Beyond Memory and Words: Exploring Identity in They Made A List by Susan Letzler Cole

By SAFIYA MOHAMED

SDSU Press

They Made A List: A Memoir Beyond Memory by Susan Letzler Cole is a beautifully reflective journey through early language, memory, and the quiet power of parental attention. Rather than following a linear narrative, Cole’s memoir unfolds as a series of intimate meditations—lenses through which we glimpse not only a child’s early development but the enduring mystery of self-discovery. 

At the heart of the book is a lovingly compiled list of the author's first 200 words, meticulously recorded by her parents during the first ten and a half months of her life. Years after their passing, Cole uncovered these lists and embarked on a deeply personal quest: to discover which word came first. That search led her to profound questions—about identity, memory, and the very act of noticing.

"Why do I care about this list of my earliest words?" Cole asks. "Am I looking for myself? Am I looking for my parents, long dead, whom I might resurrect by these words? If I could peer into my first words, or the spaces between them, what would I know about my life? Do I learn that we shall never know enough about who we are, and why?"

They Made A List offers readers more than just a nostalgic look at babyhood. With baby snapshots, health records, parental notes, and tender reflections, it becomes a meditation on how we trace the threads of who we are—through language, love, and the fragments our caregivers leave behind.

Susan Letzler Cole is a professor of English and director of the Concentrations in Creative Writing and Dramatic Studies at Albertus Magnus College. She is also the author of several acclaimed works, including The Absent One, Directors in Rehearsal, Playwrights in Rehearsal, and Missing Alice: In Search of a Mother’s Voice. 

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ISBN-10 : 193853719X

ISBN-13 : 978-1938537196

Exploring Identity and Creativity in Latino/a Literature with Daniel A. Olivas

By SAFIYA MOHAMED

SDSU Press

Things We Do Not Talk About by Daniel A. Olivas is a powerful and intimate journey through the landscape of Latino/a literature. Blending insightful interviews and deeply personal essays, Olivas shines a light on the voices shaping contemporary Chicano and Latino storytelling. 

At the core of this collection is Olivas’s fascination with identity, creativity, and cultural expression. He brings together a wide range of Latina and Latino authors—including Aaron A. Abeyta, Daniel Alarcón, Francisco Aragón, Gustavo Arellano, Gregg Barrios, Richard Blanco, Margo Candela, Susana Chávez-Silverman, Sandra Cisneros, Carlos E. Cortés, and many more—to explore how writers navigate the challenges of life, bigotry, writer’s block, and the unpredictable world of publishing.

Through these intimate conversations, Olivas asks the questions many writers quietly grapple with: What does it mean to be a Chicano writer? What do readers expect from me? What do I expect from myself? The result is a collection that not only celebrates literary achievement but also humanizes it, revealing the personal battles and cultural complexities behind the page. 

Daniel A. Olivas: Our Stories Are Important

Daniel A. Olivas—a prolific author, the grandson of Mexican immigrants, and a practicing attorney—brings a rare depth and nuance to this exploration. With 12 books and two anthologies under his belt, his body of work includes My Chicano Heart: New and Collected Stories of Love and Other Transgressions and Chicano Frankenstein: A Novel. His writings have appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Zócalo, and Los Angeles Review of Books, among others.

“With passion and earnestness Daniel Olivas reveals that the preoccupations of the contemporary Chicana/o writer are vast and complex. Most Chicanas/os and Latinas/os would attest to this, of course, but how often do we see this range in published form? Through personal essays and probing interviews, Olivas tackles not only the craft of writing but also its moral implications. We are lucky to have such a generous author in our midst.”
                —Maceo Montoya,
                 author of The Deportation of Wopper Barraza

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ISBN-10:193853705X 

ISBN-13:978-1-938537-05-9

Mastering the Initial Clinical Interview: Insights from Ralph R. Greenson’s Seminars

By SAFIYA MOHAMED

The third installment in The Technique and Practice of Psychoanalysis series, Assessment: The Initial Clinical Interviews, The Ralph R. Greenson Training Seminars, is part of a comprehensive 10-part volume collection that offers a rare glimpse into the foundational teachings of one of psychoanalysis' most influential figures. Edited and annotated by Lee Jaffe, this volume provides a meticulously transcribed record of Dr. Greenson’s first three training seminars, delivered in 1959 at the Los Angeles Psychoanalytic Institute (now the New Center for Psychoanalysis).

In these insightful discussions, Greenson and his students explore critical clinical topics, including:

• Navigating the first interactions with a prospective patient

• Evaluating suitability for military service

• Addressing substance abuse with patients in a therapeutic setting

These seminars capture Greenson’s early thoughts on the psychoanalytic process, making this book an invaluable resource for clinicians, students, and scholars seeking a deeper understanding of initial patient engagement. Lee Jaffe expertly organizes and annotates the material, maintaining the structure of previous volumes while providing essential background context. His careful editing ensures that Greenson’s teachings remain relevant to contemporary psychoanalytic and psychotherapeutic practice, bridging past and present with clarity and depth.

A renowned psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Greenson played a pivotal role in shaping modern psychoanalytic technique. He studied medicine in Bern, Switzerland, and was analyzed by Wilhelm Stekel—a direct student of Sigmund Freud—before continuing his training with Otto Fenichel and Frances Deri in Los Angeles. Greenson later became a clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA and a prolific contributor to psychoanalytic literature, publishing 53 papers and the landmark The Technique and Practice of Psychoanalysis (1967), a text still regarded as essential reading for clinicians. 

"Ralph Greenson was a gifted, charismatic teacher of psychoanalytic technique, premier in his generation. I, along with many other students of analysis, had the privilege of learning from his clear yet scintillating seminars on dreams and clinical practice. The editor has done a major service to all mental health practitioners by providing these brilliant, sparkling Greenson seminars, notes, and papers for our benefit."
— Peter Loewenberg, Professor of History Emeritus, UCLA / Training and Supervising Analyst, Dean Emeritus, New Center for Psychoanalysis, Los Angeles

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The Technique and Practice of Psychoanalysis, 4  (edited by Harry Polkinhorn)

The Technique and Practice of Psychoanalysis, 5 (edited by Harry Polkinhorn)

The Technique and Practice of Psychoanalysis, 6 (edited by Harry Polkinhorn)

The Technique and Practice of Psychoanalysis, 7 (edited by Harry Polkinhorn)

The Technique and Practice of Psychoanalysis, 8 (edited by Harry Polkinhorn)

The Technique and Practice of Psychoanalysis, 9 (edited by Harry Polkinhorn)

The Technique and Practice of Psychoanalysis, 10 (edited by Harry Polkinhorn)

ISBN 10 : 1938537076

ISBN 13 : 978-1938537073