Copley Connects Spring Summer 2024

New Faces At Copley

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar “A newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, embarks on a search that leads him to a terminally ill painter living out her final days in the Brooklyn Museum” – Publisher description. Hard by a Great Forest by Leo Vardiashvili “A devastating story of one family’s border-crossing adventure to rescue one another and make peace with the past, set in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, two years after the occupation of South Ossetia by Russia in 2008” – Publisher description. River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure “Set against the backdrop of developing modern China, this mesmerizing literary debut is part coming-of-age tale, part family and social drama, as it follows two generations searching for belonging and opportunity in a rapidly changing world” – Publisher description. The Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri “In present-day Greece, deep in an ancient forest, lives a family: Irini, a musician, who teaches children to read and play music; her husband, Tasso, who paints pictures of the forest, his greatest muse; and Chara, their young daughter, whose name means joy. On the fateful day that will forever alter the trajectory of their lives, flames chase fleeing birds across the sky. The wildfire that will consume their home, and their lives as they know it, races toward them. In the smoldering aftermath, Irini stumbles upon the body of the man who started the fire, a land speculator who had intended only a small, controlled burn to clear forestland to build on and instead ignited a catastrophe. He is dead, although the cause is unclear, and in her anger at all he took from them, Irini makes a split-second decision that will haunt her. As the local police investigate the mysterious death, Tasso mourns his father, who has not been seen since before the fire. His hands were burnt in the flames, leaving him unable to paint, and he struggles to cope with the overwhelming loss of his artistic voice and his beloved forest. Only his young daughter, who wants to repair the damage that’s been done, gives him hope for the future. Gorgeously written, sweeping in scope and intimate in tone, The Book of Fire is a masterful work about the search for meaning in the wake of tragedy, as well as the universal ties that bind people to each other, and to the land that they call home” – Publisher description.

Michael Conlee is our new Archives/Digital Initiatives Assistant, joining the Digital Initiatives team in December 2023. He holds a B.A. in Art History and Sociology from UC Santa Cruz. Michael was

an art handler at Martin Lawrence Gallery in La Jolla before taking this role. He fell in love with working in libraries as an Archives Student Assistant at UC Santa Cruz McHenry Library’s Special Collections & Archives. In his free time, he plays in rock bands, works on his ‘84 Toyota, and runs an internet radio station at whenco.site. Michael also joins us as the newest member of the Copley Library Newsletter Committee! Collections and Archives. She holds a B.A. in History from UC Irvine and M.L.I.S. from UCLA with a track specialization in Archiving. Prior to joining the Special Collections and Archives team in January 2024, Gabrielle previously worked at UC Irvine’s Special Collections and Archives as a Records Processor. Her favorite part of working in special collections and archives is being able to help researchers connect with history on a deeper level as well as being able to continually learn new things through the collections that she processes. Outside of work, she can be found cheering for her favorite Formula 1 drivers, playing with her dogs, coming up with ambitious sewing projects, and searching for the best latte in San Diego. Gabrielle Wood is the new Archives Assistant at the Copley Library Special

Kayla Holak is the new Interlibrary Loan and Reserves assistant at

Copley Library. She grew up in the beautiful coastal city of Beverly, Massachusetts. Kayla received her bachelor’s

degree in Geography with a concentration on sustainable tourism development from Salem State University in Salem, MA (2020), and now attends Simmons University in Boston where she is studying to obtain her Master’s degree in Library and Information Science (expected graduation date of 2025). Kayla’s hobbies include free-diving and paddle boarding, and she has a 2-year old French Bulldog named Pancake who came with her from Massachusetts.

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