight Russian attack. According to BookChef, the central warehouse of their logistics partner — where their books were stored — was completely destroyed.

Celebrate America by getting out and exploring it! Hit the trail with the newly updated edition of A Guide to Southern Utah’s Hole-in-the-Rock Trail and discover one of the West’s most remarkable historic routes. Adventure, history, and spectacular scenery await. uofupress.com/books/a-guid...

New Review! As many educators are prepping their classes for the fall semester, this is a timely look at @flowerdarby.bsky.social's latest book 'The Joyful Online Teacher'. Many thanks to Beth Petitjean at the Reinert Center at SLU for posting. reinertcenter.com/2026/07/01/b...

"But in my little experience the end is never very different in its nature from the means. You can only build a violent thing with violence." —from John Steinbeck's 1936 novel, "In Dubious Battle"

Was honored to be asked to write a little something on my time at @aupresses.bsky.social 2026 for #FeedingTheElephant! Behold my musings on the UP landscape and the importance of our community.

- the sublime fanaticism of OU Sooner sports fans - Indigenous counterstories - introducing neurodiversity for educators - the combat future of the human body University press books = not boring!!! Take a look at the new @oupress.bsky.social Fall 2026 catalog > www.oupress.com/fall-winter-...

"Why don't people look at mobs, not as men, but as mobs? A mob nearly always seems to act reasonably, for a mob." —from John Steinbeck's 1936 novel, "In Dubious Battle"

Want to know more about the US at 250? ReadUP! Here are some suggestions from university presses & their expert authors, reflecting on the American experiment from the Founding to today: https://bit.ly/4xQZlFq

Out Now! "Little Liberia: A Dream of Black Freedom in the US-Mexico Borderlands" by Laura Hooton reveals the crucial role of the intersection of Black spaces and borderland places in the history of social movements and White supremacy in the United States and Mexico. www.oupress.com/978080619696...

"You can insult a man pretty badly by using a word he doesn't understand." —a union organizer, explaining why he talks the way he does, in John Steinbeck's 1936 novel "In Dubious Battle"

Organizing a strike: "It's like blowing up a balloon. You can't tell when it's going to bust. No two of 'em bust just the same." —a union organizer in John Steinbeck's 1936 novel "In Dubious Battle"

"More of our men go out with stomach ulcers than firing squads. —a union organizer in John Steinbeck's novel "In Dubious Battle"

Hit another aging milestone: for the first time, an Uber driver asked if I was retired.

As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, Restoring America by Stephanie Gray offers a powerful lens into how the New Deal shaped history through politically driven commemoration. To order: https://twp.ai/4iwdBu #readUP #Americas250

"Mostly a guy that tries to scare you is a guy that can be scared." —a union organizer in John Steinbeck's novel "In Dubious Battle"

I had a great time at the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library recently, featured soon on their Literary Notes podcast. A great space and service. They are turning Biking Uphill in the Rain into a talking book! Such an honor. Did you know you can volunteer to read and help build their…

"A little spill holds all the depth of the sky." —James Richardson, "Vectors"

"This has a little bit of everything: guerrilla warfare, the homefront experience, romance, a murder mystery. The result is an accessible, compelling narrative offering a well-researched look at a little-studied part of the war." emergingcivilwar.com/2026/06/23/b...

Peyote is a sacred medicine Native peoples fought 100+ years to protect. In 1918, the Native American Church incorporated to defend religious freedom—even before many had U.S. citizenship. "Peyote Politics" uncovers this history. Full interview: www.kosu.org/peyote-polit...

Tonight! Come learn about Dr. Priscilla Crawford's new book, "A Naturalist's Guide to Oklahoma." Dr. Crawford is an ecologist and biogeographer with the Oklahoma Biological Survey. Hosted by @sierraclub.org Oklahoma act.sierraclub.org/events/detai...

On June 20, author and ecologist Priscilla Crawford, Naturalist visited Oxley Nature Center to give a presentation on her new book, "A Naturalist's Guide to Oklahoma". Read more here!

The Native American Church was legally incorporated more than 100 years ago to protect peyote use. The early history of the church is chronicled in "Peyote Politics," a book at the center of an Oklahoma Historical Society discussion this week. www.kosu.org/peyote-polit...

Just got Flower Darby’s new book, The Joyful Online Teacher, barely started reading, and the introduction is already absolutely killing it.

Best Monday morning: Arriving at my desk to find Catherine Denial's "Pedagogy of Kindness" AND Flower Darby's "Joyful Online Teacher" waiting for me! Don't know where to start!!

"Confucius said he reached the stage when his desires conformed to what he ought to do at the age of 70." —Daniel A. Bell, "The Dean of Shandong: Confessions of a Minor Bureaucrat at a Chinese University"

New on the UVA Teaching Hub: Two collections of resources on faculty burnout curated by Chavella Pittman. The first is about reflecting on and understanding burnout; the second on teaching strategies for reducing burnout. teaching.virginia.edu/collections/... teaching.virginia.edu/collections/...

Out Now! "Los Llaneros: The Mexican Southern Plains, 1500-1900" edited by Joel Zapata, Andrew Reynolds, Alex Hunt and John Beusterien is a timely reconsideration of an important region and its diverse peoples. www.oupress.com/978080619700...

Submissions are now open for the Wisconsin Poetry Prizes! The Brittingham and Felix Pollak Prizes in Poetry will be judged by Paisley Rekdal and the Wisconsin Prize for Poetry in Translation will be judged by Jennifer Feeley. Learn more here: tinyurl.com/57e3ehza

I'm hosting a Q&A on writing books about teaching & learning at this event. It won't position myself as an expert here, just as someone who wants to see others publish bold and vital books about education. #VirtuallyGather26 is the kind of inclusive, accessible event that others should aspire to.

Excited to have this book out in the world. My chapter is on "Inside Out" and other animated film, within the allegorical tradition.

"Only dumb people don't worry if they're smart enough." —Lou Berney, "Crooks: A Novel about Crime and Family"

Oklahoma's natural world is the subject of a new book from author Priscilla Crawford. www.kgou.org/science-tech...

I mean this genuinely If you’re an academic/writer/creative of any flavor, then planting a little native plant garden is the best thing you can ever do for writer’s block. Tending to it takes your mind off of everything. So does checking for new blooms and going out to watch the bugs. Get planting!

OU baseball defeated North Carolina 13-2 Monday night, winning its first College World Series championship since 1994.

"This is the moment Alice loves, when her plan becomes real, when it goes flapping out of the nest into the world." —Lou Berney, "Crooks: A Novel about Crime and Family"

"What is luck good for if you don't push it?" —Lou Berney, "Crooks: A Novel about Crime and Family"

Black Mesa, Oklahoma.

Gut-wrenching sentence in the acknowledgements to Irish writer Liadan Ní Chuinn's short story collection, "Every One Still Here."

Our thanks to Robert Reid for his story about World Literature Today in Sooner Magazine! Read about our history, events, centennial celebrations, and an exciting new initiative here: soonermag.oufoundation.org/stories/a-ce...

does everyone know that “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” has become an elementary school singalong song?

"There are long pauses when we speak to each other, like a time delay as we reach each other's continents or the time-lag needed to run messages through translators." —from Liadan Ní Chuinn's short story collection, "Every One Still Here"

It was a true honor to bring student voices into the scholarly conversation about grades via our "Problems with Grades" panel yesterday at @thegradingconference.com. Their insights were soooo insightful & important. #GradingCon26

WLT is delighted to announce that Ha-yun Jung’s essay “Besieged,” from our Nov. 2025 issue, has been selected for The Best American Essays, coming October 20. Congrats, Ha-yun! We are proud to have been the first home for this outstanding essay. worldliteraturetoday.org/2025/novembe...

On severe illness: "He lost fat from places I didn't even know you had it." —from Liadan Ní Chuinn's short story collection, "Every One Still Here"

Can't recall the last time I saw a bibliography and index set facing this direction in a book, verso facing the spine. For context, it's a historical atlas published in 1986. All maps face the same direction. So basically the book is meant to be read at a right angle to how you'd expect to hold it

Carolin Görgen (Sorbonne Université/HDEA) est finaliste du Prix de la Recherche SAES/AFEA pour son livre The California Camera Club (The University of Oklahoma Press, 2025) Bravo, Carolin! saesfrance.org/prix-de-la-r...