Magic at the Bed and Biscuit
Joan Carris M.A. ’98
Candlewick, 2010
When Grampa’s friend drops off his chicken, Malicia, at the Bed and Biscuit for a well-earned vacation, Ernest the mini-pig is determined to put aside his dislike for chickens and be a good host. But Malicia is no ordinary chicken: she’s magic! And she seems determined to use her magic to make the animals miserable. Together with Gabby the mynah bird, Milly the cat, and Sir Walter the Scottish terrier, Ernest must figure out a way to get Grampa to see how awful Malicia really is – before she does something truly terrible!

Say Sand
Daniel Coudriet M.A. ’01
Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2010
Whether considering a bus decorated by the grandmothers of former lovers, a child’s view of a disembodied beard wandering hallways, or a dinner party given by a scampering herd of mice, the poems in Say Sand, Daniel Coudriet’s first collection, complicate and reconfigure our emotional connections to one another by permeating them with urgent senses of mystery and authority. With sometimes humorous and often unsettling pulses of imagery, Coudriet builds a world with these poems that is both like our own and unlike anything we can imagine.

Krista Davis ’79
Berkley, 2010
A Scrooge steals presents right from under Sophie Winston’s family Christmas tree. Then her sister-in-law’s father show’s up with a diva girlfriend just a month after his separation. More than one person is thinking of committing a merry murder-until it actually happens! With many under suspicion for the deadly deed, can Sophie find the murderer and restore the Christmas spirit before it’s too late?

Heather Fowler M.A. ’97
Aqueous Books, 2010
“Fowler’s stories are like spells; Through words alone, beautiful imagery, tremendous substance, and poignant feeling, become palpably real.” — Savannah Schroll Guz, author of American Soma

Mary Ruefle M.A. ’76
Wave Books, 2010
“This first retrospective collection from Ruefle, which selects from her nine previous books of poetry, the earliest of which first appeared in 1982, shows her to be a poet of visionary imagination, abiding sensitivity, and melancholy humor.”

Lara Saguisag M.A. ’05
The Bookmark, Inc., 2010
Ninoy believed that courage is contagious. Millions of people were indeed infected by Ninoy’s courage to come home and face Marcos. Over the next three years, massive rallies and boycotts were held to protest the policies of the Marcos government. On February 25, 1986 Marcos was ousted through the peaceful People Power revolution. Cory Aquino, who continued her husband’s fight for peace and justice was sworn in as the new President of the Philippines.

Wendy Walker ’75
Center Street, 2010
‘PRODUCER is a riveting, engaging account of the world of television by a first rate, high powered and seasoned producer. Wendy shares inspiring insights and gives empowering advice. If you want to understand the media world…this is a must read!’ — Deepak Chopra

Robin Traywick Williams ’72, M.A. ’76
Dementi Milestone, 2010
This collection of humorous essays will have readers chuckling and reading passages out loud to their family and friends. Robin s columns are often about rural life in a humorous clash with modernization. They celebrate individualism and self-reliance. But mostly they just look at the ridiculous side of everyday events, usually with a family story thrown in. The book includes an engaging foreword by Earl Hamner, creator of The Waltons.

Melissa Wittmeier ’87
LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, 2010
Delphine Gay de Girardin offers us a new direction in cultural historiography. A feminine figure interesting in her won right, she was a successful author and celebrated journalist. She wrote in both the popular and learned arenas; and her work spans nearly all literary genres. She had considerable influence on literary and social thought during her lifetime. She was friend and collaborator to Hugo, Balzac, Dumas, G. Sand, Vigny, Lamartine, and so many others; yet today, her works have all but disappeared from cultural memory. Through this study, we intend to work toward a renewed understanding of cultural life in Paris during the July Monarchy and, more globally, toward a renewed approach to the history of the literature of the period, by demonstrating the importance of figures such as Delphine Gay de Girardin.