Advance Copy Virtual Events
Archives of past NASW Advance Copy virtual events. Find links to past events, video recordings, and panelist bios.
Advance Copy: Backstories on books by NASW members
For this column, NASW book editor Lynne Lamberg asks NASW authors to tell how they came up with the idea for their book, developed a proposal, found an agent and publisher, funded and conducted research, and put the book together. She also asks what they wish they had known before they began working on their book, what they might do differently the next time, and what tips they can offer aspiring authors. She then edits the A part of that Q&A to produce the author reports you see here.
NASW members: Will your book be published soon? Visit www.nasw.org/advance-copy-submission-guidelines to submit your report.
Publication of NASW members' reports in Advance Copy does not constitute NASW's endorsement of their books. NASW welcomes your comments and hopes this column stimulates productive discussions.
Ginger Pinholster—Snakes of St. Augustine
Encounters with snakes serve as a metaphor for challenges faced by people struggling with untreated mental illness, homelessness, and substance abuse while also seeking love and support in Ginger Pinholster’s novel “Snakes of St. Augustine.” Pinholster also explores the intersection of mental illness and community policing that sometimes has tragic consequences.
Prosanta Chakrabarty—Explaining Life through Evolution
Louisiana law empowers state schools to teach the biblical account of creation in science classes as an alternative to evolution. In Explaining Life Through Evolution, evolutionary biologist/science writer Prosanta Chakrabarty exposes the legislation’s flaws. He tells general readers how evolution works & why understanding it matters. He even includes graphics for a proposed Darwin movie.
Ted Anton—Programmable Planet: The Synthetic Biology Revolution
The success of mRNA vaccines, diagnostic tests, and therapies for Covid-19 starting in 2020 became “synthetic biology’s moment,” Ted Anton notes in “Programmable Planet: The Synthetic Biology Revolution.” Changing life by changing DNA, he asserts, holds the promise of yielding more effective medications as well as sustainable foods, fuels, clothing, building materials, furniture, and more.
Brittany Fair—The Neuroscience of Yoga and Meditation
How effective are yoga and meditation in reducing stress? What benefits can they offer people with multiple sclerosis, stroke, pain, and other medical conditions? In “The Neuroscience of Yoga and Meditation,” Brittany Fair explains findings and limitations of scientific research on these topics. She also illustrates different poses and provides text for self-guided meditative practices.
Ann Bracken—Crash: A Memoir of Overmedication and Recovery
If one medication for an illness doesn’t help, maybe adding another will. That philosophy has prompted simultaneous use of multiple prescribed medications for one or more disorders by millions of Americans. In “Crash: A Memoir of Overmedication and Recovery,” Ann Bracken explores the adverse impact of polypharmacy on her migraines and depression and describes her self-directed path to recovery.
Brad Fox—The Bathysphere Book: Effects of the Luminous Ocean Depths
Bioluminescent fish like “stars gone mad.” A “marine monster,” 20 ft long, with no eyes or fins. In the 1930s, William Beebe documented never-seen-before ocean life from his bathysphere, a submersible steel ball with oxygen tanks and 8” windows that allowed him to explore ½ mile below the surface. In The Bathysphere Book: Effects of the Lu-minous Ocean Depths, Brad Fox chronicles Beebe’s life and times.
Quinn Eastman—The Woman Who Couldn't Wake Up: Hypersomnia and the Science of Sleepiness
A magazine article on a little-known sleep disorder Quinn Eastman wrote for Emory U. in 2012 spurred requests from readers seeking information and treatment. In The Woman Who Couldn’t Wake Up: Hypersomnia and the Science of Sleepiness, Eastman reports advances in understanding that disorder, idiopathic hypersomnia, and describes difficulties people with orphan diseases face in getting proper care.
Rachel Nuwer—I FEEL LOVE: MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World
After decades of clinical research, and both legal and illegal use, MDMA (short for methylenedioxymethamphetamine) also known as Molly, formerly as Ecstasy, is nearing FDA approval for the treatment of PTSD in veterans. In I Feel Love: MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World, Rachel Nuwer details MDMA’s complex history, potential medical uses, and battle for legalization.