August 1, 2001 SELINSGROVE, Pa. - Susquehanna University Professor of English Gary Fincke will have his 12th collection of poetry, titled "Blood Ties - Working-Class Poems," published in August. "Blood Ties" (Time Being Books, St. Louis, Mo., $16.95) is actually a father-daughter collaboration. Fincke's daughter, Shannon, a Susquehanna graduate who is completing a master's degree in studio art and education in New York City, did the cover art. "I sent her the manuscript and asked her to create a cover," says Fincke. "It was a joy to have her participate." Fincke says he didn't set out to write the poems of "Blood Ties" with any one specific theme in mind. "But when the book was formed," he says, "those that made the cut were arranged to suggest the ways in which history, science, culture, and work define us." From that came the title, "Blood Ties." Family, as it turns out, is at the heart of the collection. Fincke, director of Susquehanna University's Writers' Institute, was one of two professors awarded the university's Teaching Award this past year. He joined Susquehanna in 1980 and holds a bachelor's degree from Thiel College, a master's degree from Miami University, and a doctorate from Kent State University. In addition to 12 collections of poetry, Fincke has also published two collections of short stories. Fincke will read from "Blood Ties" on Monday, Oct. 8, in the Shearer Dining Rooms of Degenstein Campus Center. Contact: Sam Alcorn 570-372-4119 #sa/195#