Congratulations to Marian University assistant professors Scott Guild, Ph.D., and Rachel Cochran, Ph.D., who are traveling to promote their new books,"Plastic." and her publication entitled "The Gulf."
Publisher Pantheon Books described "Plastic" as a plastic girl living in a plastic world. Every day, she eats a breakfast of boiled chicken, then conveys her articulated body to Tablet Town, where she sells Smartbodies: wearable tech that immerses her fellow figurines in a virtual world, a refuge from real life's brutal wars and eco-terrorist insurgency.
Reviewers called Plastic: "a surrealist romp that perfectly captures our modern anxieties." Another described Dr. Guild's writing this way: "Few writers are more brilliant, captivating, and hilarious than Scott Guild. He is a visionary—and what he envisions is terrifying, yes, but also full of love, hope, and radiance. Plastic, with its large-hearted characters and riveting storytelling, will certainly turn out to be one of the year's best novels."
Dr. Cochran, also an accomplished writer, debuted her novel, "The Gulf," in the summer of 2023 by Harper Collins. It is a story set in Gulf Coast Texas in 1970 in the aftermath of a major hurricane. The book also received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, and The Washington Post called the book "rich in story and setting, with the mournful backdrop of a natural disaster, a war and forbidden love gone wrong." CrimeReads listed it as one of the best debut novels of 2023 and called it "[a] refreshing read and a strong debut from a powerful new voice."
The couple, who are married, will be signing both publications at Marian's Stokely Mansion Drawing Room Thursday, March 14 from 5-6:30 p.m. The first ten people will receive a free copy. Appetizers will also be served and directions can be found here.
Dr. Guild teaches literature and creative writing at Marian, while his wife, Dr. Cochran, teaches creative writing, literature, composition, rhetoric, and editing.
