Publishing

by

Acclaimed author and producer Josh Malerman will headline the upcoming Humanities In Action Network panel discussion on the art of filmmaking and production Nov. 20.

Acclaimed author and producer Josh Malerman will headline the upcoming Humanities In Action Network panel discussion on the art of filmmaking and production Nov. 20.

Best known for his novel, ”Bird Box,” which was adapted into a Netflix original movie in 2018 starring Sandra Bullock, Malerman will participate in an upcoming panel discussion with Emmy-winning guests: writer and director Scott Masterson and Schoolcraft’s own Jeremy Salo, professor of Media Arts. The discussion will take place from 1-2:30 p.m. Nov. 20 in the Kehrl Auditorium in the Vistatech Center at Schoolcraft College.

In addition to participating in the panel, Malerman will also take questions.

The Humanities In Action Network is the latest program launched by the College’s Center for Experiential Learning designed to bridge the gap between academic study and pathways by bringing together professionals, Schoolcraft faculty and students to explore how the arts and humanities translate into meaningful, impactful careers.

“The goal of this new program is to help students connect what they are learning in the classroom into a career rooted in the study of the Arts and Humanities,” said Errin Stegich-Moloney, Manager of the Center for Experiential Learning. “We hope to build relationships between professionals, faculty, and our students and also explore possible career paths working in these diverse fields.”

The panel discussion is free and open to the public and is supported by the Center for Experiential Learning and the Mellon Foundation. More information can be found at schoolcraft.edu.

by

Loung Ung, author of “First They Killed My Father,” will give a talk and answer questions Nov. 11 during her visit to campus.

Students and members of the community will have the opportunity to hear from a bestselling author later this fall at Schoolcraft College.

Loung Ung, the author of the memoir “First They Killed My Father,” will be on campus to share her story. Her presentation begins at 10 a.m. Nov. 11, in the Kehrl Auditorium of the Vistatech Center, 18600 Haggerty Road in Livonia.

Her memoir recounts her experiences during the 1975 fall of Phnom Penh, which ended the Cambodian Civil War, and was adapted into a 2017 Netflix Original film directed by Angelina Jolie. Over the next four years, she lost her parents and two siblings, was separated from her family, and was trained as a child soldier. In 1980, at the age of 10, Ung and her brother escaped to a refugee camp in Thailand before resettling in Vermont.

In addition to a presentation, Ung will answer questions from the audience as well.

“We are thrilled to welcome Loung Ung to Schoolcraft College this fall,” said Colleen Pilgrim, a psychology instructor. “Her powerful story and tireless advocacy for human rights provide our students and community with a rare opportunity to engage directly with a voice of courage and resilience. Hosting Ms. Ung reflects our commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue and inspiring the next generation to think critically about global issues.”

The event is free and open to the public. Guests are encouraged to read “First They Killed My Father” and bring their copies of the book for Ung to sign. No books will be available to purchase at the event.

This is a Schoolcraft College Focus Series and Schoolcraft Pageturners collaborative event. The event is supported by the Center for Experiential Learning and the Schoolcraft College Foundation.

by

Author and Illustrator Geo Rutherford was a guest at Schoolcraft College March 11 during an event put on by The Center for Experiential Learning highlighting the publishing industry.

Nothing about Geo Rutherford’s path to publishing her book Spooky Lakes was ordinary.

The author and illustrator for Spooky Lakes, a book based on her viral TikTok and Instagram series highlighting fascinating tales of bodies of water across the globe, found success in a way most authors don’t: through their social media account.

“It’s a weird journey. You can’t replicate it very easily, I would say,” said Rutherford, who lives in Wisconsin. “It’s hard to get online and accidently become internet famous and have people reach out to you and then you illustrate a book even though you were really just a high school teacher and you don’t really know how you ended up here in the first place.

“It’s definitely a different approach for the whole thing.”

students reviewing booklet pages in print
Geo Rutherford, author and illustrator of Spooky Lakes, speaks to Schoolcraft College students during a workshop.

Rutherford was a guest at Schoolcraft College March 11 during an event put on by The Center for Experiential Learning. Taking part in a panel discussion on the exciting world of publishing, Rutherford joined several Schoolcraft College faculty members in discussing their experiences in publishing, including Art faculty member Paula Imirzian and English faculty members Brynne Barnes and Kiel Phegley.

Speaking to students in the Kehrl Auditorium inside the Vistatech Center during a panel hosted by Errin Stegich, the director of The Center for Experiential Learning, all four authors made it clear how different the publishing world can be from one author to the next.

Phegley, whose work includes several licensed titles for properties such as Sonic the Hedgehog, said it can take quite a while before an author’s work gets noticed. He spoke about some of his first attempts at getting published, which included flying to the East Coast for a meeting that just didn’t pan out.

“I flew to New Jersey to try to sell this book I had been writing in grad school and when I got there, I realized it was not you meeting with many people: they matched you with one person,” he said. “I sat across from the one person and I said, ‘Here’s the book I wrote, here’s my query letter,’ and she said, “Yeah, this isn’t really my thing.’ “I thought, ‘God in heaven, what am I doing here?’”

It wasn’t until Kegley returned to Michigan that he found a match for someone to publish with. A lunch with a local representative got him rolling and eventually led to a deal.

In addition to participating in a panel discussion, Rutherford also hosted a workshop in Imirzian’s illustration course.

Her book, Spooky Lakes, came out in 2024. It highlights the mysterious bodies of water throughout the world and the wonders that lie beneath the waves. The book stems from her viral online series “Spooky Lake Month,” a short-form video series highlighting a mysterious lake in under three minutes.

Rutherford plans on writing two additional books in her series that will come out in the coming years. She understands trends come and go and is just excited at the ride she’s on when it comes to publishing her series.

“I just see everything as an opportunity and I’ve been just I’m open for to just taking moments and opportunities where they come,” Rutherford said.