The description of a new book on the postpunk revolution in Kansas taunts the reader: “Flyover Country? Fly over THIS.”
“No Choice But Action: The Kansas Postpunk Revolution” by Francis X. Connor and Darren DeFrain focuses on the postpunk movement that swept Kansas from 1978 to 1994.
“The Embarrassment. Get Smart!. The Moving Van Goghs. Micronotz. Truck Stop Love. These weren’t outliers,” the book’s jacket copy reads. “They were the beating heart of a vibrant, self-sustaining cultural ecosystem pulsing through Lawrence, Manhattan, Topeka, and Wichita.”
Connor and DeFrain will give a talk from 7 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14 at the Watkins Museum of History, 1047 Massachusetts St.
The event is free to attend, and the museum will also livestream it on its Facebook and YouTube.
Conor is an associate professor of English at Wichita State University and associate editor of the book “The New Oxford Shakespeare.” DeFrain is the director of the Writing Program at WSU and an author with publications including the story collection “Inside & Out” and novel “The Salt Palace.”
“No Choice But Action” is a University Press of Kansas title. It’s available from the publisher, the Raven Book Store and the Lawrence Public Library.
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Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at [email protected].
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