Reediana Briefs

Williams 58

The Mandolin Player’s Pastime: A Collection of Reels, Hornpipes, Jigs, and Other Dance Tunes for Mandolin, by Philip L. Williams ’58 (Voyager Recordings &Publications). Phil’s book contains 140 traditional fiddle tunes that play well on the mandolin—most from the northern tradition—set in standard music notation with mandolin tablature. The book contains tips on playing these tunes on the mandolin. Also available is a companion CD of 57 tunes from the book, played by Phil on a 1914 Gibson F4 mandolin, backed up by Vivian Tomlinson Williams ’59 on her 1965 Gibson L0 guitar.

Williams 59

The John Neilson Music Book: A Manuscript of Scottish Fiddle Music from Cuilhill, Scotland, 1875, by Vivian Tomlinson Williams ’59 (Voyager Recordings & Publications). Vivian’s book has reintroduced many forgotten fiddle dance tunes into the traditional fiddle music of Scotland. This manuscript of Scottish dance music was written out by fiddlers around the Scottish mining town of Cuilhill, which no longer exists. It contains 120 tunes—reels, hornpipes, jigs, waltzes, marches, polkas, quadrilles, strathspeys, and country dances—set in standard music notation by Vivian. Most of the tunes require no familiarity with Scottish fiddle styles, though knowledge of Scottish violin would be handy for the strathspeys and hornpipes. This is a real glimpse into the popular dance music of Victorian Scotland.

Gabor 60

111 Shops in New York That You Must Not Miss, by Mark Gabor ’60, coauthor (Emons Verlag, 2014). Mark’s book, written with partner Susan Lusk and part of an ongoing, illustrated series already covering 60 major European cities, is now in its second printing. First released in both English and German, the book has sold unexpectedly well—not just to visitors and tourists of the Big Apple, but to diehard New Yorkers as well, says Mark. “Shops included in the book (Strand among them) are especially appropriate for Reedies because they’re all off the beaten track–quirky, obscure, curious, and at times outrageous.” 

Leaf 61

The Anthropology of Eastern Religions and The Anthropology of Western Religions, by Murray Leaf ’61 (Lexington, 2014). The world’s great religions depend on traditions of serious scholarship, dedicated to preserving their key texts but also to understanding them and, therefore, to debating what understanding itself is and how best to do it. These two volumes use the theory of social organization Murray described previously in Human Organizations and Social Theory to lay out the elements of each religious tradition and the organizations through which it is perpetuated. “Leaf offers a careful, useful, and balanced study of the anthropology of Eastern and Western religions,” wrote a reviewer for Choice. “Rather than focusing on the philosophy or theology of religion, these volumes discuss religious traditions’ ideas about organized human life; the institutions, strategies, and organizations they create to facilitate community; and their constituencies.” 

Levine 61

Reculer pour Mieux Sauter: The Complete Work (volumes 1–12), by Anne-Marie Levine ’61 (Project Projects, 2015). Poet and artist Anne-Marie has published a mixed-genre nonfiction work, reconstructing a complex family history in recovered scraps. Assembling photographs, documents, newspaper clippings, emails, quotations, and original text, the book is a searching project about memory and narrative, where the immensely personal is confronted by the forceful hand of history. As Anne-Marie traces the course of several lives in the fragments that remain, the many traumas of the time find their voice in the poetic detail of a stream-of-consciousness scrapbook.

Hanchett 62

Water Culture in South Asia: Bangladesh Perspectives, by Suzanne Hanchett ’62, senior author (Development Resources Press, 2014). Suzanne’s book is based on the work of five researchers and their long-term involvement with water development programs. “We have worked as a team for many years now, doing field visits to all parts of Bangladesh,” Suzanne writes. The studies have been done on behalf of international development organizations such as UNICEF, WaterAid, CARE, and the World Bank. Focusing on WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) strategies, domestic supply issues, and perceptions of water’s qualities and powers, the authors reveal new ways to engage with the social and cultural context of a development project.

Morrison 62

The First Interview, fourth edition, by James Morrison ’62 (Guilford, 2014). Every clinical relationship begins with an initial interview. The First Interview contains material designed to help clinicians in training as well as those who have had lots of experience with mental health patients. It is based primarily on research material gathered over the course of years in the United States and the United Kingdom. James has published two additional books with Guilford, DSM-5 Made Easy and Diagnosis Made Easier. “It’s cheaper than medical school,” he writes, “but I don’t award a degree.” More at James' website.

The short story “Mourners” by Peter Silverman ’65 was published in East Coast Literary Review (Winter 2015).

Carroll 72

Huihui: Navigating Art and Literature in the Pacific, by Jeff Carroll ’72, coeditor (University of Hawai’i Press, 2015). This groundbreaking anthology of Pacific writing was coedited with two of Jeff’s colleagues at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, and is the first collection to navigate the interconnections between the rhetorics and aesthetics of the Pacific. The name huihui, a metaphor for the bright cluster of stars known also as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters, showcases a variety of genres and cross-genre forms, including critical essays, poetry, short fiction, speeches, photography, and personal reflections, which explore a wide range of subjects, with contributions by authors representing several island and continental nations.

Romtvedt 72

Buffalotarrak: An Anthology of the Basques of Buffalo, Wyoming, by David Romtvedt ’72, coeditor (Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada, 2011). Beginning with the arrival of one shepherd from the French Basque town of Baigorri, Basques migrated to the small town of Buffalo in increasing numbers throughout the 20th century, staking their claims to the land in order to raise sheep. This collection provides readers with an opportunity to learn their stories. David teaches in the MFA program for writers at the University of Wyoming, and has a new novel coming out soon.

Gordon 75

Mainstreaming Torture: Ethical Approaches in the Post-9/11 United States, by Rebecca Gordon ’75 (Oxford University Press, 2014). The terrorist attacks in 2001 reopened what many people in the U.S. had long assumed was a settled ethical question: is torture ever morally permissible? Rebecca’s book is about how the national consensus against torture broke down after 9/11, replaced with the widespread view that “whatever it takes” is the only moral standard we need to apply to questions of national “security.” Folks can find more information at mainstreamingtorture.org. Rebecca, who teaches philosophy and ethics at the University of San Francisco, is also a regular contributor on TomDispatch.com.

Ivester 77

The Outskirts of Hope, by Jo Kruger Ivester ’77 (She Writes Press, 2015). Jo’s first book is a memoir based on her family’s experience in the South during the height of the civil rights movement. With a degree in public health in 1967, Jo’s father engaged in the War on Poverty by moving his family from a Boston suburb to Mound Bayou, Mississippi, where he opened a pediatric clinic. Jo’s mother taught high school, and both she and Jo kept journals of those years that formed the basis of this book. Writes Bob Flanagan, professor emeritus at Stanford, “This engaging book offers a rare and moving narrative of the power of seemingly modest personal activities in delivering the durable social change promised by laws and policy.”

“Arguing A Post-Alice ‘Abstract Idea’ Rejection At USPTO,” an article by Christopher Hall ’78, was published under Expert Analysis in Law360 in February 2015. Christopher has been a patent agent for six years and has worked for Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice in Cupertino, California, for two years.

Kuhnheim 79

Beyond the Page: Poetry and Performance in Spanish America, by Jill Kuhnheim ’79 (University of Arizona Press, 2014). Poetry began as a spoken art and remains one to this day, and readers tend to view the poem on the page as an impenetrable artifact. Jill’s book demonstrates how far off the page poetry can travel, exploring a range of performances from early 20th-century recitations to 21st-century film, CDs, and internet renditions. Beyond the Page offers analytic tools to chart poetry beyond printed texts. The book includes noteworthy poets and artists such as José Martí, Luis Palés Matos, Eusebia Cosme, Nicomedes Santa Cruz, Pablo Neruda, César Vallejo, and Nicolás Guillén. Jill has served as director of Latin American & Caribbean Studies at the University of Kansas.

Mars 82

The Art of Peter Mars, by Peter Mars ’82 (Mars Gallery, 2014). Peter has been a leader of Chicago’s Avant Pop movement for more than 20 years and is known for his colorful, quirky artworks that disrupt predictable interpretation, tickle the senses, and delight the child inside. This book features more than 50 full-color images of his original art and contains a written introduction to Peter’s career. His works provide a commentary on American popular culture on topics ranging from Bob Dylan to Batman and provide an unexpected look at the images and cultural icons we see around us every day. Available through the Mars Gallery.

Youngstedt 85

Surviving with Dignity: Hausa Communities of Niamey, Niger, by Scott Youngstedt ’85 (Lexington Books, 2012). Based on more than 20 years of fieldwork examining the experiences of first- and second-generation migrant Hausa men in Niger, Scott explores three key interconnected themes in his book: structural violence, suffering, and surviving with dignity. Reviewer Paul Stoller of West Chester University describes the work as a deeply humanistic and moving portrait, describing “without sentimentality the challenges of daily life in a space of deep and intractable poverty.” Scott is a professor of anthropology at Saginaw Valley State University. 

“Anxiety’s Gift,” an essay by Daniel Harris-McCoy ’02, was published in the Chronicle of Higher Education (January 12, 2015). Daniel’s essay begins with a reflection on creating and crafting papers during his years at Reed and concludes with an unforeseen outcome, that of self-awareness and compassion. “The development of those capacities is one of the greatest gifts of academic life.” Daniel is an assistant professor of classics at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.

Carlson 05

Finding Success in Failure: True Confessions from 10 Years of Startup Mistakes, by Lucas Carlson ’05 (Craftsman Founder, 2015). After graduating from Reed with a degree in physics, Lucas attempted (and failed) many startup ideas until one finally raised $10M and was acquired in 2013. This personal book talks about what worked and—more importantly—what didn’t work and how to avoid those common pitfalls. “If you are serious about building a company, this is where to start,.” says author and entrepreneur Tucker Max. 

“Accountability without Democracy: Lessons from African Famines in the 1980s,” by Danny Sellers ’13, was the Peter and Katherine Tomassi Essay in the spring 2014 issue of the Columbia University Journal of Politics & Society. Danny gives credit for the publication of his thesis to his adviser Prof. Mariela Szwarcberg [poli sci 2012–]. “Needless to say, it’s pretty exciting seeing my name on the journal site, and I couldn’t have done it without her and the rest of the orals board.” (Thanks, Danny.)