Books by Alumni: Fiction and poetry

Bonnie Jo Campbell, AB'84, Women and Other Animals (University of Massachusetts Press). This collection of 16 short stories centers on eccentric women from Michigan's Lower Peninsula who reveal their independent inner selves through the conflicts and challenges they face.

Jeff Helgeson, AM'76, Thresholds (Collage Press). Echoing Dante's Divine Comedy, Helgeson's novel follows the journey of a middle-aged American executive who travels through Rome on the last day of the 20th century, assessing the course of his life.

Len Lamensdorf, AB'48, JD'52, The Crouching Dragon (SeaScape Press, Ltd.). Set in 1959 near the Normandy coast, this young-adult novel is the first in the Will to Conquer series and follows the story of 14-year old William. Drawn to a mysterious castle named the Crouching Dragon, William grows from a fearful youngster into an accomplished young man through his adventures in the castle.

David Ray, AB'52, AM'57, Demons in the Diner (The Ashland Poetry Press). Winner of the 1998 Richard Snyder Memorial Publication Prize, this collection contains poetry that has been called "radiant" by Studs Terkel, PhB'32, JD'34, and "fresh, bright, airy, and natural" by Stephen Stephanchev.

Anne F. Spackman, AB'95, Seeds of a Fallen Empire (1st Books, Inc). This epic-style science-fiction novel takes place in Earth's future and tells of a galactic empire, its mechanized ruling council, and the lives of its human explorers.