Gordon Peterson

A Pulitzer Prize–winning Washington Post columnist's timely collection looks at community issues of equity and justice The Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Colbert I. King has been speaking up his entire life, most recently as a columnist for the Washington Post. For thirty years, until his retirement in 2025, he chronicled stories ranging from global crises to national tragedies, from triumphs to local and community issues of equity and justice. A lifelong resident of Washington, DC, King has deep reverence for the history of the nation's capital and the circumstances of its residents. His columns showcase a writer who is fueled by a lifelong sense of responsibility of service to his fellow citizens and to humanity at large. Somebody Had to Speak Up covers topics ranging from the impact of failing schools and gun violence on Black families in DC, to racism and bigotry, the government's duty to constituents, the seminal mayoralty of Marion Barry, home rule, and profiles in leadership. This collection is for civic-minded readers interested in key moments of American and DC history, scholars of journalism and media studies, and readers compelled to use their own voices to stand up for what is right.

In Music and Autism: Speaking for Ourselves, renowned ethnomusicologist Michael Bakan engages in deep conversations-some spanning the course of years-with ten unique and fascinating individuals who share two basic things in common: an autism spectrum diagnosis and a life in which music is central. The result is a profound yet accessible exploration of how people make and experience music, and of why it matters to them that they do, one whose rich tapestry of words, images, and musical sounds speaks to both the extraordinary diversity of autistic experience and the common humanity we all share.