DePaul’s ‘Book Tasting’ showcased latest books by faculty authors

November 16, 2010
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DePaul University’s inaugural “Book Tasting,” featuring some of the latest work by faculty authors, was held Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. in the University Center Conference Chicago, 525 S. State St. In the spirit of a wine tasting, authors offered a flavor of their fiction, topical nonfiction and poetry.

See photos from the event here.

Authors answered questions and signed copies of their books. The following DePaul authors appeared:

Larry Bennett, a professor of political science and author of “The Third City: Chicago and American Urbanism” (University of Chicago Press). The book describes contemporary Chicago’s dramatically revitalized urban core, its shifting population mix¬—and possibly most significant—its remarkably altered international image. An expert in such areas as city planning, urban redevelopment and contemporary Chicago politics, Bennett is the author and co-author of numerous books including “Neighborhood Politics: Chicago and Sheffield” and “It’s Hardly Sportin’: Stadiums, Neighborhoods and the New Chicago.” More information about this book.


Joseph Ferrari, professor of psychology and Vincent dePaul distinguished professor, is author of “Still Procrastinating? The No Regrets Guide to Getting It Done” (John Wiley & Sons). In addition to chronic procrastination, Ferrari has expertise in perfectionism, drug and alcohol addictions, and adolescent personality development. He has been featured on “ABC News” and “Good Morning America” as well as on NPR, BBC, CBS and NBC radio, and he has been interviewed in publications such as the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer and USA Today. More information about this book.


Rebecca Johns is an assistant professor of English and author of “The Countess” (Crown). The book is a fictionalization of the life of Elizabeth Bathory, known as the “Blood Countess” of Hungary—one of the most prolific serial killers in history. Johns’ first novel, “Icebergs,” was a finalist for the 2007 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for first fiction, and she is a recipient of the Michener-Copernicus Award.  Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Ploughshares, the Harvard Review, the Mississippi Review, the Chicago Tribune, Cosmopolitan, Mademoiselle, Ladies’ Home Journal, Self and Seventeen.

Andrea Lyon is a professor of law, associate dean for Clinical Programs in the College of Law and director of the Center for Justice in Capital Cases. She is author of “Angel of Death Row” (Kaplan Publishing), which chronicles some of Lyon’s most compelling work as a criminal defense attorney. Nineteen times, she has represented a client found guilty of capital murder, and each time, she successfully argued that individual’s life to be spared. Called the “Angel of Death Row” by the Chicago Tribune, she is the first woman to serve as lead attorney in a death penalty case. More information about this book.


Haki Madhubuti is the Ida B. Wells-Barnett university professor and author of “Liberation Narratives: New and Collected Poems 1966-2009” (Third World Press), a collection of his poetry spanning his illustrious career. An award-winning poet as well as founder and president of Third World Press, Madhubuti has long been a pivotal figure in the development of a strong black literary tradition, emerging from the Civil Rights and Black Arts Movements of the ’60s and ’70s. Over the years, he has published more than 28 books (some under his former name, Don L. Lee) and is one of the world’s best-selling authors of poetry and nonfiction, with more than 3 million books in print. More information about this book.


Patricia Monaghan is a professor in the School for New Learning and author of “Wineries of Wisconsin and Minnesota” (Minnesota Historical Society Press). The book is a guide to 55 wineries ranging from small family-farm operations to the largest, most well-known wine producers. A lifelong wine tourist and hobby winemaker, Monaghan cultivates a small vineyard on her rocky, steep farmland near Madison, Wis. She is the author of more than 20 books and is winner of the Pushcart Prize for literature.


Achy Obejas is the Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz writer-in-residence and teaches in the English department and the Latin-American and Latino Studies program. She is author of the novel “Ruins” (Akashic Books) that tells the story of an old man who eagerly supported the Cuban Revolution only to become increasingly isolated in his revolutionary zeal. Havana-born Obejas is a poet and the author of several other critically acclaimed novels, including “Days of Awe.” As a journalist, she was a member of a team of reporters at the Chicago Tribune that won a Pulitzer Prize for an examination of the nation’s chaotic air traffic system.


Regina Spellers Sims is a visiting assistant professor in the School for New Learning. She is co-editor of “Blackberries and Redbones: Critical Articulations of Black Hair/Body Politics in Africana Communities” (Hampton Press). The book features essays, poems and creative writing that examine the meanings of black anatomy in a changing world. She is also president/CEO of Eagles Soar Consulting LLC, a personal and professional development company. Her other teaching and research focuses include gender/girlhood issues, multicultural intergroup relations and business.