Sign in

Andy Oler

@andyoler.bsky.social
1.5K followers 790 following 336 posts

Parent, English prof, Hoosier. He/him. Departments Editor, New Territory, #LiteraryLandscapes. Old-Fashioned Modernism (LSU 2019), Michigan Salvage: The Fiction of Bonnie Jo Campbell (MSU 2023) & Lingering Inland: A Literary Tour of the Midwest (UIP 2025).

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Andy Oler
Ray E. Boomhower @rboomhower.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
My essay on the Hoosier Poet's living accommodations on Lockerbie Street in Indianapolis is included in this issue.
041
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Literary Landscapes, Vol. 19, is live and ready for your perusal! Essays on Ross Gay, Stuart Dybek, Justin Hamm, B.H. Fairchild, and James Whitcomb Riley. Please enjoy! newterritorymag.com/literary-lan...
newterritorymag.com
Literary Landscapes | The New Territory Magazine
152
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
My friend Doug died this summer. This weekend we celebrated him in Chicago. Last night we went to Cunneen’s, the bar he wrote about in The New Territory. Today there was a funny, tearful celebration of life. I got to see a lot of good people and meet even more. I think we did right by him.
Four Midwesterners in front of Cunneen’s, a bar in Chicago
240
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
If you’re in the Lansing area, don’t forget to go see Dawn Burns talking about Lingering Inland!
Flyer for Lingering Inland event at MSU Libraries, featuring two book covers
000
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Passing the polling place, signs sprouting from the roadside, I saw a grandpa wearing an I Can’t Breathe t-shirt walking a kid into school, and so I introduced my daughter to “A Small Needful Fact” in the car line.
Screenshot of the poem “A Small Needful Fact,” by Ross Gay. 

A Small Needful Fact

Is that Eric Garner worked
for some time for the Parks and Rec.i
Horticultural Department, which means,
perhaps, that with his very large hands,
perhaps, in all likelihood,
he put gently into the earth
some plants which, most likely,
some of them, in all likelihood,
continue to grow, continue
to do what such plants do, like house
and feed small and necessary creatures,
like being pleasant to touch and smell,
like converting sunlight
into food, like making it easier
for us to breathe.
04913
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Passing the polling place, signs sprouting from the roadside, I saw a grandpa wearing an I Can’t Breathe t-shirt walking a kid into school, and so I introduced my daughter to “A Small Needful Fact” in the car line.
Screenshot of the poem “A Small Needful Fact,” by Ross Gay. 

A Small Needful Fact

Is that Eric Garner worked
for some time for the Parks and Rec.i
Horticultural Department, which means,
perhaps, that with his very large hands,
perhaps, in all likelihood,
he put gently into the earth
some plants which, most likely,
some of them, in all likelihood,
continue to grow, continue
to do what such plants do, like house
and feed small and necessary creatures,
like being pleasant to touch and smell,
like converting sunlight
into food, like making it easier
for us to breathe.
021
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
My wife is at work and the kids haven’t emerged (I suspect in 8yo’s case, haven’t emerged again), so I’ve been eating breakfast and listening for the first time to Arthur Russell’s Calling Out of Context. arthurrussell.bandcamp.com/album/callin...
arthurrussell.bandcamp.com
Calling Out Of Context, by Arthur Russell
12 track album
2121
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Grateful to TV Mike and the Orbit Room for hosting the tribute show for Toby earlier this year wfhb.org/the-end-of-a...
wfhb.org
100
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Today would have been my brother Toby's birthday, so I wanted to put another record out there. This time it's Yesterday's Mask, originally from 2020. Happy birthday, Toby. We love you. tobyoler.bandcamp.com/album/yester...
tobyoler.bandcamp.com
Yesterday's Mask, by Toby Oler
4 track album
151
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Check out this nice article featuring Lingering Inland contributor @kellathornton.bsky.social! caps.washu.edu/caps-instruc...
caps.washu.edu
CAPS Instructional Designer Contributes to Midwest Book Award Winner - Continuing & Professional Studies
WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) Instructional Specialist Kella Thornton is among the contributors being recognized after Lingering Inland: A Literary Tour of the Midwest won top honors ...
111
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Asian Disco: Disco Divas, Funky Queens And Psych Ladies From Asia From The 70s To The Early 90s—a real winner from Toby’s collection youtube.com/playlist?lis...
youtube.com
Asian Disco (Disco Divas, Funky Queens And Psych Ladies From Asia From The 70s To The Early 90s) - YouTube
111
Reposted by Andy Oler
Michaella Thornton @kellathornton.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Thrilled & honored to have one of my essays in a 2026 Midwest Book Awards-winning anthology (Humanities' category, bb!), edited by @andyoler.bsky.social, published by the @uofillinois.bsky.social press & inspired by the "Literary Landscapes" series in The New Territory Magazine 🎉🪩🌌 Woohoo!
272
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
We did it! LINGERING INLAND won a Midwest Book Award! Thanks to contributors Olga Herrera and Liz Wilkinson for accepting on behalf of all our contributors!
Two women standing in front of a Midwest Book Awards banner holding the book Lingering Inland, a certificate, and a very large gold medal plaque
4142
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
I'm pretty pumped to announce that LINGERING INLAND has been named a finalist for the Midwest Book Awards in the Humanities category! Thanks again to all 73 contributors as well as The New Territory and @illinoispress.bsky.social for helping make this possible! www.mipa.org/midwest-book...
mipa.org
2026 Finalists
252
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Tonight’s the night—join me at The Book Cellar in a couple hours! www.bookcellarinc.com/andy-oler-li...
bookcellarinc.com
120
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
If you’re in the Chicago area, join me next week at The Book Cellar! We’ll have readings from two contributors to LINGERING INLAND: A LITERARY TOUR OF THE MIDWEST, then a conversation and Q&A with a third! #LiteraryLandscapes @illinoispress.bsky.social www.bookcellarinc.com/andy-oler-li...
bookcellarinc.com
Andy Oler, "Lingering Island" | The Book Cellar
243
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
We are slowly making more of Toby’s music available again on Bandcamp. For Bandcamp Friday, we re-released two albums he made with Michael James Tapscott of Odawas: Tapscott Sings Toby and Toby and Tapscott Sing. tobyoler.bandcamp.com/album/tapsco...
tobyoler.bandcamp.com
Tapscott Sings Toby, by Toby Oler
11 track album
154
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
If you’ll be in the vicinity of Oxford, OH, on Friday, come check out this event featuring several contributors reading from LINGERING INLAND! humanitiescenter.miamioh.edu/event/humani...
humanitiescenter.miamioh.edu
Humanities in Place: Personal, Literary, Historical
Humanities in Place: Personal, Literary, Historical - May 01, 2026 at Kofenya Coffee, 38 W High St. . Hosted by Miami University Humanities Center.
132
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Otto and the Moaners on a Sunday afternoon
Record on turntable next to the cover of Otto and the Moaners’ album, Deep Country Dream, featuring evergreens at dusk. Sunlight and greenery through the window in the background.
020
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Excited for the Unbound Book Festival in a couple weeks, where I’ll get to share a stage with the authors of these fine books: Leslie VonHolten, George Frazier, and Kieran Walquist!
Three books on a wood tabletop with two chair backs and windows in the background
000
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Check out this little teaser for Lingering Inland posted at Middle West US (thanks for the opportunity, @friefeld.bsky.social!) middlewest.us/lingering-ov...
middlewest.us
Lingering over Midwestern Stories, in Midwestern Places, by Midwestern People - Middle West US
March 25, 2026 By Andy Oler My introduction to the field of Midwestern literature centered on the fiction and poetry published in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The authors typical...
032
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
A call for contributors to #LiteraryLandscapes: Have you visited a literary place in the Midwest? (all terms broadly construed) Write about it! Send me a pitch. See here for details and a(n incomplete) list of possible subjects: newterritorymag.com/midwest/lite...
newterritorymag.com
Literary Landscapes - The New Territory Magazine
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: We seek brief essays (400-600 words), accompanied by a photo. See a list of authors we're seeking, or pitch your own.
100
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Toby left a massive record collection, and while I couldn’t keep everything, I saved two big bins, and I’m going through one-by-one. Today we’ve got a throwback that probably introduced a lot of teenage boys to jazz and world rhythms. Thanks, Tobe.
Record player spinning LP, beside album cover of the Beastie Boys’ The In Sound from Way Out!
120
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Periodical call for #LiteraryLandscapes: do you have a favorite Midwestern author? a literary place in the Midwest that you've visited or live nearby? Write about it! Send me a pitch, details and a list of possible subjects: newterritorymag.com/midwest/lite...
newterritorymag.com
Literary Landscapes - The New Territory Magazine
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: We seek brief essays (400-600 words), accompanied by a photo. See a list of authors we're seeking, or pitch your own.
131
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Toby's Bandcamp page is back up and running. All proceeds directly to Backline, a nonprofit providing mental health and wellness resources to people in the music industry. Currently the page includes four instrumental albums, and we will release more of his records over time. tobyoler.bandcamp.com
tobyoler.bandcamp.com
Toby Oler
Toby Oler was a songwriter, banjo player, and multiinstrumental artist. He died in Nov. 2025. His brother Andy now manages this page. All proceeds to Backline, a nonprofit providing mental health and wellness resources to people in the music industry. In Toby's words, "All the best to you. Stay observant."
021
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Toby’s buddy Joel did this extended live version of Toby’s song “Blue Dream” from Thank You Bird Snider. Proceeds to Cardinal Greenway ragenap.bandcamp.com/album/live-a...
ragenap.bandcamp.com
live at sleeping village, by ragenap+dathon
1 track album
131
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
The newest volume of #LiteraryLandscapes is here! It's a timely issue, with an essay on Renee Nicole Good and two from the Twin Cities. 1/2
A series of five portraits with a blue background. The faces are Harvey Pekar (drawn in comic style), Stuart Dybek, Renee Nicole Good, Danez Smith, and Charles Dickens (artistic portrait).
131
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Aunt Lisa donated a copy of Lingering Inland to my high school library!
High school library bookshelf featuring Lingering Inland alongside several other books by local authors from Hagerstown, Indiana
010
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
What a wonderful way to feature the contributors to LINGERING INLAND!
030
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
I'm excited to see so many Lingering Inland contributors highlighted in NewCityLit!
051
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
Anyone have a good story to tell about a place related to Midwestern literature? I am working on the next volume of #LiteraryLandscapes and would love to see your pitch! Here's a list of potential sites: newterritorymag.com/midwest/lite...
newterritorymag.com
Literary Landscapes - The New Territory Magazine
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: We seek brief essays (400-600 words), accompanied by a photo. See a list of authors we're seeking, or pitch your own.
131
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
I was excited to talk to Tom Barnas of Stories from The 78 about Lingering Inland! storiesfromthe78.com/stories/ling...
storiesfromthe78.com
Stories from the 78 | Lingering Inland: How Midwest Stories, Memory, and Place Shape the American Soul
Andy Oler’s Literary Landscapes Project Explores Midwestern Identity Through 73 Voices, From Toni Morrison to the Beauty of Everyday Towns
020
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
Several of Toby’s friends are gathering this weekend to play his music. Seems perfectly fitting, and I’m grateful both that they’re doing it and that I can be there
“Don’t Mind if we doodily do: a night of music celebrating Toby Oler. Orbit Room, January 3” handwritten on a watercolor background
010
Reposted by Andy Oler
University of Illinois Press @illinoispress.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Happy Pub Date to LINGERING INLAND: A Literary Tour of the Midwest edited by @andyoler.bsky.social, with a foreword by @joseolivarez.bsky.social! www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p0... #LiteraryStudies #Midwest
Lingering Inland
A Literary Tour of the Midwest
Author: Edited by Andy Oler Foreword by José OlivarezInterior pages about Gwendolyn BrooksInterior pages about John Joseph MathewsInterior pages about Sojourner Truth
094
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Today’s the day! Find your copy wherever books are sold!* * preferably an independent bookstore somewhere between Cleveland and western Nebraska www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p0...
press.uillinois.edu
Lingering Inland
075
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Here we go, the inaugural issue of Rust Belt Studies: A Journal of Public and Emplaced Humanities! I'm happy to see the work that Katie and Valentino are doing—please read, submit, and support! www.rustbeltstudies.org
rustbeltstudies.org
Home | Rust Belt Studies
043
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
We've got a brand-new volume of #LiteraryLandscapes for you to peruse, this time on Mark Twain! Even before you click the link below, check out these portraits—they make me wonder if *anyone* at the turn of the 19-20c was photographed more.
Five black-and-white portraits of Samuel Clemens (pen name Mark Twain), ranging in age from his teenage to his later years.
174
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
We had a really wonderful book launch for Lingering Inland last night! Thanks to everyone who came out!
Lingering Inland Andy Oler spelled out in cookiesA row of mostly gray-bearded men signing books
041
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
This guy again www.press.uillinois.edu/wordpress/qa...
press.uillinois.edu
Q&A with the author of LINGERING INLAND - Illinois Press Blog
Andy Oler, editor of Lingering Inland: A Literary Tour of the Midwest, answers questions about his new book. Q: Why did you decide to write this book? Lingering Inland grew [...]Read More
032
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Here’s the recording of yesterday’s radio interview to discuss Lingering Inland on Illinois Public Media!
041
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
So thrilled to be on this list!
041
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
My Aunt Tracy sent me a note and look at this brilliant sticker
The back of an envelope with a sticker of Mothman sitting behind a bowl. Above and below it says, “Please leave me alone I am eating soup”
010
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
I’ll be discussing Lingering Inland tomorrow (Thursday 12/11) on The 21st Show on Illinois Public Media. Catch it live at noon Eastern! It will also be available later wherever you get your podcasts! will.illinois.edu/21stshow
will.illinois.edu
The 21st Show | Illinois Public Media
The 21st is Illinois's statewide news talk show. Produced by Illinois Public Media and airing on five NPR member stations in central and northern Illinois.
111
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
Look at that beautiful box of books!
Multiple copies of the book Lingering Inland in a cardboard box, photo askew. Book cover is an aerial shot of a single car driving on a rural road, with a blue circle with the title and a white circle with the editor, Andy Oler.
3112
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Pretty pleased with this end-of-semester grading set-up
Research poster on masculinity in August Wilson’s Fences next to a laptop set up on a bin that is sitting on a rolling cart. Bookshelves and academic buildings in the background
000
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Check out this nice article @stlmag.bsky.social published about our Lingering Inland launch party!
040
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
If you're still looking for Christmas gifts for your Midwestern friends and family, Lingering Inland is on sale at @illinoispress.bsky.social! I'll drop the pre-order link below.
122
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
Toby's remembrance was yesterday, and the barn was pretty much completely full. I made a playlist of his recordings for background music, and two of his good friends played three of his songs live, and mom, Ali, and I talked. It was a really hard day, but there was a lot of love for Toby in the room
141
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
My brother Toby killed himself a week ago Wednesday. He was a talented musician and writer, and a good uncle to my kids, and we loved him very much. Here is a video of him playing with his band The Nashville Knives. Toby is on the right. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tty0...
youtube.com
Toby Oler and The Nashville Knives
YouTube video by ionriff
510
Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
I’ve been given the highest honor
Two people standing side by side. A woman dressed in Halloween costume like the man, with light pants, a checked shirt, gray beard, and glasses
230