{"product_id":"reading-the-signs-and-other-itinerant-essays-paperback","title":"Reading the Signs and Other Itinerant Essays - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eStephen Benz\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThese essays travel near and\u003cbr\u003efar to explore landscapes of personal and cultural significance and the\u003cbr\u003ecommunities that inhabit them.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt a time when we\u003cbr\u003ereexamine how policies of yesteryear shape equities in the present, \u003cbr\u003eaward-winning writer Stephen Benz challenges readers to delve beyond\u003cbr\u003ewhitewashed versions of history and reassess our treatment of native people and\u003cbr\u003ethe environment with fresh, critical eyes. From westward expansion and Manifest\u003cbr\u003eDestiny to the Cold War and the Global War on Terror, \u003ci\u003eReading the Signs\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eprods myths and provides missing context around events touched by the American\u003cbr\u003eimpulse to grab land and harvest resources--both within and beyond our shores.\u003cbr\u003eThese essays challenge us to search for missing layers of truth and decide\u003cbr\u003ewhich versions of history should prevail. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith a wandering\u003cbr\u003espirit and an inquisitive mind, Benz ventures around town, across country, and\u003cbr\u003eoverseas in search of forgotten, overlooked, or misunderstood stories. From\u003cbr\u003erock concerts and courthouses to farm towns, battlegrounds, historical sites, \u003cbr\u003eand quirky museums, these \"itinerant essays\" revel in discovering \"new wonders\u003cbr\u003eevery mile.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAlong with \u003ci\u003eTopographies\u003c\/i\u003e (Etruscan Press) and two books of\u003cbr\u003etravel essays--\u003ci\u003eGuatemalan Journey\u003c\/i\u003e (University of Texas Press) and \u003ci\u003eGreen\u003cbr\u003eDreams: Travels in Central America\u003c\/i\u003e (Lonely Planet)--Stephen Benz has\u003cbr\u003epublished essays in \u003ci\u003eCreative Nonfiction, River Teeth, TriQuarterly, New\u003cbr\u003eEngland Review, \u003c\/i\u003e and other journals. Three of his essays have been selected\u003cbr\u003efor \u003ci\u003eBest American Travel Writing \u003c\/i\u003e(2003, 2015, 2019). His poems have\u003cbr\u003eappeared in journals such as \u003ci\u003eNimrod, Shenandoah\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eConfrontation\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eas well as in a full-length collection, \u003ci\u003eAmericana Motel, \u003c\/i\u003epublished by\u003cbr\u003eMain Street Rag Press. Benz now teaches professional writing at the University\u003cbr\u003eof New Mexico.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlong with two books of travel essays--Guatemalan Journey (University of Texas Press) and Green Dreams: Travels in Central America (Lonely Planet)--Stephen Benz has published essays in Creative Nonfiction, River Teeth, TriQuarterly, New England Review, and other journals. Three of his essays have been selected for Best American Travel Writing (2003, 2015, 2019). His poems have appeared in journals such as Nimrod, Shenandoah, and Confrontation as well as in a full-length collection, Americana Motel, published by Main Street Rag Press. Topographies, a collection of essays, appeared in 2019 from Etruscan Press. Formerly a writer for Tropic, the Sunday magazine of the Miami Herald, Benz now teaches professional writing at the University of New Mexico.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 384\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.1 x 8.9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 17, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42159539716231,"sku":"9781736494622","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/9926d80d4e6b7dc01a01e8a8feee711c.webp?v=1733267332","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/reading-the-signs-and-other-itinerant-essays-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}