On the Shelf

Sheri Craford (B.M., ’70; Community College Instructor’s Credential, ’73) wrote her fifth book, “Game of Hearts” (Zighi Baci). It uncovers the untold life story of musician and Italian immigrant Cárlos Curti (1859 – 1922).

 

a man hidden in the bamboo

Michael Soon Lee (B.A., ’73) wrote the memoir “Beyond the Bamboo Curtain: Understanding America’s Invisible Minority” (Wordee). It covers his career as a movie actor and producer, university dean and real-estate broker.

 

cover art of Glück-Robert_book

Robert Glück (M.A., ’73) wrote the novel “About Ed” (New York Review Books), recounting his relationship with the artist Aulerich-Sugai. The New Yorker writes: “’About Ed’ is a literary monument that harnesses memoir’s emotional honesty while indulging fiction’s stylistic latitude.” Glück is an SF State professor emeritus of Creative Writing.

 

Kay Bolter (M.A., ’75) and her daughter, SF State Kinesiology Associate Professor Nicole Bolter, published “The Self-Regulated Eater: Trust Your Body, Trust Yourself, Transform Your Eating.” Kay Bolter is a clinical psychologist with 30 years of expertise in treatment of eating disorders.

 

cover art of "Alter Ego" which shows a person wearing a mask

Lee Johnson (B.A, ’75) is the author of “Creative Retirement for Women: A Solution Based Guide for Couples and Singles.” She also wrote the collection “Alter Ego: Poetry for the Hidden Self.”

 

silhouettes of a mountain and and a dead tree with a bluish horizon

Richard W. Kerrigan (B.A., ’76; M.A. ’82), chair of the Blue Mountain Emergency Preparedness Committee in Calaveras County, wrote “Megastorms, California and You: Navigating Extreme West Coast Weather” (Dryas Press).

 

David Parker’s (M.A., ’76) third book of collected essays, “Rome 476,” is forthcoming in October. He is a San Francisco real-estate investor, retired music teacher and jazz musician.

 

Joan Gelfand (B.A., ’78) is the author of “Outside Voices: A Memoir of the Berkeley Revolution” (Post Hill Press). Her generous donation to SF State established a Creative Writing scholarship in her name.

 

Paradise Undone cover art of a man holding a crucifix and silhouettes behind him

Annie Dawid (B.A., ’82; M.A., ’86) wrote “Paradise Undone: A Novel of Jonestown” (Inkspot Publishing), her sixth book. The Jonestown Review, vol. 25, carries two reviews and an essay by Dawid about the 20-year trajectory of the novel.

 

ocean waves

Terry Shames (M.A., ’86) is the author of 10 books in the award-winning Samuel Craddock mystery series. “Perilous Waters,” her first thriller, was recently published by Severn House Publishing.

 

Bill Magill (MBA, ’89) wrote “The Deep Tech Playbook” and made it available for free as his “gift back to an industry that has treated me so well.” Magill built a career in consulting, investment banking and venture capital. He lives in France and is a lecturer at the Institut Européen d’Administration des Affaire and other schools, but still enjoys visiting SF State and previously served on the SF State President’s Roundtable. His children Jess Magill (B.A., ’21) and Stella Magill (B.A., ’22) and their mother Alexandra Magill (MBA, ’90) also attended SF State.

 

101 Smithsonian Asian Pacific American History art and culture

Theodore S. Gonzalves’ (M.A., ’93) latest book is “Smithsonian Asian Pacific American History, Art and Culture in 101 Objects” (Smithsonian Books). He is curator at the National Museum of American History and serves on the board of directors for the American Council of Learned Societies. Gonzalves was the 21st president of the Association for Asian American Studies.

 

Gemma Whelan’s (MFA, ’95) new novel is based on a screenplay she wrote while studying Cinema at SF State. “Painting Through the Dark” (Adelade Books) follows a 21-year-old Irish woman who moves to San Francisco after fleeing the Catholic church.

 

cover art of Liu-Trujillo-Robert_book which shows a parent and child grocery shopping

Robert Liu-Trujillo (attended ’98 – ’02) wrote and illustrated the children’s picture book “Fresh Juice” (Lee and Low) and the Spanish edition, “Jugo Fresco.” School Library Journal writes: “This essential story conveys the warmth of community in just one serving.”

 

Karla Brundage (M.A., ’99) wrote a book of poetry, “Blood Lies: Race Trait(or)” (Finishing Line Press). 

 

Rebekah Anderson’s (M.A., ’04) “The Grand Promise” (Empty Bowl Press) was a finalist for the Pacific Northwest Writers Association’s 2023 Nancy Pearl Book Award.

 

cover art of a woman covered in flowers

Sommer Schafer’s (MFA, ’13) debut book of short fiction, “The Women,” was published by Unsolicited Press.

 

illustration of a poodle named Lucy and a red barn in the background

Tenny Minassian (M.A., ’15) is the author of an illustrated children’s book, “Lucy Goes to the Gentle Barn,” about her dog and her visit to an animal sanctuary.

 

The cover of the book Pulp Into Paper with a picture of a smokestack spewing smoke over a body of water at twilight

Lenore Weiss (MFA, ’18) began working on her environmental novel, “Pulp into Paper” (Atmosphere Press), while in SF State’s Creative Writing Department with Chanan Tigay as her adviser. Weiss continued writing it at the Breadloaf Environmental Writers Conference with Luis Alberto Urrea.

 

Allie Rigby’s (MFA, ’22) first book is “Moonscape for a Child” (Bored Wolves), featuring her original poetry and drawings. Rigby was a 2022 Fulbright scholar in Romania.

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