“Normally, he tried not to think about Nickie, not even in this house, where they had been happiest; where on the wall over the tall walnut secretary desk Freddy used every day hung the photo of them wearing blazers, school ties, shorts, knee socks, loafers, their close-cropped kinky hair inherited from their mother; where Nickie had lived, not died.”Melody Graulich is emeritus professor of English and American Studies at Utah State University. During her academic career she publis...

The Fall 2020 Issue. Ploughshares is an award-winning journal of new writing. Since 1971, Ploughshares has discovered and cultivated the freshest voices in contemporary American literature, and now provides readers with thoughtful and entertaining literature in a variety of formats. Find out why the New York Times named Ploughshares “the Triton among minnows.”The Fall 2020 Issue, edited by Editor-in-chief Ladette Randolph, features new longform work by Michelle Herman, John Elizabe...

Considers Gilman’s place in American literary and social history by examining her relationships to other prominent intellectuals of her eraBy placing Charlotte Perkins Gilman in the company of her contemporaries, this collection seeks to correct misunderstandings of the feminist writer and lecturer as an isolated radical. Gilman believed and preached that no life is ever led in isolation; indeed, the cornerstone of her philosophy was the idea that “humanit...

The Trail Book is a classic of American nature writing. First published in 1918, it is a collection of children’s tales, framed by its setting in New York’s Museum of Natural History. For two children, Oliver and his sister Dorcas, the museum’s famed dioramas (which were new at that time) come to life and admit them into a series of exciting adventures that include talking animals and magical travels. Along the way, the children discover the ways of the ancient Native Americans an...

Dirty Words in “Deadwood” showcases literary analyses of the Deadwood television series by leading western American literary critics. Whereas previous reaction to the series has largely addressed the question of historical accuracy rather than intertextuality or literary complexity, Melody Graulich and Nicolas S. Witschi’s edited volume brings a much-needed perspective to Deadwood’s representation of the frontier West.As Graulich observes in her introduct...