In Beginnings, the first issue of 105 Meadowlark Reader, 35 authors representing 25 Kansas communities share true stories, essays about the roots we share, the personal stories of individuals embedded in in the Kansas landscape, stories that examine our lives as Kansans and our communities. Current and former Kansans share their true stories, leaving readers eager for the next installment of 105 Meadowlark Reader. Authors in this issue include: Julie Johnson, Nancy Julien Kopp, Daniel Krause, Sandee Lee, Michael Marks, Don Marler, Ruth Maus, Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Julie Nischan, Marci Penner, Jeanette Powers, Jay M. Price, Kevin Rabas, Mark Scheel, Harland Schuster, Julie Sellers, Tyler Robert Sheldon, Lindsey Bartlett, Tim Bascom, Gretchen Cassel Eick, Marie Baum Fletcher, Beth Gulley, Carolyn Hall, Roger Heineken, Alexander Hurla, and Miriam Iwashige. The collection is compiled and edited by Cheryl Unruh, and published by Tracy Million Simmons.

Arlice W. Davenport, a lifelong Wichitan, is the retired Travel editor and Books Page editor for The Wichita Eagle. This is his first book of poems.

Knowing Is a Branching Trail is a poetic investigation of the many ways in which we know and come to understanding. In this collection of poetry, selected winner of the 2021 Birdy Poetry Prize, by Meadowlark Press, the poems engage with the work of thinkers and artists, from Charles Darwin and Samuel Beckett to Margaret Atwood and the anonymous paints of the Lascaux caves. Themes range from pandemic and illness, childhood and parenting, observing and engaging with the natural world, and creating art. Poems in the book have previously appeared in Poet Lore, Blood Orange Review, Green Hills Literary Lantern, and Vox Poetica, and other journals. In this book, we witness an artist's pause, an extraction of poetry from the ordinary beat of life.

“Part portrait of a place, part rescue manual, part rumination of life and death, Population: 485 is a beautiful meditation on the things that matter.” — Seattle Times Welcome to New Auburn, Wisconsin (population: 485) where the local vigilante is a farmer’s wife armed with a pistol and a Bible, the most senior member of the volunteer fire department is a cross-eyed butcher with one kidney and two ex-wives (both of whom work at the only gas station in town), and the back roads are haunted by the ghosts of children and farmers. Michael Perry loves this place. He grew up here, and now—after a decade away—he has returned. Unable to polka or repair his own pickup, his farm-boy hands gone soft after years of writing, Perry figures the best way to regain his credibility is to join the volunteer fire department. Against a backdrop of fires and tangled wrecks, bar fights and smelt feeds, Population: 485 is a comic and sometimes heartbreaking true tale leavened with quieter meditations on an overlooked America.

Ava is an American Avocet, a breed of shorebird who leaves her home at the Laguna Madre and travels 1,000 miles to stay for a season at the largest wetland complex in the interior of the United States. Cheyenne Bottoms, in the middle of Kansas, is home to millions of birds who stop during their annual migrations in the spring and fall, as well as a diverse population of wildlife who make a home there year-round. As Ava meets her mate and starts a family, readers are introduced to one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. Some Facts about Wetlands: - In only 23 years, between 1955 and 1978, 40% of the wetlands in Kansas disappeared. - Wetlands around the world are vanishing at a rate three times that of forests. - Wetlands are one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, as varied and productive as rain forests and coral reefs. - Wetlands do amazing things for their surrounding communities, such as reduce soil erosion by capturing sediment and soaking up extra flood water.

The author recounts details of Lincoln College campus burglaries and murders in the 1970's.

Kindred Verse by Julie A. Sellers is an intimate collection of poetry and essays inspired by the author's decades-long relationship with Anne of Green Gables. The sweetly nostalgic pieces interweave the poet's experiences and readings of that classic novel with shared points of identification with other fans around the globe. Each piece and the accompanying photographs create the perfect space to revisit kindred spirits and discover new ones.