Recent and upcoming books by UT alumni

The work of architecture alumni John Abernathy and Nick Dryden, partners in Nashville-based Dryden Abernathy Architecture Design, is featured in a new book, Urban Country Style. The book is about mixing modern and vintage furnishings. The Dryden-Abernathy project featured is a home in Brentwood, Tennessee. Authors of the book are Elizabeth Betts Hickman and Nancy Gent.

Transformation of Plantation Politics: Black Politics, Concentrated Poverty, and Social Capital in the Mississippi Delta, Sharon D. Wright Austin ’93. Published by State University of New York Press. Austin is an associate professor of political science at the University of Florida.

Natural Histories: Stories from the Tennessee Valley, Stephen Lyn Bales, published by UT Press. Sixteen essays highlight the relationship of flora and fauna – from opossums to pawpaws – to human life. The author’s line drawings illustrate each chapter. Bales attended UT from 1997 to 1999. He is development manager and naturalist at Knoxville’s Ijams Nature Center. Order from http://utpress.org. [pictured]

Vertical Leap: Inside the Rise of Tennessee Basketball, Dane Bradshaw. The ’06-’07 Vol basketball captain tells the story of last season, and Coach Bruce Pearl pens the foreword. Tennessee Valley Publishing.

William Powell: The Life and Films, Roger Bryant ’84. A biography of the popular Hollywood actor of the 1930s and ’40s. Published by McFarland.

Corey Cleek ’95 is editor of Devotional Ventures: 60 Inspiring Devotions By Business Professionals For Business Professionals, recently released by Regal Books. Cleek is part of the founding team of Internet start-up Uloop and has worked for eBay and Amazon.com.

My Journey: Into, Through and Beyond the Ivory Tower, Dr. Milton J. Cormier ’56. Dr. Cormier is emeritus distinguished research professor of biochemistry at the University of Georgia.

The Salesman’s Little Blue Book of Daily Inspiration, Christopher Cunningham ’85 communications. A daily guide for sales people.

The Treasure Fortress, Jeff Dwiggins ’91, Publish America. Three college students’ quest to solve the mystery of a treasure map.

Fat Proof Your Family, Dr. Ron Eaker ’80, ’84. A practical guide to losing fat and gaining fitness based on the combination of mind, body, and spirit. Bethany House Publishers.

Raising My V.O.I.C.E. (Verbalizing Orderly Impressions through Creative Endeavors), Jeff Faulkerson (social work ’91, ’98). A collection of essays about why Americans focus on their differences rather than their similarities. Faulkerson, of Wake Forest, N.C., is founder, president, and CEO of Practical Solutions Writing, Editing, Consulting (www.practicalwritingeditingconsulting.com). In conjunction with release of the book, he is touring to raise awareness about conditions that impact outcomes for black children. Faulkerson is a former member of the UT track team, and his wife, Regina, was a Lady Vol basketball player. The book is available from www.infinitypublishing.com. [pictured]

Whack A Mole, Chris Grabenstein ’77. The third in Grabenstein’s Jersey shore murder mystery series. The two earlier novels were Tilt A Whirl, which won the Anthony Award for Best First Mystery, and Mad Mouse. Next up, due June ’08, is Hell Hole. Whack A Mole is published by Carroll & Graf. More about the books and the author at www.chrisgrabenstein.com.

Chris Grabenstein ’77 tells eTorch that his John Ceepak mysteries—Tilt A Whirl, Mad Mouse, and Whack A Mole—can be downloaded at Audible.com. The mysteries are set in the tourist town of Sea Haven, New Jersey. More about Grabenstein at www.chrisgrabenstein.com. And, in a recent Tennessee Alumnus article, the author takes a light-hearted look at his evolution as a writer. [pictured]

Minimal Rings, Arch Gregory '63.  A chronological and pictorial history of minimal design in jewelry as explored through the imaginations of 140 innovative international designers. Published by Full Spectrum Publishing. 

Celebrating Diversity: A Legacy of Minority Leadership in the American Association of Law Libraries, Ruth J. Hill ’84 with C. Nicholson and V. Garces. Profiles of 32 minority law librarians along with survey responses from nearly 200 AALL minority librarians on such topics as law librarianship as a career, mentoring the next generation of librarians, and diversity in the profession. Published by Hein. Hill lives in Baton Rouge, La.

Heart in the Right Place, Carolyn Jourdan ’76, ’81. Former Senate counsel becomes country doctor’s receptionist. Published by Algonquin.  Update: Read an article penned by Jourdan in the Summer 2007 issue of Tennessee Alumnus!

In Fear of My Child, Kenneth S. Kallin ’76, Authorhouse. A case study.

Louisiana’s Song, Kerry Madden ’84, ’86. The second book in Madden’s Maggie Valley Trilogy for young readers. Published by Viking Children’s Books.

The Tennessee Trivia Book, Tom Mattingly ’70, ’77, Hill Street Press. A compilation of little known facts about UT. Mattingly also wrote The Tennessee Vault: The History of Tennessee Football 1891-2006, published in 2006 by Whitman Press.

A Primer of the Novel: For Readers and Writers, David Madden ’57 with Charles Bane and Sean Flory. A revised handbook that presents the history of the novel as a literary form and identifies terms and artistic techniques. Published by Scarecrow Press. Madden is the Donald and Velvia Crumbley professor of creative writing at LSU. He is the author of nine novels, including two Pulitzer Prize nominees, two books of short stories, and 35 critical works. Madden’s new Touching the Web of Southern Novelists describes how the works of noted authors such as Faulkner, Wolfe, and Agee have influenced his writing. Also recently published is an analysis of Madden’s life’s work, David Madden: A Writer for All Genres, co-edited by Randy Hendricks and James A. Perkins. Both are available from the University of Tennessee Press.

East of Kingston South of Here, Virgil Mincy ’56. A generational history of East Tennessee families.

The South’s Tolerable Alien, Andrew S. Moore ’94. The role of Catholics in the post-World War II South, published by Louisiana State University Press. Moore is assistant professor of history at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.

Aaron Purcell (Ph.D. ’06) has edited a photographic history of UT to be published late this year by Arcadia Publishing. The University of Tennessee will be part of Arcadia’s Campus History Series. The photos are from UT’s archives, and all proceeds will go to the Library Archives Enrichment Fund. The book will be available at the University Book and Supply Store and from Arcadia Publishing. Purcell is UT archivist. [pictured]

Stoner’s Aquarium, Ron Ruelle (advertising ’88). A replay of his Daily Beacon cartoons of the late 1980s. Ruelle lives in Boulder, Colo., and does free lance work including cartooning for publications. The book is available at his Web site www.ronruelle.com, and part of the proceeds from sales goes to the College of Communication and Information scholarship fund. Ron invites old friends to contact him at HeyDarwin@comcast.net. [pictured]

Don’t Stop at Green Lights, Why Wal-Mart Customers Vote Republican, Tim Sneed ’83 sociology. Sneed’s Web site describes him as one of today’s “hottest Poor thinkers,” writing “hard life and political reality stories.” He lives in Alexandria, Va.

When It’s Football Time in Tennessee: A Celebration of Tennessee’s Football Traditions in Picture and Song, by Mark Stoudemire, art and illustration by Charlie Daniel, Michael Kane, and R. Daniel Proctor. A new look at the Tennessee football experience.

Internet Research, Carol Terry ’82.  With step-by-step and conceptual lessons, this college text teaches strategies and skills to effectively use the Internet as a research tool, including finding, evaluating, and citing online resources. Published by Thomson’s Course Technology.

Someday I May Find Honest Work: A Newspaper Humorist’s Life, Sam Venable (journalism ’69), University of Tennessee Press. A collection of Venable’s humor columns from the Knoxville News Sentinel. His previous 10 books include I’d Rather be Ugly than Stuppid. Venable recently wrote for Tennessee Alumnus about his abiding affection for Appalachia. [pictured]

Just Another Baptist in Baghdad—The Inside Views of a Natural-Born Outsider, Jake Vest (communications ’04). A collection of newspaper and magazine columns and cartoons by the retired journalist. Vest was a nationally syndicated cartoonist with the Orlando Sentinel and, in a notable career about-face, has recently signed on to teach fourth grade. Order the book from jakevest@aol.com. And get some chuckles at Vest’s Web site www.thatsjakeinlake.com. [pictured]

Out Live, Out Laugh, Out Love, Tina Wesson ’84, winner of Survivor: The Australian Outback. Her personal story and daily devotionals.

 

 

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