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May 7, 2009

Obama’s foreign policy in light of ‘The American Ascendancy’

Today we welcome a guest post from Michael H. Hunt, author of The American Ascendancy: How the United States Gained and Wielded Global Dominance, a new paperback edition of which has just been published. In the book, Hunt gives a long historical view of what factors enabled the United States to evolve from colonial outpost to global preeminence and explores… Continue Reading Obama’s foreign policy in light of ‘The American Ascendancy’

Categories American History/Current Events/Guest Bloggers/History/Michael H. Hunt/Politics/UNC Press Authors
May 6, 2009

Authors speak: interviews, op-eds, and more

We’ve got several authors out there making appearances online in various forms. If you’ve missed some of the live appearances in this busy spring, take a moment to follow-up virtually. In history… Russell McClintock, author of Lincoln and the Decision for War, was interviewed recently by Michael Noirot over at This Mighty Scourge. An excerpt from Amy Wood‘s new book,… Continue Reading Authors speak: interviews, op-eds, and more

Categories African American Studies/American History/Civil War/Cuba/Current Events/History/Interviews/Islamic Studies/Latin American/Caribbean Hist./Middle Eastern Studies/Native Amer./Indigenous Studies/Politics/Religion/UNC Press Authors
April 28, 2009

Big birthday wishes to 2 legendary UNC Press authors!!

Two well-loved and renowned authors are celebrating major birthdays this month. On 4/11, Mama Dip turned 80 years old (Photo Ann Hawthorne) Mildred Council, aka “Mama Dip,” has won the hearts of Chapel Hillians for decades as a restaurateur and community builder. In 1999 we published her first cookbook, Mama Dip’s Kitchen, which became a runaway bestseller and made her… Continue Reading Big birthday wishes to 2 legendary UNC Press authors!!

Categories Cooking / Food/History/North Carolina/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News
April 21, 2009

Upcoming events, 4/21 – 4/27

New York, NY – Today! Tuesday 4/21 at 6 pm – Ann Marie Stock, author of On Location in Cuba: Street Filmmaking during Times of Transition (hot off the press!), will be speaking at the Havana Film Festival at the King Juan Carlos Center. Raleigh, NC – Wed., 4/22 at 11 am – Rob Christensen, author of The Paradox of… Continue Reading Upcoming events, 4/21 – 4/27

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Birds & Birding/Cooking / Food/Cuba/Events/Gay / Lesbian Studies/Gender Studies/History/Local Indy Booksellers/Media Studies/Military Studies/Nature/North Carolina/Politics/Southern Studies/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News/Women's Studies
April 20, 2009

Those Who Don’t Learn From History Are Doomed to Repeat it….

April 14, 2009 proved to be a dark day for progress and equality in, ironically, one of the most liberal collegiate atmospheres in the country. Forty-six years after the highly controversial Speaker Ban law was passed, it seems that the UNC Chapel Hill finds itself once again in the spotlight. In 1963, the Speaker Ban prohibited members of the Communist… Continue Reading Those Who Don’t Learn From History Are Doomed to Repeat it….

Categories American History/Current Events/Law / Legal History/UNC Press News
April 15, 2009

SIBA book award finalists include Holy Smoke & biography of Susie Sharp

The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance is narrowing in on the year’s best southern books. Here’s how they describe the process: Each year, hundreds of booksellers across the South vote on their favorite hand-sell books of the year. These are the Southern books they have most enjoyed selling to customers; the ones that they couldn’t stop talking about; the ones most… Continue Reading SIBA book award finalists include Holy Smoke & biography of Susie Sharp

Categories American History/Awards/Biography / Autobiography/Cooking / Food/Law / Legal History/Local Indy Booksellers/North Carolina/UNC Press News/Women's Studies
April 14, 2009

Upcoming events 4/14 – 4/20

Upcoming author events, including a C-SPAN taping tonight! Today, Tuesday, 4/14: John & Dale Reed in Kernersville, NC –  Shakespeare & Company Books in Kernersville hosts the authors of Holy Smoke at 6 pm. Lars Schoultz in Durham, NC – The author of That Infernal Little Cuban Republic will read and speak at the Regulator Bookshop at 7 pm .… Continue Reading Upcoming events 4/14 – 4/20

Categories American History/Birds & Birding/Cooking / Food/Events/History/Latin American/Caribbean Hist./Law / Legal History/Military History/Nature/North Carolina/Politics/UNC Press Authors/Women's Studies
April 6, 2009

Upcoming events: UNC wins NCAA championship, etc.

The Tar Heels are on order by the Commander in Chief to win the NCAA tourney tonight. Go Heels!! Here’s a preview of tonight’s celebration on Franklin Street. This video was shot on Saturday, when the Tar Heels beat Villanova in the final four. Hopefully any potential thunderstorms and tornadoes will happen sooner rather than later today so we can… Continue Reading Upcoming events: UNC wins NCAA championship, etc.

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Cooking / Food/Events/Gender Studies/History/Local Indy Booksellers/North Carolina/Public Policy/Religion/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News/Women's Studies
April 3, 2009

Job Programs and Stimulus II: What We Can Learn from New Deal Programs

I’m pleased to have a guest post today from Frank Stricker, author of Why America Lost the War on Poverty — And How to Win It, which we published in 2007. That book focused on the second half of the twentieth century. In his current work, Stricker’s looking more closely at unemployment and job creation, and looking further back in… Continue Reading Job Programs and Stimulus II: What We Can Learn from New Deal Programs

Categories American History/Current Events/Economics/Guest Bloggers/Politics/Public Policy/The Book Biz
March 31, 2009

Robert McElvaine on The News Hour: reconsidering consumption

I’ve posted a couple of items recently (here and here) about the renewed relevance in these painful economic times of Robert McElvaine’s classic collection of letters written to FDR, Down and Out in the Great Depression: Letters from the Forgotten Man. On Friday, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer aired a wonderful segment featuring McElvaine and his book,  incorporating some… Continue Reading Robert McElvaine on The News Hour: reconsidering consumption

Categories American History/American Studies/Current Events/Economics/Interviews/Podcasts/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News
March 27, 2009

Remembrances for Franklin abound

Our hearts are warmed by the outpouring of remembrances for John Hope Franklin. We’ve been blogging about it the past couple of days (here and here), but there’s no letting up yet. In a New York Times editorial, Brent Staples cites John Hope’s “groundbreaking work on free Negroes in antebellum North Carolina” (that would be JHF’s first book, The Free… Continue Reading Remembrances for Franklin abound

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Biography / Autobiography/Current Events/History/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News
March 26, 2009

In memoriam, John Hope Franklin (1915-2009)

The ties between the nation’s most distinguished historian and UNC Press go back a very long way. In 1943, UNC Press (which had already made something of a name for itself by its books by and about African Americans) published John Hope Franklin’s first book, The Free Negro in North Carolina, 1790-1860. It was a revision of his Harvard dissertation… Continue Reading In memoriam, John Hope Franklin (1915-2009)

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Current Events/History/North Carolina/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News
March 25, 2009

Sad news: we’ve lost 2 giants

We’re mourning two great losses over here at the Press this afternoon. In addition to being UNC Press authors, both men were giants in their fields, and indeed helped establish and define new fields of scholarship. Both lived long, fulfilling lives in which their pioneering intellectual pursuits served the public good. Both gave of themselves tirelessly, mentoring and inspiring multiple… Continue Reading Sad news: we’ve lost 2 giants

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/American Studies/Appalachian Studies/Civil Rights/Labor Studies/North Carolina/Podcasts/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News
March 25, 2009

Snips and snails and puppy-dogs’ tails

That’s what little boys are made of. So what are fraternities made of? Nicholas Syrett, author of The Company He Keeps: A History of White College Fraternities, will be talking about the long and secretive history of male fraternities  on WUNC’s The State of Things at noon (and 9pm) today. You can listen live online or catch the podcast later… Continue Reading Snips and snails and puppy-dogs’ tails

Categories American History/Education/Gender Studies/Podcasts/TSoT/UNC Press News
March 24, 2009

Busy week – check out these events

If you’re in NC, you’ve got a couple chances to catch up with our busily touring authors this week. Tonight!!, Tuesday, March 24: Nancy Carter Crump, reception @ 5 pm, reading @ 5:45pm, Wilson Library UNC-CH. The author of Hearthside Cooking will be featured as part of the Southern Historical Collection Book Series, featuring authors whose research has involved material… Continue Reading Busy week – check out these events

Categories American History/Biography / Autobiography/Cooking / Food/Cuba/Events/Local Indy Booksellers/Military History/Military Studies/North Carolina/Politics/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News/Women's Studies
March 23, 2009

The Obamas’ Working Marriage

  Kristin Celello, author of Making Marriage Work: A History of Marriage and Divorce in the Twentieth-Century United States, responds to Michelle Obama’s interview with People magazine regarding her marriage to the President. In a recent issue of People magazine, Michelle Obama does her best to dispel any notions that she and the President have a “perfect” marriage.  Rather, she… Continue Reading The Obamas’ Working Marriage

Categories American History/American Studies/Gender Studies/UNC Press News
March 11, 2009

Places to go, people to see

The sun is just starting to break through the morning cloud cover on this warm spring day. Last day of sunshine before we roll into a week of rain here in the Triangle, say the weather forecasters, so let’s make the most of it! In the next few days, there will be several opportunities to hear various UNC Press authors… Continue Reading Places to go, people to see

Categories African American Studies/American History/Biography / Autobiography/Civil War/Cooking / Food/Current Events/Events/Gay / Lesbian Studies/Gender Studies/Health / Medicine/History/Interviews/Local Indy Booksellers/Military History/Military Studies/North Carolina/Podcasts/Southern Studies/The Book Biz/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News
March 5, 2009

The fisher poets, then and now

“On the boat, I don’t have a TV,” he said. “We just read.” So it has been for hundreds of years. A recent New York Times article about the Fisher Poets Weekend (which was held this past weekend in Astoria, Oregon) introduces several of the seafaring poets who gather once a year to share verse inspired by their working lives.… Continue Reading The fisher poets, then and now

Categories American History/Literature/Poetry
March 2, 2009

Women and Obama’s First 100 Days

What does the Obama presidency mean for women, especially in a time of financial crisis?  We’re pleased to have a guest post today from Lisa Levenstein, assistant professor of history at UNC-Greensboro and author of A Movement Without Marches: African American Women and the Politics of Poverty in Postwar Philadelphia, which we will publish May 1 (we’re accepting orders now).… Continue Reading Women and Obama’s First 100 Days

Categories African American Studies/American History/Current Events/Economics/Gender Studies/Guest Bloggers/Politics/Public Policy/Women's Studies
February 27, 2009

Your Weekend To-Do List

Yes, you! Cool stuff happening this weekend. Radio, Internet, and Real-Life events that deserve your attention: Robert McElvaine on All Things Considered – Today, Friday, to discuss FDR’s letters from Americans and the letter-reading habit President Obama has picked up. I know, we teased you earlier in the week because we thought his conversation would air Wednesday or Thursday. Well,… Continue Reading Your Weekend To-Do List

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Biography / Autobiography/Cooking / Food/Ethics/Events/Health / Medicine/North Carolina/Podcasts