University of Denver Fall 2023

ultra-marathoner and volunteer ranger assistant in Fort Collins. His decade-long journey to publish the collection is dedicated to his Appalachian family, his community and anyone seeking belonging. “I’d love if this book sparks awareness and empathy not just for Appalachian folks but for all who may seem ‘different,’” says Meadows. “We’re always more complicated than we appear, and I think most—if not all—of us are looking for community and love.”

Wyoming game warden as he looks for a missing University of Wyoming professor. As readers journey through a late spring snowstorm, they encounter falconry, local militant activists and a crypto-mining financier—the kind of contentious topics that are familiar to modern Western communities and are a cornerstone of Box’s work that keeps

readers coming back for more. When he was recently awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from DU’s College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, Box advised students, “One never knows what path the journey will take, but it helps to decide on a goal. With that goal in mind, everything you do will help get you there.”

The fictional son of a Denver Broncos player competes out of his comfort zone The spirit of competition in a fictional Colorado college prep school is as present as the air students breathe in “Control Freaks” (Levine Querido, 2023) by alumna J.E. Thomas (BA ’80, MA ’81). The young adult novel follows what happens when seventh grader

A recent PhD graduate revisits childhood in Appalachia Despite the many places that one might live in a lifetime, the setting of your childhood leaves an imprint on your life unlike any other. For Lucien Darjeun Meadows (PhD ’23), the Appalachian Mountains—where he spent his childhood as a queer boy of Cherokee and European descent— serve as a powerful muse, allowing him to highlight the relationship

Frederick Douglass Zezzmer’s obsession to become “The World’s Greatest Inventor” collides with a school-wide competition focusing on—gulp—sports. What’s more, Doug must compete with a team of science-obsessed misfits. Will they find a way to work together and win the golden B-B trophy? Told through the eyes of multiple characters, the novel explores timely topics like identity, blended families and the pressure of STEAMS (science, technology, engineering, arts, math and sports). Prior to writing the novel, Thomas

between human and environmental identities. “In the Hands of the River” (Hub City Press, 2022) is a poetry collection that takes “a deep look at some

worked as an administrator at a Colorado school and, during that time, immersed herself in articles about adolescent psychology and noticed reports of “a disturbing increase in suicide by children, with a disproportionate number occurring by Black tweens and teens.” Inspired

struggles of Appalachian life, from poverty to mental health issues—but also, more so, is an open-armed love letter to the lands, waters and peoples who raised me,” says Meadows. With an acute awareness of his

surroundings—a skill he refined in Dr. Joanna Howard’s (PhD ’04) sentient ecologies seminar, Meadows says that writing or thinking through a place one should “listen,” and “return, again and again, in witness and openness to all the quiet voices of the land.” “Give us clover for remembrance, alfalfa For thought, oniongrass to hide where Where once was mountain, now dust—” – (First stanza, “Buffalo Creek”)

to respond to what she learned, Thomas says, “I couldn’t solve the issues that overwhelm children to the point they become hopeless, but I could write a book that centers well intentioned humans.” Born in Colorado, Thomas weaves in familiar aspects of the state into the storyline, including its unique weather and historic Park Hill neighborhood. Reflecting on her time at DU, Thomas says the book “recognizes and celebrates the dedicated teachers who may never know the lasting impact they have on students’ lives,” like Dr. Harry Spetnagle (former chair of mass communication), who supported Thomas as she mapped out her future as a sophomore at DU. Whether one is a mentor, parent or friend to young people, Thomas hopes readers use the book to “spark important conversation[s] about school, family or social pressures.”

Currently, Meadows is the managing editor for the National Association for Interpretation’s Legacy magazine, and attends to the northern flickers and blue jays as an

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