Last Thursday the Press had a fabulous launch party for Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue at The Pit in downtown Raleigh. We celebrated with authors John Shelton Reed, Dale Volberg Reed, and William McKinney as well as several pitmasters featured in the book, including Ed Mitchell (pitmaster at The Pit), Samuel [...]

The following post is from Christopher A. Cooper and H. Gibbs Knotts, co-editors of The New Politics of North Carolina. Cooper is MPA director and assistant professor of political science and public affairs at Western Carolina University. Knotts is department head and associate professor of political science and public affairs at Western Carolina University.
Every four [...]

Folks, Holy Smoke is hot! Thank you!
The book popped up in the #15 spot in hardcover nonfiction on SIBA’s (Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance) Southern Indie Bestseller List for the week ending November 2.
This morning’s News & Observer featured an interview with the Reeds.
Today, John and Dale Reed talked to Frank Stasio on The State of [...]

In addition to the many outstanding books UNC Press has published on Civil War battles, World War II military tactics, Cold War strategy, war heroes, and other military history, we have also brought to print stories of veterans sometimes left out of traditional American military narratives. In honor of all those who serve our country, [...]

This past Saturday Wilmington, North Carolina, dedicated a new memorial to the victims of the Wilmington Race Riot of 1898. The memorial site includes an installation of six 16-foot-high bronze paddles created by sculptor Ayokunle Odeleye.
Today, November 10, is the 110th anniversary of the event. Ten years ago, UNC Press published Democracy Betrayed: The Wilmington [...]

Congratulations to everyone who voted yesterday! There was record turnout nationwide: more than 130 million people voted. North Carolina had 68.37% voter turnout. With more than four million votes cast for president in North Carolina, Obama is ahead by about 12,000 votes. Provisional ballots are still being counted (thus they haven’t called it an Obama [...]

I’ve added a few more press blogs to our university press blogroll recently, and I wanted to bring them to your attention and encourage you to go check them out.
Island Press focuses on environmental issues. Their Eco-Compass blog features posts by authors discussing green development, conservation, wildlife, sustainability, population growth, and more.
NYU Press, whose blog [...]

Three UNCP authors deserve special cheers for winning awards recently:
Rob Christensen, author of The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics, has been awarded the 2008 Ragan Old North State Award for Nonfiction by the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association. The successor to the organization’s Mayflower Cup, the Ragan Old North State Award honors Sam Ragan: [...]

This weekend is the 25th annual Lexington Barbecue Festival!  Hit the road and head on down to Lexington, North Carolina, “the barbecue capital of the world,” for food, fun, and entertainment. Exhibits open at 8:30 a.m. Barbecue tents open at 10:00 a.m.
Our very own Will McKinney, coauthor of Holy Smoke: The Big Book of [...]

The Ella Baker Tour and Retreat, sponsored by the Southern Anti-Racism Network (SARN), is inspiring a wave of intergenerational dialogue and cooperation between veterans of the Civil Rights Movement and a new generation of social justice activists. The SARN website explains the tour’s origins this way:
Social change movements led by people of African descent in [...]

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 [...]

I took some sign language classes about twenty years ago and had some interaction with the deaf community at the time, but when the classes ended, I didn’t keep it up. I remember little more than the American Sign Language (ASL) alphabet, plus a few things like “more,” “thank you,” and “finished,” which I learned [...]

If the subject of economics isn’t your strong suit, welcome to the majority! That’s why North Carolina is lucky to have Mike Walden, a professor at NC State and economist with the NC Cooperative Extension Service. Walden is especially good at talking about economics in terms the rest of us can understand. His new book [...]

I grew up in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, the eldest child of parents who’s idea of gastronomic adventure was going out to the local Hot Shoppes Cafeteria (you southerners just think the K&W and you’ll get the idea). It wasn’t until I was eighteen, when I grew my hair long, pierced [...]

Less than a week after Hurricane Gustav kept many of us watching The Weather Channel, hoping New Orleans would be spared a repeat of the flooding damage brought by Hurricane Katrina, those of us in North Carolina are now watching as Tropical Storm Hanna is taking aim at the Carolina coastline.
Many of us here [...]