Jonis Agee (born May 31, 1943 in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American professor and writer of short stories, novels, essays, and screenplays. She is the author of thirteen books, including five novels and five collections of short fiction. Three of her books have been New York Times Notable Books.
Biography Agee was born in Omaha, Nebraska,Contemporary Authors Online, Gale Literary Database, 2008 "" and grew up in Nebraska and Missouri. She earned her BA from the University of Iowa, and her MA and PHD from Binghamton University.
Career Agee taught at the College of St. Catherine and the University of Michigan. She is the Adele Hall Professor of English at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where she teaches creative writing and twentieth-century fiction.
Jonis Agee has written thirteen books. Her recent book, The River Wife (Random House, 2007), is about five generations of women during nineteenth-century South. The book was selected by the Book of the Month Club, the Literary Guild, and as a main selection by the Quality Paperback Book Club. In the past, Strange Angel, Bend This Heart, and Sweet Eyes were all named a Notable Book by The New York Times Book Review.
Personal life Agee lives on an acreageVideo profile of Jonis Agee, University of Nebraska "" north of Omaha, Nebraska, along the Missouri River, with her husband, writer Brent Spencer. She owns 20 pairs of cowboy boots.
Selected works
Novels Sweet Eyes (1991) Strange Angels (1993) South of Resurrection (1998) The Weight of Dreams (2000) The River Wife (2007) The Bones of Paradise (2016)
Short story collections Pretend We've Never Met (1989) Bend This Heart (1989) A .38 Special and a Broken Heart (1995) Taking the Wall (1999) Acts of Love on Indigo Road (2003)
Poetry Houses (1973) Mercury (1981)
Screenplays Full Throttle (2007)
Anthologies Stiller's Pond (1996)
Awards Minnesota State Arts Board Award in Fiction, 1977 National Endowment for the Arts grant in fiction, 1978 Bush Grant for Faculty Development in Creative Writing, 1983 Loft-McKnight Award in Fiction, 1989 Notable Book of the Year for Bend This Heart, New York Times, 1989 Loft-McKnight Award of Distinction, 1991 Notable Book of the Year for Sweet Eyes, New York Times, 1991 Notable Book of the Year for Strange Angels, New York Times, 1993 ForeWord Magazine's Editor's Choice Award for Taking the Wall, 2000 Nebraska Book Award for The Weight of Dreams, 2000 Nebraska Book Award Acts of Love on Indigo Road, 2004 ForeWord Magazine's Gold Medal in Fiction for Acts of Love on Indigo Road, 2004 John Gardner Fiction Award for The River Wife, Binghamton University, 2008 Distinguished Artist Award in Fiction, Nebraska Arts Council, 2009 Backwaters Press Publication Award, Nebraska Arts Council, 2009 Mark Twain Award for Distinguished Contribution to Midwestern Literature, The Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature, 2009 George Garrett Award, Association of Writers and Writing Programs, 2010“Congratulations Jonis Agee, winner of the 2010 AWP George Garrett Award!” University of Nebraska Press Blog, April 13, 2010. "" Outstanding Research and Creativity Award (ORCA), University of Nebraska, 2010“UNL’s Agee, Zeng Win ORCA Award,” April 7, 2010 ""
References
External links
“Writing History: Jonis Agee Weaves the Pioneer Past into a New Novel” by Alden Mudge, [BookPage] "Emotions Run Swift in River Wife," [USA Today], August 13, 2007 University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty description of Agee