Take a ride on a Swan Boat

swanboatBoston College alumna Frances Driscoll, a former teacher in the Boston Public Schools, has published The Swan Boat Ride, which tells the story of a young girl’s ride with her grandmother on the Swan Boats in Boston’s Public Garden. It is a ride Driscoll has taken many times herself with her own grandchildren. Last month, Driscoll spoke to the volunteer readers of the BC’s Read Aloud program about writing and publishing. Driscoll is the daughter of a BC alumnus and the parent of a BC graduate.

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A Carrie Bloomfield novel

The_Winship_Affair.coverThe Winship Affair (Blue Mustang Press) is a new murder mystery novel with a scientific touch written by Phil Temples of BC’s Computer Science Department. According to the publisher, The Winship Affair is the story of eccentric, but brilliant multidisciplinary scientist Carrie Bloomfield who receives a mysterious package from a deceased colleague. She soon discovers that its secrets could lead to technologies that might revolutionize the world’s energy supply. But it seems that a shadowy international corporation knows about the materials, too. They’re determined to have it for themselves. And they’re not about to allow the law, ethics — or especially, a quirky scientist — to stand in their way. Temples is a past recipient of the Boston College Community Service Award and a longtime volunteer for the University’s Read Aloud program.

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Prevot’s Pick

spiritualsbluesAndrew Prevot, an assistant professor of theology at BC, was one of several black Catholic intellectuals asked to select a favorite book by a black Catholic writer for the most recent issue of America magazine which focused on the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. Prevot chose The Spirituals and the Blues by James H. Cone. “More than 40 years after the first publication of The Spirituals and the Blues, this book’s central message still rings true.” Read more.

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Q&A with Graver

graverAuthor and Boston College Professor of English Elizabeth Graver talked with the Boston Globe’s Eugenia Williamson about her approach to writing and the source of her next writing project: her maternal grandmother who was born in Turkey and lived in Barcelona and New York. Read more

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Remembering the Emerald Isle Classic

emerald isle classicBoston College alumnus Jim O’Brien, the man behind the Emerald Isle Classic–the first American college football game played in Europe, has released a commemorative book about the historic event. The Match, tells the story of the BC-Army game played on November 19, 1988 before more than 40,000 spectators in Dublin’s Landsdowne Road Stadium. The Emerald Isle Classic attracted an estimated 15,000 fans from the US and took place during Dublin’s Millennium celebrations. BC upset Army by a score of 38-24. “There is only one first and we were the first: BC-Army,” said O’Brien, who played football for the Eagles and was drafted by the Detroit Lions. “When you are first, you are always special.” The Match is available through O’Connor Studios.

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Nun on the bus

nunon busThe School of Theology and Ministry presents “Politics, Faith, and Prophetic Witness,” a lecture by Simone Campbell, S.S.S., author of A Nun on the Bus: How All of Us Can Create Hope, Change, and Community (HarperCollins, 2014) and executive director of NETWORK, a Catholic social justice lobby organization. In her lecture, Sister Campbell will explore the call to touch the pain of the world and release hope into the darkness. The lecture will be held July 12 at 10 a.m. in Robsham Theater. Details | Book review from US Catholic magazine.

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Summer book swap

book swapThe Volunteer Service Learning Center is holding its annual summer book swap where members of the BC community are invited to bring and/or take a book. The book swap will be held at McElroy 208 weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from July 8 to July 18. All books not swapped will be donated to More Than Words, a local non-profit bookstore for at-risk youth.  Questions? Contact the sponsor at (617) 552-1317.

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More from the Catholic Press Assn.

visionsofhopeVisions of Hope: Emerging Theologians and the Future of the Church (Orbis Books), a book based on a conference organized by BC graduate students, was awarded first place by the Catholic Press Association in the category of works related to the 50th anniversary of Vatican II. Edited by Kevin Ahern, who received his doctorate in theological ethics from BC in 2013, Visions of Hope features young theologians from several countries and multiple areas of theology offering hopeful insights on the future of ethics, dialogue, ecclesiology, liturgy and ministry. ​The book is a product of a 2012 conference organized by graduate students in BC’s Theology Department and School of Theology and Ministry together with the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs. In addition to Ahern, Boston College contributors to the book include B. Kevin Brown, Christopher Conway, Benjamin Durheim, Peter Folan, S.J., Eduardo Gonzalez, Nathaniel Hibner, Michael Jaycox, Stephen Okey, Amanda Osheim, and Gonzalo Villagran, S.J.

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Catholic Press Association Awards

cpaSeveral books by Boston College professors were honored with awards from the Catholic Press Association of the U.S. and Canada. Theology Professor Kenneth Himes, O.F.M., received the first-place award in the category of social teaching for his book Christianity and the Political Order. Also receiving a first-place prize for Scripture/popular studies was Encountering Jesus in the Scriptures, published by BC’s Church in the 21st Century Center and edited by the late School of Theology and Ministry Professor Daniel Harrington, S.J.and STM Research Professor Christopher MatthewsHandbook of Roman Catholic Moral Terms by School of Theology and Ministry Professor James Bretzke, S.J., took second place in the category of reference books. More

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Murder on the Outer Banks

murder on the hoofBoston College alumna Kathryn O’Sullivan has published a new mystery novel, Murder on the Hoof (St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur, 2014). It is a sequel to her novel Foal Play, which was awarded the St. Martin’s Minotaur/Malice Domestic Best Traditional Mystery Novel prize. Like Foal Play, Murder on the Hoof is set in the Outer Banks village of Corolla, North Carolina and features Fire Chief Colleen McCabe. O’Sullivan, an award-winning screenwriter, producer, and costume designer, is a theater professor at Northern Virginia Community College. Publishers Weekly review.

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