Offering readers fresh perspectives to explore during the winter season, recently published works from University of Mary Washington faculty and alumni span history, international relations, poetry, young-adult fiction and more.
NATO After Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Threat Perceptions and Their Consequences
Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Jason Davidson
Published by Georgetown University Press, forthcoming Jan. 2026
Davidson challenges the assumption that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine unified the NATO alliance, instead analyzing how member states interpret threats differently and how these perceptions shape defense planning. Davidson, also a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, offers a comparative look at several of the alliance’s most influential members. Early reviewers, including Foreign Policy columnist Emma Ashford, praised the book as a “nuanced, thorough and thoughtful” assessment of NATO’s internal dynamics.
Magick Squared
Jen Furlong ’14
Published by Abante Press, 2025
The third instalment of Furlong’s award-winning Unimaginables young-adult, vampire-centric fantasy series continues the saga with fresh mysteries and magical twists. The UMW alumna also launched The Wandering Wordsmith, a pop-up bookshop travelling through Renaissance fairs in Virginia and West Virginia, bringing young-adult literature to new audiences.
The Brides of War: A Vietnam War Novel
Steve Gladis
Published by Steve Gladis Leadership Partners, 2025
In this book, Gladis, who is married to Mary Washington alumna Donna Sheehan Gladis ’68, writes about the Vietnam War and its effect on four young women on the campus of what was then Mary Washington College. Told through strong female voices, the novel exposes the grief inflicted on these four friends, whose lives were forever changed by the conflict and the men who were sent into combat to attempt to resolve it.
The Song of North Mountain
Elizabeth Morgan Golladay ’68
Published by Old Scratch Press, 2024
An artist, author and UMW alumna, Golladay draws on her upbringing on Virginia’s North Mountain to create a début poetry collection that earned second place in the Delaware Press Association’s 2025 Communications Contest. In addition, a poem from the collection, “Ghost Light,” took second place in the contest’s individual poems category. Now based in coastal Delaware, Golladay lives in a vibrant art and writing community and continues to explore themes of place, memory and the wild.
State Builders from the Steppe: A History of the First Bulgarian Empire
Eric D. Halsey ’11
Published by This Is Rethink, 2025
A historian and podcaster, Halsey presents the premier comprehensive English-language narrative of the First Bulgarian Empire, tracing more than three centuries of political transformation and cultural achievement. With degrees in history and political science from UMW, additional study at the American University in Bulgaria and a stint as a Fulbright-supported researcher in the capital city of Sofia, Halsey is a widely respected resource on the topic.
Football Is…: What The Game Does To Us, For Us, Through Us
Associate Professor of Economics Shawn Humphrey
Independently published, 2025
Through 40 personal essays and 10 game-day speeches, Humphrey explores the emotional and transformational moments that unfold far beyond wins and losses. The book examines why football remains a powerful, sometimes sacred space where mentorship deepens, boys grow into young men and the game becomes a lifelong source of meaning.
The Language Work of Speechwriters
Gwynne Mapes ’08
Published by Cambridge University Press, 2025
A linguist and UMW alumna, Mapes draws on ethnographic fieldwork to examine the hidden world of political speechwriting. Her book investigates how speechwriters craft messages for public figures, navigate professional constraints and operate within a rhetorical marketplace shaped by ideology and power.
The Buried Cause: Unearthing Hidden History in the Lee Monument Cornerstone
Adjunct Instructor of Historic Preservation Katherine Ridgway
Published by University of Virginia Press, forthcoming 2026
State Archaeological Conservator Ridgway, who returned to UMW this fall as an adjunct instructor, co-edited and contributed to this volume documenting the recovery and analysis of the 1887 copper time capsule discovered beneath the Robert E. Lee monument in Richmond. The book examines how the capsule’s contents illuminate Civil War memory, Richmond culture and the politics of public history.
Book title links open publisher or retailer websites. UMW faculty members who have authored books are encouraged to share their publications with University Communications. UMW alumni who have authored books are encouraged to share their publications with Alumni Engagement or Class Notes.
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