Timothy Schaffert has been named Glenna Luschei Editor of Prairie Schooner, the storied literary journal of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Schaffert, Adele Hall Professor of English and director of creative writing at Nebraska, took the helm June 1.
He is the author of seven novels, most recently the national bestseller "The Titanic Survivors Book Club," and his work has been distributed around the world, translated into multiple languages and featured in The Washington Post, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, People, Publishers Weekly, Good Housekeeping and other national and international publications. His work has also been an Oprah Book Club Book of the Week and a New York Times Editors' Choice. He is the co-editor, with SJ Sindu, of Zero Street, a University of Nebraska Press series of original trade fiction.
Schaffert joins a list of celebrated editors, most recently Kwame Dawes. Prairie Schooner is the oldest literary magazine to remain in publication in the Midwest and maintains an international reputation for publishing high quality and diverse work.
As Glenna Luschei Editor, Schaffert will guide a team of staff and graduate student editors in their selection of works to be published from the more than 3,000 submissions received during the annual submission window, Sept. 1 to May 1. The Schooner is published quarterly.
“We’re continuing our long tradition of being devoted to literature, arts, fiction, essay and literary conversation,” Schaffert said. “The journal has always been committed to providing space for new writers, and to be representative of the voices of the 21st century, we will also, in some instances, encourage work from writers we admire.”
Over the years, the Schooner has published works from many well-known authors, including Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Octavio Paz, Louise Erdrich, Joyce Carol Oates, Jericho Brown and, more recently, Aria Aber and Danez Smith.
Schaffert himself was published in Prairie Schooner early in his career. He also has history with the magazine as an editor, first as an undergraduate student who assisted under editor-in-chief Hilda Raz (1987-2011), and then when he joined the faculty at Nebraska in 2006.
“I held different titles through the years, including digital development editor and contributing editor,” Schaffert said. “As contributing editor, I approached Gregory Maguire, who wrote the novel ‘Wicked,’ about submitting something, and he said, ‘Well, I have this epic poem that explains the origin of Oz that I originally had opening the novel,’ but it wasn’t included for whatever reason. We were able to publish that epic Oz origin poem.”
Schaffert said readers shouldn’t expect any major changes, though he is planning some new things for forthcoming issues, including the centennial, which will be celebrated in 2027. The journal was founded in 1926 and published its first issue in January 1927.
“It’s my responsibility to keep things on the track that it's been on for 100 years,” Schaffert said. “It is exciting to be able to make a space for new voices and to work with established authors and contribute to the American and international literary conversation from this place in the middle of the country.”
