Tuesday, April 25, 2017

The Latest Oz Short Story

I was so busy this weekend that I almost forgot to blog my weekly short story—or in this case, poem, as the final entry in the 1977 edition of Oziana is "A Map for Ruth Plumly Thompson" by Ruth Berman, an homage to the wide-sweeping geography Thompson used in her books, both in and around Oz, and out to the oceans.

I also want to bring up some of the little extras in this issue that add to the flavor. There are several little spot illustrations, for example. Bill Eubank's "Oz-E-Gag" is about the previous year's presidential election: Kabumpo is surrounded by Carter Farms Peanuts as the Wise Donkey says, "And I told Kabumpo, 'It's not wise to change ones' political party for—peanuts!'" (For those who may not remember, or are too young to have been there, before entering politics Jimmy Carter had been a peanut farmer.) There's a Highlights for Children-style "find the objects hidden in the picture" puzzle. And a spectacular cover illustration of Oogaboo. It may hold a special place in my heart because it was my first issue, but I also like to think that this issue truly shows off what Oziana could truly achieve with the right care and contributions.

Next week, 1978!

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