Fertile Ground: A Novel by Penn Stewart
During the cold spring of 1942 in upstate New York, US government officials steal away German-born farmer Hans Müller in the middle of the night, leaving his wife and two sons alone and without explanation. Has the government made a horrible mistake that threatens to undo their family? Or does Hans' odd obsession with his shortwave radio and foreign newspapers mean his quaint American life has been a lie? Penn Stewart's novel, Fertile Ground, brings to light a dark chapter of American history while also shedding light on dark issues facing the U.S. today.
Fertile Ground brings the past alive with nuance.
--Jonis Agee, author of The River Wife and Sweet Eyes
A rich, vital story of the homefront.
--Cary Holladay, author of Horse People: Stories
A riveting mystery.
--Timothy Schaffert, author of The Little Coffins of Hope
Dramatically suspenseful— provocative.
--Judy Slater, author of The Baby Can Sing and other Stories
Fertile Ground brings the past alive with nuance.
--Jonis Agee, author of The River Wife and Sweet Eyes
A rich, vital story of the homefront.
--Cary Holladay, author of Horse People: Stories
A riveting mystery.
--Timothy Schaffert, author of The Little Coffins of Hope
Dramatically suspenseful— provocative.
--Judy Slater, author of The Baby Can Sing and other Stories
Penn Stewart's short stories, poetry, book reviews, photographs, and personal essays have appeared in such journals and magazines as Prairie Schooner, Pacifica Literary Review, Iron Horse Literary Review, Night Train, Word Riot, Two Hawks Quarterly, Rolling Thunder Quarterly, Front Porch Review, Dogzplot, Hippocampus Magazine, Connotation Press: An Online Artifact, Fresh Yarn, The Meadowland Review, and elsewhere. He lives with his wife, two daughters, and a chocolate lab named Yoda in Wichita Falls, Texas where he teaches creative writing at Midwestern State University.