First, let’s set the scene:

A little closer…

Last Sunday, UNC Press held a book party at the historic Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC.  The event celebrated three of our fall 2009 titles:

Foy Allen Edelman, author of SWEET CAROLINA, spent six years traveling every inch of North Carolina to collect the best in local dessert recipes; the result is both an easy-to-use cookbook and an enjoyable read, featuring biographical information about those from whom the recipes came, tidbits of folklore, and surprising anecdotes about the food and cooks featured inside SWEET CAROLINA.

Mississippi native and renowned folklorist William Ferris brings together for the first time his years of work traveling the Delta in the 1960s and 1970s to interview, record, and photograph blues legends from James “Son Ford” Thomas to B.B. King.  Of  GIVE MY POOR HEART EASE Morgan Freeman writes, “Like Bill Ferris, I grew up in Mississippi.  My life is continually shaped by the blues.  This book captures those rich voices so well.”  The book is accompanied by both a CD and DVD featuring footage of blues legends and those who connected with the blues in this turbulent and important time in American history.

LONG STORY SHORT, edited by Marianne Gingher, features selections of flash fiction by 65 of North Carolina’s best writers, including work by Daniel Wallace, Lee Smith, Sarah Dessen, and, you guessed it, 62 others.  These are truly short short stories; most of them can be read in under five minutes, making this the perfect gift for your friends who can’t seem to find the time to read anymore.

Among authors and contributors was a great crowd of lively book lovers.  Malaprop’s, famed Asheville bookstore, had an array of UNC Press titles available for sale.  After some mingling, glass clinking, and chow, party-goers gathered round for remarks from UNC-Asheville Chancellor Anne Ponder, who stressed the importance of supporting university presses, especially in such dire economic times.  After her remarks, Chancellor Ponder joined in a rendition of  “This Little Light of Mine” as performed by Doug Orr (co-author of UNC Press’s THE NORTH CAROLINA ATLAS), Darcy Orr, Marc Rudow, and David Brown.  The band entertained guests throughout the afternoon with favorite tunes of the North Carolina mountains.

--- Rachel Surles is Assistant to the Director and Advancement Coordinator at UNC Press. Read more from this author