ALUMNI IN PRINT

Recently published works by Mason alumni

Like Light, Like Music

Lana K. W. Austin, MFA Creative Writing ’08 In this novel (West Virginia University Press, August 2020), Emme McLean is back in Kentucky, using her journalism skills to prove her cousin did not kill her husband.

Born and raised in rural Kentucky, Austin studied creative writing at Hollins University, the University of Mary Washington, and Mason. Austin currently resides in Alabama, where she teaches writing at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

I Am the Jungle: A Yoga Adventure

Melissa Hurt, BA Theater ’98

Told through a fun adventure story that focuses on imagination, I Am the Jungle: A Yoga Adventure (Sounds True, August 2020) takes kids through a yoga flow of poses inspired by the natural world.

Hurt is a Lessac-certified trainer and has taught acting and Lessac’s voice, speech, and movement work at colleges across the United States. She has a PhD from the University of Oregon and an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has been a certified yoga teacher since 2011.

Who Killed D. L. Phillips?

Audrey Rasmussen, JD ’83, writing as A. Eveline In this novel (Draft2Digital, September 2020), a Washington, D.C., lawyer falls into a legal trap, making her a murder suspect. Caught between the FBI, fellow lawyers, and a mysterious entity, she investigates the death of her nemesis, in the hope of keeping herself out of prison and saving her career.

Rasmussen has practiced law since 1983, retiring as a partner from Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson P.C. in 2014. She continues to practice of counsel at the firm.

U.S. Czech Missile Defense Cooperation: Alliance Politics in Action

Michaela Dodge, PhD Political Science ’19

This book (National Institute Press, November 2020) analyzes U.S.Czech ballistic missile defense cooperation between 2002 and 2011, explaining factors in ballistic missile defense cooperation in alliances and developing methodology to help policymakers assess and evaluate defense cooperation. Dodge works as a research scholar at the National Institute for Public Policy, where she specializes in missile defense and nuclear weapons.

Journalism and Digital Labor: Experiences of Online News Production

Tai Neilson, PhD Cultural Studies ’17

As media moves further into the digital realm, this book (Routledge, December 2020) draws from ethnographic research and critical theory to explain the politics and significance of digital journalism to the field and to journalists themselves.

Neilson is a lecturer in media at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. He has also published work in the journals Journalism, tripleC, and the Globe Media Journal.

Bombs, Bullets, and the Tank at the Office: Protecting America on Diplomacy’s Front Lines

Carol Stricker, MEd Curriculum and Development ’12

What does a diplomat do? This autobiography (Amazon, December 2020) from a retired foreign service worker whose career spanned more than 25 years answers that question through anecdotes, explanations, and a call to action. The book recounts Stricker’s globe-spanning adventures protecting America’s strategic interests and American citizens abroad, from nuclear weapons in Ukraine to genocide prevention in Burundi.

Breaking Things at Work: The Luddites Are Right About Why You Hate Your Job

Gavin Mueller, PhD Cultural Studies ’16

Were the 19th-century Luddites right to destroy new machinery? This book (Verso, February 2021) aims to answer that question in the modern era by reframing the relationship between labor and machinery, ultimately arguing that the future stability and empowerment of working-class movements will depend on subverting new technologies. Mueller is a lecturer in media studies at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. He is a member of the editorial collective of Viewpoint Magazine. Mueller previously published Media Piracy in the Cultural Economy.