A Plum Tree in Leatherstocking Country
Daniel Bowman Jr. M.F.A. ’11

Visual Arts Collective, 2011

The poems of Daniel Bowman Jr. invite us to explore New
York’s Mohawk River Valley and other landscapes, infused
with his imaginative perspective. To a Monday burgeoning
with glory, he says, “I’ll be your student … because you
know what comes next.” Bowman’s poetry leans the reader forward, proving G.K. Chesterton’s claim: “There is one thing that gives radiance to everything. It is the idea of something around the corner.”

The Colors of Hope
Richard Dahlstrom '79

Baker Books, 2011

The pursuit of happiness is the American way, but Richard
Dahlstrom believes that the Christian’s “urgent work” should
be to bless others. While impressions of ugliness and arrogance
have scared many from the church, this book is a guide to painting pictures of “justice, mercy, love, hospitality, celebration, and
hope.” The Colors of Hope was named a “Book of the Year” for 2012 by Christianity Today.

The Vanishings and Other Poems
Elizabeth Myhr M.F.A. '09

Calypso Editions, 2012

Elizabeth Myhr captures mysteries in nets of vivid imagery,
revealing what is right in front of us: “rain’s lacerating blue and green,” “the cloudy stallions of afternoon,” and “the tiger of starlight.” Peggy Shumaker, Alaska’s poet laureate, says that Myhr “uses language to explore the limitations of language.”

Hope for Parents of Troubled Teens
Connie Shoberg Rae '79

Bethany House, 2012

“I’ve been there,” writes Connie Rae, a licensed counselor.
“I’ve felt the pain and the hopelessness.” She’s distilled wisdom drawn from 25 years of counseling teens and parents into chapters about rebellion, peer pressure, sex, and more. She concludes each with practical steps — “Something to Do” — and she assures readers that God can transform “the ugliest parts of our lives” into “something beautiful and useful.”

Head, Heart, and Soul: 70 Years of Promoting Healthy and Sustainable Families
Seattle Pacific's Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

Many faculty and alumni from SPU’s Department of Family and Consumer Sciences offer recipes from 70 years of “empowering individuals and families” through food and hospitality. Alumni from seven decades contributed recipes to the cookbook, and it even contains the secrets of Sharon Eaton’s legendary Mocha Punch recipe. Purchase a copy at spu.edu/depts/fcs.