UMF Bookshelf
(Titles are added according to year of publication and as they are reported to umfdev2@maine.edu)
- Prof. Jay Hoar Completes 40-Year Writing Career
Since he retired from teaching at UMF in December 1999, Professor of English Jay S. Hoar has established himself in American biography with Our Eldest & Last Civil War Nurses, Our Youngest Blue and Gray, and a trilogy masterpiece of 2,000 pages–Sunset & Dusk of the Blue and Gray, a three-volume national study. Having taught hundreds in his writing courses at UMF, he has evolved his own “take” on creative nonfiction, namely the epic prose elegy. This writing process flowers in key testimonials from widows, sons, daughters, grandchildren, and neighbors who well knew his last surviving Civil War centenarians. All during the 1970s-’90s, he reached key source-persons. They and nearly 500 Civil War oldsters of the 1940s and after are rescued from oblivion with full-life stories. His first two volumes are The North’s Last Boys in Blue, while volume III is The South’s Last Boys in Gray, submitted to Higginson Book Co., Salem, Mass., in late December 2009. Professor Hoar likens the trilogy to a final parade of 24 marching units of aged veterans whose lives unfold for the reader-viewer on the sidelines. Details on his works are available at www.jayshoar.com or lastblueandgray@aol.com
- Watson '95 publishes Asta in the Wings
Jan Elizabeth Watson ’95, who graduated from UMF with a BFA in creative writing and received her MFA from Columbia University, has published her first novel, Asta in the Wings (Tin House Books, 2009). Watson’s novel was nominated for several first novel awards and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal. Of her “excellent debut novel,” Publisher’s Weekly writes, “Asta’s narration is full of the wonderment and matter-of-factness of youth, and her eye-opening trip into reality is flawlessly executed.” Watson is now at work on her second novel, Little Fifteen.
- Brackett-Vincent '05 co-edits Contemporary American Women
Cynthia Brackett-Vincent ’05, who earned her BFA in creative writing at UMF and is now publisher and editor of the poetry journal The Aurorean, is co-editor of Contemporary American Women: Our Defining Passages (All Things That Matter Press, 2009), a collection of more than 50 articles by diverse American women, who revisit, celebrate, and share defining moments in their lives. In praise of the book, Diane LeBlanc, assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies and director of college writing at St. Olaf College, writes, “These experiences exemplify the range of passages that existing anthologies have yet to address in a single volume. The authentic, often lyrical prose speaks to a broad audience within and beyond academics.”
- Cantin '01 publishes Jagger--Time Served
Jared Cantin ’01, who earned his J.D. from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2004, has published Jagger–Time Served (Cornerstone Book Publishers, 2009). Cantin’s book is the first in a new series of action, suspense thrillers featuring Iraqi war veteran James Jagger, who, wrongly accused of a crime a he did not commit, is a convicted felon turned conflicted hero.
- Palmer '81 publishes second in Cape Cod Witch series
Jo-Anne Bean Palmer ’81 has published the second book in her Cape Cod Witch series, titled The Cape Cod Witch and the Legend of the Pirate (Holly Hill Press, 2009). Palmer’s series follows the adventures of ElsBeth Amelia Thistle, the littlest witch on Cape Cod. While on an innocent field trip to Boston’s historic Freedom Trail, ElsBeth becomes entangled in a fateful kidnapping, and the action soon moves to the treacherous waters of Massachusetts Bay. With the help of a pirate captain ghost and several magical animal friends, ElsBeth and her classmates attempt to rescue a young Arabian prince in this daring sea adventure. The book follows The Cape Cod Witch and the Pirate’s Treasure (Holly Hill Press, 2008).
- Eastler publishes Racewalking! Fun?
Professor of Geology Tom Eastler has published Racewalking! Fun? (Bedazzled Ink Publishing Co., 2008). According to the Daily Bulldog, the book introduces the sport of racewalking, a long-distance athletic event in which the participants must maintain contact with the ground at all times. The two children in the book learn about racewalking from their teacher, who works at Mallett School. The book then goes on to illustrate some racewalking exercises. “It’s the first book ever written for elementary students,” Eastler told the Daily Bulldog. “No one has ever done this for kids.” Read more about Eastler’s book in the Daily Bulldog.
- Wells '88 Publishes Birder's Conservation Handbook: 100 North American Birds at Risk
Jeffrey Wells’ new book has been hailed as an indespensable resource for birdwatchers, researchers, naturalists and conservationists. Wells, who earned his doctoral degree at Cornell University, is senior scientist for the Boreal Songbird Initiative, visiting fellow at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and former director of bird conservation for the National Audubon Society. A nationally acclaimed bird expert and conservation biologist, he is widely published in both academic and popular settings, and is the author of Important Bird Areas in New York State. Read reviews and follow his book tour..