Bill Meissner's first novel, SPIRITS IN THE GRASS [U of Notre Dame Press, 2008] is about a ballplayer who discovers the remains of an ancient Native American burial ground on a baseball field. The novel--now in its second printing--received a starrred review in BOOKLIST, and Associated Press syndicated wire story, and was selected as a "Midwest Favorite" by the Midwest Booksellers Association. Prior to that, Meissner published THE ROAD TO COSMOS [U of Notre Dame Press, 2006], a collection of stories about the idiosyncratic characters in a small town, and AMERICAN COMPASS [U of Notre Dame Press, 2004], a book of poetry. For more information on his writing and samples of his work, visit his web page: http:web.stcloudstate.edu/wjmeissner/