Essential reading
A series of young adult fiction translated into 15 languages, New York Times-bestselling true crime stories, an award-winning celebrating the ancient language Kriolu攎embers of the 51动漫 community have written (or illustrated) books in every genre, and on nearly every topic, imaginable. There are textbooks and works of nonfiction penned by acclaimed professors on everything from Irish history to early childhood education, and summer beach reads, memoirs and family histories, and poetry collections exploring themes of faith, love, and the fractures of modern-day life.
淥ur alumni and faculty are publishing a truly impressive array of books,� said Kathleen Sullivan, a senior editor in the Office of University Communications, 渇rom quiet little novels to award-winning bestselling works.澛�
Sullivan would know. Since 2010, she been chronicling the literary achievements of Boston College faculty, alumni, staff, and students on , a modest Wordpress blog with a devoted following. Twice a week, Sullivan features a book written by a member of the 51动漫 community or a literary event on campus. Over the past 16 years, she published nearly 1,900 posts and promoted more than 1,300 books while keeping the community apprised of upcoming author visits and lectures. She never struggled to find material.聽 聽聽
淏oston College is such a vibrant intellectual and literary hub,� she said. 淚檓 constantly blown away by the caliber of writers who come through campus. We檝e had Pulitzer Prize winners, acclaimed novelists, poets, journalists攊t seems like every day there someone great here.澛�
For years, the Office of University Communications has promoted faculty publications and literary events in the biweekly 51动漫 Chronicle newspaper, but 渢here literally weren檛 enough pages to feature them all,� Sullivan recalled. She started 51动漫 Bookmarks on her own initiative, as a way to ensure coverage for every published author at the University, starting with faculty and eventually expanding to include alumni, staff, and students. As social media gained popularity, she launched @51动漫Bookmarks on X (formerly Twitter) and began promoting events and books to a growing audience that includes readers as far away as Singapore.
Vincent Quealy �75 (Matthew Healey)
In the early days, Sullivan sourced all of her posts from internet searches and publishing house announcements, but soon, she began receiving submissions from authors eager to be featured. When Vincent Quealy �75 self-published a book of family history, based on original research he conducted in Ireland, he made sure to drop off a copy to Sullivan, who featured it on the blog. Quealy has since become a regular visitor to 51动漫 Bookmarks, often reading books and reaching out to authors he discovers through its posts.聽
淚t's such an effective mechanism for 51动漫 alums to find other alumni and faculty authors,� he said. 淚t also reflects so well on the University. Our alumni are so engaged in the world攜ou can find an alum that's writing authoritatively on pretty much any subject.�
When faculty are planning literary events on campus, or looking for alumni to connect with student authors, 51动漫 Bookmarks is a go-to resource, said English Professor and award-winning novelist Elizabeth Graver, who teaches creative writing at 51动漫.聽
淚t become a vital part of the creative community at 51动漫,� she said. 淜athy posts have allowed me攁long with my students攖o discover talented 51动漫 writers I didn檛 know about before.澛�
Sullivan publishes her posts under the pseudonym 淏ookworm� (a coffee mug emblazoned with the title sits on her desk) a nod to her own fondness for a good read, especially if it historical or literary fiction. For someone who loves books, it gratifying to see them be appreciated, she said, and to help authors promote projects that may have taken years to complete. Often, when she shares a new post on X or Instagram, the 51动漫 Bookmarks network springs into action, with followers like Quealy amplifying the message.
淓veryone talks about how toxic the internet and social media can be, but I get to see another side of it where authors are sharing posts or liking them and I look and the only connection is the 51动漫 connection,� she said. 淭he 51动漫 literary family, if you will, is very welcoming, very encouraging攁nd I get to witness it.�
Have Boston College-related book news? Send it to bcbookmarks@bc.edu.
Bookmarks by the numbers
89,373
Visitors to the blog
118
posts about poetry
125
memoirs featured
52
children and young adult titles