Monthly Archives: May 2024

Frye Gaillard’s Return to Charlotte 

May 26, 2024 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

Frye Gaillard, the author or editor of more than thirty nonfiction books, is a native of Mobile, Alabama, and he currently resides there.  However, he has not been “stuck inside of Mobile” (to quote Bob Dylan) for his entire life.  Frye called Charlotte home for many years.  

Frye spent nearly two decades at The Charlotte Observer, covering stories ranging from the school busing controversy to the role of religion in the life of the community.  Frye started writing books during his Charlotte years, and several of his first books focus on the Charlotte area, such as The Dream Long Deferred: The Landmark Struggle for Desegregation  in Charlotte, North Carolina (1988) and Charlotte’s Holy Wars:  Religion in a New South City (2005).  

After leaving Charlotte, Frye became the Writer in Residence at the University of South Alabama, and he held this position until his recent retirement.  While at the University of South Alabama, he wrote many more books, including A Hard Rain: America in the 1960s, Our Decade of Hope, Possibility, and Innocence Lost, named by NPR to its list of best books in 2018.  For more information about Frye and his books, please click on the following link:  https://fryegaillardauthor.com

I am pleased to report that Frye will discuss A Hard Rain, which has been recently rereleased as an audiobook and in paperback, at Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte on the evening of June 5.  This in-person event will take place at the Heaton Hall at the Myers Park Baptist Church (1900 Queens Road) on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at 6:30 pm.  No registration is required.  Copies of A Hard Rain will be available for purchase at the event.  For more information about this event, please click on the following link:  https://myersparkbaptist.org/event/23380915-2024-06-05-a-hard-rain/

I am looking forward to seeing Frye during his upcoming visit to Charlotte.  Frye and I share an interest in President Jimmy Carter’s books, and we just finished co-editing a collection titled The Literary Legacy of Jimmy Carter:  Essays on the President’s Books, which will be published this fall by Rowman & Littlefield.  Working with Frye on this book has been a tremendous pleasure for me.  I have learned a lot from Frye, and I know that I will learn even more when I attend his upcoming talk right here in Storied Charlotte.

Tags: Frye Gaillard

Issue Three of Litmosphere 

May 18, 2024 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

In 1927 A. A. Milne, the author of Winnie-the-Pooh, brought out a collection of children’s poems under the title of Now We Are Six. This title popped into my head when I saw the news about the publication of the latest issue of Litmosphere: Journal of Charlotte Lit.  I have been writing Storied Charlotte blog posts about publication of each issue of Litmosphere since Charlotte Lit announced the founding of the journal back in 2021.  To paraphrase Milne, now we are three.  

I contacted Kathie Collins, the Editor-in-Chief of Litmosphere, and asked her for more information about the latest issue.  Here is what she sent to me:

We are so pleased to present the third issue of Litmosphere: Journal of Charlotte Lit and honored to be able to include an array of finely crafted poems and stories selected from hundreds of entries received last fall in our 2024 Lit/South Awards contest.

Since 2022, Charlotte Lit has hosted the Lit/South Awards, open to writers who have ever lived in North Carolina or one of its four border states. We then publish the winners, finalists, and selected semi-finalists in that year’s edition of Litmosphere, alongside the work of the contest judges.

This Spring 2024 issue includes 57 pieces from 55 writers—and we’re happy to report that more than a dozen are part of the Charlotte Lit community. Judging is blind so no preference is given; the writing is what matters. We’re especially pleased to note that two of the three category winners are from Charlotte: Caroline Hamilton Langerman, who won the Creative Nonfiction Award (selected by Maggie Smith) for “The Difficult Child,” and Michael Sadoff, who won the Fiction Award (selected by Clyde Edgerton) for “Decoy.” North Carolinian Arielle Hebert won the Poetry Award (selected by Jericho Brown) for “Athazagoraphobia.”

As editor-in-chief of Charlotte Lit Press, and as a member of the screening team tasked with preparing short lists for our guest judges, I found it thrilling to read one captivating piece after another—and also frustrating to know we could have filled this volume twice more with truly worthy work. We’re grateful to everyone who submitted and honored to publish so many excellent stories and poems, helping writers find their way to readers.

It takes a village to coordinate an endeavor of this size, so huge thanks go out to my fabulous team of fellow readers: Nikki Campo, Chris Davis, Jaqueline Parker, David Poston and Paul Reali. Thanks also to our judges: Jericho Brown, Clyde Edgerton and Maggie Smith, to Paula Martinac for copyediting, and to Laurie Smithwick for providing cover artwork for a third year running. And finally, to the anonymous benefactor who makes the journal possible.

We are grateful for the opportunity to share your work with our community of readers and writers—a community that, like the Lit/South Awards region itself, extends well beyond our organization’s home in Charlotte, NC.

All three issues of Litmosphere can be read online, and we’ll be happy to ship you a printed copy for just $15, shipping included: https://www.charlottelit.org/litmosphere.

I congratulate Kathie and all of the good folks at Charlotte Lit on the publication of the third issue of Litmosphere.  I started this blog post with a reference to Milne, but I will close with a reference to a line from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.  Because of Charlotte Lit, Storied Charlotte “is a far, far better thing.”     

Tags: Charlotte LitLiterary Journal

Joe Posnanski, Baseball, and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library 

May 12, 2024 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

As a long-time resident of Charlotte, I take civic pride in the fact that Joe Posnanski, one of America’s most famous sportswriters, lives right here in Charlotte.  As an English professor at UNC Charlotte, I am especially proud that he graduated with a degree in English from UNC Charlotte in 1989.  In fact, he got his start as a sportswriter when he served as the Sports Editor for the UNC Charlotte newspaper, then called The Forty-Niner Times.  Since his student days, he has written about sports for The Charlotte Observer, The Cincinnati Post, The Augusta Chronicle, The Kansas City Star, and Sports Illustrated. He has also written several bestselling sports-related books, the most recent of which is Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments (2023). 

Joe Posnanski will be the featured author at an event to be held at the SouthPark Regional Library on June 2, 2024.  In announcing this event, Jenni Gaisbauer, the Executive Director of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation, tied the event to her memories of playing softball:

As another summer approaches, I find myself reminiscing about seasons past when I played competitive softball. It was the center of not just my world, but my parents’ as well. We would spend an entire day at the park, my dad pacing back and forth behind the cage when I was up to bat, cheering me on. “You got this, Jenner.”

It’s America’s (and the Gaisbauer family’s) favorite pastime for a reason. I have such vivid memories of those summers: the sound of my cleats on the pavement between games, the smell of real ballpark franks, the heat leaving its imprint on my bright red nose and cheeks.

For my parents, their social circle was made up of other parents dedicated to their child’s athletic aspirations, a common thread weaving together a community that became a lot more than just softball.

So, why do I bring this up? Because we are featuring New York Times bestselling author and sportswriter extraordinaire Joe Posnanski at our upcoming Around the World in 21 Branches special event at SouthPark Regional Library on June 2 called The Book of You. He will be sharing a lot of (literal) inside baseball including stories from his latest book Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments.

Join us for Joe (in conversation with amazing local author and Library trustee Kimmery Martin) and stay for the summer cocktails and charcuterie, pickleball games, relaxation station courtesy of Mood House, and, of course, our sponsor Lowe’s will be on site and knows how to do summer right. Tickets are on sale now.

Now when my dad babysits my daughter, he’ll pick her up and say “look at those strong legs! She’s going to be a great softball player.” I am looking forward to making new moments with my daughter at the ballpark … and the Library.

I thank Jenni for sharing her family memories of playing softball, and I thank the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation and the SouthPark Regional Library for organizing this special event.  When it comes to Storied Charlotte’s sportswriters, Joe Posnanski is in a league of his own.  

Tags: Baseball Books

StoryCorps Has Arrived in Charlotte

May 06, 2024 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

If you have ever read Roald Dahl’s The BFG, you’ll likely remember that the BFG (also known as the Big Friendly Giant) is a dream catcher.  He travels to faraway Dream Country where he uses a special net to catch dreams and put them in his dream jar.  I thought about the BFG’s dream-catching mission when I heard the news that StoryCorps has arrived here in Charlotte.  

Much like the BFG, StoryCorps is on a story-catching mission.  As part of this mission, StoryCorps travels far afield, but instead of using a net and a jar to catch stories, StoryCorps uses a portable recording studio installed inside a renovated Airstream trailer to record the stories of everyday people.  

StoryCorps, in partnership with WFAE, has made Charlotte the latest stop on its mobile tour.  On April 25, StoryCorps set up its Airstream in the plaza of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s ImaginOn at 300 East Seventh Steet.  StoryCorps plans to remain in Charlotte through May 24.  During its time in Charlotte, StoryCorps will provide participants with the options of recording in-person interviews in its mobile recording  studio or recording remotely using its “virtual recording booth.”  Both options require participants to make a reservation in advance.  For more information about booking a spot, please click on the following link:  https://storycorps.org/stops/mobile-stop-charlotte-nc/

The announcement of the Charlotte stop on StoryCorps Mobile Tour aroused my curiosity about StoryCorps.  I contacted Lea Zikmund, the Director of the seven-member tour team, and I asked her for more information about the StoryCorps Mobile Tour.  Here is what she sent to me:

We are a non-profit oral history organization based out of Brooklyn, NY. We just celebrated 20 years of doing this work! The Mobile Tour goes to 10 different cities each year and records out of an airstream trailer for about 4-6 weeks. We partner with local NPR radio stations in each location to help us promote our presence. Each person who comes in to record with us comes in with a partner, and has 40 minutes of time to talk about whatever they’d like and whatever they want to preserve about their life. We offer everyone the opportunity to archive their recording at the Library of Congress, and some stories are also edited and show up on our Morning Edition broadcast through NPR or our podcast. We are an independent non-profit and anyone interested in supporting our work can do so on our website. We have a great video that explains a bit of it all here. 

I welcome Lea and everyone else associated with the StoryCorps Mobile Tour to Charlotte.  It seems to me that StoryCorps and Storied Charlotte are a match made in Dream Country.

Tags: StoryCorps