Reviewing creative works

MURDER YOUR DARLINGS
And Other Gentle Writing Advice From Aristotle To Zinsser

BY ROY PETER CLARK ’74

In the latest writing guide from alumnus and writing teacher Roy Peter Clark, the author shares lessons he has learned from the 50 best books on writing that have influenced him the most. Covering ancient to modern times, the book distills 100 strategies to help writers find their voice, craft their style and fine-tune their storytelling. Why Murder Your Darlings? The phrase is one that Clark especially takes to heart. Coined by Sir Alfred Quiller-Couch, a professor at Cambridge University, it reminds students to cut unnecessary elements from their work, no matter how much they may love it.

YEARNING

BY EFEMÈR
Faculty, Department of Africana Studies

Yearning is the first album by Efemèr, the musical alter ego of Haitian-American historian of public health George Aumoithe, an assistant professor in the Department of Africana Studies. Efemèr (“ephemeral” in Haitian Creole) is a project that Aumoithe created to confront deep and persistent contradictions that undergird the unequal treatment of all human beings, while exploring common human themes of doubt, intimacy, misconnection, desire and nostalgia in a world plagued by pandemic, sociopolitical tumult and extrajudicial violence. The electronic album debuted in September 2020 and is available on all major listening platforms. Visit Efemèr’s website for more about their creative process.

CATCHING THE WIND
Edward Kennedy and The Liberal Hour, 1932–1975

BY NEAL GABLER
Faculty, MFA Program in Creative Writing and Literature, Stony Brook Southampton

The first of Neal Gabler’s two-volume epic biography of Edward “Ted” Kennedy has received rave reviews from The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR among others. Described as the definitive tale of the youngest Kennedy, the 928-page tome details the journey of a complicated man who would emerge from his brothers’ shadows — overcoming obstacles Shakespearian in nature — to become a revered leader in the Senate. Providing a “rich and insightful” character study, Gabler unveils how the tragedies Kennedy faced molded not only his path, but also changed the very soul of American politics.

THE ALL-NIGHT SUN

BY DIANE ZINNA ’96

Alumna Diane Zinna’s debut novel has been described as “stunning” and “a twisting tale of grief, hope and self-deceit, a story as mesmerizing as the young woman at its heart,” according to BookPage. Publishers Weekly called it “inventive and luminous.” Set in Sweden, Washington, DC, and a town based on Port Jefferson, the novel follows the journey of a young college English instructor who gets too close to a charismatic new student. Repercussions follow when the teacher accompanies the student on a trip home to Sweden for the summer. Learn more about the author’s process and her novel at dianezinna.com.

THE SEDIMENTS OF TIME
My Lifelong Search for the Past

BY MEAVE LEAKEY
Co-Director, Turkana Basin Institute 

Read it first before it becomes a movie: the daring adventures of legendary paleoanthropologist and SBU Professor of Anthropology Meave Leakey. The memoir examines her life with fellow paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey, the incredible dangers she faced in the wilds of Kenya (along with the political unrest) to the remarkable discoveries she made that have helped us better understand the evolution of humankind. See the full story on SBU News.