Here's a look at the featured books and authors from Author Festival 2019.
Asian American Culture by
Providing comprehensive coverage of a variety of Asian American cultural forms, including folk tradition, literature, religion, education, politics, sports, and popular culture, this two-volume work is an ideal resource for students and general readers that reveals the historical, regional, and ethnic diversity within specific traditions. An invaluable reference for school and public libraries as well as academic libraries at colleges and universities, this two-volume encyclopedia provides comprehensive coverage of a variety of Asian American cultural forms that enables readers to understand the history, complexity, and contemporary practices in Asian American culture. The contributed entries address the diversity of a group comprising people with geographically discrete origins in the Far East, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent, identifying the rich variations across the category of Asian American culture that are key to understanding specific cultural expressions while also pointing out some commonalities. Entries are organized alphabetically and cover topics in the arts; education and politics; family and community; gender and sexuality; history and immigration; holidays, festivals, and folk tradition; literature and culture; media, sports, and popular culture; and religion, belief, and spirituality. Entries also broadly cover Asian American origins and history, regional practices and traditions, contemporary culture, and art and other forms of shared expression. Accompanying sidebars throughout serve to highlight key individuals, major events, and significant artifacts and allow readers to better appreciate the Asian American experience. Provides readers with a broad understanding of the variety and commonalities in Asian American culture, enabling a fuller comprehension of Asian American history, experience, and cultural expressions Offers comprehensive, in-depth, and accessibly written coverage that addresses a wide variety of Asian American cultural forms such as folk tradition, literature, religion, education, politics, sports, and popular culture Highlights differences among Asian American cultures and identifies important achievements through biographies of key figures as well as spotlights on historical events, legal cases, and significant artifacts in sidebars Presents sources for more information on the subjects discussed with Further Readings for each entry
Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences and Associate Professor of English
Dr. Lan Dong is the Louise Hartman and Karl Schewe Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences and an Associate Professor of English at the University of Illinois Springfield where she teaches Asian American Literature, World Literature, and Children’s and Young Adult Literature.
She is the author or editor of several books: Mulan’s Legend and Legacy in China and the United States, Reading Amy Tan, Transnationalism and the Asian American Heroine, Teaching Comics and Graphic Narratives, and Asian American Culture: From Anime to Tiger Moms.
She has a new book forthcoming in 2019: 25 Events That Shaped Asian American History: An Encyclopedia of the American Mosaic.
The Patenting of Life, Limiting Liberty, and the Corporate Pursuit of Seeds by
Throughout world history, what human beings ate was determined by what local producers cultivated, and what they planted was determined by seasonal cycles. After the harvest, farmers reclaimed the seeds so that they could replant them the following season. Today, however, these age-old practices that guided countless generations are becoming extinct. What we eat, the quality of our food, and even the tastes that we develop are dictated by powerful corporations who are driven by the profit motive. This book investigates the corporate dominance of the world's seed supply. The seed is nature's gift and the first link in the food chain. This life form is becoming the exclusive intellectual property of the corporation. The advent of genetically modified seeds and strict patent protection accorded to them enable companies to own the seed even after the farmer has bought, planted, and harvested the seed. Multinational corporations have a monopoly control over seeds and the accompanying pesticides which is leading to monocultures in the food system and the disappearance of traditional methods of farming. Local producers are forced to buy seeds each year, thereby fostering a feudalistic relationship of perpetual dependence. An imbalance of power has emerged and farmers are transformed from producers to consumers by these new arrangements. The leap to embrace biotechnology and genetically modified foods has been quite swift and conducted without the public's knowledge. The food that our stomachs ingest may be increasingly bad for us. Case studies from four developing countries are presented for consideration.
Associate Professor of Political Science
Dr. Ali Nizamuddin earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University.
Ali’s area of specialization is international relations with a focus in Asian studies. Nizamuddin’s research interests include international trade, globalization, and the role of multinational corporations in the developing world. He recently published his second book on Multi-National Corporations entitled The Patenting of Life, Limiting Liberty and the Corporate Pursuit of Seeds on the global dominance of the world’s food supply. His articles have been published in several journals including Journal of Pacific Affairs, Asian Journal of Social Science, International Social Science Review and The Encyclopedia of International Political Economy.
Safe Zones by
The first comprehensive resource for developing Safe Zone programs to support LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults. These programs publicly identify supportive allies by hanging the "Safe Zone" sign and are trained to become better allies by attending ongoing workshop sessions. Provides real world tested training curricula intentionally designed in active learning pedagogy. Curricula cover an expansive view of LGBTQIA+ topics including basic fundamentals such as terms and the coming out process plus advanced subjects about transgender, sexuality over the lifespan, bisexuality, safe dating, online safety, and the intersections of faith/religion and multiple identities. Educators and administrators will find this a one stop resource to implement, coordinate, train members, and assess safe zone type programs.
Director, Gender and Sexuality Student Services
Kerry has over fifteen years of experience working with LGBTQIA+ students in higher education at a number of institutions including Duke University, Columbia University, and New York University. He received his M.A. in Administration of College Student Affairs in Counselor Education & Counseling Psychology. He received a B.G.S. (Bachelor General Studies) from Ball State University in 1996 and is completing a Graduate Certificate in Women & Gender Studies from the University of Illinois Springfield.
His research and writing interests include the development of heterosexual allies of LGBTQ people, the use of technology in multicultural education and LGBTQ people of multiple cultural identities. He is the editor and author of Safe Zones: Training Allies of LGBTQIA+ Young Adults (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2017), The first comprehensive resource for developing Safe Zone programs and educational workshops to support LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults. He has articles that appear in About Campus, The Journal of LGBT Youth, The New Directions in Student Services series, and The Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work.
Outside of his professional life, Kerry dreams of being a superstar DJ; loves extreme weather and thus would love to chase tornadoes; loves dinosaurs, sci fi, Captain Janeway & Seven of Nine from Star Trek: Voyager, and anything Star Wars; and is a bit of a tech geek. Check out his free electronic dance music DJ mixes “Club Kerry NYC” on your fave podcast app.
Functional Inefficiency by
How can we reduce unemployment? As this insightful and counterintuitive book shows, the surprising answer is inefficiency. Some of the most labor-intensive sectors of the economy, the author notes, are also the most inefficient. But this inefficiency is functional-rather than impairing the economy, it bolsters employment and fosters economic growth. Technological progress increases efficiency and reduces the need for workers in manufacturing, mining, agriculture, and many services. So how do we keep people working? By maintaining inefficiencies in other areas, such as in our systems of transportation and healthcare. The author documents the waste of time and money in hospital systems, the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, automotive travel, road construction, and road maintenance. These inefficiencies are tolerated because they provide a lot of jobs and promote economic growth, making them functional inefficiencies. Most of these inefficiencies can be reduced without increasing unemployment or impairing economic growth, the author claims, through increased investment in physical and human infrastructure. However, continued inefficiencies inherent in consumerism can't be eradicated without economic decline, making some inefficiency essential as well as functional. Functional Inefficiencyaoffers a wealth of details and a unique analysis of our economic system, plus hope for our future prospects through reduced inefficiency.
Professor Emeritus of Philosophy
Peter S. Wenz is one of those aging leftist, feminist, environmentalist vegetarians often seen jogging near universities. He was chosen as a University Scholar of the University of Illinois and is currently Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Illinois at Springfield. He has authored more than forty articles as well as eight books, with publishers Oxford University Press, McGraw-Hill, MIT Press, Temple University Press, SUNY Press, and Prometheus Press.
He received his B.A. in philosophy in 1967 from Harpur College of the State University of New York at Binghamton (now Binghamton University) and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He taught at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point before moving to Springfield. He has also taught at Polytechnic of the South Bank in London, England; at Aberdeen University in Scotland; at Oxford University in England; and three times at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. In addition to England, Scotland and New Zealand, he has given invited lectures overseas in Australia, Ireland, England, France (in French), Spain, Germany, and China. (He seldom turns down a free trip.) He teaches regularly at the Chautauqua Institution in Western New York State and is best known for work in environmental justice, being among those who first coined the term in the mid-1980s.
His most widely reprinted articles are “Just Garbage” (not a description of the article’s content or worth) and “Minimal, Moderate and Extreme Moral Pluralism.” His specialties include environmental ethics, medical ethics, (plain old) ethics, moral issues in the law, political philosophy, and constitutional law. He is currently working on a book tentatively titled: Our Elusive God: Mysteries of Creation, Consciousness and Freedom in Our Corner of Eternity.