University of Denver Winter 2024

genres like an impressionist masterpiece. Her latest album features an 11-piece ensemble that fuses together jazz, chamber music and art song (a Western vocal musical genre that relies on a poem or singular text). “Flowers of Evil” is based off the work of 19th century poet Charles Pierre Baudelaire, whose French poetry is known for its dark observations of life. Booth recently headlined at the 2023 Telluride Jazz Festival and the 2023 Five Points Jazz Festival and completed a 15-show residency at Dazzle Jazz Club (see pg. 12 for more on DU’s connections with Denver’s jazz clubs).

of struggle and suffering, as well as perseverance, cooperation, and sometimes playfulness in their accounts, this book seeks to pay tribute to the enduring humanity of these orange-collar laborers so often obscured from public and scholarly view.”

Rouge Mona Awad (PhD ’18) The alumna who

brought us the beguiling “Bunny” presents another immersive tale. Satirically brooding, “Rouge” takes readers on a spellbinding journey through the sinister side of beauty in a novel described as a “Grimm Brothers fairy tale for the modern age.” “Rouge” is

One Shot for Gold: Developing a Modern Mine in Northern California Eleanor H. Swent (MA ’47) Awarded the 2023 Clark Spence award by the Mining History Association, Swent uses oral histories she recorded with miners, planners, school superintendents, merchants, ranchers

a haunting exploration of relationships and wellness culture that walks in the footsteps of its protagonist’s harrowing journey as she enters the demonic depths of a cultish spa following her estranged mother’s mysterious death. “Rouge” has earned esteem as a national bestseller and a USA TODAY bestseller, as well as a New York Times Editors’ Choice. Shrouded in symbolism and written with a surreal, storybook cadence, Awad dares readers to look beyond the surface of human desire and wonder what price is too high to pay in pursuit of youth and beauty.

and even vocal mine opponents to tell the story of California’s most productive gold mine during the 20th century. Later used as a model for reclamation practices, McLaughlin Mine produced 3.4 million ounces of gold from 1985 to 2002. Originally from a mining community in Lead, South Dakota, Swent’s studies at the University of Denver were instrumental in her development as a writer. While working as a teaching assistant for a remedial English class in the 1940s, Swent was in a writing workshop of Alan Swallow (former DU professor, editor of the University of Denver Press and founder of DU’s creative writing program), where, she recalls, “There was a vibe of creativity and enthusiasm for the West.”

Flowers of Evil Annie Booth,

Adjunct Faculty, Lamont School of Music Award-winning composer,

arranger and pianist Annie

Booth isn’t afraid to blend musical

WINTER 2024 • UNIVERSITY of DENVER MAGAZINE | 17