20 OregonStater.org B O O K S N EWS 1. When the Forest Breathes by Suzanne Simard, M.A. ’89, Ph.D. ’96 Suzanne Simard’s international bestseller Finding the Mother Tree changed how readers think about the interconnectedness of trees. With her trademark blend of autobiography and science, the forest ecologist’s newest book explores how ecosystems adapt, recover and endure, and what the natural world can teach us about resilience and community. Learn more: beav.es/forest-breathes. 2. Joy Ride: A Bike Odyssey from Alaska to Argentina by Kristen Jokinen, ’09 Kristen and Ville Jokinen met and fell in love while scuba diving in Vietnam. After Ville left his native Finland to join Kristen in Oregon, the two set off on a two-year cycling adventure. With an introduction by Cheryl Strayed, Joy Ride follows their journey through hijinks, heartbreak and the life-changing power of the open road. Learn more: beav.es/joy-ride. 3. The Book of James by Eric Wayne Dickey, ’98, MFA ’09 This collection of poems tells the story of a brother who died young, weaving together a narrative that speaks to the oftentimes fraught nature of sibling relationships. Dicky is a John Anson Kittredge Fund for Individual Artists grant recipient and a Vermont Studio Center Fellow. Learn more: beav.es/ book-james. 4. The Rolodex Happenings by Dennis James Sweeney, MFA ’15 While sorting through his late father’s belongings, Guy Sutter Jr. discovers an old Rolodex full of surprises. Winner of the Stillhouse Press Novella Prize, Sweeney’s novella explores how little we can ever really know about the people closest to us. Learn more: beav.es/rolodex. BOOKS BY BEAVERS 1 2 3 4 B R I E F S BEND BEAVS’ NEW PLACE TO RECHARGE The Oregon State Legislature approved $42 million to remediate 24 acres of former landfill and build a new student health and recreation center at Oregon State University – Cascades in Bend. The roughly 40,000-square-foot facility will be the first comprehensive campus center dedicated to student health, wellness and recreation. Remediation is expected to begin in 2027. Learn more at beav.es/bend-rec. TEXT SUPPORT Oregon State launched Beaverly, an AI-powered text-messaging tool designed to connect students to information and support. Beaverly sends check-in texts to undergraduate students at key points in the term, offering resources when they’re likely to need them most. Students can also text Beaverly with questions. Drawing on a knowledge base curated by OSU staff, Beaverly can answer questions on a range of topics or refer students to humans for help. The tool is part of an effort to boost graduation rates by helping students avoid falling behind. Learn more at beav.es/beaverly. RIP ROBOTS June 11 was the last day to see flocks of little white six-wheeled robots trundling across the Corvallis campus on their way to deliver smoothies and sandwiches to hungry students. Starship Technologies has pulled its autonomous fleets out of U.S. college campuses to focus on delivery in urban markets and Europe. After debuting in 2019, the robots quickly became quirky campus fixtures, beloved by many for their cuteness and occasional misadventures, including a 2022 incident when one was famously hit by a train. Watch that video (again) at beav.es/ouch.
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