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UMPI Emeritus faculty to give reading from latest novel

The latest novel by Dr. Richard Shain Cohen, Emeritus faculty member at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, has been published by CCB Publishing this fall.Our Seas of Fear and Love is available in hardback, paperback as well as an e-book. Dr. Cohen will visit UMPI for a book reading and signing on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 2 p.m. in the UMPI Library. The community is invited to attend.

Dr. Cohen retired from the University of Maine at Presque Isle after serving as Vice President of Academic Affairs and Professor of English. His latest book Our Seas of Fear and Love is a romance-family saga set primarily in Maine but also in Europe, Boston, and the Southwest.

J. Arthur Faber, Professor of English Emeritus at Wittenberg University, said, “This meticulously crafted novel reads like a family saga, spanning about fifty years. The author weaves the warp of individual characters into the woof of both national and global affairs with great clarity… A compelling must read.”

In Our Seas of Fear and Love, calm and stormy seas are emblematic of the characters, their influence upon one another and the conflicts and love expressed among the four main characters – Bright, Deirdre, Gregory and Etienne Moreau, a man who searches out art treasures to sell to museums. In the end, the effects of love triumph in contrast to vainness that damages self and others as the seas of fear and love engulf all.

Bonnie Kaye, M.Ed, Counselor and author of ManReaders: A Woman’s Guide to Dysfunctional Men, said, “…The story reminds us that even people of high moral standards and values can be corrupted through lust and money. This story will draw you in from the first chapter and keep you reading until the last word. You actually feel as if you are living the story which can only happen when the writing is superb like Cohen’s.”

Originally from Boston, Dr. Cohen holds B.S., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees. He served as editor of the journal Husson Review and was principal participant in a National Endowment for the Arts Grant for “Images of Aroostook” that was exhibited throughout the State of Maine (some of them are now housed at the Maine Historical Society).

His publications include Healing After Dark: Pioneering Compassionate Medicine at the Boston Evening Clinic (2011); The Forgotten Longfellow: Man in the Shadows (2010); Only God Can Make a Tree, poetry from himself and his brother, Alfred Robert Cohen; and the novels Monday: End of the Week, Be Still, My Soul, and Petal on a Black Bough. He also wrote chapters forAroostook: Land of Promise, academic reviews, other articles, and – with the help of a Shell Grant – a monograph on Samuel Richardson that can be found in major library holdings. Dr. Cohen now resides in Cape Elizabeth with his wife Arla.

“I had never written a romance,” Dr. Cohen said about his latest novel, “but urged by my daughter, Candace, this book became a reality. It is a story I enjoyed writing despite the usual rigor and elation producing a work entails. I hope the reader will become involved with the characters and experience enjoyment in the reading.”

To learn more about Dr. Cohen and his books, please visit http://www.richardshaincohen.com. Our Seas of Fear and Love is available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and many other retailers worldwide. It is also available as an e-book.