On Common Ground: Loess Hills anthology book review

Thank you to Ryan Allen who sent me a free review copy of On Common Ground so that I could check it out and help spread the word! 

What is On Common Ground?

On Common Ground is a collection of essays, poetry, art, and all about the Loess Hills created by experts and creatives from a wide range of fields after a trip to the Loess Hills together in 2021. The participants include writers, artists, theologians, biologists, and more, who each viewed the Loess Hills through the lens of their own expertise and life experiences. The resulting works share each contributor's unique perspective on the Loess Hills.  Some are celebratory, other mournful, and many have a conservation element. For those who may not know or remember, loess is a deposit of ancient glacial silt that forms hills, and here in western Iowa, we have the most extensive loess hills in the world other than a remote part of China. I think it's great to see such an insightful work devoted to this geological treasure. On Common Ground was edited by Drs. Ryan Allen and Brian T. Hazlett, and I think perhaps Dr. Allen said it best in his epilogue: "At the heart of the On Common Ground experience is a realization that there is wisdom in collaboration."

On Common Ground is published by Ice Cube Press, an independent publisher based in North Liberty, Iowa. 

Contributors to On Common Ground

On Common Ground is edited by Ryan Allen and Brian T. Hazlett

Ryan Allen is a professor of English and writing, a prolific writer and editor himself, and the owner of Lumin Therapy in Sioux City with his wife Meghan

Brian T. Hazlett is a biology professor at Briar Cliff University here in Sioux City.

On Common Ground also includes pieces from 

• Kristen Drahos, assistant professor of theology at Baylor University
• Jim Helfers, a literature professor from Grand Canyon University
• Patrick Hicks, a professor of creative writing and literature and writer-in-residence at Augustana University
• Mike Langley, a local musician and member of the Iowa Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame
• Melanie Krieps Mergen, a writer, musician, and Briar Cliff alum
• Vincent Miller, chair of Catholic Theology and Culture at the University of Dayton
• Scott R. Moats, a biologist who lives at Broken Kettle Grasslands and serves the Nature Conservancy as their Iowa and Missouri Fire Manager and Iowa director of Stewardship
• Cornelia F. Mutel, an ecologist and writer of many works including the iconic Fragile Giants
• Dan O'Brien, a wildlife biologist, rancher, and award-winning writer
• Aric Michael Ping, a conservationist who works in ecological management
• John T. Price, a professor at University of Nebraska Omaha, director of his English Dept's Creative Nonfiction Writing Program, writer, and editor of The Tallgrass Prairie Reader
• James Calvin Schaap, a writer and retired Dordt University professor 
• Daryl Smith, one of the founders of the University of Northern Iowa's Tallgrass Prairie Center
• Jerry Wilson, a writer of many works, former editor of South Dakota Magazine, and retired teacher
• Norma Clark Wilson, a poet, editor, essayist, and University of South Dakota English Professor Emerita
• Nan Wilson, a noted regional artist
• William M. Zales, a retired professor who now lives in the Loess Hills

Phew! That's quite an impressive collection of thinkers and creators! (note: these are based on their author bios in the book. Many of them have doctoral degrees but chose not to include the title Dr. in their bios so I didn't use them either.)

The works within On Common Ground are as varied as the contributors themselves, ranging from heartfelt poetry to personal essays to more academic work with extensive citations. I loved reading the different perspectives and seeing how they also work together cohesively, and I appreciated Dr. Ryan Allen's epilogue to bring it all together. Anthologies are so easy to read because you can just read one contribution at a time, or you can read it all at once, and it works well either way, and that's definitely true of this anthology specifically. I also especially enjoyed the beautiful artwork of Nan Wilson that really brought the Loess Hills to life visually (and out of respect to her, I took intentionally bad pics so sketchy people can't steal it. I think they're good enough you can still see how cool the artwork is though!) It was interspersed throughout the book and was so lovely to find each time.

How to get On Common Ground

On Common Ground: Learning and Living in the Loess Hills is available on (affiliate link:) Amazon and other online retailers. It is also available in store at Book People in Sioux City, Prairie Lights in Iowa City, and is likely to be available at other bookstores and gift shops around Iowa that sell books by local authors.

There are also some in-person events celebrating the book, and some copies of the book are likely to be available at those events:

• Thursday, August 24th, 2023 at 7pm at Briar Cliff University in the St. Francis Assisi Room
• Saturday, August 26th, 2023 from noon to 2pm, at Book People on Hamilton Boulevard 

I really encourage you to go to these events if you're at all interested--it takes a lot of work to write a book and it is so heartening to reach that finish line of having it published and out to the public, and one of the best parts is definitely getting to go celebrate your book at public events! 

Congratulations and well done to all the contributors to On Common Ground: Learning and Living in the Loess Hills. I definitely think this is an important book that furthers the literature on the Loess Hills, plus an enjoyable and thought-provoking read for anyone interested.