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HOT TYPE: New releases by Swarthmoreans
Art Bell ’78
Constant Comedy: How I Started Comedy Central and Lost My Sense of Humor
Ulysses Press
Just 10 years after leaving Swarthmore, Bell pitched an idea for a TV station focused solely on comedy, laying the groundwork for what is now Comedy Central. In this memoir, Bell goes behind the scenes to share the highs and lows of the show-business startup, while including some anecdotes from his College years, too.
Leah Oppenheim Oppenzato ’96
What’s in a Name: Perspectives from Nonbiological and Nongestational Queer Mothers
Demeter Press
In this collection of 15 essays, edited by Sherri Martin-Baron, Raechel Johns, and Emily Regan Wills, Oppenzato and other writers tackle the complexities of queer parenthood, including ever-changing laws and an evolving culture. While examining their roads to becoming parents and sharing their unique experiences, the authors also reflect on their own identities — and on the meaning of “mother.”
Jean-Marie Clarke ’74
Et in Alter Ego: Portrait of the Artist as a Name and a Life
Private edition
“If your signature is a kind of self-portrait, then your name written by someone else can be seen as a portrait,” Clarke, a multimedia artist, writes about his book, which features inscriptions of his name as written by 111 people. Part autobiography, part homage to the craft of handwriting, Et in Alter Ego sits at an intersection “where writing and drawing have an equal status as graphic performances.”
Wayne Patterson ’68
William Nelson Lovatt in Late Qing China: War, Maritime Customs, and Treaty Ports, 1860–1904
Lexington Books
Patterson draws from newly discovered journals and other materials to explore the late Qing dynasty as experienced by William Nelson Lovatt, a British-American who spent most of his adulthood in China in the late 1800s. A veteran of four wars, Lovatt also served 40 years in the maritime customs service and lived in 11 treaty ports, giving him a unique look at the institutions and their populations, including Chinese residents, missionaries, and customs officials.
Jack Riggs ’64
High Tension: FDR’s Battle to Power America
Diversion Books
Riggs details President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s efforts to electrify America — literally — by connecting all corners to the power grid, in one of the country’s greatest examples of balancing government intervention with private market forces. These moves not only brought electricity to the masses; they also positioned the United States for industrial success and created a model for the public-private issues of today.
Sarah Wise ’96 (et al.)
Facilitating Change in Higher Education: The Departmental Action Team Model
Glitter Cannon Press
Written as part of a research collaboration between the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Colorado State University, this book offers a road map for creating positive, sustainable change within higher ed. Among the topics covered are building a productive team culture, interacting with stakeholders, and developing the agency for change, presented through a blend of theory and practice.
Jane Flatau Ross ’73
Two Centuries of French Education in New York
TBR Books
Ross’s case study of French schools outside of France, including the 85-year-old Lycée Français de New York, provides a look at globalization in practice. While examining how the French national education system functions beyond France, the book also explores the changes to cultural diplomacy and Franco-American relations that have occurred since the 1800s.
Darwin Stapleton ’69
A History of University Circle in Cleveland: Community, Philanthropy, and Planning
MSL Academic Endeavors
Making use of interviews, archival documents, and a range of scholarship materials, Stapleton traces the 200-year history of Cleveland’s educational, medical, and cultural center, University Circle. Community, philanthropy, and planning are explored, along with the racial tensions, scientific activities, and business deals that influenced and impacted the area.
The Bulletin receives numerous submissions of new publications from the talented Swarthmore community and can feature only a fraction of those submissions here. Please note that work represented in Hot Type does not necessarily reflect the views of the College.