Former UMPI Faculty Member to Give Reading From Latest Novel

Dr. Richard Shain Cohen will visit UMPI for a book reading and signing of his latest novel Our Seas of Fear and Love on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 2 p.m. in the UMPI Library.

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.

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.

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 for Aroostook: 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, 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.