Derek Nikitas is a faculty member in the Creative Writing MFA program, and author of two recent mystery novels:

• The Long Division (2009)
• Pyres (2007)

Derek’s first novel was nominated for the prestigious Edgar award, and has been optioned for film adaptation by Vox3 Films. His second novel, The Long Division, is receiving rave reviews.

Hear what Derek Nikitas has to say about his scholarship in his first interview for the Focus on Scholarship webcast series [opens in Windows Media Player].

Read more about Nikita’s writing in the EKU Press release.

EKU Libraries and the Office of Graduate Education and Research are raising awareness for scholarly and creative achievements through the launch of a new series of webcasts, “Focus on Scholarship”.

Each 10- to 15-minute “Focus on Scholarship” webcast will feature an Eastern community member discussing scholarship, how it informs their teaching, and, as appropriate, the supportive role of the Libraries and Graduate Education and Research. At least one interview will be released each month during the fall and spring semesters, and be regularly featured in the EKUpdate and on the EKU Libraries website. The EKUpdate will also continue listing current faculty and staff publications.

The series kicks off with Dr. Michael Austin, associate professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion, author of “Wise Standards: Philosophical Foundations for Christian Parenting” and editor and one of 18 contributors to “Football and Philosophy: Going Deep”, a collection of essays that examine the popular sport through a philosophical lens. The Austin interview, and all subsequent programs, can be seen at Focus on Scholarship and at mms://media.eku.edu/mdr/media/library/fos1009.wmv.

Other interview subjects in the series will include:

• Derek Nikitas, author of “Pyres” and “The Long Division”
• Dr. Linda Frost, editor of “Conjoined Twins in Black and White: The Lives of Millie-Christine McKoy and Daisy and Violet Hilton”
• Dr. Tammy Horn, author of “Bees in America: How the Honeybee Shaped a Nation”
• Dr. Vic Kappeler, who ranks third nationally in the production of books related to criminal justice

Conducting the interviews will be Carrie Cooper, Dean of the Labraries, along with Dr. Pogatshnik, Dean of Graduate Studies, and Dr. Jaleh Rezaie, Associate Dean of Graduate Education and Research. The series, produced by EKU Media (formerly the Media Production Center), will also be made available at the Power of Maroon YouTube channel.

Word Cloud: Libraries and Scholarship

Faculty and staff are invited to join the EKU Libraries Leadership Team in the Teaching and Learning Center in the Keen Johnson building on Monday, October 19, at 11:15 a.m. to discuss ways the University Library supports scholarship, teaching, and professional interests.

Topics include:

• A future digital repository to support student and faculty publications, including journals written and published at EKU
• The process for recommending new resources for purchases
• New collections, tools and technologies from the libraries
• Google Books, Google Scholar and Google Documents
• Navigating copyright clearance
• Library instruction
• The Noel Studio for Academic Creativity
• Library website highlights

Lunch will be served.  We hope to see you there!