Hello, readers!
When I started as the Press’s new director in spring 2023, I knew about its history of publishing smart, innovative books in Middle Eastern, Irish, and Jewish studies, its long commitment to scholarship on peace and conflict resolution, and its groundbreaking analyses of television. The Press is also known for books in sports history, geography, community literacy, and another set of “studies”—Native American, Arab American, and disability. In recent seasons, for example, we’ve published a treatise on how the future of our planet may depend on the philosophies of Indigenous cultures, a translation of stories about a trailblazing woman reporter’s work at a Yiddish newspaper, and deep analysis of Irish crime fiction. These innovative, thoughtful, and carefully researched books empower their readers, as the university’s motto—Suos Cultores Scientia Coronat—proclaims.
As part of our mission to share the fruits of scholarship widely, we at Syracuse University Press want to crack open our doors and let you see and hear more about the essential research we publish and give you a chance to connect with our authors, wherever they may be.
At What’SUP, you’ll hear directly from our authors about how and why they wrote their books. Some intend their work to have a direct impact on social problems by illuminating the causes and potential solutions to conflict, discrimination, and inequities. Others grapple with what it means to be human in the world by examining the inner workings of films, fiction, the built environment, the law, and more. And many are just telling gripping stories you won’t want to miss. For regular readers, we’re also going to be highlighting excerpts from upcoming books, deep dives back into our archive, and in-depth looks at the series and subjects that make SUP so unique.
We hope you’ll join us in these weekly conversations!
Catherine Cocks is the director of Syracuse University Press and has worked in scholarly publishing since 2002. Coming most recently from the flatlands of central Michigan, she is enjoying the challenging hills of Central New York.