‘C’ If You Agree

Lynn Blackwood ’80 ’81
Self-Published

The subtitle of this book is “Words to inspire your sales and change your life” and the book is a collection of what Lynn Blackwood has learned during more than two decades in commercial sales. The book contains 100 words that begin with the letter “C”: “Cabin fever,” “Caboose,” “Capture,” “Cave,” for instance. Each word gets a page of the author’s thoughts about the literal referent and more metaphorical ruminations and advice. Blackwood earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from NMSU. He is currently based in Farmington, N.M., as district manager of Shamrock Foods in New Mexico.

300 Best Taco Recipes: From Tantalizing Tacos to Authentic Tortillas, Sauces, Cocktails and Salsas

Kelley Cleary Coffeen ’93
Robert Rose Inc.

Billed as “a veritable taco bible,” this cookbook takes some traditional elements of Mexican cooking in nontraditional directions. The basics of preparing both corn and flour tortillas are there, as well as meats and poultry, refried beans and spicy chorizo tacos. But the reader also will find artichoke and spinach tacos, Cajun shrimp tacos and dozens of vegetarian tacos – not to mention the “Pink Cadillac” margarita. Coffeen has published three previous cookbooks, hosted a TV cooking segment and currently owns a Las Cruces restaurant. She also has collaborated with Harvard’s Joslen Center and NMSU in developing healthy recipes for diabetics.

Open Range: The Life of Agnes Morley Cleaveland

Darlis A. Miller ’70
University of Oklahoma Press

Darlis Miller is an NMSU professor emerita of history and the author of several previous books. This book is Volume 26 of the Oklahoma Western Biographies series that includes such well-known figures as Red Cloud, J. Robert Oppenheimer and Lyndon B. Johnson. Agnes Morley Cleaveland grew up on a ranch in western New Mexico in the late 1800s, but lived in Berkeley, Calif., after getting married. A writer and social activist, she was best known for the publication of her memoir, “No Life for a Lady,” in 1941. Miller’s biography provides an external look at the life of this remarkable woman.

Grandpa’s Magic Tortilla

Rosalee Montoya-Read ’86 ’89 ’93 and Demetria Martinez
University of New Mexico Press

Montoya-Read not only holds three NMSU degrees, she served as NMSU’s director of annual giving from 1989 to 1994. She co-authored this bilingual children’s book – she also did the Spanish translation – about a magical tortilla unwittingly created by Grandpa Luis of Chimayo, N.M. This particular tortilla has burn marks from the griddle that morph from one animal shape to another before his grandchildren’s eyes. The adults, of course, do not see what the children see. Montoya-Read, whose poetry and short stories have been published in numerous journals, was recently featured reading this book at the Día del Niño celebration in Albuquerque.

Cross Over Water

Richard Yañez ’97
University of Nevada Press

Currently on the English faculty at El Paso Community College, Richard Yañez describes himself as “a Chicano writer, college professor and community organizer living in El Paso, Texas.” That city also is the main setting for Yañez’s first novel, “Cross Over Water.” The young protagonist, Raul Luis “Ruly” Cruz, learns a series of life lessons, including how not to drown in the desert. The reader follows him as he negotiates personal and cultural borders, as well as geographic ones. The author’s many local place references are an added bonus for people who know and love El Paso.

Are we missing one?

Panorama welcomes information on books published by NMSU faculty members and alumni. Information may be sent to panorama@nmsu.edu or mailed to University Communications and Marketing Services, MSC 3K, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001.