New publications written by Goodenough Alumni (September 2023)
The Damages by Genevieve Scott (Random House Canada, July 2023)
Goodenough Alumna Genevieve Scott (LH 2004-5) recently published her second novel, The Damages, an engrossing story set in motion by the disappearance of a student during an ice storm, and exploring the themes of memory, trauma, friendship, and identity.
Genevieve writes: “I’m thrilled to publish The Damages, a novel inspired by some of my own College experiences. While the book is now available in the US and Canada from Penguin Random House, I am delighted to share that it will also come out in the UK with Verve Books in the next six months (1994). I was a resident of London House in ’04-’05, and I think this book will feel familiar to many of my contemporaries who came of age in the 90s and early aughts; however, my hope is that this book will spark conversation about consent, boundaries and gender inequality among people with very different individual histories, and across cultures and generations.”
Genevieve’s short fiction has been published in literary journals in Canada and the UK, and her short films have screened at festivals worldwide. She was Story Editor for the indie feature film Jump, Darling, starring Oscar-winner Cloris Leachman, which has screened at film festivals worldwide. Genevieve currently teaches writing at the Laguna College of Art and Design in Laguna Beach, California and in the fiction MFA program at the University of King’s College in Halifax. As a volunteer, Genevieve mentors at-risk teen writers through the LA-based nonprofit, WriteGirl. She is represented by Suzanne Brandreth at CookeMcDermid Literary Management in Toronto.
Ethics of Political Commemoration: Towards a New Paradigm by Hans Gugbrod and David Wood (Palgrave Macmillan 2023)
Alum Dr Hans Gutbrod (WGH 1995-98) has recently published Ethics of Political Commemoration: Towards a New Paradigm.
The question of what and how to commemorate is a pressing contemporary challenge in politics, as disputes over past events influence identity formation, how social groups and states treat each other, and the potential for positive or conflictual relationships. At the heart of this challenge is a question of what ‘good’ or ‘ethical’ political commemoration looks like, and how we can determine whether proposed commemorative actions are ethical. In the absence of a robust paradigm, disagreement can escalate in part because sides feel that dimensions of commemoration that are important to them are disregarded entirely.
Hans and David propose a framework for the Ethics of Political Commemoration that can help debates on the past, the same way that the Just War Theory influenced military approaches to war. The book draws on experiences from Armenia, Georgia, Ireland, Lebanon, and Libya, while connecting to mainstream debates in Western Europe and the United States. By providing the first systematic presentation of the ethics, the authors aim to engage citizens and scholars, and help those who work to transform conflicts.
Dr Hans Gutbrod is Associate Professor at Ilia State University, Tbilisi, and Senior Fellow, Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, Seton Hall University. He has worked in the Caucasus since 1999, was the Regional Director of the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (2006 to 2012), and regularly supports think tank research around the world.
Hope, Beauty and Friendship – a book of poetry by John Angus Walker-Smith (Austin Macauley Publishers. October 2023)
Alum John Angus Walker-Smith (LH 1967) has a selection of unique poems titled Hope, Beauty and Friendship coming out soon.
This selection of poems by a new author John Angus Walker-Smith was triggered by the tragic death of his 28-year-old daughter. So the collection begins with loss and the aftermath of loss: the hope of that his daughter and he may be reunited in the life to come. This hope underlies many of the poems. This is clearly articulated in ‘Osler and Son’, where a father grieves for loss of his son in World War I but in a stoical, unexpressed manner.
John records his childhood experience of emotions being held back in ‘Boys Don’t Cry John’. While some poems look back, most are contemporary, such as those inspired by the lockdown and the Ukraine War. He advocates expression of feelings. This is powerfully expressed in relation to his experience of Friendship, both past and present. Transcendental beauty is a theme in the metaphysical poems ‘The Colour Blue’ and ‘Roman Glass’.
However, each poem is unique. Many of them speak from the heart and have an emotional impact. John hopes that these will resonate with readers. The Release date is 13 October, pre-orders are available at Hope, Beauty and Friendship | Book | Austin Macauley Publishers
An invitation to attend the Book Launch
A book launch for Hope, Beauty and Friendship will be held in the Royal Robing Room at the King’s Chapel of the Savoy on Sunday October 22nd at 1pm at the invitation of the Revd, Canon Thomas Woodhouse King’s Chapel of the Savoy, Savoy Hill London WC2 RODA. If you would like to attend the launch, please contact the author directly at johnwalker_smith@hotmail.com
John Walker-Smith is an Australian with dual British citizenship. He is a medical graduate of the University of Sydney and is now Emeritus Professor of Paediatric Gastroenterology University of London. He has lived in London since 1973. His wife died from Alzheimer’s disease in 2019. He has two living children and eight grandchildren. His second daughter tragically died aged 29 years in 2004. This was followed by the death of his nephew aged 33 years. These events led him to write poetry for the first time.
He has an MA in Christianity and the Arts at King’s College London. He is a member of The King’s Chapel of the Savoy. He is Life President of the Crohn’s in Childhood Research Appeal and the Founder President of CAPGAN.