My Flight
James Schoepflin
2021
Clarinetist, conductor, and longtime WSU associate professor of music, James Schoepflin tells his life story and how religion, music, aviation, and travel impacted him. A self-described sheltered farm boy from a religious family in rural Idaho, he attended Seventh-day Adventist schools until the eye-opening experience of public education at the University of Idaho. Schoepflin embraced a career in music and music education, left his religion, and retired from WSU in 2005 after 29 years.
Light Up the World: When I Grow Up, I Want to Be a Lineman
Sarah Reijonen ’06 Comm.
Little Camper Publishing Company: 2021
Spark a kid’s interest in a career as a lineman with this children’s book, Sarah Reijonen’s first, and part of her Tiny Tradesman series to introduce kids to different trades. Reijonen, a self-described “proud linewife” whose husband is a lineman, says “he and I are passionate about encouraging the next generation to pursue life on the lines.”
Outside Looking In: Lobbyists’ Views on Civil Discourse in U.S. State Legislatures
Edited by Nicholas Lovrich, Francis A. Benjamin, John C. Pierce, and William D. Schreckhise
WSU Press: 2021
Essays examine the results of a survey on civil discourse sent to lobbyists in all 50 states and cover topics such as political culture and heritage, professionalism in state legislatures, and the effects of rural-urban divide and inequality. Nicholas Lovrich is Regents Professor Emeritus of political science at WSU. Francis Benjamin is an analyst with the WSU psychology department. John Pierce, former dean of the College of Liberal Arts and professor at WSU, is a political scientist at the University of Kansas. William Schreckhise is a political science professor at the University of Arkansas.
A Coat Dyed Black: A Novel of the Norwegian Resistance
Don “Jerry” Pugnetti Jr. (’70 Comm.)
Legacy House Press: 2022
Farmer Bjørn Erliksen lives a peaceful life on Norway’s west coast. When Nazis invade and the Norwegian military quickly collapses, ordinary Norwegians fight back. This historical novel follows Bjørn to England, where he trains with special forces to sneak back into his homeland as a commando, carrying out dangerous sabotage missions with a lost-and-found love. Former Tacoma News-Tribune reporter Pugnetti became interested in Norway’s World War II years when his Norwegian father-in-law told him stories of his resistance experiences.
Crocodile Hungry
Eija Sumner (’09 Gen. Stu.); illustrations by John Martz
Tundra Books: 2022
Crocodile is on the hunt for food in this humorous children’s book, which follows a hungry and hapless semiaquatic reptile to the farmers market, grocery store, and more. Most of crocodile’s quests send people screaming, and the hangry, tired, and sad animal bursts into tears. How will crocodile satisfy his rumbling tummy? Crocodile Hungry is Eija Sumner’s first picture book, full of funny and whimsical illustrations that help propel the narrative. Sumner has a master’s of fine arts in writing for children and young adults from Hamline University and lives in Idaho with her husband, three children, three cats, one dog, and one bunny.