As a professor I am very busy and rarely, if ever, have time to read for pleasure. But I do usually enjoy the books I read as part of my research and teaching.

Presently, I am browsing through a number of books including: Other Destinies by Louis Owens; I Thought Pocahontas was a Movie edited by Carol Schicks and James McNinch; The Colonizer's Model of the World by J.M. Blaut; 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann; One Native Life by Richard Wagamese and any poetry by Pablo Neruda or Louise Halfe.

For pure fun or relaxation I read Winnie the Pooh (I have many collections). Or the Library Lion or laugh over cat pics and sayings in cat calendars.

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When I'm writing well I don't read much and so for the past year I have a stack of books waiting to be started or finished. And because I write late into the night and get up very early, I don't have a night-table; in fact I don't often use a bed. I unroll a sleeping bag on the floor of my office with the cats so my wife can sleep through the night. A lot of books get read not at home, but in various places as I travel.

I like to read far above my weight. It shows me what writing can be when its done right.

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Author Jeff Brown recently joined us for a talk on his book Soulshaping: A Journey of Self-Creation, a memoir that follows his transition from archetypal 'male warrior' to a more open human being, in touch with his human face and accepting of his mission and place on this world.

Here is a video on Jeff's creative process and the journey he underwent while writing this book.

Judges have selected five books published in 2009 as finalists for the 2010 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, America's largest peer-juried prize for fiction.

The nominees are: