The annual College of Arts and Sciences’ Artists, Authors, and Editors celebration recognizes the scholarly and creative activities of Stony Brook faculty, including books, journals, performances, exhibits, recordings and videos published or produced in the previous year.
On November 22, a celebratory reception showcasing these works was held at the Hilton Garden Inn Stony Brook. More than 50 creative and scholarly works, from books and journals to art exhibits, animation, films, plays, and music were featured. These works were from faculty in five schools and colleges, the University Libraries, and more than 15 departments encompassing the arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, natural and physical sciences, and health fields.
“I’m thrilled to celebrate this important event with you, as celebrating the arts is extremely important to me,” said David Wrobel, dean, College of Arts and Sciences. “It’s great that we can gather together to recognize the creative and scholarly works of our community.”
For the artists, it was an opportunity to see their work highlighted next to those of peers from across Stony Brook.
“It was an honor to have my novel The Madwomen of Paris featured in the Artists, Authors and Editors celebration, and inspiring to be among such extraordinarily talented and creative faculty colleagues,” said author Jennifer Epstein, a visiting writer in the Lichtenstein Center at Stony Brook. “In a moment when the liberal arts face unprecedented challenges on so many fronts, it’s especially gratifying that Stony Brook University can provide such a dynamic and supportive platform for sharing and celebrating our work together.”
The Madwomen of Paris, Epstein’s fourth novel, is set in the Salpêtrière asylum during Paris’s turn-of-the-century hysteria “epidemic.” The book, which explores the treatment and public presentation of Salpêtrière hysterics, has been described as “beautifully crafted” by Publishers Weekly, and “a fascinating look back at a condition with modern-day resonance” by Science Magazine. It was nominated for the 2024 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, which honor the year’s best works in mystery fiction and nonfiction.
For Joanna Wuest, who joined the College of Arts and Sciences faculty in September, the event represented an opportunity to introduce her work to fellow faculty members and learn more about their work.
“As a new faculty member, the Artists, Authors and Editors celebration was a wonderful way to share my new book and to learn about what others have recently accomplished,” said Wuest, an assistant professor in the College’s Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS). “It was especially rewarding to learn that one of our own WGSS graduate students had collaborated on a book with a professor in the Department of English.”
Wuest’s book Born This Way: Science, Citizenship, and Inequality in the American LGBTQ+ Movement explores how a biologically driven understanding of gender and sexuality became central to US LGBTQ+ political and legal advocacy. The book has been featured on an episode of the Radiolab podcast and in The New York Times.
In recognizing the honorees, Wrobel also highlighted the need to preserve Stony Brook’s creative legacy.
“Every work published by a member of our faculty or staff should be in the library in a permanent collection devoted to the authorship and creative activity of our faculty and staff,” said Wrobel, himself an author. “What a wonderful thing it would be to begin that archive tonight. There’s a massive amount of work that goes into producing these works, and that moment when you see your work for the first time in print, or whatever the finished product is, is a truly special moment. I remember it with each of my works. And while that moment is an important one, it’s even more important to share it. It’s what makes us stronger as a community, celebrating not just our own work, but celebrating each other’s work. Events like this bring us together and make us a stronger community.”
— Robert Emproto
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