New Books for the New Year

New Books for the New Year – by UVA Faculty, Staff and Alumni

From David Baldacchi’s latest thriller to a history of nurses, University of Virginia faculty and alumni published a number of books last semester. With information on publishers and reviewers, here is a selection of material written or edited by them that may appeal to a range of readers.

Fiction and poetry

• David Baldecchi, 1986 School of Law alumnus, “The Long Shadow”

Baldecchi, one of the most successful thriller writers of the last 30 years, recently published the seventh novel in his series about Amos Decker, a former football player who eventually becomes an FBI consultant.

Other titles in the series include “Memory Man,” “The Last Mile,” “The Fix,” “The Fallen,” “Redemption,” and “Walk the Wire.”

• Stephen Cushman, Robert C. Taylor Professor of English, “Keep the Fest: Poems”

With the Bible as a guide, Cushman’s poems explore the commitments of faith and find a way to live with the contradictions of 21st century life.

His colleague, Lisa Russ Spar, UVA professor of creative writing, wrote, “‘Keep the Feast’ is a frolic through the vicissitudes, ironies, and ecstasies of nearly every complex of the human experience, from the daily necessities of everyday life to the lessons of life.” of history to the heights of sensual and spiritual devotion.

• Stacy Hackney, School of Law alumna, “The Sisters of Luna Island”

Hackney, who grew up in Virginia, said in a recent interview in Virginia Living magazine that she wanted to write about siblings, being closer to her sister. Also the author of “Forever Glimmer Creek”, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Wake Forest University.

A young-adult novel, “The Sisters of Luna Island” tells the story of sisters Marigold, Birdie, and Lou, and their magical heritage.

• A. Natasha Joukowski, alumna of the English Department, “The Portrait of a Mirror”

Joukowski, who also has an MBA, works for Accenture, an information technology company, and in recent years turned to fiction writing. “The Portrait of a Mirror”, his first novel, reinterprets the myth of Narcissus in the self-obsession of modern characters.

• Jeb Livingwood, associate director of creative writing programs and series editor, “Best New Poets 2022” with guest editor Paula Bohins

“Best New Poets” is an annual anthology of 50 poems from emerging writers produced by the Creative Writing Program in collaboration with Meridian, the annual literary magazine. The anthology began in 2005 under Livingwood, series editor. The University of Virginia Press distributes the book nationally.

• Thorpe Moeckel, 2002 Poetry Writing Program alumnus, “By the Sand: Poems”

Moeckel, who teaches creative writing at Hollins University, has published a fifth book of poetry that pays homage to the natural world. The publisher describes the poems as “from creekbanks to hummocks, from barrier islands to ridges and hollars (from the Kansas River to West Penobscot Bay, to Edisto, to various tributaries of the New and James, Neuse, and Savannah). ”

• Gregory Orr, Professor Emeritus of English, “Selected Books of Beloved”

Orr, who co-founded the creative writing program and taught at UVA for 44 years, has published a dozen books of poetry on poets and poetry writing, as well as a memoir and a few other nonfiction books. Publishers Weekly calls her latest collection “a love letter to poetry.”

Richard Voigt, School of Law alumnus, “My Name on a Grain of Rice”

Voigt’s coming-of-age novel tells the story of a young man who quits his respectable job to travel with a friend and seek experience and self-discovery. As a review on Booktribe states, “the title is a metaphor for living small (writing in small print on rice is an art) versus having your name in neon lights.”

Blair Norton Williamson, 2008 Department of Sociology alumnus, “Island Girls: Free the Sea of Plastic”

Williamson, a Richmond native, spent years watching plastics in the ocean while working for Global Expeditions Group and as a sailing captain and scuba-diving instructor in the British Virgin Islands and Southeast Asia.

Her first children’s picture book tells the story of two young sisters inspired to clean up the ocean and protect their aquatic friends.

Non-fiction

Danielle Citron, Jefferson Scholars Foundation Schenck Distinguished Professor in Law and Cadell and Chapman Professor of Law, “The Fight for Privacy: Protecting Dignity, Identity, and Love in the Digital Age”

When the MacArthur Foundation awarded Citron a $625,000 “genius grant” in 2019, she took a sabbatical and wrote a book that explores how the rise of mass data collection exposes the most intimate details of people’s private lives. takes advantage of

His book surveys the damage done to privacy rights around the world, makes a case for understanding intimate privacy as a civil and human right, and provides a roadmap for legislation, industry, and individuals to protect those rights. Does

Anne Kokas, C.K. Yen Professor and Associate Professor of Media Studies at the Miller Center, “Trafficking Data: How China is Winning the Battle for Digital Sovereignty”

On her website, the book’s description says, “From TikTok and Fortnite to Grindr and Facebook, Ayne Kokas takes an urgent look at the technology firms that collect our data, and how the Chinese government is using this data for political gain.” Taking advantage of the flow.”

Doug Meyer, assistant professor in the Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality, “Violent Differences: The Importance of Race in Sexual Assault Against Gay Men”

According to the publisher’s description, the book draws attention to the experiences of survivors, rather than analyzing sexual assault against queer men in the abstract. Meyer examined interview data from 60 queer men who had experienced sexual assault, focusing specifically on black men and highlighting their interactions with police.

Abigail L. Palko, director of the Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center, editor, “Legacies and Leadership: The Zintel Award Tradition”

Palko credits interns Emma Abraham and Vindhya Srikanth, Darden graduate student Ivana Brancaccio and Leah Ann Carver, program director for communications and advancement of the Women’s Center, among those who worked on this oral history project. UVA photographers Sanjay Suchak and Dan Addison contributed photos.

From her foreword: “Since the Elizabeth Zintel Leadership Award was first given in 1998, the Women’s Center has been a proud steward of this tradition. As we mark the award’s 25th year, we want to thank each winner for their legacy of leadership at UVA.” The collective story that follows is the story of women who made a commitment ‘to serve, to go from wherever you were privileged to work’ has been completed.

The book is free from Carol Gilbert at the Women’s Center or from the UVA Bookstore.

Source – news.virginia.edu

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