Last month, the passing of Michael Jackson sent people all across the globe into mourning. From his most loyal listeners to even those too young to remember Jackson the musician but instead Jackson the punchline to jokes, the outpouring of respect for one person was unparalleled in this decade. In the following guest post, Charles Ponce de Leon, author of… Continue Reading Michael Jackson and a Lifetime of Celebrity
In recent days, three high-profile public figures have come under increased scrutiny–Sarah Palin for her abrupt resignation from her position as Governor of Alaska, possible presidential hopeful John Ensign (R-Nev.) for his extramarital affair, and Bishop Thomas Wesley Weeks III for physically assaulting his wife in a 2007 incident. As a result, both Palin’s and Ensign’s chances at winning at… Continue Reading Anthea Butler Examines Sarah Palin’s Pentecostal Faith
Last week best-selling fiction writer E. Lynn Harris died at the age of 54. Harris’s closeted and openly gay black characters paved the way for a new and vibrant genre of popular literature with widespread appeal. Personally, Harris was a kind and generous man who sought to encourage and support other gay black writers, including E. Patrick Johnson, author of… Continue Reading A world without E. Lynn Harris (1955-2009)
The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is a bill aimed to remove barriers to collective bargaining in the workplace. It includes provisions enabling a card check system for voting to establish a union and guaranteeing that workers who unionize can negotiate a contract with their employer. Catherine L. Fisk, author of Working Knowledge: Employee Innovation and the Rise of Corporate… Continue Reading Fisk calls arbitration a key element to EFCA bill
In the past month, an occurrence in the suburbs of Philadelphia has turned into a national story. After a group of minority children were disinvited by a private swimming pool’s administration, community members were outraged. Senator Arlen Spector said that if allegations were true, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was likely violated. Now, the United States Justice Department plans… Continue Reading Swimming Pool Historian Responds to Philadelphia Incident
UNC Press author Bland Simpson has made his name on a myriad of talents, one of which is his superb ability to write about North Carolina’s coastline. Since 1993, UNC Press has published five of Simpson’s books about the area, with the most recent work–The Inner Islands–scheduled for paperback publication in the spring of 2010. I mention Simpson because his… Continue Reading David Stick 1919-2009
Looking for something new, fun and relatively inexpensive to do this summer? Several counties and towns in western North Carolina offer a variety of festivals, celebrations, and cultural events that feature bluegrass music, dance, and traditional food of Southern Appalachia. The festivals in western NC are a sample of what is offered all along the Blue Ridge Music Trail, a… Continue Reading Road Trip, Anyone? Check out Music Festivals in Western NC!
If you are wondering why you haven’t seen many fresh UNC Press blog posts lately, you have launch week to thank for that. UNC Press folks spent all of last week–save a lunch break here and there–discussing the 70+ titles that will make up our list for Spring 2010. While we are exhausted (sigh) we are certain that it was… Continue Reading Launch Week at UNC Press!
This week’s installment of Tar Heel Trek visit the county of Sampson, located in the coast plain of North Carolina. Formed in 1784, Sampson County is largely rural county that produces as many hogs as almost anywhere else in the country – the roughly 2 million hogs there outnumber their human neighbors 33 to one. There’s plenty of room for… Continue Reading Tar Heel Trek – Sampson County
For many, today means the last day at the office before a long weekend goes into effect for Independence Day. However, Civil War buffs and historians recognize July 2nd as day two of another important event in American history – the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. In the three hours of fighting on this evening 146 years ago, roughly 10,000… Continue Reading Gettysburg Remembered
Looking for an inexpensive get-away this summer? Well, you’re in luck. Now through July 5th on the National Mall in Washington DC is the annual cornucopia of world culture–the Smithsonian Folklife Festival! The best part about it? IT’S FREE! This year one of the festival’s three themes is Wales which, of course, reminded me of the engaging new book by… Continue Reading Check out the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Wash., D.C.!
For those of us of a certain age (read: Old Folks) reading has a deep association with many of our senses that the current trend towards e-Readers simply do not provide. Books, those physical collections of bound pages provide us with a certain weighty heft that lets us know we are reading something substantial. There is the tactile satisfaction that… Continue Reading The Smell of Books
Located on the Virginia-North Carolina border, directly above Forsyth County, is Stokes County, the next stop on our Tar Heel Trek. Historically, Stokes is best known for tobacco production and stringband music. More recently, it is getting attention for being the home of baseball standout Dustin Ackley. However, as a Stokes County native, I feel like some of the lesser… Continue Reading Tar Heel Trek: Stokes County
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
I set out on a bright June day, heading south to retrace the path of William Tecumseh Sherman’s 1865 march through the Carolinas. I’m currently working on a project about the way Americans have remembered Sherman’s March, and I had already driven across Georgia the spring before. Now it was time to work my way from the Bennett Place in… Continue Reading Anne Rubin Follows the Traces of Sherman’s March
Some exciting news regarding UNC Press… AAUP meeting: Several folks from UNC Press traveled to Philadelphia, PA last weekend for the annual AAUP meeting–Joanna Ruth Marsland, our Director of Development had this to say about the meeting: “…The sessions focused on “best practices” for the various departments and activities within university presses, and the ones I attended were very good.… Continue Reading AAUP, abc.com…
Gary R. Bunt, senior lecturer in Islamic studies at the University of Wales, was kind enough to share his time and thoughts on the events surrounding the 2009 Iranian presidential election, the protests, and the deeply entrenched tensions between politics and religion. His most recent book, iMuslims, sheds new light on the nature of contemporary Islamic discourse, identity, and community.… Continue Reading Gary Bunt on the 2009 Iranian presidential elections…
Today, the UNC Press blog is happy to offer a guest post from William A. Blair, professor of U.S. history and director of the George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center at the Pennsylvania State University. In November, UNC Press will be publishing Lincoln’s Proclamation, a collection of essays coedited by Blair and Karen F. Younger that offers new… Continue Reading Juneteenth, Emancipation, and the Proclamation
Continuing along the North Carolina piedmont, Davidson County is worthy of a pitstop. Founded in 1822 and named for Revolutionary War General William Lee Davidson, Davidson County is home to many unique and historical sites. North Carolina is well known for it’s barbecue, but none is quite like the kind you get in Lexington–defining its own category, “Lexington-style barbecue.” Home… Continue Reading Tar Heel Trek: Davidson County
Judith Walzer Leavitt, who guest blogged for us yesterday, will be appearing on WUNC’s The State of Things today with Frank Stasio, discussing the evolving role of fathers in the childbirth process. The show starts at noon (eastern) and Judy’s segment will begin around 12:40. You can listen to the show online or download a podcast after it’s archived at… Continue Reading Judith Walzer Leavitt on The State of Things today
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