L&C Magazine

Jamil Mustafa BA ’87 argues that Blaxploitation horror films reinvent the archetypes of Gothic fiction and film not to exploit Black audiences, but to meet their needs. University of Wales Press, 2023. 272 pages.

Ray Smythe MAT ’75, after losing his partner of 49 years, wrote this book to help other gay men move forward after loss. His book provides “lifelines of insights to help gay men move ahead into the future with confidence, strength, and hope.” Self-published, 2023. 99 pages

Kate Baldwin BA ’05 writes and illustrates a murder mystery with a biological puzzle. The novella is illustrated with news posts and natural history clues for the reader to unravel. Streamwood Press, 2023. 225 pages.

David Borofka BA ’76 authors a novel about a Christian college in transition, from its midcentury Presbyterian origins to a more strident and politicized Evangelicalism. The novel moves back and forth through the turbulence of recent American history, examining the gap between desire and emptiness, conviction and extremism. Fomite, 2023. 460 pages.

Quinn Slobodian BA ’00 authors this analysis of economic history that traces the lines of economic global power in the modern era. His work paints a frightening image of the potential future of capitalism. Metropolitan Books, 2023. 352 pages.

Mark Dahl, director of Watzek Library, pens a modern noir story involving a single dad’s infatuation with a glamorous divorcée that draws him into a love triangle and a dangerous deal with foreign investors for a coveted vineyard property in the Columbia River Gorge.Self-published, 2023. 304 pages.

Welton Rotz BA ’63 pens this collection of stories drawing from his early life on a Kansas wheat farm, his years living in the Philippines, and his studies in theology and psychotherapy. Covering stories that range from deep joy to intense loss, this book takes readers on a unique trip through Rotz’s mind. TC Publishing, 2022. 248 pages.

Hannah Crummé, head of special collections and college archives, edits a book that examines continuing efforts in archives across the U.S. to build inclusive records that better represent the disparate histories of this country. The book outlines a way forward that will help special collections librarians as they design projects in the future. ALA Editions, 2024. 288 pages.

Jeffrey Ormont JD ’79 employs a medley of inventive poetic styles and structures that offer fresh insights into meaning, nature, love, and hope. His verse explores the perplexities of life and seeks to open portals for making peace with mortality and the challenging human condition. Poetry Publishing House, 2023. 138 pages.

Sophia Kouidou Giles BA ’68 offers a retelling of ancient Greek myth in which Circe seeks a new lover, amphibian Glaucus, after Odysseus’ departure from the island of Aeaea. But in a twist of fortune, mortal Skylla complicates her plans, leading to an adventure threaded with friendship, jealousy, revenge, and redemption, as well as divine interventions, shape-shifting, and magic. She Writes Press, 2023. 192 pages.

Štepán Šimek, professor of theatre, offers a new translation of Karel Capek’s play R.U.R.—which famously coined the term “robot”—and a collection of essays reflecting on the play’s legacy from scientists and scholars who work in artificial life and robotics. The book is edited by Jitka Cejková. MIT Press, 2024. 312 pages.

David Campiche BA ’71 pens his first novel, which follows fugitive brothers Dan and André as they evade the law through the mountains of British Columbia during the winter of 1896. Over the course of their cat-and-mouse chase, they must navigate cultural collisions as they encounter Indigenous peoples. Campiche’s thriller is grounded in meticulous research and lyrical prose. FriesenPress, 2023. 420 pages.

Marlena Williams BA ’15 explores the legacy of the 1973 horror classic film The Exorcist and its impact on her life as well as on American culture. Mad Creek Books, 2023. 240 pages.