John and Dale Reed brighten UNCP clean-up day

John Shelton Reed and Dale Volberg Reed sign copies of Holy Smoke Well, it’s the semi-annual “clean-up day” here at UNC Press. That means everybody (except Courtney, whose office is always clean) takes some time to get their offices in order, thin out their email archives, and purge outdated files. A few extra HUGE recycling bins are brought in and are often filled to overflowing. Oh, the paper! Remember when everybody started using email and we had these fantasies of “the paperless workplace”? Ha!

So on clean-up day at the Press, folks tend to dress a little more casual than usual–you never know what great feats of strength or agility you may be inspired to perform. Even the refrigerators get a going-over! We all take a break around noon and enjoy pizza together. I think we tore through a dozen pies in record time today. Two lonesome leftover slices remain on the kitchen table at present (I just took care of the third, ahem).

We had some special visitors at the Press today–unrelated to clean-up day. No, despite their rolled-up sleeves, we did not require John Shelton Reed and Dale Volberg Reed to dust any bookshelves or wipe any mysterious crust from the refrigerator door. The Reeds came by to sign copies of Holy Smoke for Press staff–mostly in multiples. The line stayed small but constantly regenerated itself, like a salamander who loses its tail and then grows a new one. Thanks for signing, John and Dale!

Have a good hopey weekend, everybody.

–ellen