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
If you’ve lived in North Carolina for any length of time, chances are you know the state isn’t just famous for its barbecue, beaches, and basketball. It’s also a world-class destination for a fourth “B”—birding. North Carolina’s diverse natural communities from mountains to sea nurture an equally diverse array of bird species. Some spend most of the year here, enlivening… Continue Reading Know Your Birding Guidebooks
For everyone associated with North Carolina Tar Heel basketball, the 2008-2009 season was as good as it gets. Key players returned when they could have easily picked up paychecks in the NBA. Records were broken by individuals and team alike. Starters picked up conference and national awards in droves. Best of all, the Heels won the basketball program’s fifth NCAA… Continue Reading One Fantastic Ride with the Champs
I am pleased to report that while Book Expo America 2009 seemed slightly sluggish for others, it was a downright success for UNC Press. With over 1500 exhibitors at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City this past weekend, UNC Press was a standout among the crowd–and who wouldn’t want to know what we were up to with… Continue Reading B.B. King & Book Expo America 2009
Well folks, that special time is finally upon us—it’s Barbecue Month! (Well, it was throughout May, but we celebrate all year long!) While many of those around the country are probably thinking it’s time to dust off their grilling machines and spatulas, we in the south know what this month is really celebrating, and that is the barbecue that comes… Continue Reading Barbecue….It’s a Noun, Not a Verb, Y’all!
Happy National Maritime Day! Today, I ask that each of you take a closer look at those crab legs you’re eating, or that naval ship you see when you are at the beach and really consider how important sailors, the sea, and the maritime industry is to our daily lives. May 22, 1933 marks the date that the American steamship… Continue Reading Happy National Maritime Day!
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!!
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
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
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
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.
Yesterday Governor Bev Perdue signed legislation making Grandfather Mountain North Carolina’s newest state park. Hugh Morton (1921-2006) inherited the 2500-acre property and developed part of it into a tourist attraction, including a famous “mile-high” swinging bridge. Morton’s family will continue to operate the tourist site and nature center there. My family vacations as a child were often in the mountains… Continue Reading Grandfather Mountain: personal and public
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
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
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
In a former life I was a Children’s Librarian. Books written for kids is still one of my most preferred genres when seeking out books to read (much to my wife’s constant bewilderment). And while the UNC Press has published two recent titles for kids (“The Adventures of Molly Whuppie and Other Appalachian Folktales” and “Taffy of Torpedo Junction“) neither… Continue Reading Caldecott and Newbery Award Winners Announced
While the rest of the country is awaiting January 20th to begin their (Presidential) Inaugural festivities, we in North Carolina have already begun our Inaugural celebrations with a series of celebrations in honor of our first woman Governor in the state’s history. Beverly Perdue may not be officially sworn in as Governor until Saturday morning, but the festivities started Thursday… Continue Reading New NC Governor Reaches Across the Table to Bridge Differences
John Shelton Reed recently introduced the Chronicle Review to Allen and Son Barbecue in Chapel Hill. Their write-up, complete with a wonderful 3-minute audio slideshow of Keith Allen’s typical day cooking and serving ‘cue, is now available. The article appears in the Dec. 19 print issue. Ed. note: Thanks, commenter durhamfood, for pointing out that the article is behind a… Continue Reading Chronicle offers audio slideshow of Allen & Son Barbecue
We’ve got lots going on around here! Here’s a quick roundup of ways in which UNC Press books are making waves right now. . . . Patrick Huber’s Linthead Stomp: The Creation of Country Music in the Piedmont South has just earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly. The review states, “With respect and passion, Huber puts these pioneering artists… Continue Reading UNC Press books making headlines (and airwaves)
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 Jones (3rd-generation pitmaster at the… Continue Reading Holy Smoke launch night at The Pit
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