IN PRINT
& PRODUCTION
JUDY BRADFORD MCCONNELL ’52
Just Keep Shooting: My Youth in Manhattan
The sequel to “A Penny a Kiss: Memoir of a Minnesota Girl in the Forties and Fifties,” “Just Keep Shooting” finds Judy McConnell fresh from college and anxious to shake off the past as she strikes out to forge a career in New York City. Her offbeat adventures and struggles with propitious career turns, roommates and relationships are told with honesty and sincerity.
CHARLES BAXTER ’65
There’s Something I Want You to Do (Pantheon Books/Random House)
Penetrating and prophetic, the 10 interrelated stories in “There’s Something I Want You to Do” are held together by a surreally intricate web of cause and effect — one that slowly ensnares both fictional bystanders and enraptured readers. The stories’ characters appear and reappear, performing praiseworthy and loathsome acts in equal measure in response to the request — or demand — lodged in each story’s center. The result is a portrait of human nature as seen from the tightrope that spans the distance between dreams and waking life.
JEFF DAYTON ’71
Back To You
Pam Forman Reitman ’65
(Beach Creek Records)
(The Alabama Literary Review)
Nashville artist and guitarist Jeff Dayton brings his latest album, “Back To You,” backed by top Music City studio musicians and background vocalists. The 12-song collection includes fresh and current themes, strong lyrics and fun, catchy grooves. Each song comes from the heart in Dayton’s inimitable style and distinctive baritone voice.
A woman artist, walking down a noisy San Francisco street, takes a call on her cell, then seeks refuge from the shocking news. She finds herself in an art museum, funneled into a compelling exhibit. The time she spends there transforms denial into an ability to confront her family tragedy. This short story is available online at http://spectrum.troy.edu/alr/ v24/v24Reitman.pdf.
Rowan Pope ’99 Six Chairs: A Holocaust Survivor’s Story (Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Council)
AMANDA SUMMER SLAVIN ’74
100 Places in Greece Every Woman Should Go (Travelers’ Tales)
With style, intelligence and personal anecdotes, archaeologist and award-winning travel writer Amanda Summer acts as personal guide to the best of Greece. Crisp, humorous storytelling introduces the temples, shrines, grottos and churches of this magnificent country, intricately woven with stories of the women — from goddesses to artistic legends like Melina Mercouri and Maria Callas. Sexy, scholarly and spiritual, “100 Places in Greece Every Woman Should Go” is a must for every traveler.
Alumni are encouraged to inform Blake of their publications, recordings, films, etc., and, when possible, to send copies of books and articles. Contact us at cyrus@blakeschool.org.
20 Cyrus
The Bridge
In “Six Chairs,” Rowan Pope shares true-life stories as recounted by Holocaust survivor Joe Grosnacht. In collaboration with students and teachers from Breck School, Pope recorded Grosnacht’s experiences and created a book illustrated by Breck students, who used a variety of media to illustrate the stories that particularly impacted them.
Scott Leistiko ’04 The Ending The latest EP by Denver five-piece band The Whiskey Masons — featuring Scott Leistiko — is available on iTunes, Spotify and Soundcloud and on the group’s Facebook page. The group’s sound is a classic and alternative rockinspired “fast casual” dance music that features synth, piano and electric-guitar-driven hooks.