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Noir Robert Coover Overlook/Duckworth Books, November 2011 192 pages $14.00 This post was written by Lynne Weiss. It’s a perfect night. Wind, rain, gloomily overcast, the puddled reflections more luminous than the street lamps they reflect. You’re Philip M. Noir, and you’re looking for a story—or maybe you’re trying to find the story in a…

Yes, I am a lawyer.  There are so many lawyer-writers, it’s cliche at this point.  Off the top of my head, there’s John Grisham, Scott Turow, Stephen Carter, Brad Meltzer, Amy Chua, Elizabeth Wurtzel, Min Jin Lee…and the list goes on and on.  In every genre and in every form of writing, you are likely…

Issue: Spring 1997 This is a review of a back issue of Ploughshares. The author won our “Free Ploughshares” contest that we hosted earlier this year and agreed to review his/her free issue. This post was written by Mary Stone Dockery. Enjoy! In the Spring 1997 issue of Ploughshares, guest editor Yusef Komunyakaa says, “Many…

Review: Winter 2007 This is a review of a back issue of Ploughshares. The author won our “Free Ploughshares” contest that we hosted earlier this year and agreed to review his/her free issue. This post was written by Joel Ferdon. Enjoy! In 2007 I watched my brother get married in a small Catholic church while…

Issue: Winter 2000 This is a review of a back issue of Ploughshares. The author won our “Free Ploughshares” contest that we hosted earlier this year and agreed to review his/her free issue. This post was written by Julie Nilson. Enjoy! Like many, I discovered Sherman Alexie through the film Smoke Signals. Wanting more of…

Issue: Spring 1991 This is a review of a back issue of Ploughshares. The author won our “Free Ploughshares” contest that we hosted earlier this year and agreed to review his/her free issue. This post was written by Anna Zink. Enjoy! I’ve been picking up Ploughshares‘ Works-in-Progress issue on and off for weeks now, sneaking…

Lost Memory of Skin Russell Banks Ecco, September 2011 432 pages $25.99 Outside of freshman philosophy classes and Republican presidential debates, morality is not a hot topic these days. Books that moralize are considered old-fashioned at best and insulting at worst. Leave it to Russell Banks to write a subtle, thoughtful novel about what would…

Issue: Spring 1990 This is a review of a back issue of Ploughshares. The author won our “Free Ploughshares” contest that we hosted earlier this year and agreed to review his/her free issue. This post was written by Andrew David King. Enjoy! The Future Then, the Past Now: Considering the Spring/Summer 1990 Issue of Ploughshares…

Issue: Winter 1995/1996 This is a review of a back issue of Ploughshares. The author won our “Free Ploughshares” contest that we hosted earlier this year and agreed to review his/her free issue. This post was written by A.J. Kandathil. Enjoy! As a writer who recently finished an MFA program, I’ve listened to my fair share…