Students, faculty, and alumni of the Fresno State College of Arts and Humanities have created some exciting products over the last year that would make fantastic gifts this holiday season!
‘The Poetry of Jazz, vol.2’ by Philip Levine and Benjamin Boone
Critically acclaimed follow-up to THE POETRY OF JAZZ, volume two was #1 Bestseller on Amazon charts for weeks, and contains the remaining tracks Boone recorded with Levine.
“Poetry of Jazz, vol.1” was recognized as a milestone spoken word/jazz project immediately upon its release in March 2018, and praised in leading musical and literary publications, featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” mentioned by Terry Gross on NPR’s “Fresh Air,” an Editor’s Pick in The Paris Review, and voted the #3 “Best Album of 2018” in DownBeat Magazine’s annual Readers Poll. This project not only features jazz luminaries such as Branford Marsalis and Chris Potter, it also shines a well-deserved spotlight on a huge cast of musicians from Fresno State’s College of Arts and Humanities. These include Benjamin Boone, Professor of Music; Pulitzer-Prize winning poet Philip Levine, Professor Emeritus of English; lecturers including the late drummer Brian Hamada; pianist Craig von Berg; trumpeter Max Hembd; and alumni including drummer Gary Newmark, head engineer Eric Sherbon, and head editor Vincent Keenan.
‘Heart Like a Window, Mouth Life a Cliff’ by Sara Borjas
The debut poetry collection from BA English alum Sara Borjas is a transgressive, yet surprisingly tender confrontation of what it means to want to flee the thing you need the most: The speaker struggles through cultural assimilation and the pressure to “act” Mexican while dreaming of the privileges of whiteness.
Buy at Noemi Press; Barnes & Noble; Amazon
Clematis Wristlet Handbag by María Dolores Morillo
From Morillo’s shop The Little Teapot, The Clematis Wristlet is a versatile zippered handbag. You can use it as a wristlet with the attached handle, or without it as an organizer for you to carry your everyday essentials inside a larger bag: keys, wallet, sunglasses/glasses, smartphone, chapstick/lipgloss, tissues, hand sanitizer, etc. It is zippered for safe keeping and has an inside pocket. The Clematis Wristlet is 100% handmade and can be customized to order. Fabric is 100% cotton and vinyl (bottom).
‘Eight Will Fall’ by Sarah Harian
The fourth book by MFA Creative Writing alum Sarah Harian tells the story of eight criminals led by the rebellious Larkin, who lives in a world where magic is illegal. Larkin and her crew are sent on a mission to rid their world of an ancient evil lurking beneath the surface, where they must use their forbidden magic to survive.
Buy at Macmillan; Barnes & Noble; Amazon
‘Wounded: Studies in Literary and Cinematic Trauma,’ edited by Gail Finney; contribution by Amila Becirbegovic
Published in 2018 and re-released in 2019, eleven articles employ a variety of interpretive approaches to traumas such as these as depicted in literature and film. The cultures of ancient Greece, Germany, Argentina, the United States, France, and Chile are represented. German and Ethnic Humanities Professor Amila Becirbegovic contributed to the section on Germany.
‘The Girls with Kaleidoscope Eyes’ by Howard Hendrix
Ranging from flash to full novella lengths, the ten pieces featured here include stories about time travel and the 1939 World’s Fair, a tendentious man/dog relationship on Mars, a spam-blocker program that incidentally shuts down the universe, giant artworks among the nearly immortal, Einstein channeled by a fortune teller, Big Data meets March Madness, and enhanced bonobos trying to re-create Shakespeare’s lost play Cardenio. Howard Hendrix’s stories transcend time and show us the futures the human race yet may face, in the digital age and beyond.
Buy at Fairwood Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble
‘Stinger’ by Tanya Nichols and Bill McEwen
The third novel from MFA Creative Writing alum and English Department lecturer Tanya Nichols is co-written with local journalist Bill McEwen. A motley crew including a truck driver, a beekeeper, and a couple of Big Ag tycoons take a wild ride through the Central Valley, shattering dreams, tarnishing reputations, and finding fortune — and revenge.
Buy at Bookshop Santa Cruz, or locally at A Book Barn, and Petunia’s Place; Amazon (Kindle Edition)
‘Cenote City’ by Monique Quintana
The debut novella from MFA Creative Writing alum Monique Quintana tells the story of Lune, her mother Marcrina, and her son Nico, who live in a strange place called Cenote City, where the world of magic and the dead intertwines with daily life in enchanting and unsettling ways.
Buy at Clash Books; Barnes & Noble; Amazon (Kindle Edition)
Did we miss something? Email the College of Arts and Humanities Communication Specialist Benjamin Kirk.
The College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State 