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Author: Rachel

Rachel Surles is Assistant to the Director and Advancement Coordinator at UNC Press.
September 29, 2010

See Gus Read: The Retelling of a Classic Banned Book by Gus, History Buff and Dog

Gus, book lover South of Chapel Hill, where James Taylor once wandered the countryside strumming a six-string, there was a small farm.  And it’s on this farm that Larry and I had been busting our humps for almost a week–burying bones, fetching sticks, digging holes under fences, and generally running the place under the supervision of Cookie, the farm owner’s… Continue Reading See Gus Read: The Retelling of a Classic Banned Book by Gus, History Buff and Dog

Categories Fiction/Literature
July 23, 2010

Celebrate North Carolina State Parks…and Watch Out for My Cousin Teddy

I once went on an epic camping trip to a state park with my extended family.  On this trip, my cousin “accidentally” bumped into me while I was kneeling beside our campfire.  “Luckily,” I caught myself on the hot coals around the perimeter.  Then, this same cousin–we’ll call him Teddy (cough…Michael)–“accidentally” ran into my brother with the twig he’d been… Continue Reading Celebrate North Carolina State Parks…and Watch Out for My Cousin Teddy

Categories Biology/Birds & Birding/Environmental Studies/Hiking/Nature/North Carolina/Reference/Science/Travel/UNC Press News
June 16, 2010

See Gus Read…and Time Travel

Here’s the deal.  I’m a dog.  And I like to read and travel through time.  A few weeks ago, the fine people at UNC Press gave me this nifty time machine.  (They think the blue goggles will distract me from the fact that it’s  made out of old UNC Press books held together with duct tape.  I play along.) Since… Continue Reading See Gus Read…and Time Travel

Categories American History/American Studies/Cooking / Food/History/North Carolina/Southern Studies/UNC Press News
May 14, 2010

The Legacy of Thomas Day

During the mid-1800s, Thomas Day was the most successful cabinet maker working  in North Carolina.  A significant figure in the history of woodworking, equally as important for his role in American history as an astoundingly successful free man of color in the Antebellum South, Day developed a truly original aesthetic and showed unmatched skill as a maker of cabinets, furniture,… Continue Reading The Legacy of Thomas Day

Categories African American History/African American Studies/Craft/North Carolina/Southern Studies/UNC Press News
December 29, 2009

The Anti-New Year’s Resolution Menu

It’s December 29th.  You’ve only got a corner or so in each casserole dish left to scrape at and that new gym membership doesn’t start until January 1st.  Why waste away early?  Sharpen those knives, pound that meat mallet, and get in one last real meal before the new year.  After flipping through some of the best recipes from UNC… Continue Reading The Anti-New Year’s Resolution Menu

Categories Cooking / Food/North Carolina/Recipes/Southern Studies
October 28, 2009

UNC Press Goes West (And Likes It)

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… Continue Reading UNC Press Goes West (And Likes It)

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Biography / Autobiography/Civil Rights/Cooking / Food/Fiction/folklore/History/Literature/Local Indy Booksellers/Media Studies/Music/North Carolina/Recipes/Southern Studies/Travel/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News
August 14, 2009

Tar Heel Trek: Brunswick County

The following is a guide to Bald Head Island written in the form of a children’s book: One summer we took the ferry to an island.  We stayed in a little house on the beach and watched the ocean move.  We put on suntan lotion and laid towels out on the sand.  We built castles that ceased to stand and… Continue Reading Tar Heel Trek: Brunswick County

Categories American History/Art / Architecture/History/North Carolina/Reference/Southern Studies
June 25, 2009

Today in history: Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina were readmitted to the Union

Reunited and it feels so good; okay, so maybe 1868 wasn’t as smooth as a pop song.  There were a few kinks to work out.  How would secessionist states regain self-governing status?  How would newly freedmen be integrated into southern society?  What would become of the leaders of the Confederacy?  Reconstruction proved to be one of the most trying times… Continue Reading Today in history: Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina were readmitted to the Union

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Civil War/History/North Carolina
June 10, 2009

Celebrate National Soul Food Month with Mama Dip

I once worked at a restaurant that served fried chicken livers in a martini glass with some fancy sauce drizzled over the top in a perfect zig-zag pattern. Soul food sure isn’t what it used to be. This unique genre of food, always comforting and often greasy, should never be served in stemware. Soul food is about making the most… Continue Reading Celebrate National Soul Food Month with Mama Dip

Categories Cooking / Food/North Carolina/Southern Studies/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News
April 8, 2009

Glue Sticks & Glitter: Art talk from two people who know very little about art

The Ackland Art Museum’s current exhibition At the Heart of Progress: Coal, Iron, and Steam since 1750 – Industrial Imagery from the John P. Eckblad Collection is a worthwhile venture into the dark world of progress. The artwork vacillates between hard, industrial imagery and intimate views of man’s relation to the hard work of a new world. Though often downtrodden,… Continue Reading Glue Sticks & Glitter: Art talk from two people who know very little about art

Categories UNC Press News
October 2, 2008

Weekend Roadtrip #9: Grab a Plastic Bib and Head to the NC Seafood Festival

Grab your oyster knives and crab crackers! This weekend, Morehead City will be hosting the 22nd Annual North Carolina Seafood Festival. Friday through Sunday, October 3-5, locals and out-of-towners can enjoy all the Crystal Coast has to offer. Events include the Outer Banks Boat Show, cooking demonstrations by renowned chefs, live music, rides, an open air market with arts and… Continue Reading Weekend Roadtrip #9: Grab a Plastic Bib and Head to the NC Seafood Festival

Categories Cooking / Food/Current Events/North Carolina/Travel