Book Notes

81ZcJ9yPHRLThe Last Love Song
Tracy Daugherty
This work by professor emeritus Tracy Daugherty is the first printed biography of American writer Joan Didion. The narrative traces her life from her youth in Sacramento to her marriage and partnership with her late husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, and beyond.

Spark-and-the-Drive-PB-copyThe Spark and the Drive
Wayne Harrison
This debut novel by Wayne Harrison, a writing instructor, is a haunting story that illuminates the blue-collar with keen and tender-hearted prose. Sections of the novel have appeared in The Atlantic and Best American Short Stories 2010.

61RmUNDJ5+LA Long High Whistle
David Biespiel
This collection of essays by English and creative writing instructor David Biespiel discusses the work of nearly 100 poets, past and present. With passion, wit and common sense, he articulates the mysteries of poetry and poetry’s essential role in our civic and cultural lives.

Wild-in-the-Willamette-Book-CoverWild in the Willamette
Edited by Lorraine Anderson and Abby Phillips Metzger
Inspired by late professor Gail Achterman and co-edited by OSU writer Abby Metzger, this outdoor guide to the mid-Willamette Valley is infused with essays by notable local authors as it connects readers with the best hiking, biking and paddling the mid-valley offers.