Ink & Tracks

Recent publications from Conn alumni and faculty

The Han-Xiongnu War, 133 BC–89 AD

By Scott Forbes Crawford ’00

The Han-Xiongnu War pitted the Han dynasty of China against a confederation of nomadic steppe peoples, the Xiongnu Empire. In campaigns waged on a huge scale by the standards of contemporary western warfare (perhaps half a million soldiers were fielded at the Battle of Mobei in 119 BC), the two states fought for control of Central Asia, hungry for its rich resources and Western trade links. China’s victory set the stage for millennia of imperial rule and a vast sphere of influence in Asia. Delving into the lively stories of 15 key historical figures, The Han-Xiongnu War captures the breadth of the conflict, its enduring impact on Han society and statecraft in what became a Chinese golden age, and the doomed resistance of the Xiongnu to an ever-strengthening juggernaut.

Modes of the Tragic in Spanish Cinema

By Luis M. González, professor of Hispanic studies

Elements from the classical and modern tragic tradition persist and permeate many of the cultural works created in Spain, especially films. This book delves into the inscrutability and indolence of the gods, the mutability of fortune, the recurrent narratives of fall and redemption, the unavoidable clash between ethical forces, the tension between free will and fate, the violent resolution of both internal and external conflicts, and the overwhelming feelings of guilt that haunt the tragic heroine/hero that traverse Spanish cinema as a response to universal queries about human suffering and death.

There’s No Place Like Hope

By Janet Lawler ’74

“There’s no place like hope, where possible lives, where people are helpful and everyone gives.” Illustrated by Tamisha Anthony, this inspirational picture book offers a joyful message for ushering in new beginnings and facing challenges. Featuring sweet rhymes and whimsical, diverse illustrations, the book is a gentle yet powerful exploration of how hope makes us loving, courageous and connected to one another. 

The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts

By Soraya Palmer ’07

What happens to us when our stories are erased? Do we disappear? Or do we come back haunting?

Folktales and spirits animate this lively and unforgettable coming-of-age tale of two Jamaican-Trinidadian sisters in Brooklyn grappling with their mother’s illness, their father’s infidelity and the truth of their family’s past.

Zora and Sasha Porter are drifting apart. Bearing witness to their father’s violence and their mother’s worsening health, an unsettled Zora escapes into her journal, dreaming of being a writer, while Sasha discovers sex and chest binding, spending more time with her new girlfriend than at home.

But the sisters, like their parents, must come together to answer to something more ancient and powerful than they know—and reckon with a family secret buried in the past. A tale told from the perspective of a mischievous narrator, featuring the Rolling Calf who haunts butchers, Mama Dglo who lives in the ocean, a vain tiger and an outsmarted snake, The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts is set in a world as alive and unpredictable as Helen Oyeyemi’s.

In Other Lifetimes All I’ve Lost Comes Back to Me

By Courtney Sender, visiting assistant professor of English and writer in residence

Populated with lovers who leave and return, with ghosts of the Holocaust and messages from the dead, Sender’s debut collection speaks in a singular new voice about the longings and loneliness of contemporary love. The world of these 14 interlocking stories is fiercely real but suffused with magic and myth, dark wit, and distinct humor. Here, ancient loss works its way deep into the psyche of modern characters, stirring their unrelenting lust for life. In Other Lifetimes All I’ve Lost Comes Back to Me is a wise and sensual collection of old hauntings, new longings and unexpected returns, with a finale that is a rousing call to the strength we each have, together or alone.

Paisley’s Big Birthday

By Heather Pierce Stigall ’91

Paisley’s birthday is today, right? Then why doesn’t she feel any older? She still has trouble reading, still has trouble jumping in the Hopstacle Course and is still in Bunnygarten. When will she finally be big? Illustrated by Natallia Nushuyeva, this sweet children’s story is about having patience as we grow.