skip to content

Alumni Spotlight - Archives

Coming to a bookstore near you

Doug Anderson

Two new authors who are alumni of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are awaiting publication of their books by major publishers.

Dan Waters, ’91 CLAS, is the author of Generation Dead, “a zombie love story, if I had to give a quick sound bite,” he says – that will be published by Hyperion Books in May.

The book has been selected by the Junior Library Guild as the premiere selection for its spring season.

And Doug Anderson, ’06 PhD, English, reworked his PhD creative dissertation into a memoir about his experiences in Vietnam and the 1960s. Tentatively called Don’t Rub Your Eyes, the book will be published by WW Norton.

More than a memoir of Vietnam, where he served, the book deals with the anti-war movement, in which he participated after returning from service, and the culture of the 1960s.

Anderson, who lives in Hartford, now teaches creative writing at UConn. Before receiving his doctorate, he taught at The Claremont Colleges in California and at Hampshire and Smith colleges in Massachusetts.

Dan Waters

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, he has written for The New York Times, Boston Globe, The Times of London, and The New York Times Literary Supplement.

He was inspired to return to school for a PhD by reading about the Japanese author and Nobel Prize Winner Kenzaburo Oe, and by conversations with his future PhD adviser, English Prof. Margaret Higgonet.

”I wanted to be able to discuss a larger picture of the world than I had previously, and to write about it,” he says.

For his PhD he wrote a creative dissertation. With revisions, it was submitted by his agent to Norton, which sent him an advance to complete the book.

He is now at work on a novel and a book of poetry.

Dan Waters signed with an agent shortly after graduating from UConn, but his writing career was sidetracked for several years. Two and a half years ago, he decided to re-focus on writing, attending a workshop for aspiring writers.

Generation Dead by Dan Waters

His work caught the eye of an editor there, who made him a book offer. He was directed to an agent, who reviewed his work-in-progress and commented, “Dan, I think this was one of the best opening chapters I’ve ever read,” Waters says, recalling the thrill.

“However,” the agent said, “the next two are a complete ruin.” Waters rewrote the book, and it was bought by Hyperion. The English rights have been sold to Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Generation Dead is a story about teens who died and came back to life. They are unusual zombies, however – they want to fit into a society that is not prepared to deal with them. The story revolves around a living girl who falls in love with a zombie boy at a high school in southeastern Connecticut.

Waters took classes at UConn from Prof. Scott Bradfield and from William Nericcio, who is now at San Diego State University, and James Scully, now retired from the English Department.

A native of Oakdale in southeastern Connecticut, lives in Norwich with his wife, Kimberly Waters, ’92, who teaches elementary school in Lisbon, CT, and their two children.

 

 

 

 

 

Bernstein leads the way

Melissa Bernstein and Doug Bernstein ’85 (CLAS), founders of the Melissa & Doug toy company.

Photo by Peter Morenus

Business and government leaders often begin their leadership training as students involved with campus organizations.

When Douglas A. Bernstein '85 (CLAS) was a UConn student, he joined the Student Union Board of Governors (SUBOG) and eventually became its president; he served on the Board of Directors of the UConn Co-op, and was named student representative to the state Board of Governors for Higher Education.

Today, he leads more than 1,000 employees worldwide at Melissa & Doug, a toy company he founded with his wife, Melissa, that is the leading maker of educational toys in the world.

"Our business would not have been possible if not for the education I received at UConn," he says, "especially the education I received by being a student leader."

To help more students follow in his footsteps, Bernstein and his wife donated $100,000 to establish the Douglas A. Bernstein Legacy Retreat and Summit, the kick-off event for a new UConn leadership program - the Connecticut Leadership Legacy Experience.

The leadership program was created after the Student Leader Alumni Program was launched in 2002, when a group of former student leaders joined together to organize the effort.

"Doug was an outstanding student leader. His gift reflects an understanding of the importance of training future leaders, and we are thrilled that his generosity will help us provide an incredible opportunity for our students," says Kevin Fahey, senior associate director of campus activities.

"We hope the program will help refine the students' leadership skills, hone them, and help them think about how to broaden their skills in the wider world," says Joe Briody, associate director for leadership development.

"The program will bring a bit of prestige to the students who are part of it. They're among the best of the best."

A group of 13 students selected to participate in the program's inaugural year in 2006 were among UConn's most active students.

They include SUBOG members, peer leaders, Husky Ambassadors, FYE mentors, merit scholars, and volunteers.

The program aligns each student with an alumni mentor and a faculty or staff mentor, each of whom meets with the students periodically during the year they are involved in the program.

The mentors are experienced leaders with whom the students can speak about their time at UConn, reflect on how to handle situations that may arise during the year, and discuss how they can apply their leadership skills upon graduation.

The students also are required to attend six or more leadership workshops and lectures throughout the year.

Samantha Sherwood '08 (CLAS), who is majoring in human development and family studies with a concentration in public policy, has already benefited from the program.

"It has exceeded all my expectations," she says.

"The camaraderie within the group, my mentors, they've all been great. I'm getting to know people and I've been involved in things I never would have experienced without the program."

Back to Alumni Spotlight