ÈËÆÞÓÕ»ó

ÈËÆÞÓÕ»óiana Briefs

Rug Woogie V, 2011, performance on guitar with yarn, by Jamie Isenstein ’98 from Will Return, edited by Stephanie Snyder ’91.

gaffney

The Mason Gaffney Reader: Resolving “Unsolvable” Economic Problems, by Mason Gaffney ’48 (Henry George Institute, 2013). Such dismal dilemmas economists pose for us, these days. We’re told that to attract business we must lower taxes, shut the libraries, and starve the schools; to prevent inflation we must have millions of people unemployed; to make jobs we must chew up land and pollute the world; to motivate workers we must have unequal wealth; to raise productivity we must fire people. Mason has devoted his career to demonstrating the viability of reconciliation and synthesis in economic policy. In these 21 wide-ranging essays, he shows how we can find “win-win-win” solutions to many of society’s seemingly “unsolvable” problems. Economist James Galbraith describes the book as a “crisp cocktail of geography, history and economics, chilled by crackling-clear prose.”

williams

Songs and Dances of the Oregon Trail and Early Pioneer Communities by Phil Williams ’58 and Vivian Tomlinson Williams ’59 (Voyager Recordings & Publications, 2012). Most journals and accounts of the pioneers who traveled on the Oregon Trail dwell on the hardships of the long journey through the wilderness to new homes in the West. However, there was a happier side to this adventure that some pioneers wrote about—the songs they sang around evening campfires and the dances they had on the open prairie, accompanied by fiddle and banjo. The book includes 60 songs and dance tunes and instructions for 17 dances and play parties—all well researched for historical accuracy—making this a valuable asset for teachers and anyone else interested in performing Oregon Trail music and dance. Written and edited by Phil and Vivian, the book is typeset in the SCORE music-engraving program.

seibert

Edward, by Graham Seibert ’64 (eBook, Amazon, 2013). In his book, Graham describes a plan to home-school his son, Edward, in his mother’s homeland, Ukraine. Character is key: if he is honest and dependable, Edward will be a success. Pride and respect for himself and his ancestors are essential inspirations to be a good husband, father, and provider. Graham’s experience as a parent, private school trustee, teacher, and student led to the conviction that, in educating a second family, he had to take control of the process. This book describes why and how. The key insight is that knowledge is built by the child himself. A teacher can only encourage the process. One must sustain the child’s own motivation, totally evident in a two-year-old, yet stifled in the average ten-year-old. Success comes when the student feels interested and in control . . . in his studies and all his life.

guyol

Pride and Prejudice and Kitties: A Cat-Lover’s Romp Through Jane Austen’s Classic, by Debbie Guyol ’68 (Skyhorse Publishing, 2013). Deborah teamed up with children’s author Pamela Jane and served as photographer for this rendition of a novel she has loved since her teen years and has now committed to memory. The book is described as “a unique, cleverly written, and utterly hysterical retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Presented with reverence to the classic novel.” Says Debbie, “I am putting my ÈËÆÞÓÕ»ó education to excellent use!”

knoepfler

Stem Cells: An Insider’s Guide, by Paul Knoepfler ’89 (World Scientific Publishing Company, 2013). Stem cells are catalyzing a revolution in medicine. International stem cell expert Paul takes readers inside the world of stem cells and serves as their guide in his new book. He also tackles the exciting and hotly debated area of stem cell treatments that are capturing the public’s imagination. In the future, stem cells may transform how we age and reproduce. However, there are serious risks and ethical challenges, too. The book answers the most common questions that people have about stem cells. A number of ethical issues related to stem cells that spark debates are discussed, including risky treatments, cloning, and embryonic stem cells. Paul breaks new ground in a number of ways, such as by suggesting reforms to the FDA, providing a new theory of aging based on stem cells, and including a revolutionary Stem Cell Patient Bill of Rights. More generally, the book is a guide to where the stem cell field will be in the near future as well as a thoughtful perspective on how stem cell therapies will ultimately change our lives and our world.

dallavalle

7 Days and Nights in the Desert (Tracing the Origin), by Sabrina Dalla Valle ’90 (Kelsey Street Press, 2013). Composed in a hybrid form that braids personal narrative with philosophical reflections, Sabrina’s book ponders the complexities of human communication and perception. The book received the 2012 Kelsey Street Press prize for best first book, judged in a blind contest by Mei-mei Berssenbrugge ’69.

perrault

Communicating Popular Science: From Deficit to Democracy, by Sarah Perrault ’91 (Palgrave Macmillan 2013). In this scholarly book on science popularization, Sarah explains how science writing works and argues that it can do better at promoting public discussions about science-related issues. To support these arguments, it situates science popularization in its historical and cultural context; provides a conceptual framework for analyzing popular science texts; and examines the rhetorical effects of common strategies used in popular science writing. Sarah is assistant professor of rhetoric and writing in the University Writing Program at University of California, Davis.

snyder

Jamie Isenstein: Will Return, Stephanie Sakellaris Snyder ’91, editor (Cooley Art Gallery, 2013). Stephanie, director of the Cooley Gallery, served as curator of the gallery’s exhibition Jamie Isenstein: Will Return, which featured the work of artist Jamie Isenstein ’98 in the fall. Stephanie also edited a full color, 130-page exhibition catalog, with the objects, drawings, mixed-media sculptures, and installations that engage the artist’s body as an artistic medium—“a subject of humor, theatricality, and historical representation,” Stephanie says. “There aren’t many works of art that compel you to laugh out loud or break into a smile, but Isenstein’s do. They delight, amuse, and titillate.” The catalog contains splendid reproduction of Jamie’s work. Also included in the catalog are Jamie and Stephanie “In Conversation”; an essay by Graham Jones ’97, MIT anthropologist and an expert on the subculture of entertainment magic; and notes by David Velasco ’00, editor of Artforum.

bardon

A Companion to the Philosophy of Time, by Adrian Bardon ’92, coeditor (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013). Adrian coedited this compilation of 32 articles, contributed by distinguished and rising scholars in the field. The book is the most comprehensive reference work on the philosophy of time to date and is the first collection to tackle the historical development of the philosophy of time, in addition to covering contemporary work. Further, it provides a tripartite approach in its organization, covering history of the philosophy of time, time as a feature of the physical world, and time as a feature of experience.

cook

Defense Mechanisms, by Amber Michelle Cook ’92 (CreateSpace, 2013). What if your déjà vu was really flashes of a life running parallel to your own? An imaginative child, Janey left childhood far behind as soon as older children and adults began to tease her for it, much to the disappointment of her younger brother. On her 30th birthday, the first Pulse hits and drives them to seek shelter at his favorite hangout—a one-of-a-kind indoor playland for grown-ups called the Imaginarium. When the place is attacked by urban looters, she becomes an unwilling “defender of imagination.” Raised within the confines of Tanglewood, a workshop-residence formed from the awakening of a grove of silver birch, Ozanne fled her family’s unrelenting expectations for a life of frivolity and vanity at Court. Upon the passing of a Wave that obstructs all but personal Glamour, she races back with her brother to protect it from the Foe, though certain she has little to offer. Why then does he persist in looking to her to protect them? Defense Mechanisms is a contemporary fairy tale of finding realistic, modern-day happy endings when the ways we learn to protect ourselves from other people’s emotional sore spots, like ignorance and hate, keep us from being who we really are and finding our place in life.

radeka

The Mastery of Innovation: A Field Guide to Lean Product Development, by Katherine Anderson Radeka ’92 (Productivity Press, 2012). Katherine’s award-winning book describes the experiences of 19 companies that have achieved significant results from lean product development, a set of principles, practices, and tools to help companies maximize value and minimize waste in their product development processes. Ford completely reinvented its global product development system and put decades of knowledge about automotive design at its engineers’ fingertips. DJO Global, a medical device company, more than tripled the number of products it released to the market and cut development time by 60%, and Playworld Systems cut time to market in half–twice. The case studies in this book range from very small product development organizations (three engineers) to very large (more than 10,000). Some of the industries represented include automotive, medical devices, industrial products, consumer electronics, pharmaceuticals, scientific instruments, and aerospace.

demson

Masks of Anarchy: The Story of a Radical Poem, from Percy Shelley to the Triangle Factory Fire, by Michael Demson ’96 (Verso, 2013). Working with illustrator Summer McClinton, Michael has created a graphic history of a poem that has had a far-reaching influence on nonviolent resistance. “The Masque of Anarchy,” written by Shelley in response to news of the Peterloo Massacre in 1819 and published a decade after his death, is an invective against violence. It proved to be an inspiration for individuals such as Henry David Thoreau and Mahatma Gandhi, and for Pauline Newman, an immigrant worker in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York, who became a leading organizer of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union. The book puts the two tales together “with spectacular panache,” writes one reviewer. The Los Angeles Times calls it a fascinating book, with its examination of the antipathy facing immigrants in America even today, and praises Michael’s attention to narrative. “Moving back and forth from Shelley to Newman, he creates a delicate weave, playing one story off the other, searching out the commonalities they share.”

blue

Bikenomics: How Bicycling Can Save the Economy, by Elly Blue ’05 (Microcosm Publishing, 2013). Elly provides a surprising and compelling new perspective on the way we get around and on how we spend our money, as families and as a society. She begins with a look at the real transportation costs of families and individuals, and moves on to examine the current civic costs of our transportation system, relating stories of people, businesses, organizations, and cities that are investing in two-wheeled transportation. The multifaceted North American bicycle movement is revealed, with its contradictions, challenges, successes, and visions.

steinman

Absence & Presence, by Lisa M. Steinman, Kenan Professor of English & Humanities [1976–] (University of Tampa Press, 2013). In her sixth volume of poetry, Lisa considers mortality and memory, the seen and unseen, and “meditatively engages the ironies of being,” says Maxine Scates [English, 1989–2006]. Author Alice Fulton remarks that Lisa’s poetry in Absence & Presence “confronts the most unsparing aspects of existence with an intelligence that is nothing short of revelatory.” In addition to her collections of poetry, Lisa has also written three books about poetry. Her work has received recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities and an Individual Artist Fellowship award from the Oregon Arts Commission. With her husband, Jim Shugrue, former visiting writer and tradebook buyer at ÈËÆÞÓÕ»ó, she coedits the poetry magazine Hubbub, now in its 30th year.