Jonis Agee (born May 31, 1943 in Omaha,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

Notable Books.

Biography

Agee was born in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, and grew up in Nebraska and Missouri. She earned her BA from The

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

, and her MA and PHD from Binghamton University.

Career

Agee taught at The College of St. Catherine and the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. She is the Adele Hall Professor of English at The

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

— Lincoln, where she teaches creative writing and twentieth-century fiction. Jonis Agee has written thirteen books. Her recent book, ''The River Wife'' (

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

, 2007), is about five generations of women during nineteenth-century South. The book was selected by the

Book of the Month Club Book of the Month (founded 1926) is a United States subscription-based e-commerce service that offers a selection of five to seven new hardcover books each month to its members. Books are selected and endorsed by a panel of judges, and members ...

, the

Literary Guild The Literary Guild of America is a mail order book club selling low-cost editions of selected current books to its members. Established in 1927 to compete with the Book of the Month Club, it is currently owned by Bookspan. It was a way to encourag ...

, and as a main selection by the

Quality Paperback Book Club Book of the Month (founded 1926) is a United States subscription-based e-commerce service that offers a selection of five to seven new hardcover books each month to its members. Books are selected and endorsed by a panel of judges, and members c ...

. In the past, ''Strange Angel'', ''Bend This Heart'', and ''Sweet Eyes'' were all named a Notable Book by

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

Personal life

Agee lives on an acreage north of

, 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'',

, 1989 * Loft-McKnight Award of Distinction, 1991 * Notable Book of the Year for ''Sweet Eyes'',

, 1991 * Notable Book of the Year for ''Strange Angels'',

, 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 ''The Backwaters Press'' was a small press based in Omaha, Nebraska. It was a 501(c)(3) non-profit devoted to publishing poetry and literary fiction, with a special emphasis on the literature of Nebraska. The press was acquired in 2018 by The Uni ...

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 * 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]''

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120828024002/http://english.unl.edu/faculty/profs/jagee.html University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty description of Agee] {{DEFAULTSORT:Agee, Jonis 1943 births Living people Novelists from Missouri Novelists from Nebraska Novelists from Minnesota American historical novelists American women novelists American women short story writers 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American women screenwriters 20th-century American essayists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers Women historical novelists 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century essayists Binghamton University alumni 21st-century American non-fiction writers Screenwriters from Minnesota Screenwriters from Nebraska Screenwriters from Missouri