2020 Bookshelf

Fall 2020

TRANSLATIONS

Portland State Chamber Choir

Portland State Chamber Choir’s newest album, “Translations,” was named a May 2020 Editor’s Choice by Gramophone magazine in its roundup of the best new classical albums. The magazine’s review of the seven-work recording praises the “immaculate” artistry and “luscious choral textures” of the ensemble, led by Ethan Sperry. “For those seeking comfort and an escape from the manifold stresses and uncertainties currently facing mankind,” writes critic Malcolm Riley, “there will be much in this new collection of choral music by Ēriks Ešenvalds that will warm the soul and give solace.” The 42-student Chamber Choir’s 2017 release, “The Doors of Heaven,” was the first recording by a university ensemble to ever hit No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Chart.

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THAT PLACE WHERE YOU OPENED YOUR HANDS

Susan Moore MA ’04

Recipient of the 2019 Juniper Prize for Poetry, this book explores identity, bringing the ordinary rhythms of life and motherhood into coexistence with wilder truths. As Moore writes, “If I can’t be singular / in purpose, let me be quietly adrift.” Moore earned a master’s in writing from PSU, and her work has appeared in such outlets as Poetry Northwest, Willow Springs, New York Quarterly and Quick Fiction.

See the publisher’s site

PASS WITH CARE

Cooper Lee Bombardier MA ’12 MFA ’14

Bombardier’s first book, a collection of personal essays, poetry and interview transcripts, offers a bridge between queer and trans generations, revealing a unique reckoning with what it means to become a man today. Named one of “10 Transgender Artists Who Are Changing the Landscape of Contemporary Art” by The Huffington Post, Bombardier earned a master’s in book publishing from PSU in 2012 and a master’s in fine arts in 2014.

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SILVERWORLD

Diana Abu-Jaber, English faculty

This middle-grade fantasy novel follows the story of a Lebanese-American girl who finds the courage to save her grandmother from a mysterious sickness. Searching for answers, she casts a spell from her grandmother’s charm book and falls through a mirror into another world. Abu-Jaber teaches English at PSU and is the author of “Crescent,” which was awarded the 2004 PEN Center USA Award for Literary Fiction and the American Book Award. This is her first novel for children.

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ALICIA VIANI

Alicia Viani MSW ’09

Alicia Viani’s self-titled debut is a collection of aching ballads and insightful storytelling that draws on her experiences as a clinical social worker. The album hit No. 4 on The Folk Chart, with two titles in particular resonating as songs of the time: “Good Man,” about a white man who witnesses a racist incident and does nothing, and “Lonesome For You,” about a longing for closeness. A folk singer based in Bend, Oregon, Viani earned her master’s in social work at PSU in 2009.

See the album site

We feature notable alumni publications of music, fiction, nonfiction and poetry in the Bookshelf section of the magazine every issue. To be considered, send press materials and an image of the work’s cover to psumag@pdx.edu.

Spring 2020

12 LITTLE SPELLS

Esperanza Spalding

Former Portland State student Esperanza Spalding won Best Jazz Vocal Album at the Grammys for her album “12 Little Spells,” described by the Rolling Stone as “radically inventive.” This brings the composer, jazz bassist and singer’s Grammy haul to four, including Best New Artist (2011), Best Jazz Vocal Album for “Radio Music Society” (2013) and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for “City of Roses” (2013). Spalding, a Portland native, enrolled in PSU’s music program in 2000 at the age of 16. She later received a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, where she earned her bachelor’s degree and was hired as one of the youngest instructors in the college’s history at the age of 20.

See album site

SAVAGERY

Jessica Mehta ’05, MA ’07

This book of poems reflects on what it means to be indigenous in America today, acting both as a lens and a mirror to the topics of self, loss, love and place. “Savagery” is the ninth book of poetry from Mehta, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She is a graduate of PSU’s Ooligan Press program and a poetry editor at Bending Genres Literary Review, Airlie Press and the Exclamat!on journal.

Go to publisher’s site

THIS PARTICULAR HAPPINESS: A CHILDLESS LOVE STORY

Jackie Shannon Hollis MSW ’94

Described by Cheryl Strayed as “A gloriously wise memoir about one woman’s unexpected path to becoming,” this book follows author Jackie Shannon Hollis as she navigates her desire for children while married to a man who wants none. “This Particular Happiness” tackles the difficulty in making room for love and the nature of a woman’s role as a wife, daughter, sister, counselor and friend. Hollis is a graduate of PSU’s social work program.

Go to author’s site

THE MYSTERIOUS SOFÍA

Stephen J. C. Andes ’04, MA ’06

In “The Mysterious Sofía,” author Stephen J. C. Andes uses the remarkable story of Sofía del Valle
to tell the history of the power shift in Catholicism from north to south and the importance of women to its survival. Sofía, neither nun nor mother, was a devout Catholic who resisted religious persecution in an era of Mexican revolutionary upheaval, becoming a labor and education activist. Andes received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history from PSU.

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REAL DAUGHTER

Lynn Otto ’13 MFA

Otto’s debut book of poems explores familial love and its entanglements as well as what it means to be authentic. “How is it,” she asks, “we each learn / one story, and every sentence ever after / sounds to us like it belongs to it?” “Real Daughter” was a finalist for the 2020 Oregon Book Award Stafford/ Hall Award for Poetry. Otto, a freelance academic copy editor and writing mentor, received an MFA from PSU.

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