Thomas Wolfe Moves In — Paula Eckard will be talking about her book Thomas Wolfe and Lost Children in Southern Literature as part of the Personally Speaking Series on November 14, 2017. In the lead up to her presentation, we have just installed an exhibit on Thomas Wolfe in the main lobby of the English Department. Among the items included in the exhibit are copies of Wolfe’s books, recent issues of the Thomas Wolfe Review (edited by Paula), samples of Wolfe’s handwriting, a portrait of Wolfe, and an image of his mother’s boarding house in Asheville where he grew up during the early years of the twentieth century. The items on exhibit are from Paula’s personal collection of Wolfe material.
The exhibit case has its own story. Alan Rauch acquired the case from a Macy Department store that closed over the summer. He brought it to the English Department, but the case clearly needed to be refurbished. Angie Williams contacted Chris Shores from Facilities Management, and he repaired the base of the exhibit case and painted the case’s exterior sides. Our current Wolfe exhibit marks the debut of our newly refurbished departmental display case.
I urge everyone to check out the Wolfe exhibit and attend Paula’s presentation. Her Personally Speaking presentation will take place on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, at UNC Charlotte Center City. Paula’s presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. A book signing and reception will follow her presentation. For more information and to RSVP, please click on the following link: https://exchange.uncc.edu/personally-speaking-looks-at-lostness-through-the-eyes-of-children/
Kudos — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of our department. Here is the latest news:
Chris Arvidson‘s co-edited collection titled The Love of Baseball: Essays by Lifelong Fans was recently featured in Inside UNC Charlotte. Here is the link: https://inside.uncc.edu/news-features/2017-10-13/fall-classic-%E2%80%94-essayists-contribute-tribute-baseball
Bryn Chancellor this past weekend was an invited author at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, where she was part of the panel “A Reckoning: Novels of Unresolved Pasts” and the Authors in the Round fundraiser. She also recently was an invited speaker at the Hoover Public Library Write Club in Hoover, AL, and she gave readings at the Charlotte Center for Literary Arts and Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh as part of the North Carolina Arts Council fellowship reading series.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here is information about upcoming meetings and events.
Oct. 20 — The English Department meeting will take place on October 20 from 11:00 to 12:30 in the English Department Conference Room.
Oct. 20 — The English Learning Community will hold its annual Faculty Meet and Greet on October 20 at 12:30 (immediately after the department meeting) and the faculty/staff lounge.
Oct. 20 — Ralf Thiede will give a faculty talk titled “Managing Language: Children’s Literature, Brain Development, and Language Acquisition” on October 20 from 1:00 to 2:00 in the Seminar Room (Fretwell 290B).
Quirky Quiz Question — Thomas Wolfe grew up in his mother’s boarding house in Asheville, North Carolina. Does anybody know the name of this boarding house at the time that Wolfe lived there?
Last week’s answer: As You Like It
What is the title of Shakespeare’s play that includes the line “All the world’s a stage”?