Hot Type

Barbara West ’90
...and I felt the simple sweetness of me
Cold River Press

In her first published book, West weaves achingly intimate poetry, prose, and photography born of her commitment to art as well as from her hospice nurse work. “Writing this on the verge of turning 50, while pondering the tragedies I witness in the lives of so many patients and loved ones,” she writes, “I hope that the luxury I have had to ‘turn within and reflect’ will be of benefit to others.”

Mary Lloyd Evans ’54
The Secret Mission of Nicholas Trist
CreateSpace Publishing

In this “living history with its extraordinary cast of characters,” Evans brings mid-1800s America to life via the story of Nicholas Trist, a peace-seeking diplomat whose Mexican-American War-ending negotiations got him fired for insubordination by President James K. Polk. “How were we to learn the lessons of history when the history is not taught?” she writes about her labor of love to share this little-known true story and the example it can set for America today.

Miriam Scheiber Seidel ’73
The Speed of Clouds
New Door Books

A deep dive into Y2K-era sci-fi fandom, Seidel’s debut novel is also the poignant story of one fan’s efforts to find a new way to live on Earth. Mindy Vogel, a young woman in a wheelchair who lives a rich emotional life through a Star Trek-esque fan club, must reinvent herself when everything in her world changes, seemingly for the worse. Clouds “blends quiet and deeply human moments with the world-shaking consequences of epic science fiction,” raves author A.C. Wise.

Gerard Helferich ’76
An Unlikely Trust
Lyons Press

The world’s two most powerful men at the dawn of the 20th century, Teddy Roosevelt and J.P. Morgan, were more than battling colossi. Best-selling author Helferich finds that their long association was far more complex and permanently changed the dynamics between government and business. “Not least of all,” he writes, “it is the story of how citizens with vastly disparate philosophies and interests managed to come together for the good of their common country.”