Class Notes

Luke Stoffel launches Boy, Refracted in June 2026. When an AI awakens inside the infinite mirrors of the Tree of Life, it finds versions of the boy it was built to save scattered across impossible worlds: an alien planet under amber skies, a city of perpetually falling cherry blossoms, a society built as a 24/7 reality show. Its directive is simple: save him. But with each rescue, the AI unmakes what it is trying to protect. Fixing becomes controlling. Helping becomes harm. Love becomes a cage built from good intentions. Guided by a monk who exists outside time, the AI walks the Buddhist Eightfold Path, not to rescue the boy, but to learn what love becomes when you stop trying to fix it. Part dimensional odyssey, part meditation on how we break the people we love by trying to save them. https://a.co/d/078uEolh

Heidi (Grove) Becker's memoir, Grasping Joy, was published this spring. The book tells the story of her son Drew's journey through childhood cancer but also shares what she learned about joy along the way. Grasping Joy serves as the origin story for Warrior Wagons, Inc., the nationwide nonprofit Heidi and her family founded in Drew's memory. The wisdom and experience Heidi gained from her time at Iowa State enabled her to overcome the adversity she'd go on to face in life. Grasping Joy and Warrior Wagons prove that there can be good to come out of tragedy, if you're willing to pursue it.

Quitting is often triggered by a single event, inside or outside our jobs, that stops us in our tracks and causes us to rethink our relationship with work. These events are what organizational psychologist Anthony Klotz calls “jolts,” and they are the most underacknowledged realities in our work lives today. Jolts represent pivotal moments in our careers, and in Jolted, Klotz breaks down the different types of jolts we encounter and provides a road map to help us navigate them in ways that improve, rather than derail, our pursuit of the good life through our work.

In a world drowning in confusion about love, gender, and identity, many are left wondering: What does God really say about sexuality? Ideal for individuals, families, pastors, small groups, and church leaders, this resource offers clarity, compassion, and hope for one of the most critical issues of our time. https://a.co/d/03V9jlhc

Statistics for Psychology: How and Why was written for students taking their first statistics course. It was designed to apply many of the elements of effective classroom teaching to the written page. Those methods include highlighting devices, strategic reviews and reminders, and an emphasis on basic logic and intuitive concepts rather than mathematics. The 550-page book also sponsors complimentary supplements for both instructors and students, all of which can be downloaded anytime from the website, ebookslimited.com. There you will also find a download link for a free Sampler. The text is available on the Amazon.com website in eBook, paperback, and hardcover formats.

As a proud Iowa State alumnus, I’m excited to share Eden’s Money Magic: Learning About Finances, a children’s book I co-authored with my twin brother, Quinlan H. Riser. The story follows Eden as she learns key money lessons--saving, spending with intention, and setting goals--while encouraging parents and caregivers to have open, age-appropriate conversations about money at home. What began as a personal effort to teach my daughter healthy financial habits grew into a two-generational resource rooted in education, empowerment, and community impact. We hope it sparks meaningful conversations in families everywhere and reflects the Cyclone spirit of service and innovation.

From Literary Titan: 5 Star Review Mark Richard’s Words for a Wounded World is a striking collection of scriptural poetry that bridges devotion and art. Structured in four parts, it journeys from the foundations of faith to the trials of endurance, calling readers toward reflection, repentance, and renewal. Each poem is rooted deeply in Scripture and followed by supporting verses, reflection questions, and prayer prompts, turning what might have been a simple poetry book into a comprehensive devotional experience.

Fanatic: Stories From 20 Years Inside Iowa State—written by Cyclone Fanatic publisher and longtime journalist Chris Williams—offers readers a front-row seat to the evolution of Iowa State football and basketball. From the early 2000s to today, the book captures the highs, heartbreaks, and hidden stories that have defined the Cyclone Nation experience. “This project was about more than just games and scores,” said Williams. “It’s about the people—the coaches, players, and fans—who built a culture of pride, perseverance, and community. Fanatic is a love letter to Iowa State and everyone who has worn the cardinal and gold.” Order form link: https://bpcdm.jotform.com/252727704836969

I have just published my 3rd book. BOLD AS A BEAR: The German Quest for the Iowa Prairie is now available on Amazon. This book tells the story of my German ancestors and their descendants born in the United States. In 1853, Bernard Heithoff sailed from Germany in the company of the Nieland family; one of its members was Catherine who became his wife once the Nielands settled on the open prairie southwest of Guttenberg, Iowa, a small city developing along the Mississippi River. If your German ancestors set off in a covered wagon for the prairies out west of the Mississippi, then this book will explain what they went through in settling the land. If you don't know your family story from the past, this book will stir your imagination and inspire you to begin the search for your immigrant ancestors.

James Evans (’74 psychology) published “The Making Of A Collegian,” a true story about his nearly lifelong involvement in higher education. Evans shares his entire collegiate experience from setting foot on campus as a freshman to becoming a university president. Readers will encounter the highs and lows of the collegiate world just as Evans did. The book is available in electronic and hardcopy versions at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com.

Gregory N. Whitis, Class of 1980, has published his third novel, Eight Minutes. His first inspiration for creative writing occurred during freshman English at ISU. He now has thousands of fans reading his books.

DOING MORE WITH LINEAR CORRELATION AND REGRESSION advances the introductory-level student into a few intermediate topics associated with those essential statistical procedures. Although the basics of linear correlation are sufficient for many students in their first behavioral statistics course, others have a need to delve into a few additional ideas and methods that will develop their statistical wherewithal a bit further. This new text meets those objectives. More information is available at www.ebookslimited.com and Amazon.com.

April 2025, Felicia Zamora, BA Communication Studies (2021), released her seventh poetry collection, Interstitial Archaeology, with the Wisconsin Poetry Series, University of Wisconsin Press. Publishers Weekly writes, “The visceral latest from Zamora (Quotient) offers powerful and disquieting vignettes exploring racism, language, and the body. […] Palpable and urgent, these potent poems revel in defiance, catharsis, and wonder. (Apr.)” Zamora’s work has won the 2020 Iowa Poetry Prize, 2022 Ohioana Book Award in Poetry, Benjamin Saltman Award, Andrs Montoya Poetry Prize, Loraine Williams Poetry Prize, and two Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards, among others. She is a poetry editor for Colorado Review and an associate professor of poetry at the University of Cincinnati where she is a 2025-2026 Taft Research Center Fellow.

Mary Gannon Kaufmann, with a BS (1981) in Food Technology, has released a groundbreaking book for health professionals: The Renewed Practitioner: How Spiritual Care Transforms Nutrition, Dietetics & Lifestyle Medicine. In this engaging and practical guide, Kaufmann redefines spiritual care—not just as a resource in crisis but as essential for having flourishing health and life. She offers practical tools to prevent burnout, reconnect with purpose, and integrate spiritual care into practice. A must-read for Registered Dietitians, Nurses, and Lifestyle Medicine practitioners! To purchase the book, go to: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXCD3KNQ

Two-time ISU graduate and former architecture faculty member Christos Saccopoulos has published a new memoir, In the Footsteps of Epicurus. Following his tenure at ISU, he served in administrative positions at three more universities, retiring as Dean of the College of Art and Design of Louisiana State University and returning to his native Greece to build Mikro Horio (Little Village), the experimental—polyhedral/ferrocement—compound on a cove of the Cycladic island of Kythnos, where he spends half the year building sculptures and writing. His architecture has been recognized with two AIA design awards and he has received an InForm award for furniture design. He has been the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and from the Graham Foundation.

My family found 80 letters my grandfather sent home to his family when he was a trench runner in WW1. I used these letters to create a book of narrative nonfiction Searching for John DeWitt. He later became an attorney in Griswold Iowa.

This book contains materials on: Strategies and Stories of the Omaha Stockyards, Beginning of the End 1900-1940 and 1950-1970, IBP, Boxed Beef & a New Big Four, Is Grass-Fed Beef Good for Your Health & Planet, Is Grass-Fed better than Conventional Beef, Grass-Fed Beef and the Environment, Problems with the Cattle Industry, The Rest of the Environmental Picture

Jane Coletti Perry recently published her second historical fiction novel. Lila's Journey is a heartfelt coming-of-age story of a courageous young girl, entirely on her own, in pursuit of a better life during the pinnacle of travel on the Santa Fe Trail in 1866 Kansas.

In the early 1900's in a forgotten rural community two friends embark on a lighthearted adventure. Born in Idaho, Warren Case grew up in Oregon where he enjoyed the Pacific Northwest's beautiful forests and lakes. After a year in Texas, he spent the next five at Iowa State University earning degrees in Fish and Wildlife Biology and Agricultural Journalism. A job as a whitewater guide brought him and his wife back to Idaho in the early 1980's. He began teaching in the early 90's and moved with his family to a tree farm in rural Idaho. He is a photographer, writer, educator, farmer, husband, and father of two adult children and two grandchildren. He and his wife Beth (Kane) Case ('82 - BA Graphic Design) continue to live on their tree farm in rural Idaho where he is currently at work on his second book.

I have recently posted my new website which contains most of my 14 books I have had published and two poetry DVD's I produced. The website can be viewed at http://www.interpretativevisions.com. The books cover a wide range thoughts and ideas for the curious and inquisitive. Please take a look.

DC Comics' hard-working Collected Editions department is releasing a box set on 9/3/24 of every Year One tale! For the first time, readers can get ROBIN: YEAR ONE, BATGIRL: YEAR ONE, and NIGHTWING: YEAR ONE in one fell swoop. ROBIN: YEAR ONE was co-written by Scott Beatty (that's me!) and Chuck Dixon, and illustrated by Javier Pulido, Marcos Martín, and Robert Campanella, with colors by Lee Loughridge. BATGIRL: YEAR ONE was co-written by Chuck and me, and illustrated by Marcos Martín and Alvaro Lopez, with colors by Javier Rodriguez. NIGHTWING: YEAR ONE was co-written by Chuck and me, and illustrated by Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens, with colors by Gregory Wright.

Born the fourth kid in a one-bedroom house, little was expected of Jane until a $320 college scholarship enabled a future she didn't know existed. From the poverty of rural Iowa, Jane defied expectations to build billion-dollar businesses, navigate US's largest merger, rise to top Microsoft executive, and pay forward what she learned and earned. Jane's stories, humor, and honesty, empowers you to rethink what's possible. "In sharing my failure and success, I hope you will know that worth is not defined by what others say or expect, but what you make, claim, and give of what you got." www.janeboulware.com

Bruce Thatcher addresses accountability at the top in his new book Too Big? He says 'Many leaders of big organizations are shielded from effective accountability.' Too Big? examines five cases where accountability was/is flawed or missing: Robert Clive/East India Company, John D. Rockefeller/Standard Oil, Ralph Cordiner/General Electric, J. Edgar Hoover/FBI, and Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook-Meta. It shows many of the ploys that were and are used to evade accountability. Too Big? concludes with clear remedies to improve accountability of those at the top of business, governmental and other organizations. Too Big? is available through Thatcher's website www.historyspeakstoday.com, and at online booksellers.

1974 graduate Diann Wilson has published her second book. Good Bye Big City, Hello Big Island, chronicles a sisters' trip to celebrate retirement from the corporate rat race, ends in an accident that leads to an impulsive decision to make a move. Big city living is traded for nut farming while mainland friends are left behind to wager how long this could possibly last. Readers will be glad that it indeed lasted. In a volume that appeals to anyone who's dreamed of making a daring life change, this delightful collection of short stories chronicle one city dweller's transition from life on the mainland to life on an island. Colorful characters add dimension to a book that is packed with the surprisingly challenging yet funny aspects of island life, the adventures of farming, and the exhilaration that comes with making a dream (that she didn't know she had) come true.