English doctoral candidates turning homework into published books

According to a 2002 survey by the publishing firm Jenkins Group, Inc., 81 percent of Americans think they should write a book.

Of course, the percentage of people who actually write books is much lower. But, right here at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, two doctoral candidates from the English department will be joining the ranks of those elite, few published writers.

Carrie Shipers, a doctoral candidate in English with a concentration in creative writing, began writing a series of poems for a graduate seminar during her first semester at UNL. It admittedly terrified her to write a book of poetry, but she took the opportunity to write about something that had always fascinated her: ghosts.

"I've always been interested in ghosts," Shipers said.

Folklore stories about ghosts and reasons they come back intrigued Shipers. As the project began, she never expected it to go beyond the assignment, certainly not all the way to a publishing company.

Over the next year, Shipers wrote poem after poem about ghosts. After another year of sending the manuscript, "Ordinary Mourning," to publishing companies and literary contests, it finally won the ABZ Press Poetry Prize.

"I had come to a strange place with that book," Shipers said.

It had won multiple runner-up and finalist prizes, but when the call came that it would finally be published, Shipers was shocked.

Shipers, who received a bachelor's and master's degree in English from the University of Missouri and a master's degree in fine arts from Ohio State, is working on another collection of poetry for her dissertation.

She plans to finish her degree next May.

Dave Madden, also an English doctoral candidate with a concentration in creative writing, took a very different path to publish his nonfiction book, "The Authentic Animal: Inside the Odd and Obsessive World of Taxidermy."

During a master's nature writing course at UNL, Madden's class went to Morrill Hall to see the dioramas.

While there, Madden realized that the animals were not synthetic or man-made as he had previously thought, but real animals. He used the subject for an essay for the class. But, as he researched, he realized how much more there was to the subject.

"It was grander than an essay," Madden said.

Later, his adviser encouraged him to explore the possibility of turning the essay into a book.

While continuing work on this longer project, Madden found an agent and worked on a proposal for publishing companies. He also received the Maude Hammond Fling Fellowship, which allowed him to take time off from school to work on the book.

In early August, Madden accepted a bid from St. Martin's Press to write the rest of the book.

Currently no release date has been set.

"It's been a long process," Madden said, noting it has now been more than seven years since he first started work on the project.

For his research, Madden traveled around the country. He visited museums, taxidermy schools and interviewed enthusiasts with personal collections. He also went to the Nebraska State Taxidermist Association Convention and the 2007 World Taxidermy Championships in Reno, Nev.

At these conventions, he attended seminars about specific taxidermy techniques and saw the detail of the exhibitionists' work.

"I'm really excited, but I also have a lot of work to do; I still have to finish the book," Madden added.

Although most of us won't go on to get a book published, Madden and Shipers have advice for those who think they have a book in them.

"Just write it, and finish the book," Madden said. He claimed that it doesn't matter if most of it is useless; the important thing is to get it out.

Shipers went further and encouraged writers to separate themselves from their work.

"You can write a poem and know it's really good, but publishing is up to someone else."

meganbrinks@dailynebraskan.com