East Michigan News

Central Michigan University Department of English professors were active this summer with several new publications.

Darrin Doyle published his novella "Let Gravity Seize the Dead" in July through Regal House Publishing, based in North Carolina. The Gothic novella focuses on a family who moves into a cabin in a Michigan forest and explores two separate timelines (1907 and 2007), investigating the lingering pain of trauma and its impact on families. Doyle appeared on WCMU, WNEM, and Michigan Public Radio to promote his new book.

Jeffrey Bean launched his third full-length poetry collection, "Everywhere, Everywhere," which won the 2024 Vern Rutsala Book Prize and was published by Cloudbank Books. Poet Lee Ann Roripaugh commented on Bean’s book: “These are poems that joyously celebrate presence and attentiveness. You will want to read them everywhere, take them with you everywhere.” Bean and Doyle celebrated their publications with a co-launch reading at Sleepy Dog Books in August.

Robert Fanning released his third poetry chapbook, "Prince of the Air," a limited-edition handmade book featuring 20 poems through Seven Kitchens Press in Cincinnati. Celebrated Michigan author Thomas Lynch praised Fanning's work: “Even in smallish doses, Robert Fanning’s work in words is mighty tonic, succor and comfort, and provocation. Read and be healed.”

Jeffrey Weinstock marked the publication of his 30th book, "The Routledge Introduction to the American Ghost Story," co-authored with Scott Brewster from the University of Lincoln, UK. The book examines main tropes, thematic preoccupations, principal settings, stylistic innovations of literary ghost stories in the United States, as well as their rich afterlife in cinema, television, and digital culture.

Additionally, Dr. Weinstock's 31st book titled "Disney Gothic: Dark Shadows in the House of Mouse," co-edited with Lorna Piatti-Farnell and published by Rowman & Littlefield explores Gothic elements within Disney productions.

For those interested in exploring more works by English professors at Central Michigan University, there is a display on the second floor of Anspach Hall outside of the English Department showcasing these literary treasures.