Grads

Timothy Polashek (music ’96) had his first book published in April by Rowman & Littlefield. The Word Rhythm Dictionary: A Resource for Writers, Rappers, Poets, and Lyricists is, in tim’s words, “a new kind of dictionary—one that reflects the use of ‘rhythm rhymes’ by rappers, poets and songwriters of today. This is an eminently practical reference book for all wordsmiths looking to add musicality to their writing. Users of this dictionary can alphabetically look up words in the general index to find collections of words that have the same rhythm as the original word and are really useable in ways that are familiar to us in everything from vers libre poetry to the lyrics and music of Bob Dylan and hip hop groups.

“Professional writers and students have long used traditional rhyming dictionaries for inspiration by perusing lists of rhyming words. they may need a word that rhymes with ‘blue’ and are led to ‘shoe,’ ‘flu’ or ‘you.’ these rhyming words evoke through juxtaposition new images, thoughts and actions that inspire creative direc- tions and pleasing twists as verses and stanzas unfold. For the first time ever this dictionary now allows writers and poets to find words with the same rhythm. today’s lyricists and poets know that there is so much more to the flow of their creations than just matching vowels.

“The Word Rhythm Dictionary organizes words by additional properties: phonetic simi- larity (alliteration and literary consonance), the number of syllables in words and syllable stress patterns. Never has it been easier to locate words that feature similar sounds, matching meters and rhythmic grooves, from traditional rhymes such as ‘clashing’ and ‘splashing’ to near rhymes such as ‘rollover’ and ‘bulldozer’ or ‘unrefuted’ and ‘undisputed’ to pure metrical matches such as ‘biology’ and ‘photography.’ additional ap- pendices allow readers to search according to poetic metrical feet and musical rhythm through a visual index of notated rhythms, allowing mu- sicians and lyricists to track down words that match preexisting motives and melodies. This book could become the new fun addiction (or addiction affliction, constriction conviction, con- niption prescription, subscription conscription) for writers, musicians, lyricists, rappers, poets and wordsmiths alike. oh, and it’s a lot of fun just to browse!”

Tim is currently living in Lexington, Ken- tucky, with his wife, Roseann, and children Ame- lia and Dashiell. He is a professor of music at Transylvania University, where he coordinates the music technology major. He keeps busy com- posing, teaching and running the occasional digi- tal arts and music festival. Tim comments that living in the beautiful Bluegrass region allows him and his family to enjoy the music, the thor- oughbred horse farms and tours of the famous bourbon distilleries.

Raquel Marie Martinez (microbiology and im- munology ’10) is now a certified diplomate of the American Board of Medical Microbiology. To earn this credential Dr. Martinez met rigorous educational and experiential eligibility require- ments and then passed a comprehensive written examination. She demonstrated the knowledge and skills necessary to direct laboratories en- gaged in the microbiological diagnosis of human disease. She is currently the associate director of clinical microbiology for the Geisinger Health System at the Geisinger Medical Center in Dan- ville, Pennsylvania.

175 Greensboro Road, Hanover, NH 03755; (603) 643-3789; m.jane.welsh.gr@ dartmouth.edu