SDSU Press is BACK IN BUSINESS!!! March 27, 2020

We are back ONLINE through our Amazon sales portal--all 170+ SDSU PRESS titles on sale; shipment will be a tad slower but it should get there within the guaranteed shipment windows!

First book back!? @nyehya's DRONE VISIONS--> https://t.co/7XUQPCjKGS pic.twitter.com/3oMz8AKvm4

— San Diego State University Press (@SDSUPress) March 27, 2020

A Jay Ruby Critical Anthology -- Bohemia in Southern California -- from the SDSU Press

Introducing Jay Ruby's edited anthology, Bohemia in Southern California

David Ornelas

SDSU Press Editorial & Marketing Associate 

Are you a bohemian (or a student of the phenomena?). Do you dig bohemian culture, are you obsessed about California history, or a denizen of Southern and Northern California, or a devotee of cultural studies!? All of the above? Then SDSU Press's latest title is going to light your fire. 

Bohemia in Southern California, edited and with an essay by Jay Ruby, is a critical anthology (and photo album) that explores alternative life styles and artistic endeavors of Bohemians of all stripes in the Southland. Taken collectively, they suggest that when la vie bohéme arrived in the land of sunshine, a unique way of being unconventional was created. The classical Western bohemias of Paris, New York’s Greenwich Village, and the North Beach community of San Francisco were complemented by a rich flowering of individual and group experiments in creative living and the production of art. The fully illustrated book contains essays by scholars in literature, cultural studies, anthropology, librarianship, the book arts, history, psychoanalysis, the performing arts, and others that provide a uniquely multidisciplinary approach. 

This captivating and wide-ranging volume takes readers on a compelling tour, from the Arroyo Seco and Edendale communities, earlier in the twentieth century, to the beach communities of Malibu; from coffeehouse culture, surfer enclaves, and 1960s counterculture to the explosion of artistic and bohemian scenes several decades later in Venice, Laurel Canyon, downtown Los Angeles, and the Santa Barbara hillsides. 

Our New Hyperbole Books Title DRONE VISIONS, by Naief Yehya, Now Available on Kindle

@SDSUPress is excited to announce that our instant cultural studies classic, DRONE VISIONS, by @nyehya, is NOW AVAILABLE as a digital download on Kindle! This is an experiment necessitated by the shutdown of SDSU owing to the Coronavirus crisis!

amzn.to/2xljklu

pacREV 2017, Edited by Hari Alluri, Now Available Via Kindle

Sales Currently Closed -- SDSU Press

Sadly the SDSU Press is currently closed for sales due to the Coronavirus. We originally wanted to keep the Press open as we were receiving tons of orders for books but ultimately felt this would be the best decision. Just because the Press will be closed for sales doesn't mean the posts on here will stop. We promise to keep you up to date on our books as well as updates to when we will open the sales. It would mean a lot to keep supporting us by reading our posts and visiting the Press page. 

Love,
The SDSU Press

Presenting a Limited Edition SDSU Press Book, Laughing Matters: Conversations on Humor from Aldama and Stavans

Laughing Matters: Conversations on Humor (Special Limited-Edition Paperback) 

Do you dig humor, comedy, critical theory, literary criticism, philosophy, television, and mass media studies all wrapped up together? Then LAUGHING MATTERS by Latino scholar/writers/artists ILAN STAVANS and FREDERICK ALDAMA is the book for you!

Description  

In this kinetic tête-à-tête, Aldama and Stavans' conversation weaves effortlessly from the great thinkers on laughter to today's neurobiological insights to offer witty, wide-ranging, and incisive insights into our planet's great creations," says Peter McGraw, director of The Humor Research Lab. Laughing Matters explores the nature of laughter and humor, questioning and expounding on Western European and Latin American literary works that build humor into their pages. In a decidedly erudite manner they take us on a journey through philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Bergson as well as literary geniuses such as Cervantes, Shakespeare, and Borges," affirms María Herrera-Sobek,

 
About the Author's 

Frederick Luis Aldama is Distinguished University Professor, Arts & Humanities Distinguished Professor of English, University Distinguished Scholar, and Alumni Distinguished Teacher at the Ohio State University. He is editor and coeditor of 8 academic press book series as well as editor of Latinographix, a trade-press series that publishes Latinx graphic fiction and nonfiction. He is creator of the first documentary on the history of Latinx superheroes in comics (Amazon Prime) and co-founder and director of SÕL-CON: Brown & Black Comix Expo.

 
llan Stavans has taught courses on a wide array of topics such as Spanglish, Jorge Luis Borges, Shakespeare in prison, modern American poetry, Latin music, Don Quixote, Gabriel García Márquez, Modernismo, popular culture in Hispanic America, world Jewish writers, the cultural history of the Spanish language, Pablo Neruda, the history of the Spanish language, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Yiddish literature, Jewish-Hispanic relations, cinema, Latin American art, and U.S.-Latino culture.

Book Reviews

"Two academics go into a bar. . . and create one of the most compelling works on laughter since Bergson. In this kinetic tête-à-tête, Aldama and Stavans' conversation weaves effortlessly from the great thinkers on laughter to today's neurobiological insights to offer witty, wide-ranging, and incisive insights into our planet's great creations."  

"Our authors scour the world of humor from stand-up Jewish comedians to classic writers such as Cervantes and Rabelais to those, like Freud and Bergson. The conversational format of this book allows its authors a freedom to range that would be impossible in a more conventional mode of discourse."

 

Steven Bender brings you, How the West Was Juan: Reimagining the U.S. / Mexico Border -- SDSU Press

How the West Was Juan: Reimagining the U.S. / Mexico Border 

Description

How the West Was Juan creatively approaches the current political stalemate over restrictive v. compassionate border policy by imagining a different U.S.-Mexico border, one that returns to the early 1800s U.S.-Mexico border. Relocating the border serves the dual purpose of disconnecting the heated immigration debate from the current physical border, and allowing exploration of the physical and cultural space of the U.S. Southwest, where most U.S. Mexicans reside today as they always have.

A Pandora's box is opened in the hands of a master of law and cultural studies as well as history. Playful, yet historically and legally researched, How the West Was Juan demarcates a new territory for the physical, psychological, moral, and spiritual borders of our country, as well as deconstructing the inaccuracy of our traditional history books. Bender keeps us entertained with his kneading of geographical facts with history and current events, allowing us to envision different, possible borderlands, and throwing a scholarly wrench into the notion of border and belonging, as well as appropriated spaces.

About the Author 

Steven Bender is a national academic leader on immigration law and policy, as well as an expert in real estate law. Among his honors, the Minority Groups Section of the Association of American Law Schools presented him with the C. Clyde Ferguson, Jr., Award, a prestigious national award recognizing scholarly reputation, mentoring of junior faculty, and teaching excellence.

He joined the faculty from the University of Oregon in 2011 and served as Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development from 2014-2017. He taught at UO for 20 years and served as the James and Ilene Hershner Professor of Law, Director of Portland Programs, Director of the Green Business Initiative, and Co-Director of the Law and Entrepreneurship Center.

Professor Bender is a prolific author of many law review articles, a casebook on real estate transactions, a national two-volume treatise on real estate financing, and several acclaimed books. His latest book, the co-edited "From Extraction to Emancipation: Reimagining Development,” was published in 2018 by Carolina Academic Press and the ABA Section of International Law.

Book Reviews

"In juxtaposing those intriguing "what ifs" with the current state of affairs, the book provides a deeper and more thoughtful lens through which to see U.S. - Mexico relations, including the long and rich interconnectedness between the two countries. The author urges convincingly that a better appreciation of these historical, political, social, cultural, economic and equity-based considerations might better guide policy makers toward more compassionate and more effective solutions to present and future challenges and opportunities near the border and beyond."

"Thought provoking, questions ideologies, and discusses the conquest of the west. How the West Was Juan shows the bedrock of our current national politics about immigration and culture wars. This book is definitely a must read for anyone who wants to truly understand the hidden history of the southwest."

 

Zaum! The Transrational Poetry of Russian Futurism (Paperback) -- San Diego State University Press

originally published 10.13.19 | updated 03.04.20

Zaum!

The Transrational Poetry of Russian Futurism

Gerald Janecek

If Dada and the European Avant-garde are your thing, then brace yourself for Gerald Janecek's ZAUM. According to Charlotte Douglas (Russian and Slavic Studies, NYU), Janecek's Zaum "is an encyclopedic account of zaum or 'beyonsense,' the most distinctive feature of Russian avant-garde art and poetry early in the 20th century. Janecek has mined a myriad of arcane and inaccessible sources, gathered the entire historical record in one place, and made it readable and comprehensible. His account of zaum theory and practice will be indispensable for anyone interested in modern poetry and art. Certainly it will become a standard text for all students of Russian Futurism." Pick up your copy of Janecek's classic meditation on Russia's version of Dada here: http://bit.ly/zaum2017

More on Professor Janecek and his work here.

SDSU Press Event in Collaboration with MALAS, the Master of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences Program at SDSU | A Lecture on Daniel Olivas's THINGS WE DO NOT TALK ABOUT

View this post on Instagram

We need to talk about Daniel A. Olivas’s “Things We Do Not Talk About.” Join the #sdsupress family at Dr. William Anthony Nericcio’s lecture on “Latinx Spirituality in the Age of Hate” or click on the link in the bio for more! 🗣📖

A post shared by SDSU Press (@sdsupress) on Mar 3, 2020 at 8:33pm PST

3 Photos That Will Change The Way You Think About Dance: Snapshots from "Bodies Beyond Borders"

By Madison Cappuccio

From Bodies Beyond Borders: Dance on the U.S./Mexico Border

If you were asked to describe a dancer, what kind of person would you describe? Athletic? Graceful, perhaps? These descriptions are certainly valid but now is the time to challenge how we interpret dancing and it's impact on culture. In Bodies Beyond Borders: Dance on the U.S./Mexico Border, readers will ultimately examine the relationship between dance and language.

Pilar Medina. (Rocío Alejandra)

The stance depicted in this photo encapsulates expression and the body's ability to project symbolism. The shot is still, but our eyes follow the flow of her movement. She conveys beauty, strength, and power all in one swift raise.  Her body becomes a vessel as to how she communicates; she transcends the barrier of language. 


Dancers are storytellers. In the absence of words, crafted choreography is utilized to tell stories of life. Dancing depicts the innermost intricacies of the human body, mind, and spirit. 


Take a look at the facial expression of the dancer to the left-what do you see? More importantly, what does she make you feel? 

Ballet Cámara de la Frontera. (Arturo Casillas)

The synchronization of movement symbolizes solidarity. The five dancers become one as they deliver their theatrical performance. Through their shared passion, they achieve"...a means of cultural diffusion...a channel of communication and friendship."

Taller Coreográfico de la UABC. (Arturo Casillas)

Sequences of steps are employed to create a sense of surrealism. Dancers evoke emotion by use of motion to reflect reality. In some cases, dancers offer a temporary escape from reality.






These "promoters of culture" defy societal boundaries by expressing their identity through the performing arts. In Patricia Cardona's essay, "Something More Than Reptiles and Thistles" she describes dancers best: "They are like drops of water whose sound is still there, still in the spirits, still in the feelings of the inhabitants." Revolutionize the way you interpret dance by dancing  your way through Bodies Beyond Borders here.

Psychoanalyze With SDSU Press’ "Psychoanalysis on the Couch" Series and Lectures by Ralph R Greenson

How To Psychoanalyze Your Friends At Parties

From The Teachings of Ralph R. Greenson

by Abigail Jones

Photo by Eric Nopanen on Unsplash

Ralph R. Greenson

With the right drive and passion, going to school and getting a degree in psychoanalysis is well within the realm of possibility for most people.

What if, however, you could learn psychoanalytic techniques for as little as $20.

With just one book from SDSU Press's series, Techniques and Practices on Psychoanalysis from the lectures of Ralph R. Greenson (edited by Harry Polkinhorn), you can pull out psychoanalytic techniques that you friends will totally love. Who doesn't want to have a free therapy session?

All the techniques used are from the publication Techniques and Practices of Psychoanalysis, 4 by Ralph R. Greenson and edited by Harry Polkinhorn.  

1. Make sure your 'patient' gives up her/his emotional defense-- Surely, when your friend asks you, "What should I do about [event]?", they are asking for you to psychoanalyze them. Greenson's first step in a successful session with a patient is to lower their defenses, and his plan for this is to make the patient uncomfortable and educated. This will make them ultimately more comfortable with you and make analysis more accurate. Imagine:

Friend: I had such a weird dream, it made me so uncomfortable. I'm glad it was just a dream. 

You, educated from reading Greenson's work: Well, this is probably a bad time to tell you that whatever you dream are the desires of your hidden unconscious. 

2. Be careful in debunking the 'patient's' analysis of their own lives-- Of course your friends knows themselves better than you know them. However, they didn't read SDSU's "Psychoanalysis on the Couch" series and you did (at least I hope you did). Greenson says to broach the debunking of incorrect analysis carefully. You must not lie to the patient, but you don't want to disrespect another analyst or the patient themselves. Here is an appropriate way to broach the subject:

Friend: I looked it up and my dream was telling me to take risks. I think I am going to start that new job! 

You, an analyst: No, definitely not. 

3. The Trial Period-- Greenson looks at trial analysis, and its failure in psychoanalysis today. The idea is to make the first period of analysis a trial period. The analyst will looked at the patients responses and their psychosis to try and see if they are a good candidate for analysis. With your friends, every minute you spend with them can be the trial period until you finally understand them. Greenson warns that most analysts don't agree with this anymore because patients are resistant. Here's how to avoid your friend realizing they are on trial.

Friend: You know, lately I've been feeling like you have been putting me through an analytical trial.

You: Whaaaat? Me? No. 

4. How to analyze your 'patient's' secrets-- Greenson looks a lot at how to combat resistance in his lectures. One form of resistance he looks at is a patient who doesn't want to reveal something but will acknowledge that they are leaving something out. Now, wouldn't you say that -- for the most part -- when your friends want to tell you something, you seem to know what they want to say. Analyzing a friend puts you in a unique position, as you might have more insight into their lives than an analyst would. However, Greenson says it's best to circle around the topic without making the patient have to tell the secret. Here is an example;

Friend: I want to tell you something, but I can't. 

You: Why not! I haven't been friends with you this whole time for you not to tell me things! I tell you everything! It's only fair. 

http://bit.ly/rgreenson (GET A COPY HERE)

Congratulations! You have finished your first class in psychoanalysis, and you would not be here without Greenson's lecture. Go forth and psychoanalyze your friends.

A friendly reminder, however, that nothing in life is free and that reading the Techniques and Practices of Psychoanalysis series from SDSU Press can help you on your way.

The series offers inside transcriptions of Greenson's lectures, and is a deep dive into techniques that a skilled analyst may use.

It also, obviously, is not a replacement for actually going to school for psychoanalysis, but Greensons diverse manuals do offer an intriguing read and a fun new skill to hone.

Edit: Looking back now, having psychoanalyzed my friends for fun--I can tell you that the techniques offered by Greenson are great, but maybe we should leave this one to the trained professionals.

The Drones are Coming! The Drones are Coming! er ... The Drones are HERE! Check out Hyperbole Books's New Cultural Studies Masterpiece, DRONE VISIONS by Naief Yehya

The drones are coming! The drones are coming!

SDSU Press's and Hyperbole Books's latest title is its most ambitious! @nyehya Naief Yehya's awesome DRONE VISIONS! More info here: https://t.co/qoWSkwycl9 pic.twitter.com/7OtoyRHnYa

— San Diego State University Press (@SDSUPress) February 27, 2020

Starting the Conversation: Daniel A. Olivas's "Things We Do Not Talk About"

by Madison Cappuccio

"I learned that a short story is like a poem: each word, every sentence, has to matter."

- Daniel A. Olivas

In his collection, Things We Do Not Talk About: Exploring Latino/a Literature Through Essays and Interviews, readers follow Daniel A. Olivas down the rabbit hole that is the empowering process of writing; they also get to witness Olivas's becoming as a Latina/o/x author. The experiences of twenty-eight esteemed authors, including Salvador Plascencia, Gustavo Arellano, and Reyna Grande, are documented through enlightening interviews that are quintessential for new writers. Through these essays and interviews, Olivas invites his audience to travel in time--readers encounter the roots of Chicano culture and the oppressive stigmas that have inhibited the welcoming of Mexican-American excellence in writing and beyond. The author calls upon Latino creatives to use the power of language to initiate widespread Chicano representation and breakdown America's wall of bigotry. Olivas's sharing of stories, coupled with his expertise in law and literature, encourages readers to examine the relationship between justice and reality. You will be tasked with the challenge of opening your eyes to a mirror of stories that reflect the ugly truth of living in a blind society. Join the Revolution / Únete a la revolución and learn more about the movement supporting the Latino community's resilience by getting your hands on a copy of Daniel A. Olivas' awe-inspiring anthology Things We Do Not Talk About here.

Fluxus, by Owen Smith, from SDSU Press #fluxus #dada #avantgarde

Are you a fan of Fluxus? Does the European Avant-garde get your blood pressure rising?! Then check one of our all time classics, FLUXUS: THE HISTORY OF AN ATTITUDE by Owen Smith. Get your copy here: https://t.co/zBQkRPD0EM#fluxus #zaum #dada #avantgarde pic.twitter.com/JVMYQoAbvY

— San Diego State University Press (@SDSUPress) February 22, 2020

Dance in/on/with/through the Border with SDSU Press!

Ballet goes multicultural! https://t.co/HD0jQ18S6E Be sure to check out SDSU Press's critical anthology on Dance at/on/in la frontera: "Bodies beyond Borders: Dance on the U.S.-Mexico Border" https://t.co/GQOnjrWERO A broadly conceived collection of interviews, articles, & essays pic.twitter.com/WyuDqjAEwk

— San Diego State University Press (@SDSUPress) February 19, 2020