Author Archives: Dr. Matt Barton

About Dr. Matt Barton

A professor of English at St. Cloud State University.

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Congratulations to Matt Barton (English), Kyoko Kishimoto (EGWS), Ed Sadrai (English), Sharon Cogdill (emeriti, English), and Mike Dando (English) on the publication of a special issue of Midwest Popular Culture Association Journal, which they co-edited and contributed to. This journal is open access and peer-reviewed. The issue is dedicated to constructed languages and power in popular culture, from Star Trek to Tolkien. Read the entire journal for free here: https://www.mpcaaca.org/pcsj-volume-11-number-2

 

 

Sarah Green Reads Poetry in Nebraska

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Professor Green reciting her poetry to a packed house in Nebraska.

“CHADRON – Sarah Green presented a poetry reading and conducted a guided poetry exercise and question and answer session for students Nov. 21 at the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center” at Chadron State College (CSC College Relations). Congratulations, Sarah! Over 200 people attended the reading and the ensuing workshop had 30 students and faculty participating. Check out her anthology, Welcome to the Neighborhood, on Amazon or Ohio UP.

 

Unspeakable Things #1 Best Seller in Kindle Store!

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Unspeakable Things by [Lourey, Jess]

#1 Best Seller!

English BA and MA alumna Jess Lourey’s latest thriller, Unspeakable Things, is currently #1 on Amazon’s Kindle store. What an amazing accomplishment!

Inspired by a terrifying true story from the author’s hometown, a heart-pounding novel of suspense about a small Minnesota community where nothing is as quiet—or as safe—as it seems.

The book has garnered terrific praise from the likes of Publishers Weekly: “The suspense never wavers in this page-turner.” You can get Jess’s book from Amazon and read more about it and the author at jessicalourey.com. She was also recently profiled by the Saint Cloud Times.

Congratulations, Jess!

Dungeons & Desktops: 2nd Edition

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The Ultimate Book on Computer Role-Playing Games

We are pleased to announce the publication of the second edition of Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games. First published in 2008, this new 2019 edition features an upgrade to full-color images, over 200 additional pages, and expanded information about the educational potential of role-playing games. The book covers the “Dark Ages” of early mainframe CRPGs and MUDs all the way up to the latest big-budget games and indie titles. It’s available in softcover and hardcover versions. Read more about it at Taylor & Francis. It’s a must for anyone interested in studying, designing, or playing classic computer role-playing games like Ultima and Fallout. 

Matt was interviewed by WIRED Magazine’s Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast about the book and his YouTube channel, Matt Chat, back in June.

The cover art is by Robbie Sambat, who intended it as an homage to the classic Pool of Radiance artwork by Clyde Caldwell.

Lyrical Liberators: The American Antislavery Movement in Verse, 1831–1865

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Cover of Lyrical Liberators

“A significant contribution to the scholarship on antislavery.”

SCSU Professor Monica Pelaez has authored a new anthology entitled Lyrical Liberators: The American Antislavery Movement in Verse, 1831–1865. Published by Ohio University Press, this book explores abolitionist poetry and “stands as a testimony to the power of a free press in the face of injustice.” From the publisher:

In Lyrical Liberators, Monica Pelaez draws on unprecedented archival research to recover these poems from the periodicals—Garrison’s Liberator, Frederick Douglass’s North Star, and six others—in which they originally appeared. The poems are arranged by theme over thirteen chapters, a number that represents the amendment that finally abolished slavery in 1865. The book collects and annotates works by critically acclaimed writers, commercially successful scribes, and minority voices including those of African Americans and women.

You can read more about the book at Ohio University Press.

Welcome to the Neighborhood: An Anthology of American Conexistence

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Cover of Welcome to the Neighborhood

A Fabulous New Book by Sarah Green

Pre-order your copy of Welcome to the Neighborhood: An Anthology of American Coexistence to get it in time for the holidays. This anthology was edited by SCSU English professor Sarah Green.

“How to live with difference is a defining worry in contemporary America. In this enormously rich resource for the classroom and for anyone interested in reflecting on what it means to be American today, poets, fiction writers, and essayists, with open minds and nuance, ask what it means to be neighbors.”

Considered “exceptional and necessary” by Erica Dawson, author of When Rap Spoke Straight to God, Welcome to the Neighborhood is the perfect addition to your holiday reading queue. It’s currently $19.96 in paperback (20% off!). You can listen to an interview podcast Sarah did with about the anthology if you’d like more information about this collection.