Recently Published Works from CSUS Faculty
The Sacramento Anthology of 100 Poems
published by Sacramento’s Poet Laureate Program and the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission
edited by Dennis Schmitz, emeritus professor of English, with co-editor Viola Weinberg
Since his first published poem, Sac State professor emeritus Dennis Schmitz has provoked praise, delight and amazement among his readers.
In January of 2000, the Sacramento City Council and the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission selected Schmitz as one of the city’s first two poet laureates, along with Viola Weinberg.
The two worked together to compile The Sacramento Anthology of 100 Poems, which includes a rich array of works from the city’s finest poets.
Schmitz started at Sac State as a resident writer in 1966. His first collection of poems, We Weep for Our Strangeness, was published in 1969. Since then he has published more than 200 poems in such notable journals as the American Poetry Review, The Nation and the Chicago Review.
Along with poetry, Schmitz taught writing courses, literature and translation at Sac State. He has been a Guggenheim fellow and from 1976 to 1977, 1985 to 1986 and 1992 to 1993 Schmitz was a National Endowment for the Arts fellow.
European
Entry into the Pacific: Spain and the Acapulco-Manila Galleons
edited by James Sobredo, professor of ethnic studies, with co-editors
Dennis O. Flynn and Arturo Giráldez
What began as an interest in Filipino migration eventually put ethnic
studies professor James Sobredo on course for a specialization in maritime
history. Where the two topics intersect provided inspiration for the book,
which he co-edited with two economic historians.
Sobredo was surprised to find that Filipino crew members were among the
first to set shore on the California coast. “The first documented
case of Filipinos landing in the Americas was 1587—that’s before
Jamestown, before Plymouth,” he says. They were sailors and soldiers
on the Nuestra Senora de Buena Experanza, a Spanish ship exploring the
central coast. However, the shipping records refer to those explorers–not
as Asians–but as Indios, leading many historians to believe that
that were Native Americans.
The book also documents the impact of the Manila Galleon trade.
“Because of the Eurocentric nature of economic history, the Galleon
trade between Manila, Acapulco and China has been virtually invisible,”
he says. “But it was the first global economic system.”
Coaching
Girls’ Softbal
(Prima
Publishing, 2001, $14.95)
Kathy Strahan, Sac State softball head coach
There are plenty of books on coaching softball. There are even more on
interacting with pre-teen girls.
Kathy Strahan’s book is both. Its main lesson is that coaches don’t
have a chance of building a team with 7- to 13-year-old girls until they
understand the girls’ social and psychological needs.
“I wanted this book to provide solid information about girls at that
age, and how coaching them is different than coaching boys at that age,”
says Strahan, who recently completed her 10th year as Sac State’s
head softball coach. “Many youth coaches have asked me about this
over the years, especially men who all of sudden find themselves coaching
a girls softball team.”
In addition to six chapters on strategy and skills development, the book
has two chapters specific to coaching girls. Each offers practical, real-world
tips.
Strahan writes that pre-teen girls highly value the friendships in team
sports, so she suggests letting them socialize when possible, such as
during pre-practice warm-ups. She says coaches need to focus on keeping
girls inspired, because girls often view any failure as their fault, while
boys tend to attribute failings to a good effort by opposing players.
She also says male head coaches should try to have a female coach working
with them so they have help when the girls experience sensitive physical
and emotional issues.