UWSP’s student publishing launches new fiction work

By Patrick Lynn

Cornerstone Press launched its newest book this week.

The book, “Great Escapes from Detroit,” is a collection of short stories from Detroit-native Joseph O’Malley, who tells stories of families living in the Motor City.

In O’Malley’s debut offering, he tells of an imperfect city that “beckons and repels,” with characters that “probe the ever-shifting terrain of the human heart, where the tenacious pull and push of love, trepidation, and occasional joy plays out as they navigate the opposing impulses that exist in all families: to embrace their circumstances, or to escape.”

“Great Escapes from Detroit” is part of the Legacy Series of fiction books published each fall by the student-run publishing house.

A resident of New York City, O’Malley was born and raised in Detroit, Mich. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and his stories have been featured in dozens of literary magazines and journals.

“Joe O’Malley is an excellent storyteller,” said Ross Tangedal, director and publisher of Cornerstone Press, and an assistant professor of English at UW-Stevens Point. “His stories are microcosms of the pain and joy that all families feel, and his love for his characters is ever-present. Cornerstone Press is proud to introduce O’Malley and his first book into the publishing world.”

Established in 1984, Cornerstone Press consists of students in the editing and publishing courses offered each semester at UW-Stevens Point. Students have hands-on experiences in all aspects of publishing, from editing to marketing the finished product. It operates with the support of the English Department and the College of Letters and Science and is directed and taught by Tangedal.

To learn more about Cornerstone Press and its publications, go to www.uwsp.edu/cornerstone.