For the Love of Baseball — Chris Arvidson, one of our part-time faculty members, has a passion for the game of baseball. Not only has she co-edited a collection titled The Love of Baseball: Essays by Lifelong Fans (2017), but she has also helped organize two upcoming baseball-related events. These events will take place on the weekend of August 4 and 5and involve the participation of Park Road Books and the Charlotte Knights.
On Saturday, August 4, Park Road Books is hosting a reading/signing featuring Chris’s book. The event will begin at 2:00 p.m. and will feature several people associated with UNC Charlotte, including Chris, Henry Doss, Stephen Ward, Nancy Gutierrez, Rachel Bratcher Laxton, and Ellyn Ritterskamp.
On Sunday, August 5, the Charlotte Knights is sponsoring Women in Baseball Day at BB&T Park. As part of this event, Chis and some of the contributors to her book will be on hand to sign books. Chris informed me that the Charlotte Knights are offering a special ticket offer. She wrote, “For twenty bucks you get a really great seat and a book.” Game time is 5:05with the Durham Bulls.
Chris’s interest in baseball is also reflected in her teaching. For example, this coming fall semester, she is teaching a special topics course called “Baseball in Film.” In her official description of this class, she writes, “Students will examine, analyze, and write about the ways baseball in film has served as a cultural barometer and reflection of American life.” In addition to covering a number of classic baseball films, she will have her students read the literature that has often inspired these films.
In the world of academia, sports are often seen as extracurricular activities, which means that they exist “outside the regular curriculum.” However, at least in our English Department, baseball is finding a place within the the work of the department. If one were to think of the English Department as a ballpark, the story of Chris’s baseball-related activities is an inside-the-ballpark story.
Kudos — As you know, I like to use my Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of the English Department. Here is the latest news:
Boyd Davis recently learned that a grant she wrote for a pilot study titled “Tablet-Based Program to Address Pain and Fatigue in Older Adults” has been approved. Boyd has also just published reviews of two books that deal with patient care.
Maya Socolovsky recently presented a paper titled “Surveillance and Perspective: Depictions of Nations and Borders in José Manuel Mateo’s Migrant” at the Latino/a Studies Association Conference.
Quirky Quiz Question — One of the films that Chris Arvidson will be covering in her course on Baseball in Film is A League of Their Own. Does anybody know the name of the woman who directed this film?
Last week’s answer: Bobbie Cavnar