FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“The Great Plains of America are not for sissies, but those who respond to their haunting beauty will not be driven off. The photographer Michael Forsberg shows why. He has spent a long time looking at the Great Plains and now he has shared what he saw.”
LARRY MCMURTRY

“This strikes me as a signal event in the history of American publishing, a true event where the authors Ted Kooser, David Wishart, Dan O’Brien, and the simply fabulous photographer, Michael Forsberg, are a perfectly graceful mix. Having crisscrossed this area dozens of times it was wonderful to see my grand memories between covers.”
JIM HARRISON

“This is an invaluable book for those who already love the Great Plains, but it is an important book for those who have not considered the importance of the Plains in America’s ecosystem. The area has been called America’s Outback, but this beautiful book should make it accessible to anyone.”
KATHLEEN NORRIS

Great Plains
America’s Lingering Wild
By Michael Forsberg

Spanning the area west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, the Great Plains once ranked among the most magnificent grasslands on the planet, second only to the Serengeti in sheer size, grandeur, and biodiversity. But today this broad expanse of prairie and steppe is among the most endangered ecosystems in the entire world. Here award-winning photographer Michael Forsberg—a frequent contributor to such publications as National Geographic, Audubon, National Wildlife, and Natural History—reveals the lingering wild that still survives on the Plains and whose diverse natural communities, landscapes, and native flora and fauna together create one extraordinary whole. Featuring contributions from novelist and wildlife biologist Dan O’Brien, noted geographer and environmentalist David Wishart, and American poet laureate Ted Kooser, Great Plains features 150 stunning full-color images along with literary, historical, and scientific passages that bring this extraordinary part of the country into more vivid focus than ever before.

Most Americans know little about the landscape, wildlife, and history of this vast part of our country. But here, the beauty and majesty of the Great Plains come alive in all their quiet glory.

Michael Forsberg is a Nebraska native and a professional photographer whose images have appeared in publications including Audubon, National Geographic, Natural History, National Wildlife, and in books published by National Geographic and Smithsonian. He is a Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers and a charter member of the North American Nature Photographers Association. He is also the author of On Ancient Wings: The Sandhill Cranes of North America. To learn more about his work, visit www.michaelforsberg.com.

 

To contact Forsberg for an interview or the like, please contact Mark Heineke at 773-702-3714 or mheineke@uchicago.edu

“The Great Plains of America are not for sissies, but those who respond to their haunting beauty will not be driven off. The photographer Michael Forsberg shows why. He has spent a long time looking at the Great Plains and now he has shared what he saw.”—Chris Johns, Editor in Chief, National Geographic Magazine

“The beauty and majesty of the Great Plains come alive in the pages of this magnificent book. As a native of Nebraska, I know how little most Americans know about the landscape, wildlife, and history of this vast part of our country. Here, they can appreciate the Plains states in all their quiet glory.”—James V. Risser, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting

“Expect to be surprised by this spectacular book. Its photographs creatively capture the subtle details and immense power residing in a great American landscape, while its prose provides the context for enjoyable reflection on humans and nature.”—Len Ackland, Founding Director, Center for Environmental Journalism, University of Colorado

“Focusing on a massive but neglected part of America, Mike Forsberg has created a masterpiece of stunning and lyrical photos and prose describing the legendary Great Plains. The white man brutally took over the interior grasslands from Native Americans and from charismatic predators such as wolves and bears, and slaughtered the vast herds of bison as well as other creatures. Great Plains tells this amazing story vividly with the passion and verve that the subject deserves. Bravo to Mike Forsberg!”—Chris Palmer, Director, Center for Environmental Filmmaking, American University

“Mike Forsberg’s images give us bright openings onto a world. And the essays by Dan O’Brien and David Wishart, they too are clear windows into and onto a place, pictures constructed of words, vistas sharing a common horizon. … Here on the Great Plains both people and trees and everything else are in some way shaped by wind and weather. This book, too, has been shaped by where it comes from, and that’s just a part of its beauty.”—Ted Kooser, winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry

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