The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek (review)

Naomi Wallace, an American poet and playwright living in Yorkshire, has been a well-kept secret in her native country despite ten years of recognition in Britain, a 1997 Obie Award, a cult following for her independent film Lawn Dogs, and a 1999 MacArthur genius grant. Lately, however, her plays—which combine heightened language and historical settings with a left-wing sensibility—have been gaining greater currency with audiences in the United States. In the Heart of America (a Gulf War drama) and One Flea Spare (set in seventeenth-century London) are particular favorites on university campuses and regional theatres. Wallace's new works are consistently featured at the Humana Festival and despite (or perhaps because of) recent national events, Atlanta recently went ahead with a city-wide festival devoted to her work, with its recurring themes of civil disturbance, youth violence, racism, homophobia, war, and unexpected disasters. [End Page 498]

American Environmental and Regional History · Archaeology and Natural History · Geology