Eye Shadow – Personal Essays

Posted on by shipwrecktbooks

Emilio DeGrazia

   Emilio DeGrazia is one of those writers who loves the ambience of a writers’ gathering––the fraternity, the probing of ideas––whether the subject is poetry or the jock strap empire of sports. What I can tell you is that not many people I’ve read, whether in Minnesota or beyond, write of the human condition with the same mixture of discovery, forgiveness and judgment that Emilio brings from his study. Years ago a small group of us, at the prodding of the toastmaster, were asked to identify three or four people who would be our choice if we were marooned on a desert highland and had to spend foreseeable months or years listening to each other. My first choice was Emilio. I never tire of hearing what this man has to say about the humanity around him. —Jim Klobuchar, Author and retired columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Amazon Reviews—

Avid Reader writes: Ramblings. This short story collection is loosely grouped in eight categories: American Dreams, True Stories, Human Nature, College Education. Embracing Technology, Military Intelligence, Jock Strappings, and Moral Compass. Each category contains a definition and several stories regarding one aspect of the definition. Like any collection, some readers will like some stories more than others will. One unexpected delight is the artwork provided for one of the stories.

Living in a Dream

Posted on by shipwrecktbooks

 

Nancy Overcott

Illustrated by Dana Gardner

 

In Living in a Dream, Bluff Country Offerings, the esteemed premier edition of Lost Lake Folk Art books, Nancy Overcott and Dana Gardner have teamed-up once again to watch over the birds, as it were, to simultaneously create new works in-the-moment and reflect on the past, on their memories. The result is a study in counterpoint: Nancy’s always lucid prose searching the dark, tangled timber for a spot of intense color, Dana’s sharp, black-ink illustrations leaving the imagination to paint its own image on pure white backdrops.
Nancy and Dana have previously collaborated on At Home in Big Woods (Serpent’s Tale – 2002), Fifty Common Birds of the Upper Midwest (Bur Oak Books 2006), and Fifty Uncommon Birds of the Upper Midwest (Bur Oak Books 2008).
Wood Duck by Dana Gardner