Alumni Bookshelf

Alice McDermott ’75 paints a lyrical portrait of one woman’s life in all its complexity in Someone: A Novel. An ordinary life — its sharp pains and unexpected joys, its bursts of clarity and moments of confusion — lived by Marie, an ordinary woman, is the subject of this graceful narrative. A realistic view of the Irish-American experience at a discrete point in history, it is set in Brooklyn in the years surrounding World War II. McDermott, a 2013 inductee of the New York State Writers Hall of Fame, is the author of seven novels, including After This, Child of My Heart and Charming Billy, winner of the 1998 National Book Award. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013.

Amy Benevento ’80
Jackel Island. Aquabook Publishing, 2012.

Sent by their pharmaceutical employer to an island paradise, a team of biological researchers become suspicious of the company, the government and each other as they realize they have likely become human test subjects themselves.

Nancy Fichtman Dana ’86
Digging Deeper Into Action Research. Corwin, 2013.

This guidebook offers teachers an inquiry-based professional development model for the Common Core standards for teaching.

Elie Fleurant ’76
Eyes of the Night, Les Yeux de la Nuit. Trafford Publishing, 2013

An authentic work of diaphanous poetry, these poems are enhanced with maturity and inspiration. The author reveals his love for nature, humanity and unequivocal devotion for the quest of happiness and collective well-being.

Rosalie M. Gabbert ’46
Mr. Bee Man. Outskirts Press, 2013.
A picture book biography, this book details the career and accomplishments of naturalist Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth, the father of American beekeeping.

Anthony F. Gero ’70
Boots: A Novella of the Civil War. Camp Pope Publishing, 2013.

In this work of historical fiction, a son’s soul is transformed as he learns of his dying father’s combat experiences at Gettysburg in the 111th New Volunteers and of the legacy of a dog called Boots, whose loyalty to the soldiers that day affected them for years to come.

George McGowan ’70
Newfoundland Slogan Cancels. McGowan, 2012.

The author’s philately research explores the postal history of Newfoundland’s series of 17 “postmark messages” used by the British Colony in St. John’s and St. John’s East until 1949.

Rick Mitchell ’70 M ’77
Before Every Other Fall. Aldrich Press, 2013.

The poet’s second collection, this book highlights all the sensory richness and emotional rewards of human nature and the natural world.

Kay Benedict Sgarlata ’65 
Adirondack August. Sgarlata, 2013.

A debut novel, this work of women’s fiction is moving, reflective and ultimately uplifting, casting a searching eye on the transgressions that haunt us all and the healing that may emerge if our sins are brought into light.

We celebrate and share the success of Oswego alumni authors, illustrators and recording artists, who may ask their publisher/distributor to send a copy of the work to the Oswego Alumni Office, 300 Washington Blvd, Oswego, NY 13126.