Recommendations

Spring 2021

What to watch: Movies and TV shows with WSU alumni and staff

Stories connect and comfort us. They let us into the hearts and minds of others, and entertain, enchant, and teach us. They give us new and different ways to see the world—and maybe even cope with it.

Stories have the potential to pull us out of ourselves and into other—even imaginary—realms. They transport us. They offer us hope and understanding, distraction and escape. They make us laugh. They make us cry. They make us wonder.

That’s the power of storytelling, not only during a pandemic or crisis but anytime. These days, though, while we are spending more time at home to help fight the spread … » More …

Spring 2021

WSM staff picks for the pandemic

WSM staff picks

Here’s what the staff of Washington State Magazine has been reading, watching, and listening to since the start of the COVID-19 crisis.

Larry Clark (’94 Comm.)
Editor

Books

The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish (Gallery Books, 2017) – Haddish’s comedy shines through some rough times in this memoir. I was laughing out loud during several parts.

The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner (Harper, 1972) – A classic of science fiction and environmental destruction

Ivory Apples by Lisa Goldstein (Tachyon Publications, 2019) – I enjoy a good novel about fiction becoming reality, and obsession. Goldstein’s words are gripping and, at … » More …

Butch Cougar in front of a pile of books

Spring 2021

What to read: Books by alumni, faculty, and staff

Here’s a round-up of reading recommendations featuring titles by WSU alumni, faculty, and staff—including one to watch for later this spring.

Anything and everything by Buddy Levy. The celebrated author of seven books, Levy specializes in historical narrative, particularly epic adventures and survival stories—perfect for the pandemic, which makes us all armchair travelers. Levy’s taught writing at WSU for more than 30 years, and his own writing—meticulously researched, masterfully organized—simply sings. His riveting narratives make readers feel like they are right there with protagonists, experiencing everything they’re going through.

“Buddy Levy: Historical investigator” from the Summer 2011 issue

Labyrinth … » More …

Spring 2021

What to read: Offerings from WSU Press

Here’s a round-up of reading recommendations featuring 11 titles curated by the staff at WSU Press.

Be Brave, Tah-hy!: The Journey of Chief Joseph’s Daughter by Jack R. Williams with illustrations by Jo Proferes (2012). Exquisitely illustrated and rich with depictions of Nimiipuu Dreamer culture, Tah-hy’s young voice narrates this novel about the harrowing 1877 flight of the Nez Perce.

Edge of Tomorrow: An Arctic Year by Sam Wright (1998). Living in a hand-built, 12-foot-by-12-foot cabin in the Brooks Range of Alaska 100 miles inside the Arctic Circle, Wright records his experiences and thoughts through seasonal changes, as he and his wife spend … » More …

Spring 2021

Pandemic playlists

Music stimulates the parts of the brain that register pleasure, provoking memories, reducing stress, and profoundly influencing our moods. It’s both a salve and a distraction. And, during the current novel coronavirus pandemic, it offers perhaps one of the easiest and most accessible forms of self-care.

Music comforts us. It alleviates anxiety, helps us cope with emotions, and offers an outlet. It’s art, and art saves lives.

Here are some suggestions from the Cougar Nation for your listening pleasure during the pandemic.

Dean Karr (’88 Fine Arts)
Music video director, photographer, visual artist

Eruption by Van Halen on Van Halen (Warner Bros., 1978). … » More …