Words and music
Memoir, science fiction, poetry and other new works by Concordia alumni
By Harvin Bhathal
In her latest collection, On Her Own Terms: Poems about Memory Loss and Living Life to the Fullest (Harbour Publishing, $22.95), Carolyn Gammon, MA 94, conjures a kind and unflinching portrait of her mother’s dementia, ultimately revealing the love, joy and life that remain even as memory fades.
Sheldon Teitelbaum, BA 77, recently published More Zion’s Fiction: Wondrous Tales from the Israeli ImagiNation (Zion’s Fiction Partnership, 2021, $19.95), the second of a three-volume collection of Israeli science fiction and fantasy.
The compendium of 17 tales includes a foreword by renowned writer David Brin and an afterword by author and academic Marleen S. Barr.
In The Crooked Path: Colonization to Decolonization (New Federation House, 2021, $29.95), Brian Hawker, BA 68, MA 95, uses observations and insights from his decades of experience as an educator to illustrate the challenges still faced by Canada’s Indigenous peoples.
Tarah Schwartz, BA 94, a former CTV Montreal news anchor, has written a moving and eloquent story of her struggles to become a parent.
In Can’t Help Falling: A Long Road to Motherhood (Linda Leith Publishing, 2022, $21.34), Schwartz puts words to excruciating loss as she recounts her unexpected and deeply inspiring journey.
After a family tragedy forced him to rethink his personal and professional path, Daniel Baylis, BA 08, embarked on a 1,000-kilometre trek across Israel and Palestine on foot.
In Wild Birds (Sparks Publishing, 2021, $24.99), a memoir that serves as a counterpoint to most portrayals of the Middle East, Baylis chronicles his quest to understand more about the Holy Land and humankind.
In her new English-language translation of Franz Kafka’s final story, Josephine the Singer or A People of Mice (Hungry I Books, 2022, $12.00), Karin Doerr, BA 74, includes an introduction that reconsiders the work in the context of Kafka’s Jewish identity.
The translation was published by Hungry I Books, the publishing arm of the Concordia Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies. The book is available via Norman Ravvin: ravv@videotron.ca
If You Know What To Do Then Why Aren’t You Doing It?: The Pragmatic Insights (self-published, 2022, $11.99) offers a different spin on the self-help genre in which Gus Appignanesi, BSc 72, investigates the human tendency to self-sabotage plans to adopt positive life changes.
Rick Pyves, BSc 72, shares the incredible story of a family ancestor in Sir John James Taylor: De Facto Ruler of Ireland (self-published, 2022, $24.95).
The historical book describes how a commoner born in India rose through the British civil service to become assistant under-secretary for Ireland in 1918, a position of considerable importance at the outset of the Irish War of Independence.
In his new collection of poems Nightlight (Palimpsest Press, 2022, $19.95), David Barrick, MA 12, delves into the surreal nature of the human imagination through such devices as classic horror cinema and an after-hours jazz club.
Shifting Earth (Berger Books, 2022, $19.99), a science-fiction graphic novel by Cecil Castellucci, BFA 93, tells the story of two women from alternate worlds.
In one world, a climate crisis has done irreparable harm. In the other, children are scarce and humans must serve a purpose or pay an unthinkable price.
Ultimately, both women must display tremendous courage in the face of terrible choices.
In Time’s Up: Why Boards Need to Get Diverse Now (James House Publishing, 2021, $14.26), Patricia Lenkov, MBA 86, uses data and published research to show the benefits of more heterogeneous corporate boards as well as the impact of diversity on company performance.
The History of Rain (Nimbus Publishing and Vagrant Press, $21.95), the fifth novel from Stephens Gerard Malone, BA 83, follows the journey of a First World War veteran.
From assistant groundskeeper at a French-army hospital to travelling the world as a landscape artist, Rain’s nomadic lifestyle also highlights the lengths he’ll go to chase his unrequited love.
In Talking to Ukrainians: An Outsider’s Perspective (Library and Archives Canada, 2022, $22.92), Alexandre Fontaine, BA 17, explores the different dynamics at play in the country today and historically, and how many see Ukraine’s relationship with Russia.
Profits from the book’s sales will be donated to an orphanage in Western Ukraine.