KEARNEY — “A Literary History of the Platte River” will be presented by Nathan Tye at the Kearney Public Library on Wednesday, April 8.
WHAT: Brown Bag Lecture Series
HOSTED BY: UNK Department of History
TITLE: “A Literary History of the Platte River”
TOPIC: Writers, like sandhill cranes, return to the Platte River for inspiration and sustenance. From the poetry of Don Welch and Nancy Westerfield to the novels of Willa Cather and Richard Powers, the Platte River has long meandered across the printed page. Exploring these and other writers’ works about the Platte River reveals a rich literary history in our midst. This talk is part of Kearney Public Library’s National Poetry Month celebration.
PRESENTER: Nathan Tye is the associate professor of Nebraska and American West history at UNK, where he’s taught since 2019. He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his research focuses on the lives of migrant laborers, better known as hobos, and their efforts to survive on society’s margins. Tye serves on the boards of several local community museums and cultural organizations, and his research is published in Nebraska History, Annals of Iowa and Willa Cather Review. He also appeared on NBC’s celebrity genealogy program “Who Do You Think You Are?”
TIME: Noon
DATE: Wednesday, April 8
PLACE: Kearney Public Library, 2020 First Ave.
VIDEO: Available on the Kearney Public Library YouTube channel
CONTACT: Nathan Tye, associate history professor, 308.865.8860, tyen@unk.edu
