An associate professor of political science, Francis will be the editor of a new series of books from Cambridge University Press called .

Francis, on leave and at Harvard for the 2019-2020 school year, answered a few questions about the new book series. The study of race and ethnicity, she said, will be “the unifying characteristic” of all manuscripts in the series.

“I am especially interested in highlighting research that has real-world implications and speaks to the political moment,” she said. “A central focus of this series will be to connect this type of research that happens in the academy to public discussions.”

Despite confusion now reigning in United States politics, she said, it’s clear that scholars, students and the public want “rigorous and accessible manuscripts that combine an analysis of the political system with a focus on racial politics.”

Francis studies American politics, race, the development of constitutional law, black politics and the post-Civil War South, and wrote the 2014 book .

Will this series truly stand alone as the only one dedicated to those themes? 

“Yes. Currently, there is not a single book series centered on the diverse subfield of race and ethnicity in political science from a major university press. There are series on ‘social movements’ and ‘political behavior’ and ‘migration,’ as well as many on ‘American politics,’ where most of the scholarship of race and politics is subsumed.

“The absence is stunning and represents a great opportunity, especially in an era when mainstream journalists and well-established political scientists have called for analyses to rethink the role of race and ethnicity.”

That said, Francis mentioned “one notable exception” — the Oxford University Press series “Transgressing Boundaries,” focusing on black politics. But even in 2019, she said, the discipline of political science has no series focusing more broadly on race and ethnicity.

The rise of Donald Trump to the presidency, she said, “and the increasing power of authoritarian regimes abroad (Brazil, Italy, Venezuela)” have in fact increased the need for scholarship that investigates the role of race and equity in politics.”

When will readers begin seeing titles? And what will the process be for you?

“Readers should expect to see titles during fall of 2020 but it will be an incremental rollout with about two to three titles next year and about four to five titles the subsequent three years.

“With my curation of the series, I want to make sure that all of the manuscripts are diverse in terms of what groups they focus on and their methodologies. The goal of this series is focused on publishing important original research on race and  ethnicity that will be of wide interest to students, scholars and the larger public.”

The series aims to “shed light on previously understudied topics and groups.” What are examples?

Francis cites understudied topics such as political disinformation between and about racial groups; problems of race and measurement; racial capitalism; ethnicity and national security; religion and race; black women voters; surveillance; racial regimes in Western democracies; and settler colonialism.

You mention seeking work that speaks to the current political moment. How can academic books react more nimbly to current events?

The most frequent complaint she hears from colleagues about academic publishing, Francis said, is how long it can take from submission to publication of articles and books. Amid a broader discussion on institutional norms, she said, many publishers have committed to a shorter peer review process.

“The Elements series presents a revolutionary approach to an academic book, publishing with its projected 12-week production process after final acceptance. This swift timeline will ensure that important work does not languish and instead will make certain important scholarship is quickly disseminated to colleagues, students and the public.

“The shorter publication timeline opens up many opportunities for scholars of race and politics. Reignited old issues such as white supremacists marching and new topics, including the border wall and the historic number of women of color in Congress, have highlighted the pressing need for scholarship to speak to the quickly changing landscape of race and ethnicity in the United States and abroad.”

The election of Trump, Francis said, underscores how central race and ethnicity are to any analyses of the political system.

“Scholarship will not match the speed of Trump’s tweets,” Francis said, “but the accelerated timeline for review and publication will allow audiences to better understand the quickly shifting political climate.”

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Other book notes:

“Afterlife of Reproductive Slavery” honored: The latest book by , 91̽��professor of English, has received one award and an honorable mention for another from the .

Weinbaum’s “,” has been awarded the , given to a monograph that addresses women and labor issues from intersectional perspectives. There is a $2,000 cash award. The book, published in March by Duke University Press, also received an honorable mention for the association’s Gloria E. Anzaldúa prize, for feminist contributions to women of color/transnational scholarship.

“American Sabor” shares best history award: “” by Marisol �������í�Dz�-�Ѿ������Ի岹, Shannon Dudley and Michelle �Ჹ�������-�ʲ�����á��, has of best historical research in recorded rock and popular music for 2019 from the . Sharing the history award with “American Sabor” is “Bing Crosby: Swinging on a Star: The War Years, 1940-1946,” a second biography of the famous actor and crooner, by Gary Giddins.

is an affiliate assistant professor and a professor, both of ethnomusicology, in the School of Music. is a professor of gender, women and sexuality studies, and adjunct professor of music. Before it became a book, “American Sabor” was an exhibit at the Experience Music Project, now the Museum of Pop Culture, in 2007.

Robin Stacey history book honored twice: 91̽��history professor has received two honors for her book on Welsh history, “,” which was published in 2018 by University of Pennsylvania Press.

The University of Wales has awarded Stacey its annual . One of three annual awards from the university, it is named for and funded by a bequest from Hull, who taught at Harvard University. And Jesus College, part of the University of Oxford, has named Stacey recipient of its annual , named for a renowned and archivist.

“My thanks to everyone involved,” Stacey said, “including the specialists at the University of Pennsylvania Press who did such a good job with its production.”

When “American Sabor” at what was then the Experience Music Project a decade ago, its 91̽�� creators saw it as a chance to celebrate the extensive Latino contribution to popular music. It was a product of years of interviews and research, and an often challenging exercise in collaboration and presentation.

But that was just the beginning for and , both ethnomusicologists in the 91̽��School of Music, and , a professor in the 91̽��Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies. Their multimedia showcase of Latino performers and genres since World War II then went on to becoming a of the Smithsonian, visiting 18 cities in the United States and Puerto Rico.

Now “American Sabor: Latinos and Latinas in US Popular Music” is a , published this month by 91̽�� Press. It’s a guide to the artists, communities and wide range of musical styles, from salsa to punk, Tejano to mambo, iazz to hip hop. It’s a bilingual experience – Spanish on the left-facing pages, English on the right – filled with photos and the occasional icon alerting the reader to a song available on the American Sabor on iTunes and Spotify.

Here’s an excerpted conversation with the authors:

Describe the process of turning a sound-based exhibit into a book.

Marisol �������í�Dz�-�Ѿ������Ի岹: The sound is paramount. You read the book and you get these descriptions, but there’s no substitution for hearing the music, the melodies, rhythms, harmonies and breaks. The different colors of the instruments and the excitement of the music — there’s no substitute. I come from the music. Since my inception, I’ve been dancing and listening to the music. So for me, a lot of it is very personal. I wanted to keep the music in the front, always in the front. I am also the only Spanish speaker on the whole project, so that took on more responsibility. We’d always intended for the book to be bilingual, and my sister [Angie �������í�Dz�-�Ѿ������Ի岹] is the translator. I wanted the Spanish to be beautiful, and well-written. I also did 20 in-person interviews with musicians.

Shannon Dudley: I’ve taught the American Popular Song class for many years, a class that thousands of students take here at the 91̽��every year. So I had a sort of narrative in my own head that had taken shape from teaching this class, and that really helped with the signposts of the development of American pop that this book follows, and connecting the Latino story to that larger narrative.  Ethnomusicology is the study of culture; you want people to understand not just what music sounds like but who made it and what it means to people. This book really is about a lot of different local communities and stories that are woven together in a larger picture.

In every chapter there are a couple of places where we focus on a particular song, say, one by . We very briefly narrate the song in a way that you could read it and hear the music, the history and the personality. Then if people read the book and hear another song by Eddie Palmieri, they’ll remember these things. When they go out and hear music, even music that’s not cited on this [American Sabor] playlist, they’re going to be hearing with ears that are attuned to new things and learning more as they listen more.

What gets overlooked when people think of Latino music?

Michelle �Ჹ�������-�ʲ�����á��: Often they’re not thinking that it’s coming from inside of the U.S., rather than outside of the U.S. You look at the scene in New York – the Nuyoricans, Puerto Ricans living in New York — these young people growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, surrounded by music, the way they put sounds together and used instruments that were not used in the more traditional way. They really changed the sounds.

These were young people, taking the music of their parents, and making something different out of it when they got here. Same with the West Coast and Texas: They were taking all kinds of influences – African-American, Afro-Caribbean, country — and making something completely different, a new sound. Then you had the early punk scenes in Hollywood and East Los Angeles that were deeply influenced by Mexican American youth living in Los Angeles County. That’s not what people are thinking about when they think of Latino music.

How does the book reflect gender and sexuality studies?

MHP: I’m looking at cultural studies and cultural politics — how people make meaning out of music but not necessarily as music-makers, which is what Shannon and Marisol do. I have a very feminist critique, and at the beginning that was difficult to merge the two methods. I felt that if we were going to include a certain song, for example, then we needed to talk about how deeply it objectifies women. Maybe the rhythm that was embedded in the song was important, or it was a popular song, and people needed to know about it, but at the same time layered on it were these really sexist lyrics. We needed to figure out how to talk about both at the same time — how a good song can reproduce gender ideas that are not good.

My critical analysis had to be adapted for this book because we decided early on that we wanted people to read the book and enjoy it, and to reach a large audience beyond the university. So as a writer, saying this is a sexist song, this is what’s wrong with it, this is what this means — that’s not going to fly in this kind of narrative, but that intention is still there in the background. It’s more about asking questions. And we made sure to highlight women and to talk about what the barriers to them in the music business have been.

What did you learn from the process, and from each other?

SD: I write very differently now – less academic. I continue to write in academic publications, but in a way that a lot of people can read. And the museum exhibit was the first place where I was really challenged to do that: shorter sentences, more direct, visually provocative language. It was a lot harder to write 30 words [for a display] about than 200 words. For me, that was a huge part of the experience. In writing the book, we had regular meetings where we’d go over drafts, and I’d get immediate feedback about how what I said was perceived, or what was missing. Ultimately, to write a book with three authors is about three times as hard as writing a book by yourself.

MBM: That was an incredible learning experience. And I’m very grateful for Michelle bringing her gender side to things. The attention to female musicians wouldn’t be half what it is if it weren’t for her. We have different styles, but her contribution, puts women right up front, women with attitude — and their stories are so beautiful. And I taught her music, and what to listen for in a sound story. We discovered many things together. Our relationship has been really productive.

What do you hope people take away from the book?

MBM: I am teaching with the book. What I gather is that people are seeing with new eyes who Latinos are. All this stereotyping that’s going on right now, the backlash against Latinos as “criminals” and “rapists.” Many of my students who read the book said the narrative is accessible. A lot of people can read this book and take something out of it, but the basic idea is to make sure that Latinos are considered equal partners in the production of music in the U.S. They did it with incredible talent, invention and initiative vis-à-vis all the terrible discrimination that they have suffered, and yet there is the joy of the music. The music is so delicious.

A novelist’s thoughts on storytelling, a geologist’s soil restoration strategy, an environmentalist’s memoir, a celebration of Latino music influences, a poet’s meditations on her changing city …

Yes, and a best-selling author’s latest work, a podcast reborn as a book, a collaboration of world-class violists and even tales of brave Icelandic seawomen — at this festive time of year, 91̽�� faculty creations can make great gifts for the Dawg on your shopping list.

Here’s a quick look at some gift-worthy books and music created by 91̽��talents in the last year or so — and a reminder of some perennial favorites.

Charles Johnson, “.” Johnson, National Book Award-winning author of “” and longtime professor of English, discusses his art in a book stemming from a year of interviews. “There is winning sanity here,” the New York Times wrote: “Johnson wants his students to be ‘raconteurs always ready to tell an engaging tale,’ not self-preoccupied neurotics.” Published by .

Marisol �������í�Dz�-�Ѿ������Ի岹, Shannon Dudley and Michelle �Ჹ�������-�ʲ�����á��, ““ An extraordinary exhibit at the Smithsonian and Seattle’s Experience Music Project (now Museum of Pop Culture) comes to life as a book, detailing Latino influence on American popular music from salsa to punk, Chicano rock to the Miami sound. Berrios-Miranda is an affiliate associate professor of ethnomusicology, Dudley an associate professor of music and �Ჹ�������-�ʲ�����á�� an associate professor in the Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies. It’s a dual-language volume — English on the right side, Spanish on the left. And as a bonus the authors have created an American Sabor on iTunes and Spotify; the book flags specific songs with a playlist icon. Published by 91̽�� Press.

David R. Montgomery, “.” Montgomery, a professor of Earth and space sciences, won praise for his popular 2007 book “.” Several books later he returned in 2017 with this view of environmental restoration based on three ideas – “ditch the plow, cover up, grow diversity.” said Montgomery’s well-expressed views “will convince readers that soil health should not remain an under-the-radar issue and that we all benefit from embracing a new philosophy of farming.” Published by .

Margaret Willson, Willson is an affiliate associate professor of anthropology and the Canadian Studies Arctic Program. In her years working as a deckhand she came across historic accounts of a woman sea captain known for reading the weather, hauling in large catches and never losing a crew member in 60 years of fishing. “And yet people in Iceland told me there had been few seawomen in their past, and few in their present,” she said. “I found this strange in a country of such purported gender equality. This curiosity led to the research and all that came from it.” Published by .

Estella Leopold, “.” Leopold is professor emeritus of biology and the youngest daughter of , who wrote the 1949 classic of early environmentalism, “.” She returns to scenes of her Wisconsin childhood in this follow-up, describing her life on the land where her father practiced his revolutionary conservation philosophy. Published by .

David Shields, “.” Shields is a professor of English and the best-selling author of many books, starting with his 1984 novel “.” In 2017 he brought out this collection of essays that the New York Times called “a triumphantly humane book” and him “our elusive, humorous ironist, something like a 21^st century Socrates.” The paper’s praise continued: “He is a master stylist — and has been for a long time, on the evidence of these pieces from throughout his career. . . All good writers make us feel less alone. But Shields makes us feel better.” Published by .

Joseph Janes, “.” The year 2017 saw Janes’ popular podcast “” become a book under a slightly different title. Janes is an associate professor in the Information School who writes here about the origin and often evolving meaning of historical documents, both famous and less known. Some of his favorite “documents” are Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s fictional list of communists, the Fannie Farmer Cookbook and the backstory to what’s called the Rosie the Riveter poster. Published by .

Frances McCue, Well-known Seattle poet, teacher and self-described “arts instigator,” McCue is a senior lecturer in English. She was a co-founder of Hugo House, a place for writers, and served as its director for 10 years. Those experiences fuel this book of poems about the changing nature of the city. “This is Seattle. A place to love whatever’s left,” she writes. Published by .

Scott L. Montgomery, “.” Scientific research that doesn’t get communicated effectively to the public may as well not have happened at all, says geoscientist Montgomery in this second volume of a popular 2001 book. A prolific writer, Montgomery is a lecturer in the Jackson School of International Studies. “Communicating is the doing of science,” he adds. “Publication and public speaking are how scientific work gains a presence, a shared reality in the world.”  Published by .

Odai Johnson, “.” The true cultural tipping point in the run-up to the American Revolution, writes Johnson, a professor in the School of Drama, might not have been the Boston Tea Party or even the First Continental Congress. Rather, he suggests, it was Congress’ 1774 decision to close the British American theaters — a small act but “a hard shot across the bow of British culture.” Published by .

Here are some recordings from 2017 involving faculty in the 91̽��School of Music:

Melia Watras, “.” Music professor Watras offers a collaboration from of world-class violists performing and sharing their own compositions with each other. Her own playing has been described in the press as “staggeringly virtuosic.” Richard Karpen, School of Music director, is among several guests. The title comes from the number of strings on the instruments used: two violas, one violin, and the 14-string viola d’amore. .

Cuong Vu 4-Tet, “.” A live collaboration between Vu, 91̽��Jazz Studies chair, and renowned jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, who is an affiliate professor with the School of Music. Recorded in 2016 at Meany Theater, Vu and Frisell were joined by artists in residence Ted Poor on drums and Luke Bergman on bass. Released on .

Craig Sheppard, “.” Sheppard, longtime professor of music and a world-class pianist, plays sonatas and mazurkas by Frederic Chopin recorded live at Meany Theater in February 2017. The Seattle Times said of an earlier Chopin concert of Sheppard’s that his playing featured “exquisite details … it was playing that revealed layer after layer of music in each piece, as if one were faceting a gemstone. Released on .

Here are some other notable recent UW-authored books:

• Research on poverty and the American suburbs in “,” by Scott Allard, professor in the Evan School of Public Policy & Governance.
• Literature meets science to contemplate the geologic epoch of humans in “,” co-edited by Jesse Oak Taylor, associate professor of English.
• A popular science exploration of machine learning and the algorithms that help run our lives in “,” by Pedro Domingos, professor of computer science and engineering.
• A close look at four of America’s electoral adventures in “” by Margaret O’Mara, professor of history.
• A fully revised second edition of Earth and space sciences professor Darrel Cowan’s popular 1984 book, “.” This 378-page paperback is filled with details about Washington state geology.
• The story of a city’s transition from the Ottoman Empire to Greece in “” by Devin Naar, professor of history and Jewish studies.
• A city that “thinks like a planet” is one both resilient to and ready for the future that the changing Earth will bring, says Marina Alberti, professor in the College of Built Environments in “.
• Todd London, professor and director of the School of Drama, follows the professional theater experiences of 15 actors from the 1995 class of Harvard’s American Repertory Theater in “.”
• Dr. Stephen Helgerson, a 91̽��School of Public Health alumnus and physician in preventive medicine for four decades, uses the novella form to tell of the influenza epidemic’s arrival in his state in “.”
• On the 500^th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, an exploration of faith that results in the common good in “,” co-authored by Steve Pfaff, professor of sociology.
• Calm down from holiday — and tech-induced stresses — by thinking mindfully with “” by communication professor David Levy.

Finally, still-popular and pertinent books from a few years back include the second edition of “” by Jeffrey Ochsner, professor of architecture; “” by Randlett with Frances McCue; “” by Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences; and the ever-popular “” by Bill Holm, professor emeritus of art history. All of these were published by , which has many other great titles.

“Mediating Difference: Sights and Sounds” will be held April 8 at Intellectual House — wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ — on the 91̽��campus. The main organizers are , associate professor of communication and director of the Center for Communication, Difference and Equity; and , associate professor of American Ethnic Studies.

The focus of this second annual conference — patterned a bit like the gatherings — is on “the visual and aural markers of this thing we’re calling difference,” Joseph said. “We investigate similar issues of power and privilege, but come to our questions through methodologically distinct ways.”

Morning keynote addresses are open to the public. Musicologist of the University of California, Riverside, will discuss the sound of difference at 10 a.m., and art historian of the University of Texas at Austin, will discuss the sight of difference at 11 a.m.

Participating in addition to Joseph and Retman are 91̽��faculty members and of the Department of History; and of the Department of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies; of the Department of English and of the Department of Communication. Many have affiliate appointments in other units as well.

“We are all female associate professors in some stage of our second major projects or books, or trying to find our way there, and we don’t usually have the allocated time and space to just be scholars,” Joseph said.

The eight have been meeting together this year to share and critique their writing. The conference isn’t the end of their work together; they will attend a writing retreat later to move their projects forward, and may convene again next year.

“We’ve all been expressing how amazing it is to rediscover our scholarly selves in the midst of service and mentoring loads. And the interdisciplinary mix has been particularly invigorating,” said Joseph. “While some of us with more obvious disciplinary connections have shared work in the past, we haven’t done so in this regular, focused format. This has been a whole different, exciting experience.”

Retman added, “This research group has emphasized the messy process of writing, rather than the polished products of research that are the usual focus of public intellectual exchange. It’s been tremendously productive and energizing in that way.”

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For more information about “Mediating Difference,” contact Joseph at 206-543-2660 or rljoseph@uw.edu; or Retman at 206-543-0470 or sretman@uw.edu.