In Memoriam: Maya Angelou
Acclaimed poet, author and actress Maya Angelou, who died today at age 86, made several appearances at Boston College over the course of her legendary career. In 1983, the University awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. She gave a talk at St. Ignatius Church shortly after reading one of her poems at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993. She spoke at Robsham Theater as part of BC’s Lowell Humanities Series in 1984. According to records kept at BC’s Burns Library, Humanities Series Director Father Francis Sweeney, SJ wrote in a letter to Angelou after her appearance that scarcely could he recall any lecturer who so “touched and delighted the audience.” “Without using superlatives”, he wrote, “it would be difficult to comment on your [Angelou’s] reading.” Never, to his recollection, had the audience so thundered applause during the course of “four standing ovations”, which was “without precedent in the 28 year history of the Humanities Series.” (Photo of Maya Angelou at Robsham Theater, Mar. 15, 1984.)
In Memoriam: Radu Florescu
Boston College History Professor Emeritus Radu Florescu, co-author of the bestseller In Search of Dracula, which revealed the historical identity of the legendary Dracula for the first time, died in France on May 18 at age 88. Dr. Florescu and the late Raymond T. McNally, also a professor in the Boston College History Department, published In Search of Dracula in 1972. Their book, which was researched in Romania under a Fulbright grant, was the first to identify Vlad Tepes, a 15th century prince, as the Dracula of literature. The book garnered the writing duo international fame, landing Dr. Florescu on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” Originally banned in Romania, In Search of Dracula was only made available in that country after the fall of Communism. The book has since been translated into more than a dozen languages. Dr. Florescu was also the author or co-author of Dracula Prince of Many Faces; The Essential Dracula; Dracula: A Biography of Vlad the Impaler; In Search of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; In Search of Frankenstein and Dracula’s Bloodline: A Florescu Family Saga, among many other books and scholarly articles. He also donated hundreds of books to the Boston College Burns Library’s Balkan Collection.
Identity
BC alumnus Tim Holmes has published the second edition of Beyond Faith and Reason (Tate Publishing), an expanded and revised edition of his seminal critique of identity. From Soren Kierkegaard to Jean-Paul Sartre, Emmanuel Levinas and more, a carefully selected array of thinkers are provokingly surveyed laying the groundwork for a novel introspection. Through an analysis of reason, affectivity, aesthetics and responsibility, Holmes demonstrates a twofold dynamic foundation of a singular identity. Illustrating a delineation of the various elements of who we are, as well as a cogent epistemology and spiritual orientation. Acknowledging their transcendent ends, he poetically renders the depths of existence and the self alike through the phenomena of humility, spite and fidelity; breathing new life into the field of identity theory.
Leading schools in the technology age
Leading Online: Leading the Learning, Leading by Learning, an e-book co-authored by BC alumnus Stephen Valentine and Dr. Reshan Richards, seeks to help school leaders improved their skills in a rapidly changing, technology-driven landscape. This book will guide educational administrators who want to manage their school’s online aspects with the same expertise as they would their brick-and-mortar building. Valentine is a longtime educator and author of Everything but Teaching (Corwin).
Gerard Manley Hopkins
In celebration of the Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ, Boston College is hosting “The Jesuit Victorian Poet: Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889) 125th Anniversary,” a special exhibition of items from its collection related to Fr. Hopkins and his family. On display now until Sept. 30 are the poet’s clippings, photos and correspondence, and materials related to members of the extended Hopkins family, including manuscripts, poems, drawings, music and photographs. The exhibit’s final day will feature a public lecture about the impact of Jesuit spirituality on Fr. Hopkins’ poetry, given by University Professor of English Paul Mariani, author of Gerard Manley Hopkins: A Life. The exhibition is open during regular Burns Library hours. More from the Boston College Chronicle.
The Collector of Tears
Prolific author Michael C. Keith, associate professor of the practice in the Communication Department, has published a collection of short stories titled The Collector of Tears (Underground Voices, 2014). Keith has written more than 20 books, including Voices in the Purple Haze, Waves of Rancor, Dirty Discourse, and the acclaimed memoir The Next Better Place. He is also the author of the most widely adopted textbook on radio. First published in 1986, The Radio Station is billed as a complete guide for beginning radio professionals to the internal workings of the soundcasting media, including broadcast, satellite and Internet radio. This year upon entering its ninth edition, the book will have Keith’s name as part of the title: Keith’s Radio Station.
A town upended
Award-winning author Suzanne Berne, a part-time faculty member in the English Department, has published a new book, The Dogs of Littlefield (Penguin: Fig Tree, 2013). According to the publisher, Berne’s latest novel is a “wry exploration of the discontent concealed behind the manicured lawns and picket fences of darkest suburbia.” Her other books include The Ghost at the Table and A Crime in the Neighborhood, which won the Orange Prize. Check out reviews of The Dogs of Littlefield from the Guardian and Daily Mail.
RIP Ann Murray Paige
The Boston Globe has published an appreciation of BC alumna Ann Murray Paige, author of pink tips: breast cancer advice from someone who’s been there, who passed away in March. In addition to her book, Paige co-wrote and starred in a one-woman show and founded a non-profit called Project Pink. Last year she was honored by Massachusetts General Hospital for her advocacy and education on behalf of cancer patients.
Book review by Fr. Imbelli
Father Robert Imbelli, associate professor emeritus of theology, has written a review for America magazine of Edward Short’s Newman and His Family. In the book, Short looks at 70 years of correspondences by Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman to his family. Fr. Imbelli calls Newman and His Family a “wise study.”
BC Bookmarks 