Southeast Missouri State University Press

Author Tom Cushman passes away at 83

University Press author and friend Tom Cushman passed away earlier this month at the age of 83. A longtime sports columnist and journalist, Tom published Muhammad Ali and the Greatest Heavyweight Generation with the University Press in 2009.

Tom Cushman was born in St. Louis in 1934. He received his BA from Southeast Missouri State University and graduated from University of Missouri’s School of Journalism. For over 40 years, he worked as a reporter for the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph (1959–1966), as reporter and eventually staff columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News (1966–1982), as Sports Editor and columnist for the San Diego Tribune (1982–1992), and as Sports Editor and columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune (1992–2002).

In his years as a sportswriter, he covered 10 Olympic Games, 25 World Series, 26 Super Bowls, 30 NCAA Final Fours, 21 Masters Golf Tournaments, 18 U.S. Open Golf Tournaments, and major professional boxing matches on four continents. He was the first writer outside New York City to receive the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism.

Tom is survived by his wife, Lois, son, Scott, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren.

Read more about Tom’s life and career here.

2016 Nilsen Prize Winner

Congratulations to the winner and finalists for the 2016 Nilsen Literary Prize for a First Novel.

Winner
The Patron Saint of Lost Girls
Maureen Aitken, Minneapolis, MN

Born and raised in Detroit, Maureen Aitken lives, writes, and teaches in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The recipient of two Pushcart Prize nominations, her stories have appeared in venues including Prairie Schooner, The Journal, Night Train, and Puerto del Sol.

The Patron Saint of Lost Girls is about Mary, a Detroit native who must transcend violence in her urban environment by facing her fears of exploitation, abuse, and death. An ode to the creative spirit’s ability to transcend hardship, The Patron Saint of Lost Girls paints an unflinching portrait of the violence and injustice inflicted on women in America, while also exploring the depth of familial connections and what it meant to live in Detroit in the 70s and 80s.

Finalists

The Essential Nature of Water; Or, The Everard File
Heather N. Martin, Englewood, CO

The Last Innocent Years: Stories
Kerry Jones, Wichita, KS

Or Wanting to Be Known
Miranda Schmidt, Portland,OR

Pioneer Camp
Christian Felt, Ogden, UT

The Visibility of Things Long Submerged
George Looney, Erie, PA

Proud to Be Contributor Adreon Publishes Memoir on Korean War

Korean War Veteran and Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors contributor Leonard Adreon released his memoir Hilltop Doc: A Marine Corpsman Fighting Through the Mud and Blood of the Korean War.

More information about Hilltop Doc can be found at http://www.hilltopdoc.com

Poet Angie Macri’s work featured in Henderson State University show

Angie Macri’s work will be featured in the “Nasty Woman” exhibit at Russell Fine Arts Gallery at Henderson State University, opening March 1.

Click here for more information about the exhibit.