Summer 2019
Olympos to Olympia
The director of the Office of the Chief Information Officer of Washington, Sue Langen, applies the lessons of history to some of the most crucial information technology projects in the state. » More ...
Other Notable Alumni
Fall 2018
Videos and more from Caroline Heldman
Caroline Heldman ’93 appears in several documentaries, writes, and presents on media and gender. She has emerged as a strong voice about the #MeToo movement and harassment, partly because of her own experience. Watch parts of documentaries and learn more about Heldman’s work below. You can also read about her in “Ask Caroline Heldman,” Fall 2018.
Miss Representation, a 2011 documentary
The Mask You Live In, 2015
Books
Sex and Gender in the 2016 Presidential Election, 2018
The New Campus Anti-Rape Movement: Internet Activism for Social Justice, 2018, … » More …
Fall 2018
Architect of other worlds
A green furry dragon named Elliot living in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. A twisted and pathetic creature yearning for a ring in Middle Earth. A monstrous ape, an alien jungle, a future dystopian city.
If any of these cinematic creations will capture the imaginations of moviegoers, they need the magic of visual effects created by wizards like Eric Saindon ’96. Saindon’s own imagination was stirred by animated films as a kid, which led to over two decades designing effects and leading teams of visual effects artists on some of the largest blockbusters on screen.
Much of Saindon’s career has been with » More …
Fall 2018
Deer at Twilight—Poems from the North Cascades
By Paul J. Willis ’80 MA, ’85 PhD
Stephen F. Austin State University Press: 2018
Hiking solo through the mountains can be a lonely endeavor. Missing human companionship, some turn to the subtle moods and personalities inherent in the woodland world itself.
Those emotional complexities come alive in this lovely little volume written while author Paul Willis explored the North Cascades National Park during an artist-in-residence program and a subsequent residency with the North Cascades Institute.
His verse covers territory … » More …
Fall 2018
Videos: Kelsey Cook’s comedy bits
Kelsey Cook ’11 followed her comedic beacon to the stand-up world, with appearances on The Tonight Show and Comedy Central. She also co-hosts a podcast called “Self-helpless” with some fellow comedians. Read more about Kelsey in the Fall 2018 magazine and watch her funny bits below.
Check out more videos at Kelsey’s website.
Summer 2018
Bound
James McKean ’68, ’74
Truman State University Press: 2017
Bound presents a lyrical memoir about growing up in the Pacific Northwest and the women whose feminine fortitude contributed to the author’s life.
Taking readers into the kitchens and parlors of mid-twentieth-century America, McKean lovingly unpacks the attic trunk, sharing the exploits of his wife, mother, grandmother, and great-great-grandmother-in-law Rachel Cartwright Lee, among others.
At a time when ladies were expected to stay … » More …
Summer 2018
To the rescue
Jennifer Brown ’99 grew up thinking a team of horses would be required to pull her away from an equine veterinarian career. Although Brown thought she was not that strong in science during high school, her love of training horses and interacting with the animals propelled her to pursue a doctorate of veterinary medicine at WSU.
The heroism displayed during the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, however, introduced Brown to a new possibility. “During my residency, 9/11 happened,” Brown says. “That obviously made a big impression on many people and one of the things that impressed me was the work of the search and … » More …
Summer 2018
From Wilbur to the world
Time for a pop quiz. Name at least one famous female farmer. If you’re coming up dry, you’re not alone—but Kara Rowe ’00 wants to change that. An executive producer at Emmy-award winning North by Northwest in Spokane, Rowe is a champion of all things agricultural—especially women farmers.
Rowe, together with NxNW partner Dave Tanner, and Audra Mulkern, a photographer, foodie, and founder of the Female Farmer Project, are raising funds for a documentary called Women’s Work: The Untold Story of America’s Female Farmers. The producers hope to correct a longstanding problem with the history of ag … » More …
Spring 2018
Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West
Sara Dant ’91 MA, ’00 PhD
Wiley: 2017
The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition welcomed millions of people to Chicago to celebrate the rise of industrial America, the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ arrival on the continent, and the romanticization of the “frontier” West. Historian Frederick Jackson Turner presented his thesis that the western advance into a wild and savage frontier defined the American spirit, and … » More …
Spring 2018
Freedom Siyam ’00
It’s not easy being an educator of America’s future. “I work with over 150 adults every day who go home exhausted, because they are doing everything they can to reach and teach children,” says Freedom Siyam ’00.
Siyam is the principal of Balboa High School in San Francisco’s Excelsior district. “This area is the last bastion of the working class family in the city,” he says. All over the Bay Area, rents and home prices have skyrocketed as Silicon Valley has swollen and high-paid tech workers price people out of their neighborhoods.
“Regardless of what district, our families are educationally underserved,” Siyam says. “There’s … » More …