My essay, “Works Cited,” has been accepted at The Missouri Review, published out of the University of Missouri. Here’s a bit from their website:”The Missouri Review, founded in 1978, is one of the most highly-regarded literary magazines in the United States and for the past twenty-five years we’ve upheld a reputation for finding and publishing the very best writers first.” Robert Olen Butler says, “The Missouri Review is, quite simply, one of the best literary journals in the world.”

My essay is slated for their Fall issue. Should it get bumped to the Spring issue, I’ll post a note here. Meanwhile, check out their site and some of the works they are publishing.

I have been invited to contribute an essay to Columbia: A Journal of Literature & Art, published by the MFA Program at Columbia University in New York. Since 1977, Columbia has been publishing works by some of the greatest writers in the country and abroad. Notables include Raymond Carver, Jorge Luis Borges, Lorrie Moore, Louise Glück, Jane Kenyon, James Tate, Lydia Davis, Stephen Jay Gould, Noam Chomsky, Phillip Lopate, Ha Jin, Jonathan Lethem, Italo Calvino, John D’Agata, Steve Almond, Paul Muldoon and many, many others.

The journal comes out anually, so look for my essay, “Fourteen Fragments on My Great Big Superfund Childhood,” in their Spring 2009 issue.

My essay, “The Bone Road,” is in the new issue of Shenandoah. Other writers in this edition include Ha Jin, David Kirby, Joyce Carol Oates, Albert Goldbarth, Margaret Gibson, Paul Zimmer, and many more. You can order a copy online or buy one at any fine bookstore.

The Enders Hotel received a very generous and thorough review at NewWest.com.

“Schrand. . . proves himself a top-notch yarn spinner with this richly described, poignant memoir.” –Jenny Shank, NewWest.com.

As a longtime subscriber to the High Country News, I was delighted to see my book get some traction in its pages. Review Excerpted below.

“Schrand’s personal story reflects larger cultural truths: The transitory lives of his grandfather and stepfather mirror those of the down-on-their luck drifters who gravitate to the hotel. . . Schrand’s memoir breaks new ground. . . [and] makes Soda Springs and towns like it finally matter.” –High Country News.

My essay, “Eleven Ways to Consider Air,” has just won the Pushcart Prize. The essay, which also won the 2006 Willard R. Espy Award, was first published in Ecotone, and will be reprinted in both the Pushcart Prize anthology, as well as in the forthcoming book, Borne on Air: Essays by Idaho Writers.

Make the jump to Red Room where I have blogged about two recent readings here on my home turf. You won’t want to miss it. Stay tuned, too, for some digital audio from the readings which will be posted here and at Red Room.

The Enders Hotel has garnered a Starred Review from Booklist. Here is what they have to say about the book:

I will be blogging from the road at Red Room, the swanky and hip author/writer website. To see how the book tour is going so far, check out my blog by clicking here.

I’ve been invited to read at the Ruskin Art Club in Los Angeles as part of the Ruskin Reading Series sponsored by Red Hen Press. Founded in 1888, the Ruskin Art Club is the oldest and one of the most respected associations in Los Angeles. Past writers that have read at the club include Galway Kinnell, Joy Harjo, Percival Everett, Li-Young Li, Chris Abani, Marvin Bell, and many others.

My reading is slated for May 18, 2009. If you are in the L.A. area next May, by all means, drop by.