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Monthly Archives: August 2024

Two New Middle-Grade Novels by Charlotte Authors

August 25, 2024 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

About three years ago, I paired up Amalie Jahn and Halli Gomez in a Storied Charlotte blog post titled “Two New YA Novels by Charlotte Authors.”  Amalie and Halli both had YA novels that had been published in 2021, so I decided at the time to feature their then newly released novels in my blog post.  Well, as fate would have it, Amalie and Halli both have new middle-grade novels out now, so it seems appropriate to me to pair them up again.

Amalie’s new novel is Team Canteen Rocky Road.  I contacted Amalie and asked her for more information about this novel. Here is what she sent to me:

After a decade of writing for young adults, I took a chance and decided to dip my toes into middle grade fiction. At first, I didn’t think there were many differences between the two. But once I began drafting what would eventually become Team Canteen Rocky Road, I realized there are actually quite a few key elements setting them apart.

One of the most obvious differences readers encounter between YA and MG is point of view. Nearly all of my young adult titles are written in first person, while middle grade is typically written in third. This can mostly be attributed to voice. Young adult main characters spend considerable time reflecting on what’s happening directly to them and analyzing the meaning of things. In middle grade, however, characters usually spend more time reacting to what’s going on around them and rarely take time to self-reflect. In addition to voice, young adult and middle grade books often address different themes. For example, most YA main characters are motivated by finding their place in the world at large, while MG characters are more concerned with fitting in with immediate friends and family.

When I began thinking about my favorite middle grade books from my own childhood, 
The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin was the first that came to mind. In many ways, Team Canteen is an homage of sorts to Mary Anne, Claudia, Stacey, and Kristy, so of course I was thrilled when my publisher immediately saw them as companion series and described Team Canteen as “a smart, soaring celebration of the highs and lows of middle school, and the unbreakable friendships that see you through, no matter what comes next.”

I’m so excited to share the Team Canteen kids with this next generation of readers and hope the members of The Baby-Sitters Club would choose to sit with them in the mess hall.


Signed copies of 
Team Canteen Rocky Road will be available at Park Road Books at 2pm on Saturday, September 7 during the book’s official launch event. See the store’s website for details.

Halli’s new novel is Locked In.  I contacted Halli and asked her for more information about her novel.  Here is what she sent to me:

Locked In (Horizon)

My new novel, Locked In, is an upper middle grade/young adult novel described by Kirkus Reviews as “The Breakfast Club in an escape room setting.” Locked In features four teens who agree to test an escape room with the promise of a cash reward. But as the game begins, the escape room turns out to be stranger than expected, and they suspect someone might have ulterior motives. Can the kids overcome their prejudices and differences to escape in time?

The inspiration for this novel began with my family’s love of escape rooms. We have done over 75 rooms in the US and overseas. The puzzles are fun and true tests of our intellectual and physical abilities. It was exciting to use my knowledge and experience to create accurate puzzles for the book. However, what I find most fascinating about escape rooms is the human dynamic. Who jumps right in to solve puzzles, who fades into the background afraid to give their opinions, and how do these personalities play into the communication necessary to escape the room. 

The idea for the story grew as I watched the country become more and more divided. Regardless of which “side” people choose, they are human beings looking to fulfill basic needs and dreams. The naive side of me believes if we could sit in a room and talk, we would realize we’re more alike than different. Of course no one wants to do that, so the writer in me took charge and threw four people from different backgrounds with different ideals together and locked them in a room.

The other aspect that makes Locked In a special book is that it is considered Hi/Lo— a high interest or high concept book written on a lower-reading level. There are many kids who have fallen behind in reading but still want to read about subjects and characters they can relate to. I am grateful to my publisher, Jolly Fish Press, for publishing these types of books. They see the importance of reading and do their best to make sure right books are available. 

I congratulate Amalie and Halli on the publication of their new middle-grade novels. Both novels are welcomed additions to Storied Charlotte’s ever-expanding list of impressive books for young readers. 

Tags: middle-grade novel

Honoring Robert “Robin” Brabham and His Legacy as the Atkins Library’s First Special Collections Librarian 

August 18, 2024 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

Robin Brabham, the founding director of the J. Murrey Atkins Library’s Special Collections and University Archives, died on August 11, 2024.

Robin was one of the first people I met when I joined the English Department at UNC Charlotte in 1984. Julian Mason, the chair of the English Department at the time, insisted on introducing me to Robin when he learned that I am a collector of rare children’s books.  Julian took me to the Dalton Reading Room on the tenth floor of the Atkins Library, where Robin’s office was then located.  Julian told Robin that we needed to get to know each other because of our shared interest rare books.  That meeting marked the beginning of my long friendship with Robin.

Robin worked closely with faculty members when acquiring rare books for the Special Collections division.  Given my interest in the history of children’s literature, Robin turned to me as a consultant when he had opportunities to acquire rare children’s books.  For years we worked together to build an impressive collection of historical children’s literature, including first editions of L. Frank Baum’s Oz books and Louisa May Alcott’s girls’ books.  We also collected early chapbooks for children and many nineteenth-century children’s magazines.  I was only one of many professors with whom Robin consulted when building the Special Collections. His efforts to acquire books and manuscripts that relate to the research and teaching interests of the faculty has resulted in a collection that is widely used.

When I learned of Robin’s death, I contacted Dawn Schmitz, the current Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at Atkins Library, and I asked her for more information about Robin’s career at UNC Charlotte.  Here is what she sent to me:

When Robin started at Atkins Library in 1969 in the acquisitions department, his job was mainly to place orders for books others had selected. UNC Charlotte had gained university status only four years earlier, and the library had not yet established a Special Collections unit. But there were already a few hundred books that were designated as rare as well as three or four manuscript collections that had been acquired. Robin had his eye on these holdings. Having just graduated with a master’s degree in librarianship from Emory University, his aim was to build a career in rare books, drawing on a fascination with book collecting that went back to his time as an undergraduate studying French and History at Furman University. Robin’s plan worked – in 1973, he was offered the job of Special Collections Librarian.

Over the next 34 years, Robin developed distinctive and impressive rare book and manuscript collections. This accomplishment stands on its own, but the fact that it came without a steady and ongoing budget is remarkable. He did it through nurturing relationships and gaining the respect and trust of donors.

One of these benefactors was the book collector and businessman Harry Dalton, who, along with his wife Mary, generously provided funding to Atkins for the purchase of rare books – and for the construction of Atkins tower and the reading room for special collections on the 10th floor. Robin humbly attributed these gifts to the relationship between Harry and the university’s first Chancellor, Dean Colvard. However, without the confidence those two men placed in Robin’s stewardship, the Daltons’ generosity would not have found its way to Special Collections.

Although the bulk of Harry’s book collection went to his alma mater, Duke University, several stunning volumes found a home in Atkins. These include John Chrysostom’s Sermons on the Book of Job (1471 – our oldest printed book), a first edition of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass (1855), and Phillis Wheatley’s Poems on Various subjects, Religious and Moral (1773). 

With this Wheatley volume as its foundation, Robin was able to develop a world-class collection by this author by working closely with Professor Julian Mason, a scholar of Black literature who served as Robin’s consultant and benefactor. Other works of Black literature Robin acquired include a rare early edition of Frederick Douglass’s first narrative and many other freedom narratives by formerly enslaved people.

Even after they both had retired, Julian continued to trust and collaborate with Robin. In 2016, when it came time for us to acquire and celebrate the library’s two millionth volume, Julian offered to let Robin select a book from his collection. Robin chose a rare edition of the autobiography The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1793), a foundational book in Black literature and now a jewel among our holdings.

With the support of these benefactors and Robin’s resourcefulness and ingenuity, Robin went on to build what he called “a small but respectable” collection of first and early editions of American literature by authors including Herman Melville, Louisa May Alcott, and William Faulkner. Other strengths of the collection include religion and theology, children’s literature, and 19th-century Charlotte imprints.

These accomplishments in rare book collecting only comprise half of Robin’s contribution to developing special collections at Atkins. He also had a passion for history, which drove him to earn a master’s degree in history from UNC Chapel Hill in 1977 and build an invaluable research collection of archives and manuscripts documenting Charlotte and the surrounding region. This is not only a community resource but is also consulted by researchers from far and wide who are interested in topics such as the civil rights movement and busing for school integration.

Other collection strengths Robin developed include the founding families of Mecklenburg County, city planning, architecture, politics, photography, and motorsports. Like any excellent archivist, Robin had a special knack for knowing what was important to preserve, and he had his ear to the ground. Among the collections that Robin rescued from the dumpster were original drawings by Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Eugene Payne and hundreds of reels of b-roll film from WBTV news.

Robin told me that although he was sometimes frustrated by the lack of resources or other limitations, the job at Atkins offered him a good deal of freedom and paid him to do the things he enjoyed. After he retired, he and his wife Edla became library benefactors, establishing an endowment fund for Special Collections. And he continued to support us through his community connections, curator’s talent, and his generosity of time.  We will miss him and always try to live up to his example.

Like Dawn, I will miss Robin.  However, I take some solace in knowing that the Special Collections division that he founded and built will always be one of Storied Charlotte’s most important cultural resources.   

Tags: J. Murrey Atkins LibraryRare Books

Of Gardens, Butterflies, and Pamela Grundy

August 10, 2024 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

I follow the publishing careers of many Charlotte writers.  In the process, I’ve noticed that most of these authors tend to publish books that fall within a particular genre or deal with a common theme.  Occasionally, however, a Charlotte writer will publish a book that takes me by surprise.  Such is the case with Pamela Grundy’s latest book.  I associate Pamela with books that deal with North Carolina history.  Among the books that she has published are Legacy:  Three Centuries of Black History in Charlotte, North Carolina and Color and Character:  West Charlotte High and the American Struggle over Educational Equality. Thus, when my friend Tom Hanchett told me that Pamela had just brought out a new book, I assumed it would be a work of history. I was wrong.  

Pamela’s new book is titled Butterfly Gardening in the Carolina Piedmont.  In addition to providing lots of information about planting and maintaining butterfly gardens, it’s full of beautiful photographs she’s taken through the years, artfully arranged by designer Little Shiva (littleshiva.com). Curious, I recently contacted Pamela and asked her for more information about this book.  Here is what she sent to me:

Late summer is butterfly season here in the North Carolina Piedmont. Since butterflies love sun and heat, late August and September are ideal times to watch for them. Tiger and Black Swallowtails, lemon yellow Cloudless Sulphurs, bright orange Gulf Fritillaries, dozens of tiny skippers and many, many others spend their days nectaring, mating and laying eggs. Monarchs will soon pass through, traveling to their hibernation grounds in Mexico.

Creating butterfly gardens has been one of the great pleasures of my life. Fifteen years ago, when my son attended Shamrock Gardens Elementary, I worked with other parents to fill the school’s courtyards with butterfly plants. We looked after nectar plants whose flowers fed adult butterflies, and host plants whose leaves fed caterpillars. A dazzling array of butterflies showed up. A few years later, every Shamrock classroom had a caterpillar-raising cage, filled with caterpillars we found in our own gardens. The students were enchanted.

I wrote Butterfly Gardening in the Carolina Piedmont to encourage more people to create their own butterfly gardens. With a sunny patch of ground, or even just a couple of pots, you can make a butterfly haven. Free yourself from those sterile, high-maintenance, chemical-laced lawns! Butterfly gardens are more beautiful, better for the planet and easier to maintain. You can find more information and resources in the article I recently published in the Queen City Nerve.

The whole book is available to read for free on the Queen City Nerve’s issuu site. It can also be purchased at Park Road books, a few other local stores, or from Amazon.

I thank Pamela not only for sharing her interest in butterfly gardening but also for showing that some authors cannot be easily pigeonholed.  Pamela is an example of a Storied Charlotte author who can float like a butterfly from one topic to another, producing a wide array of worthwhile books in the process.

Tags: Butterfly GardeningGardening Books

Charlotte Lit Has Big Plans for the Fall 

August 03, 2024 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

I know that each new year starts in January, but I never experience a sense of a new beginning when January arrives.  For me, the real new year arrives in September. That’s when the lazy days of summer come to an end and the new school year gets rolling.  Perhaps it’s because I have spent so many years as a professor, but I have long looked forward to September with a sense that the grand tempo of my life is about to start anew.  While I do not make resolutions on New Year’s Day, I always set goals for myself in the fall, and these goals usually involve writing projects.   

If your goals for the fall also involve writing projects, then Charlotte Lit has you covered.  I recently contacted Paula Martinac, Charlotte Lit’s Community Coordinator, and asked her for more information about Charlotte Lit’s plans for the fall. Here is what she sent to me:

Charlotte Lit’s Fall 2024 lineup has something for everyone — from brand-new writers to those polishing up their manuscripts for submission. Several new-to-us teachers have joined us, including UNC Charlotte Professor Emeritus Chris Davis and Jennifer McGaha from the Great Smokies Writing Program at UNC Asheville. And we’ve also brought back favorite instructors from past seasons, like Tara Campbell, Bryn Chancellor, and C.T. Salazar.

We’re excited to debut some new class formats this fall, including multi-session classes aimed at helping writers meet tangible goals. For example, Chris Davis leads “Six Weeks, Six Poems,” and Caroline Hamilton Langerman heads up “Five Weeks, Five Essays.” These classes are built around a combination of instruction, prompts, and sharing time, and the key components are support and encouragement. The objective is for students to assemble a small portfolio of drafts that they can later hone and submit. 

For advanced writers looking to attract agents and editors, we’ve got a two-session class called “Master-Pitch Theater” with Katharine Sands. She’ll use her expertise as a literary agent to help them pull together both a submission package and an “elevator pitch” to use at conferences.

Our one-off classes are back, on an array of topics in all genres. We’re especially thrilled to host poetry master classes with two esteemed poets, Danusha Laméris and NC Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green. 

If folks are looking for a writing retreat, we’re presenting two this fall. The first is in-town at Charlotte Lit and features prompts, individual consultations, and an add-on Reiki session with a Level II practitioner. We also have an out-of-town retreat at the Innisfree Retreat Center in East Bend, NC, led by poets Jessica Jacobs and Kathie Collins. 

As always, we’ve got a mix of in-person classes and Zoom sessions that allow folks who can’t make it into the city to get writing instruction, too. And for Charlotte Lit members, there’s a free class available in September on structuring an autobiographical story, whether fiction or nonfiction, with David Hicks.

Our Fall schedule is live and available now at charlottelit.org/classes. We’ll be releasing the Spring schedule in November, featuring favorite teachers such as Judy Goldman, Junious “Jay” Ward, and Sarah Creech.

I thank Paula for sharing this information about Charlotte Lit’s fall offerings.  I also thank Charlotte Lit for providing Storied Charlotte writers with opportunities to hone their writing skills and to participate in a supportive community of writers.  

Tags: Charlotte LitWriting Classes
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