David Marquis ’73 has written a novel, The River Always Wins, published by Deep Vellum Publishing. The book jacket explains that the book, a lyric essay, “explores the narrative of drops that come together, gather their power, and chisel away the rock to create the course of their lives and our society. Through flood and drought, the river finds a way to something greater than itself.” It goes on to say that through the “musicality of refrains and short chapters, this prose poem creates a rhythmic understanding of the power of water to both challenge and heal.”
Sam Steele ’73 has written, illustrated, and published a book, On the Road to the Cross, that includes 20 stories about events he experienced in parish ministry. Learn more at www.upmspi.com. Named a Distinguished Alumnus of Austin College in 2001, Sam has held several Presbyterian pastorates in his career, including Bay City, Spearman, and Terryton, Texas; Broken Bow, Oklahoma; and DeQueen, Arkansas.
Deborah Darden Crombie ’76 released her latest book in October 2019, the 18th in the critically acclaimed Duncan Kinkaid/Gemma James English mystery series. The New York Times best-selling author has received several accolades for her work and has loyal readers always anxious for her next novel.
Paul Putman, M.D., ’78 has written a new book, Rational Psychopharmacology: A Book of Clinical Skills, which was published in June 2020 by American Psychiatric Association Publishing. The book, a clinical companion for mastering and practicing the art and science of psychopharmacology, is designed to help practitioners in training and practicing clinicians who wish to improve their skills. In the book, Paul acknowledges the influence of Austin College faculty Dr. Hank Gorman and Dr. Shelly Williams in development of his thinking on the topic. Paul is a psychiatrist and writer in Austin, Texas, and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Kim Powers ’79 announces publication of his latest novel, Rules for Being Dead, in August 2020. The publisher called it “a deeply personal, nostalgic, coming-of-age story with a ghostly twist, set in a small Texas town in the 1960s.” The publisher’s materials included, “Early readers called this book a blend of The Lovely Bones and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, with a hint of The Last Picture Show.” Kim is the author of the novels Capote in Kansas and Dig Two Graves, as well as the memoir The History of Swimming, a Barnes & Noble Discover Award winner and Lambda Literary Award finalist for Best Memoir of the Year. He also wrote the screenplay for the indie film Finding North. Kim is the Senior Writer for ABC’s much-lauded 20/20. He lives in Manhattan and Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Don Hartshorn ’89 announced the release of his first published novel, The Guilty Die Twice, in March 2020 by TCK Publishing. A legal thriller, the book summary begins: “Two attorney brothers. Two bullet riddled corpses. Two sides to the story. … Ten years ago, a capital murder case in the heart of Texas split the Lynch family in two. Now, estranged lawyer brothers Travis and Jake Lynch find themselves on opposing sides of the courtroom in a high-profile, grisly double murder case—with another accused criminal’s life on the line.” Don hopes to eventually make a living as a writer, but until that happens, he and his brother-in-law own a consulting business doing IT work.
Alyssa Banta ’90 wrote and photographed the documentary photo and word book The Texas Ranch Sisterhood: Portraits of Women Working the Land, which became available in 2020. For the book, she spent over a year following more than a dozen Texas women “through their grueling daily routines, from the messy confines of the working chute to the sprawling reaches of the back pasture,” according to the publisher. Alyssa also has purchased two historic houses in Fort Worth’s North Side neighborhood, where she had previously bought several historic houses, apartments, duplexes, and more, all within two miles of downtown. She owns three companies: Rent Historic Fort Worth, Panther City, and Alyssa Banta Photography. She serves on the board of Historic Fort Worth Inc. and is a member of the Austin College Alumni Board.
Jennifer Wenzel ’90 has written the book, The Disposition of Nature: Environmental Crisis and World Literature, published in 2019 by Fordham University Press. She earlier co-edited Fueling Culture: 101 Words for Energy and Environment, a collection of short keyword essays on the intersections between energy and culture that included an entry on Texas. Wenzel is Associate Professor in the Departments of English and Comparative Literature and in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies at Columbia University.
Marc Parrish ’92 has finished his first book about Austin College. ’Roo Tales: The Stories of Austin College Athletics tells of some amazing seasons and personalities from Austin College sports history. The book is available for purchase from Amazon. Marc is working on future books about Austin College, focusing on ’Roo history and Athletic Hall of Honor Legends. ’Roos on social media are likely familiar with Marc’s frequent and quite enlightening ’Roo Tales, which appear in the Facebook group GoRoos. Marc is a member of the Austin College Alumni “A” Athletics Board and a winner of the College’s Carroll Pickett Award for most valuable tennis player. He lives in Austin, where he and his wife, Dianne, work at The University of Texas System and raise their two children, Alex and Malia.
Yami Cazorla-Lancaster ’01 has written A Parent’s Guide to Intuitive Eating: How to Raise Kids Who Love to Eat Healthy. Dr. Yami is a board-certified pediatrician, certified lifestyle medicine physician, certified health and wellness coach, author, and speaker. A passionate promoter of healthy lifestyles, she believes plant-based diets help prevent chronic disease. Her pediatric practice is in Yakima, Washington, where she lives with her husband and two sons.
Kerri Welch ’01 has published A Fractal Topology of Time: Deepening Into Timelessness, which looks at the science of temporal perception and uses a fractal model of time to bridge qualitative and quantitative understandings. A Ph.D., Kerri teaches Math and Physics for Philosophers and Artists at California Institute of Integral Studies. A self-described Philosopher of Time, Professor, writer, and astrologer, she lives in Austin, Texas.