Textbook Revolution

In this episode of Textbook Revolution, host Brian Mosher talks with Taylor A Marrow III, editor of Chemeketa Press' collection of Ida B. Wells-Barnett's writings against lynching. Our conversation expands on the importance and relevance of Wells-Barnett in the present culture of activism and journalism, the necessary conversations about race and controversy in college classrooms, and the power of young voices in enacting political and cultural change. 

In this episode of Textbook Revolution, host Brian Mosher talks with Stephanie Lenox and Amy Hofer about Open Oregon's next "Targeted Pathways" project. Open Oregon Educational Resources is a hub, both for locating and creating Open Educational Resources (OERs) from textbooks to full courses that are free to use by faculty and students. Targeted Pathways is a grant-funded project that is building 13 textbooks and courses with the help of Chemeketa Press. Stephanie Lenox is the instructional editor at Chemeketa Press, and Amy Hofer is the Statewide Open Education Program Director.

In this episode of Textbook Revolution, host Brian Mosher speaks to Daniel Couch, author and editor of Your Guide to College Writing, a writers' handbook for college students published by Chemeketa Press. We discuss the evolution of the handbook through several iterations, the need for textbooks that serve students more than they serve faculty, and why this handbook is the best handbook we've ever used in classrooms.

In this episode, we speak to Portland, OR author Emme Lund, whose book The Boy with a Bird in His Chest will be released February 15, 2022 from Atria Books. We discuss the origins of this fantastic coming-of-age story, finding community of like minds in your youth, the importance of music (not just in youth but in this book), and Lund's writing process and strategies. Don't miss The Boy with a Bird in His Chest, out February 15 everywhere.

In this episode, Alexis Butzner talks about her anthology The Art Is Long: Primary Texts on Medicine & the Humanities, published by Chemeketa Press. This unique volume presents texts from across history and the globe to build a framework with which to see the intersection of literature with medicine. The chosen texts span across time and the globe, including authors from Sushruta to Hippocrates, Margery Kempe to John Donne, and Sigmund Freud to Robert Frost. The Art Is Long includes medical reportage and philosophy, fiction and non-fiction, image and poetry. These shifts in genre, style, and perspective, represented by the many different pieces included, provide a wealth of opportunities to reflect on medical history and literary techniques, focusing on narratives that provide personal context for a given medical subject. 

On this episode of Textbook Revolution, we talk with Matthew Hodgson, editor of Chemeketa Press's edition of Passing, a 1929 novella by Nella Larsen. This essential book has reached a new audience due to the November 11, 2021 release of a film adaptation on Netflix. Hodgson discusses the exciting additions he's made to our version, and reflects on the adaptation's successes at capturing the dense and complex nuance of the novella.

Passing can be purchased by following the link at http://www.chemeketapress.org.

At Chemeketa Press, we care about books. Our books are built by and supported by communities of faculty and students and writers, embracing the community that they serve at every step. Kelly Williams Brown, long time Salem resident and champion of the communities here, has authored three nonfiction books that embrace her community and build it up with useful, smart life advice. I sat down with Kelly to discuss her upcoming book Easy Crafts for the Insane: A Mostly Funny Memoir of Mental Illness and Making Things, and the way writing, advice, and community intertwine in her work.

Photo credit: Jessica Carroll