By Kristen LaRue-Sandler — October 28, 2025
Four faculty members in the ASU Department of English announce books recently published or imminently forthcoming. Works include a collection of essays, a trio of plays and a translation of an edited volume. Topics covered include the Irish Revival, Indigenous theater and Andean cinema.
‘The Revival in Irish Literature and Culture’ (Cambridge University Press, 2025)
This essay collection edited by Gregory Castle in the Cambridge Themes in Irish Literature and Culture series was released in September. From the publisher:
- "'The Revival in Irish Literature and Culture’ offers a wide variety of new work on the Revival and the ideals, attitudes and perspectives that animate it, from the late-nineteenth century to the present day. The contributors to the volume, each in their own fashion, explore the social, political and cultural expressions of revivalism in literature but also in film, music, dance, commemorations, museum exhibits, social movements, and political activism. The volume offers new perspectives on established figures and ideas as well as new research on forgotten or under-represented revivalists, particularly women, whose cultural and political activities were instrumental in forming the foundations of the Revival and whose ongoing involvement shapes revivalism in new social and cultural contexts.
One of the most important thematic strands linking the chapters is the function of time-our understanding of the historical ‘sense of the past’ but also the efficacy of new temporal frameworks.- Offers a new understanding of revivalism as a concept and a fresh understanding of the Revival as a movement in Ireland
- Emphasizes the presence of revivalist themes in non-literary forms and contexts but also the persistence of revivalism in later twentieth and twentieth-century Irish literature and culture
- Draws attention to social and political aspects of the Revival that are not often taught.”
Castle is a professor emeritus in the ASU Department of English’s literature program.
‘Native Nation Project: A Trilogy’ (Theatre Communications Group, 2025)
This collection of plays by Larissa FastHorse and Michael John Garcés was launched at an ASU event in October and is set for official release in November. From Indie Pubs:
“This three-play collection celebrates the vibrancy and vitality of modern Indigenous culture and draw attention to complex issues within the contemporary Native experience. This latest volume from the acclaimed author of ‘The Thanksgiving Play’ collects a trilogy of plays co-created with Cornerstone Theater Company as well as urban Native artists and culture bearers.
In ‘Urban Rez,’ five interconnected stories depict members of a Native tribe in Los Angeles weighing the pros and cons of federal recognition.
Developed through talking circles with Indigenous peoples of Arizona, ‘Native Nation’ is an immersive theatrical production that seeks to combat the erasure of Native people from wider American culture by telling the story of the land through the eyes of its original people.
Created with people of the Lakota and Dakota tribal nations, ‘Wicoun’ centers on Áya and their brother Khoskalaka, who are already busy enough raising cousins and siblings while trying to graduate high school. Then the zombies arrive. When Áya summons a native superhero for help, they set off on a journey across the lands of the Oceti Sakowin.
Together, these plays explore a wide range of urgent issues that continue to affect Indigenous communities today, including assimilation, two-spirit identity, food equity, water rights, tribal sovereignty, broken treaties, genocide, and violation of sacred lands. They also celebrate a rich history and essential culture, telling stories by and for Native people.”
FastHorse and Garcés are professors of practice in English at ASU, where they are also affiliates of the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.
‘Cines de Pequeña Escala: Nuevas Estéticas, Prácticas y Plataformas en la Región Andina’ (Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, sede Ecuador / Editorial El Conejo, 2025)
This new Spanish edition of “Small Cinemas of the Andes” (2023) was edited by Christian León, Diana Coryat and Noah Zweig. Translated from the publisher’s description:
- “This book examines the emergence of small-scale cinemas in the Andes, encompassing the digital peripheries of Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia. It critically analyzes heterogeneous audiovisual practices and subaltern agents, elucidating the tensions, contradictions, and resistance that exist with respect to established cinematic norms. Juan Suárez of New York University says: ‘The various contributions address issues of sovereignty, representation, and autonomy in audiovisual cartographies pertaining to Andean feminisms, Indigenous communities, the LGBTQI+ community, and local community production.’”
Zweig is a faculty associate in the ASU Department of English’s film and media studies program.