Jesuit Post book
The bright, young minds that brought the world The Jesuit Post (TJP)–a website featuring commentary from young Jesuits on the intersection of faith and culture–have published a new book of essays titled, The Jesuit Post (Orbis Books). In addition to 20 original essays, the book includes a few “best of” essays from the website’s first two years. Many Boston College students and alumni are contributors to the new book. School of Theology and Ministry students Ryan Duns, SJ; Quentin Dupont, SJ; Michael Rozier, SJ, and Sam Sawyer, SJ have written essays. Alumni contributors are Jeff Johnson, SJ; James Martin, SJ; Jayme Stayer, SJ, and George Williams, SJ. Sawyer’s essay can be previewed here. In a review, Publishers Weekly says “Religious faith and the spiritual life are more relevant than ever, even if contemporary young adults live out these commitments in radically different ways than past generations. St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, would be proud to know that his work continues into the 21st century.” Sawyer, who earned his undergraduate degree from BC, is one of the founders of TJP, which has been called “one of the best things that U.S. Jesuits have done in the last 10 years.” Read an interview with the TJP founders.
Posted in Boston College Authors
Tagged Catholic, Jesuit, Jesuit author, School of Theology and Ministry
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Poet Spotlight: Spece
In honor of National Poetry Month, BC Bookmarks spotlights BC alumnus Joseph Spece, editor of SHARKPACK Poetry Review and author of the poetry collection Roads. According to Hannah Fries of Orion Magazine: “The language of Joseph Spece is richly musical, at once strange and familiar, formidable, exploratory, confident. ..these are the poems of an intensely curious soul, a poet steeped in myth and in letters.” Earlier this academic year, Spece gave a reading on campus and talked about his writing with @BC. His poem, “Hades and the Linguists,” was published in the Winter 2014 issue of Boston College Magazine.
Elizabeth Smart
Elizabeth Smart, who wrote about her traumatic abduction and nine months of captivity in her best-selling memoir My Story (St. Martin’s Press, 2013), will speak at Boston College on Apr. 10 at 7 p.m. in McGuinn Auditorium. Smart’s testimony helped to convict her captors and she has gone on to become an advocate and public speaker. As president of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, she works to prevent crimes against children and to improve child abduction and recovery programs and legislation. Smart and other abduction survivors worked with the Department of Justice to create a survivors guide, “You’re Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment,” to encourage children who have gone through similar experiences to not give up and to know that there is life after tragic events. Sponsors: Women’s Resource Center, Office of Health Promotion, Science Club For Girls, R.E.A.C.T, FISTS, Sharps, To Write Love On Her Arms, I Am That Girl, Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics, UGBC & SWSG.
Girls like us
Author Rachel Lloyd will present “Girls Like Us: The Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Girls in the US” on Apr. 8 at 4 p.m. in McGuinn Auditorium. Lloyd is the founder and CEO of Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS), and author of the memoir, Girls Like Us: Fighting for a World Where Girls Are Not for Sale. Lloyd’s presentation will be followed by a Q&A and book signing. Sponsors: Women’s and Gender Studies Program, Women’s Resource Center, Office of Health Promotion, Sociology Department, REACT and VSA.
Emma Donoghue
Best-selling author Emma Donoghue will present “Slippery Characters: Writing Historical Fiction in the Information Age” on April 9 at 7 p.m. in Fulton Hall, room 511. Donoghue is the author of the internationally acclaimed novel Room, among many other works. Her newest novel is Frog Music (Little, Brown and Company), a literary crime novel set in San Francisco, 1876. Her talk is sponsored by the Lowell Humanities Series. Read a Washington Post review of Frog Music.
Emmy winner
Boston College will host “How to Write the Final Episode of 30 Rock: An Evening with Tracey Wigfield” on Apr. 7 at 7:00 pm in Devlin 008. Wigfield is a Boston College alumna and Emmy-winning writer. She is currently a writer and supervising producer for the FOX comedy “The Mindy Project.” She won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, along with Tina Fey, for “Last Lunch,” the series finale of the popular NBC show “30 Rock.” At the BC event, Wigfield will talk about her career and experience as a writer of network television comedy. A Q&A session will follow her remarks. “She’s one of a growing number of BC grads who have burgeoning careers in Hollywood. She’s living proof that you can get there from here,” said Scott T. Cummings, chair of the Theatre Department. Sponsors: Communication Department and Theatre Department.
Posted in Alumni Authors
Tagged comedy, Communication Department, television, Theater Department
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Oscar winner Oliver Stone
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone and historian Peter Kuznick, authors of the book The Untold History of the United States, will speak on “Bush and Obama: The Age of Terror” at Boston College’s Robsham Theater on April 5. Stone and Kuznick have a companion TV documentary series that is a re-examination of various chapters of American modern history, such as the Cold War, the United States’ use of nuclear bombs on Japan and the US global role in the post-Communism era, using little-known documents and newly uncovered archival material. Stone is the director of such films as “Platoon,” “JFK” and “Wall Street.” Professor of Sociology Charles Derber and History Professor Seth Jacobs will take part in a panel, followed by a Q & A with Stone and Kuznick. The event will take place from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Tickets are free, but are limited to one per person and must be picked up at the Robsham box office [www.bc.edu/robsham]. The event is sponsored by the Institute for the Liberal Arts and Sociology Department with support from the College of Arts and Sciences.
Posted in Guest Authors
Tagged film, government, history, Institute for the Liberal Arts, presidency, Sociology Dept
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Evangelicalism & Ulster literature
Boston College Burns Library Visiting Scholar in Irish Studies Terence Brown will present “Amazing Grace: Evangelicalism & Ulster Literature” on Apr. 3 at 4:30 p.m. in the Thompson Room of Burns Library. Brown will talk about some significant conversion narratives, such as Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis, and address how evangelicalism has been critiqued as a social force by Ulster writers. Brown is an accomplished teacher, researcher and writer. He is the author of the acclaimed work Ireland: A Social and Cultural History. Sponsors: The Center for Irish Programs and The Honorable John J. Burns Library of Rare Books and Special Collections.
Fabulous
A new book by BC alumna Heather Finn hopes to inspire young ones to take good care of their teeth. Fabulous Farrah & the Sugar Bugs, written by Finn and illustrated by Bonnie Lemaire, tells the story of Farrah, who ignores her mom’s advice about brushing her teeth and then is horrified when school picture day comes and her fabulous smile has been compromised by the Sugar Bugs. Finn says she was inspired by her own children to write this fun, lighthearted and creative children’s book about the importance of good oral health and hygiene. Read a Q&A where Finn, who holds three degrees from BC, talks about writing, parenting and her career in financial services.
Posted in Alumni Authors
Tagged Carroll School of Management, children's book, health
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