Prairie Elms: The Ladies & Gentlemen of Plano, IL

by Francis Masat

Overview

Prairie Elms, Book 3 of A Prairie Trilogy (Books 1 and 2 are, respectively, Awakening in Prairie Light and A Prairie Labyrinth), provides the basis for the journey and labyrinth of Books 1 and 2. Befitting what is essentially a chronological anthology, the poems celebrate rites of passage: graduation, marriage, a new home, cancer survival, a move, a homecoming, memorials as caused by a community’s aging, and so on. As such, they reflect life in small prairie towns where most young people still move away after high school or college. A few personal names were changed to protect the innocent and the guilty: I believe that mine is not to judge, but to show. A brief [note] is provided for most of the poems, while complete publication credits and notes comprise Chapter III.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940012889379
Publisher:	Francis Masat
Publication date:	05/30/2011
Series:	A Prairie Trilogy , #3
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	33 KB

About the Author

Born in 1938, Masat lived in Plano, with a stay in Chicago during World War II, until he sold the Plano homestead in 1979. He holds a PhD, has won prizes, and retired after 36 years in academia. He now lives with his wife in Key West, FL, where he is a 24/7 wildlife rescuer. He has been an editor, farmer, diver, carpenter, salesperson, politician, cook, baker, parent, and grandparent. His work thus draws upon experience and combines unapologetic naturalism with formal clarity and emotion. It appears worldwide in over 100 anthologies and journals. His recent books are Awakening in Prairie Light (haibun, Book 1 of A PRAIRIE TRILOGY, Barnes & Noble/Nook, 2011), A Prairie Labyrinth (poetry, Book 2 of A PRAIRIE TRILOGY, Barnes & Noble/Nook, 2011), Threshing (poetry, March Street Press, 2010), Lilacs After Winter (haibun, MET Press, 2008), and A Taste of Key West (poetry, Pudding House Publications, 2008). He also co-edited Among the Lilies (a Shadow Poetry anthology, 2008) and presently co-edits the column “Key-ku,” haiku of Key West and the Florida Keys.