Monthly Archives: September 2014

National Coffee Day — I wish you all a happy National Coffee Day. As everyone who knows me can attest, I think every day should be national coffee day, but it is still great to have a special day set aside to celebrate coffee. The connections between the English Department and coffee run deep. There are endless associations with coffee shops and literature. During the late 19th century, Viennese coffee houses functioned as cultural meccas for European writers. During the 1950s, Greenwich Village coffee shops were where the Beat writers gathered to share poetry and play their bongo drums. Even today writers tend to congregate at Starbucks and other coffee shops. Of course , there are many other ways in which the English Department is tied to coffee. For me and many other members of the department, drinking coffee and writing are inextricably linked. For many of our students, drinking coffee helps them stay awake as they cram for midterms or try to finish their term papers. Coffee has also been the topic of some great quotations by some of our favorite writers. For example, one of Aaron Gwyn’s favorite writers is Albert Camus, and here is what Camus had to say about coffee: “Should I kill myself, or have a cup of coffee.” One of Daniel Shealy’s favorite writers is Louisa May Alcott, and here is what she has to say about coffee: “I’d rather take coffee than take compliments just now.” My favorite coffee quotation is by the famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach who said, “Without my morning coffee I’m just like a dried up piece of roast goat.”

Soul Food — How do our history, politics, and social traditions define the foods we eat today? How can we use our understanding of the historic and contemporary delivery of food to the table to ensure resources for future generations? Foodies, farmers, educators and advocates will explore these and more “farm to table” and sustainability questions during a community discussion of “Soul Food: A Contemporary and Historical Exploration of New South Food” on Thursday, October 2 at UNC Charlotte Center City, 320 E. Ninth St.

This is the fourth and final event in the yearlong “Soul Food” series presented by UNC Charlotte’s Center for the Study of the New South, which is part of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. The day opens with back-to-back panel discussions at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. and culminates with a 6 p.m. talk by James Beard Award winner Adrian Miller, author of “SOUL FOOD: The Surprising Story of American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time.” A reception sponsored by Chartwells UNC Charlotte and a book signing follow Miller’s talk.

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:

Sarah Minslow spoke on a panel about Banned Books Week on Wednesday in the Halton Reading Room as part of the EGSA and CGLO’s Banned Books Week celebration. She also lead a roundtable discussion about censorship at the South Country Regional Library on Saturday.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here are some dates to keep in mind:

October 2 — Shakespeare in Action is co-sponsoring a lecture by Richard Preiss on early modern clowning and comic performance in Robinson 103 at 4:00 pm.

October 6-7 — Fall break—no classes.

October 10 — The deadline to post mid-term unsatisfactory grades is noon on Friday, October 10th, and you must complete the process even if you have no unsatisfactory grades to report. Grades due by noon.

Quirky Quiz Question — One of the most famous coffee shops where the Beat writers gathered was the Gaslight Café. In the early 1960s, a young folk singer performed at the Gaslight. Many years later a recording of this performance was released under the title of Live at the Gaslight 1962. A few years ago this singer also performed at UNCCharlotte. Can you guess the name of this singer?

Last week’s answer – Scotland

The Play of the Imagination — This past weekend, my wife and I celebrated our 27th anniversary by taking a trip to southern Georgia. We took a ferry to Cumberland Island, which is now largely owned by the National Park Service. As we explored the island, we paid particular attention to the remains of once grand mansion known today as the Dungeness Ruins. Built by the Carnegie family in the late nineteenth century, Dungeness functioned as a secluded retreat for one of America’s wealthiest and most prominent families. By the 1920s, the family stopped using the mansion on a regular basis, and in the 1950s the mansion burned, leaving an eerie-looking skeleton made of stone, bricks and metal. Although the interior of the ruined mansion is fenced off, visitors can walk right up to the walls and peer through the barred windows,

As Nancy and I explored the Dungeness Ruins, I was reminded of the many ruined castles we visited in England while I was researching and writing A Children’s Literature Tour of Great Britain. Of course, the Dungeness Ruins are far newer than the ruined castles in England, but Dungeness sparked my imagination in the same way that the castles did. I began wondering about the people who once lived in this ruined mansion. I wondered about their stories, their secrets, and their relationships to this special place. For me, at least, ruins arouse my curiosity in ways that well-preserved historic buildings do not. I have similar reactions to yellowed letters found in attics or personal inscriptions written on the title pages of old books. What I like about such reminders from the past is that they provide plenty of room for the play of the imagination. In our work as teachers, I believe that we should nurture our students’ imaginations, and perhaps one way to accomplish this goal is to bring our students to ruins.

Engagement Seminar — The English Learning Community is holding its first Engagement Seminar with Henry Doss this Thursday in our faculty/staff lounge from 3:00-4:00. This seminar is open to all students and faculty. Please invite your students to attend.

Quirky Quiz Question — The Dungeness mansion was built by the wealthy Carnegie family. The Carnegie fortune was initially made by Andrew Carnegie. Although Andrew Carnegie became one of the richest people in America, he was not born in America. Where was Andrew Carnegie born?

Last week’s Quirky Quiz answer – Daedalus

The Center City Literary Festival —The second annual Center City Literary Festival will take place on October 17 and 18 at the UNC Charlotte Center City. This festival showcases authors and performers associated with UNC Charlotte and is sponsored by UNC Charlotte Center City and the Department of English. This event is free, and everyone is welcome to attend.

The part of the festival that is intended for adults will take place on the 17th (Friday) from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. James A. Grymes will read from his recently published Violins of Hope. Violinists will also perform in conjunction with this reading. Other writers who will participate include poet Christopher Davis, mystery novelist Mark de Castrique, essayist Sandra Govan, and poet Grace Ocasio. Several of the participants are contributors to the recently released 27 Views of Charlotte: The Queen City in Prose and Poetry, and these participants will read from their contributions to this collection. The evening will close with a book signing during which the folk music group the Kollard Kings will perform bluegrass music.

The part of the festival that is intended for children will take place on the 18th (Saturday) from 11:00 to 3:00. The festival will feature literature, art, theatre, and music and will provide children with many hands-on activities. The featured authors and illustrators include Caldecott Medal winner Gail Haley, illustrator Mathew Myers, and digital artist Heather Freeman. Many of the art-related activities will relate to the opening of an art exhibit titled “Icarus: A Study of the Urge to Fly.” This exhibit will be in the gallery at Center City and participants will be able view the exhibit. Beth Murray from the Department of Theatre will coordinate performances based on picture books. Finally, the festival will conclude with a family-friendly musical performance by UNC Charlotte’s Chamber Orchestra.

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:

Lil Brannon delivered the keynote address at UNC Charlotte’s inaugural First-Year Writing Conference, which took place at UNC Charlotte Center City on September 12, 2014.

Alan Rauch recently presented a paper titled “Women and the Matrix of Science in 19th-Century Britain” at the European History of Science Society Conference, which took place in Lisbon, Portugal.

Quirky Quiz Question — The myth of Icarus will figure in the children’s part of the upcoming Center City Literary Festival. The father of Icarus plays a major role in this myth. Does anybody remember the name of the father?Last week’s Quirky Quiz answer – Catalan

Study Abroad — I never had the opportunity to study abroad when I was an undergraduate student, but thanks to my son and one of my students, I am now getting a taste of the experience in a vicarious sort of way. Gavin, our son, is spending the fall semester in Barcelona studying architecture. He arrived there a few days ago, but his classes start today. Gavin speaks and reads Spanish, which is a good thing since most of his classes will be taught in Spanish. He will study, among other topics, the buildings of Antoni Gaudi, including Gaudi’s famous Sagrada Familia cathedral.

One of my former students, Taneka Robertson, has just returned from studying in China this summer. Taneka is blind, but she still wanted to experience studying abroad. I served as one of her references when she applied to study at Xiamen University in China, so she has kept me posted about her adventure. Now that she is back in Charlotte, she stopped by to visit with me last week and showed me a photo album of pictures from her time in China. Over the course of our conversation, I realized that Taneka’s blindness did not stop her from having a rich educational experience in China.

For our students who like to have a study-abroad experience in Great Britain, the English Department is offering students a wonderful opportunity next semester. The English Department, in conjunction with the Shakespeare in Action Initiative, has been sponsoring a Shakespeare in England course since 2009. The course runs during Spring semesters, and the class travels to London and Stratford over Spring Break. In previous years, both Kirk Melnikoff and Jen Munroe have taught the class. For a fun student-produced Youtube video documenting the course, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUjNf6MVegk; for information about this year’s offering, go to https://edabroad.uncc.edu/programs/europe/shakespeare-england.

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:

Pilar Blitvich recently presented a paper at the V Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis Conference, which took place in Budapest. The paper’s title is “Discourses of inequality: Gender Violence in Spanish Newspapers.”

Lara Vetter recently published an essay titled “Religion: Orthodoxies and Alternatives” in Blackwell’s A Companion to Modernist Poetry.

Quirky Quiz Question — Gavin’s ability to speak Spanish will help him immensely during his semester in Barcelona. However, Spanish is only one of the two main languages spoken in Barcelona. What is the other?

Last week’s Quirky Quiz answer – May 1

Labor Day — Today is Labor Day, a day that most contemporary Americans associate with the end of summer, backyard barbecues, and family get-togethers. The origins of Labor Day, however, can be traced straight back to the labor movement of the late 19th century. Union organizers began calling for a national holiday to honor American workers in 1882. A few years later, in response to the unrest following the bloody end to the Pullman Strike in Chicago in 1886, President Grover Cleveland and the United States Congress quickly established Labor Day as a holiday. Labor Day became an official federal holiday in 1894. Thus, this year marks Labor Day’s 120th anniversary.

Olive Tilford Dargan

The American labor movement not only led to the creation of Labor Day, but it also gave rise to a sub-genre of American fiction—the proletariat novel. Often written in response to key events in the labor movement, these novels contributed to the protest over the long hours and unsafe working conditions that many Americans faced at the time. In many cases, the literary quality of these novels took a back seat to the political agenda being advocated, but some proletariat novels moved beyond propaganda and entered into the realm of high-quality literature. Olive Tilford Dargan’s Call Home the Heart is such a novel.

Published in 1932, Call Home the Heart is largely set in Gastonia, and it deals with the famous Loray Mill Strike of 1929. The central character in the novel is a southern working-class woman named Ishma Waycaster. She moves from the Great Smokey Mountains to Gastonia in order to find work in a textile mill. Partially inspired by the strike leader Ella May Wiggins, this character becomes involved in the efforts to improve working conditions at the Loray Mill. The strike figures prominently in the conclusion of the novel, but most of the story focuses on the central character’s personal conflicts and growing sense of desperation. Sometimes compared to Harriette Arnow’s The Dollmaker, Dargan’s Call Home the Heart is one of best novels to come out of the labor movement. It has been recently republished by the Feminist Press, and it is well worth reading.

As we celebrate Labor Day, we should take a moment to remember the history and literature associated with this holiday.

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:

Allison Hutchcraft is featured in an interview posted on The Kenyon Review’s website. The interview can be found here: http://www.kenyonreview.org/conversation/allison-hutchcraft/

Janaka Lewis just had a poem titled “New Southern Blues” published in 27 Views of Charlotte: The Queen City in Prose and Poetry.

Quirky Quiz Question — The United States and Canada celebrate Labor Day, but most of the rest of the world celebrates a similar holiday called International Workers’ Day. On what day of the year does International Workers’ Day take place?

Last week’s Quirky Quiz answer –Bonnie Cone