Hi, Nebraska has good poets too. One that comes to mind is Matt Mason, whose latest book, Things You Don't Know You Don't Know was put out by The Backwaters Press out of Omaha.

I'd just to like to echo Reed Richards and his dead-on thoughts on Wright Morris. All too often Morris is neglected, as a Nebraska writer (as well as a California writer, a terrific writer about Mexico and many many points inbetween, he remains one of the greatest and most original American novelists). Here's a small taste from Ceremony In Lone Tree. The passage speaks not only to the lonely beauty of Nebraska, but also to those out there who consider the plains as flyover America.

'Nothing irked him more than to hear from his children that the place was empty, the town deserted, and that there was nothing to see. He saw plenty. No matter where he looked. Down the tracks to the east, like a headless bird, the bloody neck still raw and dripping, a tub-shaped water tank sits high on stilts. Scanlon once saw a coon crawl out over the chute and drink from the spout...On occasion stray geese circle the tank like a water hole. All common sights, according to Scanlon, where other men squinted and saw nothing but waves of heat, as if the cinders of the railbed were still on fire." - Wright Morris

Before coming to Nebraska from Wisconsin, I thought I was taking a big step down in the world of literature. Granted, I migrated to Nebraska because of Ted Kooser, the previous poet laureate, but I was worried that he was the only one. What I found are writers and lovers of books. I also found the University of Nebraska Press and their Fly Over Fiction series, edited by Ron Hansen. Thus far, the University of Nebraska Press has published five books in this series with another title forthcoming this year. Recently, I read Pamela Joern’s The Floor of the Sky and was amazed at the quiet beauty Joern gave the landscape and how well it worked with the unrest in the novel.

UNP also publishes books by Ted Kooser, Prairie Schooner’s Book Award winners in poetry and fiction, and they have a blog (http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/) with posts by writers and book lovers alike.

Lincoln, Nebraska was not a step down from Milwaukee, but only a drive across I-80 that Ms. Daum leads us across in her article.

For years, the vastly underappreciated Rex Dobbins Jr. has been writing exciting stories about the hearty folk of Nebraska and their insatiable appetite for beef. "Swimming Upstream," his latest tale from the heartland, can be found on Electric Storytime at:

http://electricstorytime.blogspot.com/2006/06/swimming-upstream.html

If you're annoyed that your favorite Nebraska writer didn't make Meghan Daum's article, I'd suggest you check out A Different Plain: Contemporary Nebraska Fiction Writers, published by the University of Nebraska Press and edited by Ladette Randolph. It includes stories from authors mentioned in the article as well as writers like Ron Hansen, Richard Dooling, Dan Chaon, Jonis Agee, and Judith Slater.

Super Jim suggested Ted Kooser's Local Wonders and I second the motion. It will change the way you look at the world, no matter what state you live in.

And no literary tour of Nebraska would be complete without mentioning Prairie Schooner, the literary magazine published in Nebraska for 80 years.

I can't believe that Ms. Daumer neglected to mention Jim Harrison's lush and eloquent Nebraska-centered novels, Dalva and The Road Home. Few writers capture a natural setting like Harrison, who is America's finest contemporary writer, bar none. I recommend these novels who hasn't given them a whirl. I've wanted to visit Nebraska ever since reading Dalva ...

To hear more from Meghan Daum attend the 2006 Nebraska Book Festival on October 7 at Nebraska Wesleyan University where she will deliver the keynote address.

The theme of the Festival, "Beyond Borders: Nebraska and the World" conveys the notion that the Nebraska literary community is like one of those gracious hosts found all over the state who is at ease with his guests and eager to hear their news.

The Festival will also host Teresa Svoboda, Eric Konigsberg, Timothy Schaffert and many other writers hailing from both inside and outside Nebraska's borders.

For more visit www.nebraskabookfestival.org.

I, too, am a Nebraskan who uprooted and moved to California in search of something more. Coincidentally, having just returned from a weeklong visit to my home state last night, I was pleased and proud to run across Ms. Daum's article this morning.

While away, I spent a week cruising the backroads and byways in North and Eastern Nebraska with my parents and friends. Admittedly, it took a few days to readjust to the humidity, the conservatism, and the parade of wood-paneled steakhouses that fellow Nebraskan Alexander Payne gets so right in his movie "About Schmidt." Yet as the days progressed, my appreciation for the immaculate communities that persist amidst the wildly undulating hills and grasses grew, and I left with a renewed passion for my old home.

Nowhere have I met such genuinely warm and welcoming people. In fact, my recent trip led me to realize that my adopted home state could use a few genuine people of its own, and I have returned determined to do my part (rather than disguise my Midwesternness as best as I could).

Like Ms. Daum, I, too, have made my living writing about the surprising things to see and do in this silently resplendent state. Along with Ms. Daum's recommended reading materials, I suggest travelers log on to www.visitnebraska.org to gather information, create itineraries, and request a travel guide.

I appreciate Nebraska for inspiring Bruce to make on of the best rock albums of the last 25 years. Thanks Nebraska!!!

I appreciate that Ms Daum would take the time and effort to help Salon's readers understand that there is more to Nebraska than red-necks and farmland and cows (although there are plenty of each). Our beautiful state has much to offer culturally, we have critically acclaimed writers of poetry and prose, painters, sculptors, musicians, crafters of all stripes, great cooks and deep thinkers. We are just like the rest of America, and shouldn't be stereotyped as "country" or "the middle of nowhere". We are the heartland. So thank you again Ms Daum. You get it.