Are you publishing a new book or other significant work?
The Aydelotte Foundation and Swarthmore College Libraries can help you plan a launch event. The deadline to apply for support for Fall 2026, Spring 2027, and Summer 2027 has passed. Please check back for our next deadline!
Swarthmore faculty and staff who have authored a published or forthcoming signature scholarly or artistic work (e.g. a book, an important paper, an artwork, etc.) in the last three years can gain our assistance in developing ideas for a launch event that disseminates and enriches the important work you have completed. Formats can vary, and could include a discussion between you and a crucial interlocutor; a roundtable of responses from colleagues at other institutions; the generation of a teaching guide, a limited run podcast, or a gallery exhibition.
Offering up to $2,000 per project, this program can also work with your press (or other supporters) on an advertising plan to help get the word out on campus and beyond about your significant accomplishment.
We hope to help you connect with your existing scholarly community as well as expand the audience for your work to an adjacent discipline, the campus community, and/or the public, while also celebrating your accomplishments.
To apply, fill out this brief form to tell us about your project and the ideas you have for a promotional event to be held or completed this academic year.
Please get in touch with Andy Hines ahines1@swarthmore.edu) at the Aydelotte Foundation or with Maria Agahazarian (magahaza1@swarthmore.edu) at the Swarthmore Libraries for more information about the program.
Upcoming Scholarly Promotion Projects
Maziha Cooper. The Last Hospital film premiere, written and directed by Maziha Cooper, screening on November 6, 2026 at the LPAC Cinema at Swarthmore College. Doors open at 6pm with a red carpet and refreshments; the film screening begins at 7pm and will be followed by a Q&A with the director and cast.
Sa’ed Atshan. In a Land of Aid: Essays on the Palestinian Condition (Stanford University Press); event to take place at Oxford University on October 16, 2026, 3:00pm, Investcorp Theatre, St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford.
Recent Scholarly Promotion Projects
Shailen Mishra. Constructing the Other: Narrative Empathy and the Ethics of Border-Crossing in World Literature, co-edited by Arnab Dutta Roy (Florida Gulf Coast University) and Shailen Mishra (Swarthmore College). Journal of World Literature. 10. 3 (September 2025). Susan Muaddi Darraj, Arnab Dutta Roy, and Shailen Mishra in conversation on how narrative empathy can serve as a conceptual framework for thinking ethically about otherness and for Global South solidarities against colonialism and genocide. The event also included a talk and reading by Prof. Muaddi Darraj, and promotion of the upcoming book Constructing the Other: Narrative Empathy and the Ethics of Border-Crossing in World Literature by Profs. Dutta Roy and Mishra. This conversation took place on April 23, 2026 at the IC Dome at Swarthmore College.
Olivia Sabee. Cultural Transmission and the French Enlightenment: Repurposing with Past, edited by Hanna Roman (Dickinson College) & Olivia Sabee (Swarthmore College), published by Oxford Studies in the Enlightenment in 2025. Why is it important to continue to teach and research the eighteenth century in today’s political climate? Tili Boon Cuillé (Washington University in St. Louis) in conversation with the editors and select contributors: Célia Abele, Logan Connors, Valentina Denzel, Clorinda Donato, and Amanda Moehlenpah on April 10, 2026 during the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies annual conference.
Sibelan Forrester. The Russian Intelligentsia: Myth, Mission, and Metamorphosis, (Academic Studies Press). Forrester in conversation with co-editor Olga Partan discuss the changeable fate and reputation of the Russian Intelligentsia from the 18th Century to the 21st at the Sycamore Room at the Inn at Swarthmore on February 24, 2026; free copies of the book were available to the first 15 people who arrived.
Dr. Wade Manora, Jr. 2.43: The (Im)Possible Dream Book, (Williams Commerce). Manora was in conversation with moderator Alex Dow (SASS and SOCA), welcomed by Juan David Torres (SOCA), introduced by Presely Simelus (SOCA), and hosted by Charisma Santa (SOCA) who discussed this new publication, which is centered on the life experiences of an African American Male trying to figure out life while navigating college even though he knows that quitting is nowhere near an option. This conversation took place on on February 17, 2026 in SCI101 at Swarthmore College.
Andy Hines. University Keywords, (Johns Hopkins University Press). Hines in conversation with three contributors to the newly released book, Chris Newfield, Eleni Schirmer and Jason Wozniak to discuss the many facets of the present state of higher education in the United States and the transformation of the higher education system beyond the current crises. This conversation took place at Swarthmore College on January 27, 2026. Complete details can be found here.
Isaiah Wooden. August Wilson in Context, (Cambridge University Press). Wooden in conversation with coeditor Khalid Y. Long and contributors Sandra G. Shannon and Donald P Gagnon, moderated by Danielle A. Drakes to discuss August Wilson, one of the twentieth century’s most important and acclaimed playwrights. This co-edited volume features thirty chapters that demonstrate Wilson’s significance to contemporary theater, culture, and politics by providing fresh and compelling insights into his life, practices, and contributions as an artist and public intellectual. This book launch event took place at at Busboys and Poets – Takoma, Washington D.C. on October 27, 2025.
Past Scholarly Promotion Projects
Moriel Rothman-Zecher. Before All the World: A Novel, (MacMillan). Rothman-Zecher read an excerpt from the novel as a part of Philly-Based Novels by Philly-Based Novelists with Emma Copley Eisenberg, Asali Solomon and Joseph Earl Thomas at american grammar on June 18 from 6-8pm. Complete details are found here.
Paloma Checa-Gismero. Biennial Boom: Making Contemporary Art Global, (Duke University Press). Book signing with Paloma Checa-Gismero in conversation with Miriam M. Basilio Gaztambide, (New York University) and Tatiana Flores (University of Virginia) at the Barnes Foundation on Thursday, January 23, from 6-7pm. Complete details can be found on the Barnes Foundation website.
Lette Bragg. Many Academies. In this podcast, Lette interviews writers, publishers, teachers, and scholars who create new publics and practices through their work. The podcast dismantles the idea that there is one Academy, with a capital A, to which we must all work to belong. Lette’s inspiration for this podcast comes from her own experience of struggling to imagine her own work within the parameters or conventions of academic discourse, which is further explored in her book The Ruins of Solitude: Maternity at the Limits of Academic Discourse.
Roseann Liu. Designed to Fail: Why Racial Equity in School Funding Is So Hard to Achieve, The University of Chicago Press. Roseann was in conversation with Councilmember Kendra Brooks on Wednesday, May 8 at Penn Bookstore.
Betsy Bolton. Mouth Art of the Bald-faced Hornet, Finishing Line Press. Betsy hosted a book launch party to celebrate poetry and the Crum Woods on Wednesday, May 8 in the Scheuer Room at Kohlberg Hall. There was a poetry reading and free copies of the book were distributed.
Sony Devabhaktuni. Curb-scale Hong Kong: Infrastructures of the street, Applied Research & Design Publishing. Sony hosted an author Talk and Book Signing at Bleak House Books, Honeoye Falls, NY on Saturday May 4th, 2024. In conversation with: Juan Du, Dean, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto and Jenny Smith, historian and co-owner of Bleak House Books
Syon Bhanot. Behavioral Public Policy in a Global Context: Practical Lessons from Outside the Nudge Unit, Palgrave McMillan, Spring 2024. A panel discussion with Syon Bhanot, Shibeal O’Flaherty and Michael Sanders took place on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 in the Scheuer Room at Kohlberg Hall.
Alejandra Azuero-Quijano, The Strike as Theory: History of the Present and Uprising in Colombia, Herder Editorial. Book Launch and discussion with Sara Tufano. The event was hosted by Making Worlds Bookstore and Social Center and took place Friday, October 27th, 2023 from 6-8pm.
Lara Cohen, Going Underground: Race, Space, and the Subterranean in the Nineteenth-Century United States. A book launch and discussion with Daphne Brooks and S.S. Sandhu. The discussion was hosted by Making Worlds Bookstore and Social Center and took place on Thursday, September 14, 2023 from 6-8pm.
Lei Ouyang, Music as Mao’s Weapon: Remembering the Cultural Revolution. A book launch and discussion with Marié Abe ’01, Shalini Ayyagari ’00, and Lei Ouyang in conversation with Steven Hopkins and Deborah Wong. The discussion took place at the Inn at Swarthmore on Friday, September 8th, 2023 from 4:30-6pm, and a reception followed. Sponsored by the Aydelotte Foundation & co-sponsored by Asian Studies, Global Studies, Music, Sociology and Anthropology, and the Advancement Office at Swarthmore College.
Michael Wehar, AlgoArt Exhibition @ Swarthmore College, An exhibition of visual artworks generated using the AlgoArt platform, curated by Michael Wehar at the McCabe Library at Swarthmore College. The exhibition featured work by Xingyu Dong, Xinxin Li, Maya-Newman Toker, Alyssa Zhang with additional works by John Mancini and students from UMass Boston. AlgoArt is a digital platform that brings together Artists and Technologists to create algorithmically generated visual designs and artworks. Opening Reception, Thursday, April 27th, 6:30pm. Supported by the Aydelotte Foundation, Swarthmore College Libraries, Swarthmore College Research Fund, Academic Division Research Fund, and Frances Velay Fellowship.
James V. Fenelon, DeColonizing American Colonial/Environmental/Imperial Racisms and Racialized Capitalism, A launch and discussion of Indian, Black and Irish: Indigenous Nations, African Peoples and European Invasions, 1492 – 1790 (Routledge, 2023). The panel featured Manley Begay, Barbara Thelamour, Michael Wilson Becerrill, and Seth Jeter ’25. Friday, April 28th, 2023, 2:30pm.
Sibelan Forrester, Translation of Volodymyr Rafeyenko’s novel, The Length of Days, Harvard University Press. Sibelan Forrester presented her new translation of a novel by Ukrainian writer and literature specialist Volodymyr Rafeyenko, THE LENGTH OF DAYS, opening with a subtitled video of Rafeyenko himself. Complimentary copies of the novel, published last month by the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute and on sale at the Swarthmore Campus and Community Store, were available and light refreshments were served. Saturday, April 8th, 2023, 2:00 pm.
Nia King, Queer & Trans Artists of Color, Volume Three Book Launch
A night of art and interviews that featured the following artists: Anthony James Williams, Joamette Gil, Kamal Al-Solaylee, Osa Atoe, Venus Kii Thomas, andQwo-Li Driskill. Nia King and Maliha Ahmed were the co-hosts of this event and the co-editors of Queer & Trans Artists of Color, Volume 3. ASL Interpretation was provided by the Libraries at Swarthmore College. Thursday March 23rd, 6-8pm
Megan Brown, The Seventh Member State: Algeria, France, and the European Community, Harvard University Press. “Transnational Solidarities, Diplomatic Endeavors, and International History: A Roundtable on Researching and Writing Histories that Cross Borders,” a roundtable discussion event with Kesewa John and Cindy Ewing, moderated by Angela Zimmerman. Thursday, February 9th, 2023.
Daniel Laurison, Producing Politics: Inside the Exclusive Campaign World Where the Privileged Few Shape Politics for All of Us, Beacon Press. “Is Politics for Everyone? A Forum on Making our Democracy More Inclusive”. As Daniel Laurison suggests in Producing Politics, political campaigns in the United States are largely run by a set of professionals with virtually the same backgrounds and credentials. Beyond generating repetitive political strategies, how and why does that homogeneity limit political participation more broadly? Laurison discussed the impact of these matters on American democracy with the esteemed journalist Sasha Issenberg and Philadelphia City Councilmember At-Large Kendra Brooks on Thursday, September 8 at the Friends Center in Philadelphia. Professor Edwin Mayorga moderated the conversation.
Tia Newhall and Kevin Webb, Dive into Systems: A Gentle Introduction to Computer Systems, Computer Organization, and Parallel Computing, No Starch Press, By Suzanne Matthews, Tia Newhall, and Kevin Webb. “How do you write an open-access textbook and why should you do it?” was a panel discussion featuring Carmelo Galati, Tia Newhall, and Donald Wargo. It explored the benefits, challenges, and development practices of open-access textbooks across a range of disciplines. By bringing together experts from the sciences, social sciences, and the humanities, the panel engaged wider issues surrounding institutional support for faculty developing these books, incorporating these works into courses, and examining how open-access works uniquely connect faculty working across institutions. Suzanne Matthews moderated the conversation.
Donna Jo Napoli, In a Flash, Wendy Lamb Books. Commissioned Education Guide for Teachers.
Katie Price, Pataphysics Unrolled, Penn State University Press, Edited by Katie Price and Michael R. Taylor. Book launch event hosted by co-editors Katie L. Price and Michael R. Taylor at Slought.
Edwin Mayorga, What’s Race Got to Do with It?: How Current School Reform Policy Maintains Racial and Economic Inequality, Second Edition, Peter Lang, Edited by Edwin Mayorga, Ujju Aggarwal, and Bree Picower. An interactive webinar conversation with Ujju Aggarwal, Wayne Au, Bill Ayers, Amy Brown, Brian Jones, Edwin Mayorga, Bree Picower, David Stovall, and Terrenda White.
Andy Hines, Outside Literary Studies: Black Criticism and the University, University of Chicago Press. Webinar conversation with Roderick Ferguson, Jared Loggins, and Andrew J. Douglas.
Chinelo Okparanta, Harry Sylvester Bird, HarperCollins Publishers. Reading and Q&A Event.
