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Andy Oler

@andyoler.bsky.social

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).

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Andy Oler@andyoler.bsky.social · 2w ago

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
Andy Oler@andyoler.bsky.social · last mo.

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.
Andy Oler@andyoler.bsky.social · last mo.

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.
Michaella Thornton @kellathornton.bsky.social · 4mo ago

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!

Andy Oler@andyoler.bsky.social · 4mo ago

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
Andy Oler@andyoler.bsky.social · 6mo ago

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
Andy Oler@andyoler.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Check out this little teaser for Lingering Inland posted at Middle West US (thanks for the opportunity, @friefeld.bsky.social!) middlewest.us/lingering-ov...

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...

middlewest.us

Andy Oler@andyoler.bsky.social · 6mo ago

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...

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.

newterritorymag.com

Andy Oler@andyoler.bsky.social · 6mo ago

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!
Andy Oler@andyoler.bsky.social · 7mo ago

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...

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.

newterritorymag.com

Andy Oler@andyoler.bsky.social · 7mo ago

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

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."

tobyoler.bandcamp.com