The Stand UP award “honors those who through their words and actions have done extraordinary work to support, defend and celebrate the university press community.” The award was announced June 7 during the association’s annual conference, held virtually.

Wong is the author of two novels, “” in 1979 and 鈥溾�� in 1995, republished by University of听 Washington Press in 2005. In 2019 he co-edited a third edition of 鈥�,鈥� also published by UW Press.

In 2019, he also worked with UW Press to create the supporting the publication of books on Asian American history and culture. (Read a talk with UW Notebook about the book fund.)

The association honored Wong in part for leading the grassroots effort to protect the right of UW Press, together with the Okada estate, to publish Japanese American author John Okada’s 1957 novel “.”

Wong teaches Asian American literature for the English department and screenwriting in the Department of Cinema & Media Studies. He is also a founding instructor in the , which teaches storytelling to veterans with PTSD, depression or anxiety disorders.

Larin McLaughlin, editorial director of UW Press, said, “In the process of his successful advocacy, Professor Wong brought the important work we do as university presses into the spotlight.” McLaughlin also said that sales of “No-No Boy,” 170,000 so far, “secure a future for our work in a very real way.”

Formed in 1937, the is an organization of more than 150 international nonprofit scholarly publishers.

An astronomer tells tales of stargazing and pursuing the universe’s big questions, a grandparent shares wisdom for happy living, a jazz drummer lays down a cool new album 鈥�

But behold, yet more! An engineer pens STEM biographies for children, a cartoonist draws stories from his life, researchers ponder the future of river and wildlife conservation, and faculty masters bring out new classical recordings on guitar and piano.

Though 2020 was a holy humbug of a year, 天美影视传媒 talents persevered, and published. Here’s a quick look at some giftworthy books and music created by UW faculty and staff, and a reminder of some recent favorites.

Stargazing stories: , associate professor of astronomy, published the anecdote-filled “” in August. “These are stories astronomers tell each other when all of us are hanging out at meetings,” Levesque said. Kirkus Reviews called them “entertaining, ardent tales from an era of stargazing that may not last much longer.”

‘Grand’ wisdom: , professor emeritus of English, has written novels, short stories and more, but takes a personal turn in “.” He offers his grandson, and readers, “what I hope are 10 fertile and essential ideas for the art of living.” It’s all presented “tentatively and with great humility,” Johnson says, as “grandfatherly advice is as plentiful as blackberries.”

Drums, duets: , assistant professor of music, released the album “” in March. Poor told UW News the music “is a celebration of space 鈥� space for drums to resonate and convey a feeling, and for the melody to dance around and push that feeling. It is primarily a collection of duets with saxophonist听 and the sound of the record is focused on drums and sax throughout.”

STEM stories: , professor of civil and environmental engineering, published two books for young readers this fall: “The Secret Lives of Scientists, Engineers, and Doctors,” volumes and . The volumes showcase “the struggle, growth and success” of 12 professionals in STEM fields, including a geneticist, a biologist, a cancer researcher and a scientist at the National Institutes of Health. More books are .

Life drawings: , professor of Slavic languages and literatures and comparative literature, published “,” a eclectic collection of drawings and essays, highlighting his different styles through the years, “from tragedy to tragicomedy to documentary to black humor,” he said.

Guitar works: School of Music faculty guitarist released his 10^th album in March. “” features classical guitar works written for him by composers and

Sheppard plays Brahms: , internationally known professor and pianist, put out a digital release of 107 early Brahms works in October, titled “.” The work joins Sheppard’s lengthy from a decades-long career.

Ecological restoration: How has climate change affected regional ecological restoration? , a research scientist in human centered design and engineering, looks for answers in “,” from UW Press.

River history: Seattle was born from the banks of the Duwamish River, writes BJ Cummings of the UW Superfund Research Program, but the river鈥檚 story, and that of its people, has not fully been told. Cummings seeks to remedy that with 鈥�,鈥� published by UW Press.

Coexisting: Agriculture and wildlife can coexist, says , professor of environmental and forest sciences, in his book “.” But only “if farmers are justly rewarded for conservation, if future technological advancements increase food production and reduce food waste, and if consumers cut back on meat consumption.”

And here are some favorites from 2019:

O鈥橫ara鈥檚 鈥楥ode鈥�: History professor provides a sweeping history of California鈥檚 computer industry titans in “ The New York Times called it an “accessible yet sophisticated chronicle.”

Mindful travel: of the English Department and the Comparative History of Ideas program discusses how travelers can respectfully explore cultures with lower incomes, different cultural patterns and fewer luxuries in “.”

Kingdome man: , associate professor of architecture, studies the life and work of Jack Christiansen, designer of the Kingdome and other structures, in “,” published by UW Press.

Powerful silence: “,” a documentary directed by English professor about NFL star Marshawn Lynch’s use of silence as a form of protest, is available for rent or purchase on several platforms.

Seattle stories: UW Press republished English professor ‘s well-loved 1976 reflections on his city, “.” Sale, who taught at the UW for decades, died in 2017.

• Joanne De Pue, School of Music communications director, assisted with this story.

New books by 天美影视传媒 faculty members include a pair of children’s works profiling STEM researchers and a personal memoir of an immigrant’s journey to freedom. Also, several UW faculty and staff members are featured as UW Press looks back on a century of publishing 鈥� and a book on British colonialism is honored.

Work of Quintard Taylor, Bill Holm featured as 天美影视传媒 Press looks back at 100

Marking the 100^th birthday of 天美影视传媒 Press, its staff chose “10 pivotal titles” from its history 鈥� including three books by UW faculty members 鈥� in an essay for the website LitHub titled “.”

The list represents books, the staff wrote, that helped define their fields. “Mirroring the innovative spirit of research and inquiry at the 天美影视传媒, the press developed a reputation for publishing at the forefront of many fields 鈥� from natural and environmental history to Native and Indigenous studies, and from African American and Asian studies to literature in translation.”

The list includes “,” by , UW professor emeritus of art history and curator emeritus of the Northwest Coast Indian art at the , calling it “a foundational reference work and study guide for contemporary Native carvers, painters and weavers.” UW Press put out a 50^th anniversary edition of the volume in 2014.

Also featured is UW history professor emeritus ‘s chronicle of “the growth of the neighborhood at the city’s heart that shaped its urban history.” “” was published in 1994.

“Seattle’s journey to world-class status has been closely tied to the vibrant culture that blossomed in this community,” the UW press staff wrote, “nurturing such talents as Ray Charles, Quincy Jones and Jimi Hendrix along with the first Black Panther Party chapter outside of Oakland. The book’s call for economic justice remains as relevant and urgent as ever.”

Also noted is “,” published in 1973 with a new, updated edition in 2018. The book 鈥� called the bible of botanists and gardeners in the region 鈥� is by C. Leo Hitchcock, who was a UW professor of botany; with botanist Arthur Cronquist. The new edition was revised by David Giblin and Peter Zika of the and UW biology professor , with Ben Legler of the University of Idaho.

Also on the list was John Okada’s novel “No-No Boy,” with fair consideration for the author’s family by UW English professor .

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Faisal Hossain of civil & environmental engineering publishes children’s books on STEM

, UW professor of civil and environmental engineering, has published two books for young readers: “The Secret Lives of Scientists, Engineers, and Doctors,” volumes and , from Mascot Books.

The books will showcase “the struggle, growth and success” of 12 professionals in STEM fields, including a geneticist, a biologist, a cancer researcher and a scientist at the National Institutes of Health, among others. They will be written especially for readers from second to fifth grades.

With more volumes planned, the book series is a spin-off from a National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine effort called aiming to widen access to science education. Read an on the Civil & Environmental Engineering website.

Published in September, the book is available for order and will be in stores soon. To learn more, contact Hossain at fhossain@uw.edu.

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Affiliate dentistry faculty member publishes memoir of escape from Iran

, a part-time affiliate faculty member of the UW School of Dentistry, has published “,” a memoir of her solo journey from Iran to the United States as a Baha鈥檌 refugee.

The book tells of Khajavi-Harvey growing up in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, and of her escape on her own at age 15 across the Iran-Pakistan border. Khajavi-Harvey is a Seattle dentist and human rights activist.

One reviewer wrote that the story “is a vivid reminder that immigrants bring with them deeply rooted values of family, loyalty, hard work and perseverance. We are richer for their presence.”

The memoir is available through eBook platforms, online retailers and bookstores. To learn more, contact Khajavi-Harvey at zkharvey@gmail.com.

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Historian George Behlmer’s book ‘Risky Shores’ honored by conference on British studies

UW history professor emeritus ‘s 2018 book “Risky Shores: Savagery and Colonialism in the Western Pacific” was co-winner of the 2019 from the North American Conference on British Studies.

The prize, which comes with $500, is awarded each year to “the best book published anywhere by a North American scholar on any aspect of British studies since 1800.” Behlmer’s was published by Stanford University Press, and was this summer in the journal American Historical Review.

The other Stansky Book Prize winner was “Trust Among Strangers: Friendly Societies in Modern Britain,” by Penelope Ismay of Boston College.

That commitment is also expressed in a book series in his name for 天美影视传媒 Press. got its start in 2019.

“We’re interested in all Asian American authors, particularly classic works that have gone out of print. We are open to anything 鈥� fiction, poetry and nonfiction,” Wong said. “But we’re also interested in new works.”

Wong teaches Asian American literature for the and beginning and advanced screenwriting in the . He is also a founding instructor in the , which teaches storytelling to veterans with PTSD, depression or anxiety disorders. He is the author of two novels, “Homebase” in 1979 and “” in 1995, republished by UW Press in 2005. In 2019 he co-edited a third edition of “,” also published by UW Press.

UW Notebook visited with Wong about this new book series and the process of choosing what to publish 鈥� or republish.

What is the mission of the fund, and your work in this area?

Shawn Wong: The short version is I’ve spent 50 years rediscovering and bringing attention to forgotten and neglected works of Asian American literature that should be part of the American literature canon, such as “” by John Okada, and others.听My partnership with the UW Press and the book series is a natural outgrowth of my early efforts in the 1970s to help them establish a catalog of Asian American literature classics.

My role is to fund the series with financial support with a simple equation 鈥� all the money I make from my own writing and speaking goes into the fund, and I have a very generous anonymous donor who has also stepped up and matched my donations to the fund.

How will you choose new books to publish?

S.W.: Our first book, “” by Louis Chu, was an easy choice to make since it was reissued by the UW Press many years ago, then the original publisher took the rights back, and then it fell out of print for many, many years until we were able to secure the rights again.听 It’s a pioneering work of Chinese American literature (and made into movie by director Wayne Wang).听Asian American literature professors have been waiting for a new printing for many years.
Mike Baccam, the Asian American literature acquisitions editor at UW Press, and I consult on all future projects.听We consider what’s missing from the Asian American literature series at the UW Press, what might be out of print, what kinds of literature teachers and professors are looking for or rediscovering. We also look at new works or repackaging of two or more works that are out of print by the same author and reshaping the narrative about those works for a new audience of reader and scholars. Final editorial decisions are made by the UW Press.

What can reshaping such a narrative involve?听

S.W.: One example might be that a book written during the 1960s or ’70s that talks about the issues of civil rights, Vietnam War protests, etc., might be relevant to today’s readers and today’s students, bringing the social justice issues from decades ago into the current discussion.

What is the process of bringing back a book long out of print?

S.W.: We have to search for who owns the rights to the book and then seek permission from the author or the publisher or both.听In some cases, the publisher has gone out of business, so the search takes longer to find the trail of the rights.

Any thoughts on what the series might publish next, and when?

S.W.: Hopefully, the UW Press and I will find a new project in 2021, most 听likely a work that needs to be back in print and would be useful for Asian American literature classes. One of the areas might be the books from the ’60s and early ’70s, at the heyday of the beginning of Asian American studies and social justice issues.

You also have been committed to the Red Badge Project, along with actor Tom Skerritt and others, helping veterans. Where does that project stand? 听

S.W.:听 The Red Badge Project is now in our seventh year. We began at Joint Base Lewis-McChord with the Warrior Transition Battalion and now have expanded to vet centers around Washington state. Because of the pandemic, most of our workshops with veterans are now online. I’ve also developed a course in the English Department titled “” that brings some of that experience with the project into the UW classroom. It’s really been some of the most challenging and rewarding teaching I’ve done in my 48 years of teaching.

Climate change and adaptive restoration explored in ‘Anticipating Future Environments’

How do climate change and its symptoms 鈥� drought, wildfire, flooding, extreme weather 鈥� affect the daily work of scientists involved with ecological restoration?

, a research scientist with the 天美影视传媒 Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering, looks for answers to this in a new book published in July by UW Press. “” tells of past and present salmon habitat restoration science in the Columbia Basin.

“Ecological restoration is often premised on the idea of returning a region to an earlier, healthier state,” Hirsch writes. “Yet the effects of climate change undercut that premise and challenge the ways scientists can work, destabilizing the idea of ‘normalcy’ and revealing the politics that shape what scientists can do. How can the practice of ecological restoration shift to anticipate an increasingly dynamic future? And how does a scientific field itself adapt to climate change?”

David Montgomery, UW professor of Earth and space sciences and author of several books, praised the new work: “In this hard look at how to restore an ecosystem that is changing our from under you, Hirsch reinforces the message that good science is not enough.”

UW Notebook asked Hirsch a few questions about the book and its topic.

How did the book come about?

Shana Lee Hirsch: I was researching water management in the Columbia River Basin and I was really struck by the complex and overwhelming issues that people are facing in terms of, not only managing water, but in sustaining livelihoods,听and all of the life that depends on the river. When climate change is piled on top of that, the issues are magnified.

But what really stood out to me was the way that people didn’t give up 鈥� they just kept on working through all of these complexities, restoring the river and finding creative ways to adapt. I wanted to understand what people, and particularly restoration scientists and practitioners were doing differently in light of climate change. How were they adapting their science, and their work, to deal with a climate-changed river system?

Who is the book’s intended audience?

S.L.H: It is an academic book, but tried to write it in a way that is accessible to a broader audience of people who are generally interested in environmental management or restoration of salmon habitat, especially in the Pacific Northwest.

What do you hope readers take away from the book?

S.L.H: I hope that readers will be inspired by what the restorationist community is doing to ensure that salmon continue to survive in the Columbia River Basin. Despite all of the devastation that salmon populations have suffered from development, and now climate change, the salmon and the people are not giving up. There is simply too much to lose.

Climate change should not overwhelm and stifle us to inaction, it should spur us to action and hope. The restorationists in this book can serve as an inspiration in this regard.

For more information, contact Hirsch at slhirsch@uw.edu or visit her personal .

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In other UW book news:

Stay the wrecking ball: ‘Building Reuse’ out in paperback

UW associate professor of architecture argues for the environmental benefits of reusing buildings instead of tearing them down in her 2018 book “.” UW Press published a paperback edition of the book in August.

Tearing down buildings and “throwing away the energy and materials embodied in them” is contrary to the values of sustainable builders and environmental stewards, Merlino told UW News in 2018. “I’m not arguing that all buildings are worthy of preservation and reuse, but I think a change in discourse is necessary.”

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Anu Taranath’s ‘Beyond Guilt Trips’ a Washington State Book Award finalist

The Washington Center for the Book has named “” by a finalist for a 2020 Washington Book Award in the general nonfiction category. Taranath is a principal lecturer in the departments of English and the Comparative History of Ideas.

“Many of us want to connect with people unlike us, and we know that鈥檚 a good thing 鈥� it鈥檚 good for our democracy, good for our souls, good for our communities,鈥� Taranath told UW News in 2019. “But we鈥檙e also not sure how to do so, because of the persistent inequities in race, economics and global positioning. And having good intentions and knowing how to connect are two different things.”

The book also was on Oprah Magazine’s and the Fodor’s Travel list of books to inspire travel, and received an from the booksellers’ publication Foreword Reviews.

The Washington Book Awards were announced on Aug. 21, and the winners will be named on Sept. 25.

Notable new books by 天美影视传媒 faculty and staff include a study of rebellion at sea, an emeritus faculty member’s Buddhist-focused memoir, a reconsideration of Northwest Coast Native American art with Indigenous perspectives in mind, thoughts on bridging cultural gaps through design 鈥� and an award for the editor-in-chief of 天美影视传媒 Press.

UW sociology professor Steven Pfaff explores mutiny at sea during the Age of Sail in new book ‘The Genesis of Rebellion’

A new book co-written by , UW professor of sociology, uses mutinies at sea in the Age of Sail to study a topic all too relevant today 鈥� what causes people to rise up in rebellion against deprivation and poor governance.

“,” by Pfaff and Michael Hechter of Arizona State University was published in June by Cambridge University Press.

The 鈥� judged to be from about 1570 to 1860 鈥� with its swashbuckling stories by Herman Melville, Joseph Conrad, Jack London and others, has long held a fascination for writers and readers. “The Genesis of Rebellion” explores “mutiny as a manifestation of collective action and contentious politics,” publisher’s notes say.

“The authors use narrative evidence and statistical analysis to trace the processes by which governance failed, social order decayed, and seamen mobilized. Their findings highlight the complexities of听governance, showing that it was not mere deprivation, but how seamen interpreted that deprivation, which stoked the grievances that motivated rebellion.”

Reviewing the book, , UW professor emerita of political science also with Stanford University, praised it as “a good read, a great puzzle, and a compelling analysis.

“Their book unfolds with treasures with every page. It provides entertaining 鈥� and sometimes horrifying 鈥� tales of mutiny and rebellion. The authors combine a wealth of material with theory and insight to make real advances in understanding the conditions that produce large-scale collective actions.”

Pfaff said the book is “the first to analyze mutinies in the British Royal Navy systematically, including both ships that experienced mutinies and a sample of those that did not.”

To learn more, contact Pfaff at pfaff@uw.edu.

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Anthropologist Charles Keyes looks back in Buddhism-focused memoir ‘Impermanence’

In a new memoir, UW anthropologist reviews his long career at institutions in the United States, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos and discusses how the Buddhist emphasis on impermanence 鈥� or 鈥� shaped his own life.

“” was published in February by UW Press. Keyes is a professor emeritus of anthropology and international studies who taught at the UW from 1966 until his retirement in 2006.

Keyes, founding director of the Southeast Asia Center in the Jackson School of International Studies, has researched religious practice, ethnicity and national cultures, the transformation of rural society and political culture. Much of his writing has focused on the role of Buddhism in everyday life in Thailand and mainland Southeast Asia.

A review in the Bangkok Post called Keyes “exceptional,” adding: “He became a leading figure in the development of Southeast Asian studies in the U.S.”

Watch a interview with Keyes.

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Indigenous understandings the focus of “Unsettling Native Art Histories on the Northwest Coast’

, UW assistant professor of art history, has co-edited the new book “,” with Aldona Jonaitis, professor of anthropology at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. The volume of essays was published in July by UW Press.

“Northwest Coast art functions 鈥� beyond the scope of non-Indigenous scholarship, from demonstrating kinship connections to manifesting spiritual power,” publishers notes say. Contributors to this volume of essays, including Bunn-Marcuse, focus on “Indigenous understandings in recognition of this rich context and its historical erasure within the discipline of art history.”

In this way, the essays “unsettle” Northwest Coast art studies “by centering voices that uphold Indigenous priorities, integrating the expertise of Indigenous knowledge holders about their artistic heritage and questioning current institutional practices.”

Bunn-Marcuse is also curator of Northwest Native American art and director of the . Jonaitis is former director of the University of Alaska Museum of the North.

“In this volume, essays by Indigenous artists, scholars and curators offer approaches grounded in genealogical or artistic kinship, Indigenous language insights, and community-based knowledge,” Bunn-Marcuse said.

Chadwick Allen, UW professor of English and American Indian Studies and co-director of the UW Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies, praised the book, saying it “models best practices for Indigenous art studies 鈥� and for Indigenous studies more broadly.”

To learn more, contact Bunn-Marcuse at kbunn@uw.edu.

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UW Tacoma’s Huatong Sun pens book on bridging cultural gaps through social media design

Maybe our troubled world can come together, if in a small way, through design, suggests UW Tacoma’s in a new book. “” was published in February by Oxford University Press, part of its Human Technology Interaction Series.

The book, Sun says, presents “a practice-theoretic design framework to approach cultural differences from the Global South vantage.” Sun said, “I believe in “the emancipating power of design as the primary activity of human beings.”

Sun, an associate professor in the Culture, Arts and Communication division of UW Tacoma’s School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, studies the interaction of technology, culture and design in the age of globalism.

To learn more, contact Sun at htsun@uw.edu.

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In other book news:

UW Press editor-in-chief Larin McLaughlin honored by Association of University Presses

The Association of University Presses has named Larin McLaughlin, editor-in-chief of UW Press, recipient of its .

“McLaughlin was honored for her contributions to advancing goals of diversity and inclusion in the university press community,” the association said in a news release. “In particular, her nominators commended her leadership in as author and principal investigator of the Mellon University Press Diversity Fellowship Program,” which began in 2016.

The Association of University Presses began in 1937 with UW Press as a founding member. The Constituency Award was started in 1991 and recognizes staff members at university presses “who have demonstrated active leadership and service to the association and the university press community.” Naomi Pascal, then editor-in-chief of UW Press, received the inaugural award.

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Former UW News director Bob Roseth publishes wry mystery novel ‘Ivy is a Weed’

Bob Roseth was director of UW News and Information for 35 years before his retirement in 2014. This June he self-published his first book, a funny mystery titled “.” The plot features the public relations director of “a local university” and a mysterious death on campus.

“As a former reporter, he knows a little about investigating things that seem fishy,” Roseth writes. “He begins asking questions, looking for clues to what really happened.” A starred said “Roseth keeps the whodunit plot moving briskly while tweaking modern collegiate bureaucracies.” .

Cummings, community engagement manager for the at the UW, seeks to remedy that with her book “,” published in July by UW Press.

“The city of Seattle grew from the rich resources of the river’s tide flats, from the monumental feats of its early industrial barons, and from the persistence of generations of Native and immigrant residents,” Cummings writes. “But this growth came at a high cost.”

Cummings knows the topic well, having founded the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition and served also as director of Sustainable Seattle. UW Notebook caught up with Cummings for a few questions about the book and the future of the Duwamish.

Why did you write this book about the Duwamish, and what is its audience?

BJ Cummings: I have always been drawn to rivers, and to the struggle for human rights. I wrote my one other book () 30 years ago, about native, environmental, religious and scientists’ resistance to building a complex of 80 dams on the tributaries of the Amazon River.

Several years after that, it became clear to me that I needed to figure out where my own home was and focus my attention there, so I could be a part of trying to solve problems, not intervening or just reporting on those who were engaged in those struggles.

Though I grew up in New York City, my family has been in the Puget Sound region since the 1800s, and I had bonded with this place as a child. So I landed in Seattle. I began working on the Duwamish River 鈥� Seattle’s hometown river 鈥� in 1994 and I’ve never looked back. This river, and its incredible people, stole my heart.

This book is a reflection not just on the river’s history, but on Seattle’s history, because they are joined at the hip. The Duwamish River and its people are largely invisible in the written histories of this city. But without knowing the history of the Duwamish, Seattle doesn’t know its own history, or its character. So the book’s audience is everyone who wants to understand who we, as Seattleites, are, and what the story of our city is, warts and all.

You write that despite advocating for the Duwamish for 25 years, you felt you “hardly knew the river at all.” What was the research like for this book? How long did it take and what were your main sources?

BJC: Doing the research for this book 鈥� learning the hidden stories of the river and its native and immigrant communities 鈥� was honestly the most fun and fascinating work I’ve done in my life. I went down so many rabbit holes, chasing so many personal and family stories, most of which never made it into this book. There’s just too much history to tell it all in a format anyone would read, but its enough to keep me busy for the rest of my life, even if I had the luxury of doing nothing else.

This is, at its core, the story of a place 鈥� ecologically, culturally, politically, etc. Learning all about it requires probing family stories, doing genealogical research, finding the long-lost newspaper stories of the early 1900s, and challenging the historical status quo.

Most of all, this book could not have been written without the many, many people I interviewed who shared their own personal and family histories. Without them, and their willingness and enthusiasm for rewriting history to include their own stories, this book would not exist.

You write that restoring the Duwamish presents an opportunity to “act in accordance with our values.” An eye-catching restoration that fails to protect river-dependent communities “will speak volumes about the classism and racism that underpin it.” Based on your study, what might be a path forward? 听

BJC: I think we need to begin with acknowledging not just what we’ve taken from this river, but who has been disenfranchised by those decisions. A cleanup of the Duwamish River must support both Seattle’s economic and social sustainability, and provide sufficient access, use and even reparations to those whose lives and livelihoods were taken from them so that those communities 鈥� both native and immigrant 鈥� can thrive again.

If we can agree on basic principles that center on equity and justice, then we can craft a cleanup and restoration of the river that strives to, and will ultimately, achieve those goals. If we don’t, then this river and its communities will continue to decline, the Superfund cleanup notwithstanding.

“As this book goes to print, government, industry and community representatives working to clean up the Duwamish River are struggling to find common ground,” you write. What will it take to find what you describe as “a new model of collaboration”?听

BJC: Respect. A commitment to equity. A willingness to listen and relate to people whose needs are different from your own. The upheaval happening in this country today both scares me and gives me hope. As in making decisions about the future path of this country, the decisions about this cleanup are being made by people.

There is no predetermined outcome, and nothing is impossible. The future state of Seattle’s river is wholly a question of our values, and our commitment to see them reflected in how we treat the river and its people.

Speaking of this worldwide upheaval, with the world’s attention now on confronting longstanding injustices and inequity, how do issues of the Duwamish River, its people and restoration relate to this larger movement? 听

BJC: Standing Rock, BLM, other struggles of disenfranchised people saying “no more” to the powers that be. That’s the story of the Duwamish 鈥� the river, the Tribe, and the river valley’s diverse immigrant communities. The United States is a colonial nation built on stolen land and labor.

The story of the Duwamish is no different, except in that we have the opportunity and the power 鈥� within the microcosm of the Seattle/King County region 鈥� to make this an environmental and economic justice success story and a model for other struggles against injustice. We can only control what is within our sphere of influence, but those successes then spread and replicate themselves elsewhere. We benefit from the victories being achieved in these other movements, and, if we are lucky and determined, vice-versa.

For more information, contact Cummings at bjcumngs@uw.edu.

Recent notable books by 天美影视传媒 faculty members look at gentrification and inequity in a New York neighborhood, skin lighteners though history, female agency in Arthurian legend and biographical epitaphs in China across many centuries.

UW Bothell’s Christian Anderson explores gentrification of a NYC neighborhood in ‘Urbanism Without Guarantees’

The gentrification of a single street in New York City’s Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood is the scene for this in-depth ethnographic study of urban transformation by , associate professor in the UW Bothell School of Interdisciplinary Arts.

“” was published in March by University of Minnesota Press. The book looks at how residents work to preserve the quality of life of their neighborhood and both define and maintain their values of urban living, taking actions that connect their daily lives to broader structural inequities, for better and worse.

Notes from the publisher call it “a unique more-than-capitalist take on urban dynamics,” adding, “Examining how residents are pulled into these systems of gentrification, Anderson proposes new ways to think and act critically and organize for transformation of a place 鈥� in actions that local residents can start to do wherever they are.”

For more information, contact Anderson at cmander@uw.edu.

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Lynn Thomas studies skin lighteners through history in new book

Skin lighteners have been used by consumers for centuries even while being opposed by medical professionals, consumer health advocates and antiracist thinkers and activists.

In her new book, UW history professor traces the changing meanings of skin color, in South Africa and beyond, from precolonial times to the present.

“” was published in January by Duke University Press.

Thomas shows how “the use of skin lighteners and experiences of skin color have been shaped by slavery, colonialism and segregation, as well as consumer capitalism, visual media, notions of beauty, and protest politics,” publisher’s notes said.

Calling the book “nothing short of a tour de force,” one reviewer wrote: “Carefully attending to the complex politics of race and color that are grounded in skin, Thomas at once provides a vibrant history of South Africa and a global history of commodity, beauty and the body. This landmark study sets a new standard in the field.”

For more information contact Thomas at lynnmt@uw.edu.

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Remembered lives: Historian Patricia Ebrey co-edits book on Chinese funerary biographies

Funerary biographies are epitaphs engraved on stone and placed in a grave. They usually focus on the deceased’s life, words and deeds. Tens of thousands of these biographies survive from Imperial China, providing a glimpse into the lives of many people not documented by more conventional sources.

“,” co-edited by UW history professor , is an anthology of translations of such funerary biographies covering nearly 2,000 years 鈥� from the through the 19^th century. The book was published in January by 天美影视传媒 Press.

Editing the volume with Ebrey were of California State University and of the University of Virginia.

Biographies in the anthology, UW Press notes say, were chosen for their value as teaching material on Chinese history, literature, and women’s studies as well as world history. “Because they include revealing details about personal conduct, families, local conditions, and social, cultural, and religious practices, these epitaphs illustrate ways of thinking and the realities of daily life.”

Ebrey is the author or editor of several books on China, most recently “Emperor Huizong,” in 2014.

For more information, contact Ebrey at ebrey@uw.edu.

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Annegret Oehme of Germanics publishes book on adaptations of Arthurian tale

, an assistant professor in the Department of Germanics, has published a new book about adaptations and translations of , a centuries-old tale describing the adventures of an Arthurian knight, across different languages and media.

“” was published in January by De Gruyter.

The publication explores two previously dismissed pre-modern adaptations of the Middle High German 1215 verse-novel “Wigalois,” and their different approaches to female agency in comparison with the original text and later Yiddish and German versions, in the 14^th and 15^th centuries respectively.

Read more on the department . For more information, contact Oehme at oehme@uw.edu.

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Other book notes:

Epilogue on ecocriticism: , UW associate professor of French, has written the epilogue for a new book that discusses the relationship between contemporary ecological thought and early modern French literature.

“,” edited by Pauline Goul of Vassar and Phillip Usher of New York University, was published in March by Amsterdam University Press.

Publisher’s notes say the volume “foregrounds not how ecocriticism renews our understanding of a literary corpus, but rather how that corpus causes us to rethink or to nuance contemporary eco-theory.”

Read more on the French & Italian Studies Department .

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What are you reading? UW Notebook seeking ‘comfort reading’ recommendations

Though faculty and staff continue to work hard during the coronavirus shutdown, some of us may also have a little more time on our hands for reading. Sometimes an old favorite book can be a comfort.

What are you reading to relax these days? What books would you recommend to fellow faculty and staff as comfort reading?

For me, it’s a re-read of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Two Towers” and classic science fiction short stories by Ray Bradbury in “The Illustrated Man.” And then maybe an epic novel by Herman Wouk 鈥� or even a midsummer revisit to “Charlotte’s Web.”

UW faculty and staff colleagues: Email me at kellep@uw.edu and I’ll mention some favorite books in subsequent book stories, and possibly on social media.UW Notebook.

Green Rat Clingfish, described by UW biologist Adam Summers, noted among ‘most remarkable’ new marine species of 2019听

The Green Rat Clingfish is having a moment of fame, thanks to , UW professor of biology and fishery sciences, and his co-authors.

That’s because the has included the fish, first described by the researchers in a 2018 in the journal ZooKeys, as one of the “10 most remarkable new marine species from 2019.” The group the list on March 19, to coincide with Taxonomist Appreciation Day. Taxonomy is the science of naming, defining and classifying groups of organisms by shared characteristics.

The Green Rat Clingfish, or Barryichthys algicola, is a small, slender, green fish with a paler green stripe on the side of its tiny head, an orange iris and green fins. Among the smallest species of clingfish, it lives on algae along the southern Australian coast. Summers and co-authors of Texas A&M University and of the Western Australia Museum, in Perth, described the fish based on 22 specimens found in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. They also created a new genus 听鈥� above species, below family in the taxonomic naming 鈥� Barryichthys.

Summers said of the discovery: “It is tiny and bright green, and it has a belly sucker. What could be better in a fish?”

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Mari Ostendorf named a corresponding fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh

The Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland’s National Academy, has chosen听, UW professor of electrical and computer engineering, as one its new corresponding fellows for 2020.

Ostendorf was named one of eight corresponding fellows,听听March 3. Fellows are leading thinkers and experts whose work has had a significant impact on the nation of Scotland. The corresponding fellow designation is for those who have attained high international standing in fields in the society’s domain, but who are not residents of the United Kingdom.

The society named听, who join the 1600 existing fellows from diverse fields such as physical and life sciences, arts, humanities, social sciences, education, business, industry and public life.

Ostendorf, who came to the UW in 1999, is a professor of systems design methodologies in electrical and computer engineering and an adjunct professor of linguistics and of computer science and engineering. She is also the UW听associate vice provost for research.

The Royal Society of Edinburgh was established in 1783 under the mission “Knowledge made useful.” Of UW faculty,听John Scott, chair of the Department of Pharmacology, is also a corresponding听听with the society.

Read more on the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering听.

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Thaisa Way receives 2020 Outstanding Educator Award from Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture

The Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture has given , UW professor of landscape architecture, its Outstanding Educator Award for 2020.

The award, one of 11 award the council gives annually to faculty members, honors “truly outstanding, innovative and noteworthy work as an educator whose career is recognized as having made a significant contribution to the landscape architecture discipline.” Among the requirements for nomination is that the faculty member’s work must have been recognized at the national or international level in two or more of these areas: research, public service, outreach or service to education.

Way, an urban landscape historian, was to receive the award in person at the council’s 2020 conference, planned for March in Louisville, Kentucky, but the event was canceled due to the coronavirus.

She has written or edited several books, including “” in 2015, published by 天美影视传媒 Press, which came out in paperback last year.

UW Notebook is a section of the UW News site dedicated to telling stories of the good work done by faculty and staff at the 天美影视传媒. Read all posts here.

The book, published in 2019 by 天美影视传媒 press, is a study of the life and work of the architect who designed Seattle’s , among many other structures.

UW Notebook is late in catching up with Sprague for a talk about the book, which The New York Times noted in a November story about books that “.”听

What drew you to study and write about the career of Jack Christiansen?听

Tyler Sprague: Jack was an incredibly creative, Northwest structural engineer, and someone who blurred the lines between architecture and engineering in his work.听 He designed primarily in concrete 鈥� a typically rather heavy material 鈥� but used it in extremely light and expressive ways.听 This makes many of his designs, like , look simply impossible.

And Jack played an essential role in shaping the built environment of Seattle, from the 1950s through the 2000s.听 Encompassing time of incredible change (from the post-war boom, to the Seattle World鈥檚 Fair, the Boeing Bust, and the rise of tech), Jack designed over 100 buildings 鈥� schools, office buildings, warehouses, stadiums, homes 鈥� each suited to their time and place.

A controversial project from the start, the Kingdome went through extreme economic and political hardship during its design, and yet, because of Jack’s tenacity and design creativity became not only a reality, but also the largest, free-standing concrete dome in the world. This was a monumental achievement of structural engineering and construction, and provided a single, multipurpose venue that brought the Seahawks, the Mariners and other professional sports to Seattle.听 Because of the Kingdome, Seattle was never the same.听

What is thin-shelled concrete construction, and what are its perceived benefits?听听

T.S.: The way Jack attained this impossible lightness in his work was by designing structures not with flat beams and vertical columns, but by using curved surfaces to create “shells.” When you do this, and shape the shell correctly, the structure resists loads through membrane-like, or shell behavior (rather than through bending behavior in beams), and you need far less material to do it.听 One needs to only think of the strength of an egg shell, and how strong it is when you try to squeeze it in your hand, compared to how thin the egg shell is.

By designing with shells, typically concrete shells, he was able to achieve incredible levels of material efficiency in his structures 鈥� for long-span roofs (like airplane hangars and auditoria).听 The careful shaping of these shells became part of his creative expression.

So in your view, what brought the demise of the Kingdome 鈥� which Christiansen had planned to last a thousand years?

T.S.: When it was demolished [in 2000], the Kingdome had no structural deficiencies whatsoever.听 It did not have luxury boxes, nor an inside environment based around a single sport or event layout.听 As professional baseball and football became bigger and bigger businesses, team owners demanded new facilities to bring in more revenue, at the tax payer鈥檚 expense. One writer stated: “It wasn’t that the Kingdome had nothing left to offer Seattle, it was that Seattle no longer had anything to offer the Kingdome.”听

With the Kingdome gone, where can people see other work by Christiansen?听

Right here at the UW, Jack designed the two pedestrian bridges that connect the campus to the Montlake parking lot.听 While you may not notice them initially, the bridges span nearly 80 feet over the traffic, and 30 feet on either side, and yet are only 8 inches thick at the midspan.听 If you compare this to how big the older, nearby bridge is (going to the Hec Edmundson Pavilion), you will get a sense of the material efficiency in Jack鈥檚 work. They are pretty impressive.

Also, the Pacific Science Center at the Seattle Center. Jack was the engineer with architect Minoru Yamasaki. You can hardly believe that the overhead arches are made of concrete! The Green Lake Pool [called the ] was an early work of his too. A simple barrel vault.

What seems the future for thin-shelled concrete construction?

T.S.: Thin shells are making a comeback! The technique was quite popular through the 1970s, but fell out of favor by the 1980s for a few reasons 鈥� material and labor markets shifted, aesthetic tastes changed. But, as a building technique, they still offer one of the most materially efficient ways to enclose space. Current work is exploring shells of different materials (like thin tiles, or wood), and using shells to lower the carbon footprint of construction today.听听

To learn more, contact Sprague at tyler2@uw.edu.

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Rick Bonus documents Pacific Islander students building community against odds at the UW

In his new book, , UW associate professor of American Ethnic Studies, discusses how Pacific Islander students at the UW used the ocean as a metaphor to create community for themselves and change their university. “” was published by Duke University Press in February.

The book tells of Pacific Islander students and their allies as they “struggle to transform a university they believed did not value their presence” despite campus promotion of diversity and student success programs. Bonus interviewed dozens of students he taught and advised at the UW between 2004 and 2018 about their experiences.

“(T)hese students did not often find their education to be meaningful, leading some to leave the university. As these students note, they weren’t failing school, school was failing them.”

Bonus shows how the students used the ocean as a metaphor “to foster community and to transform the university into a space that valued meaningfulness, respect, and critical thinking.”

To learn more, contact Bonus at rbonus@uw.edu.

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Jackson School’s Yong-Chool Ha edits volume on colonial rule in Korea

, professor of Korean social science in the UW’s Jackson School of International Studies has edited a new volume in 天美影视传媒 Press’ Center for Korea Studies Publications . , professor and director of the center, is the series editor.

“” was published last October.

Recent discussions of Korea’s colonial period have focused mainly on exploitation or development that was domestic in nature, with international aspects relatively neglected, publishers notes state. But the colonization of Korea by Japan also changed Japan, and has had long-term geopolitical consequences.

The essays in this volume, edited by Ha, “show the broad influence of Japanese colonialism not simply on the Korean peninsula, but on how the world understood Japan and how Japan understood the world.”

To learn more, contact Ha at yongha5@uw.edu or Sorensen at sangok@uw.edu.