Storied Charlotte

Philip L. Dubois on His Years as the Chancellor of UNC Charlotte

September 21, 2025 by Mark West

September 23, 1946, marked the official launch of the Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina, which eventually became the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In commemoration of this important date in its history, UNC Charlotte has designated September 23^rd as Founders Day.

With Founders Day upon us, now is a fitting time to reflect on the latest book about the history of UNC Charlotte. Titled Details Matter: UNC Charlotte, 2005-2020, this book was co-written by Philip L. Dubois, who served as the chancellor of UNC Charlotte from 2005 to 2020, and William Thomas Jeffers, who was hired in 2016 as UNC Charlotte’s first public historian.

Details Matter UNC Charlotte 2005-2020 by Philip L. Dubois Local History College - Picture 1 of 8

Details Matter joins four other books that deal with the history of UNC Charlotte. The first book on this topic was Ken Sanford’s Growing Up Together: Charlotte and UNC Charlotte, which was published in 1996. Next came Marian Ellis’ Dean W. Colvard: Quiet Leader (2004). The next two were both by Jeffers—The Making of a Research University: James H. Woodward and UNC Charlotte, 1989-2005 (2016) and Jewel in the Crown: Bonnie Cone and the Founding of UNC Charlotte (2021).

One of the ways in which Details Matter differs from the other books about the history of UNC Charlotte is that it reflects the direct experiences and insights of a former chancellor. The years that are covered in the book are the very years that Dubois served as the leader of the university, and Dubois draws extensively on this unique background when writing about the history of the university.

As the title of the book suggests, Dubois is a stickler for details. In fact, the phrase “details matter” is emblazoned on his favorite coffee cup. Given his interest in details, it is not surprising that the book is brimming with detailed information about the major decisions that shaped the university during a critical time in its history.

I recently contacted Dubois and asked him for more information about this book. Here is what he sent to me:

I had always valued Ken Sanford’s book about the early history of what became UNC Charlotte and its maturation through the early years of the administration of Jim Woodward. Once I became Chancellor (in 2005), I commissioned a book about the entirety of the Woodward years from 1989 to 2005 and our development as a research institution. That volume was written by a former graduate of our public history master’s program, Bill Jeffers.

Once that book was completed, I asked Jeffers to begin to assemble materials on my chancellorship that could possibly be used for a book if someone should wish to write it and thereby ensure a continuous account of the development of UNC Charlotte from the beginning. Although I anticipated that Jeffers would probably author that book, the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic gave me the perfect excuse to take the lead. Not only did I have the time, but I also had access to documents that would not ordinarily work their way into an institutional history, including the 175,000 emails that I had sent during my administration from 2005 to 2020.

Although the book is quite lengthy and could serve double duty as a doorstop, I hope the details provided can give readers some insight into how difficult and complicated decisions that have shaped the institution to this day came to pass. There are a few chapters in there that may be the only definitive accounts that exist on things like the founding of football, light rail, and the April 30, 2019 shootings.

While reading Details Matter, I was reminded of my favorite song from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton. The song is titled “The Room Where It Happens.” The character based on Aaron Burr voices the song, and it reflects Burr’s desire to be present when and where important decisions are being made. I think that we can all relate to Burr’s desire to be in the room where it happens. In Details Matter, Dubois provides readers with a sense of being in that room when it comes to the decision-making related to the development of UNC Charlotte.

Details Matter: UNC Charlotte, 2005-2020 speaks to everyone in Storied Charlotte who has connections to UNC Charlotte or who has an interest in the recent history of the university.

Tags: Philip Dubois William Thomas Jeffers

Former Charlotte Writer Robin Hemley on How to Change History

September 13, 2025 by Mark West

My friend Robin Hemley has a long association with Charlotte. Robin served as a creative writing professor at UNC Charlotte from 1987 to 1994. In the years since he left Charlotte, Robin has taught at universities all over the world, including a six-year stint as the director of the Writing Program at Yale-NUS in Singapore. However, he occasionally returns to Charlotte to give readings and to teach writing classes.

Charlotte Lit is bringing Robin back to Charlotte on September 26, 2025, to lead a master class titled “The Imagined Object: Memory and Imagination” and to give a faculty talk with Judy Goldman on “Stitching Together Your Memoir.” Robin’s master class will meet from 3:00 to 5:00. For more information about this class, please click on the following link: https://charlottelit.org/ Robin and Judy’s faculty talk starts at 5:30. The talk is free, but registration is required. Here is the link: https://charlottelit.org/events/

Both Robin’s class and his talk relate to his new memoir titled How to Change History: A Salvage Project, which the University of Nebraska Press published a few months ago. In commenting on this memoir, author Brenda Miller, wrote, “Reading How to Change History is akin to sitting with an intimate friend, going through old photos and scrapbooks, conversing deep into the night about what connects us to the past and what might endure into the future.”

I contacted Robin and asked him for more information about his new memoir. Here is what he sent to me:

My latest book, How to Change History: A Salvage Project, can be described variously as a collection of linked essays or a memoir-in-essays, a tricky form no matter what you call it. I say it’s tricky because it implies (though doesn’t quite admit) that the essays were written separately as stand-alones rather than written with the intentionality of a book. That’s not to say that the essays were slapped together randomly, but that the intentionality of the book proceeded the writing of the contents. That’s certainly true in my case and I’d wager, in the cases of most such books. Still, it’s important for such a book to have the cohesion of a book that was intended from the start as something large and of a piece.

Why is that important? I’m not saying such cohesion is important to me when I read some random collection of essays or random collection of stories. In fact, I love hodge-podge collections that show an author’s stylistic and thematic range and roving interests. But editors and perhaps most other readers want something that builds, that leads somewhere.

If I tell you the range of subjects in the book, you’ll be forgiven (well, maybe not. I’m sensitive) for clapping back, “Well, that’s just a hodge podge after all, with a fancy title slapped on it.” My subject matter includes photography, travelogues, TV shows, real estate come-ons, washed up rock stars, incontinent dachshunds, stalkers, war memorials, skeletons in the closet, scrapbooks, pre-cancerous moles, murder, the Philippine-American War, Sherwood Anderson, James Agee, curses, divorce and skinny dipping.

I’d argue that all these subjects are as one, first because they all sprang from my mind, but also because they reflect my obsession with memory and erasure. I am at once attracted and repelled by gestures of memorializing. I want not only to be remembered but to remember others, and I know that this is a losing battle.

And so, I write about a memorial plaque to a former colleague who died of a heart attack during my time at UNC Charlotte. The English Department made a little memorial plaque for him and hung it on the spot where he used to hang out in the hallway, smoking (in the days when people smoked indoors) and chatting with anyone he could collar. Jim’s Corner, it was called. But not long after, the department moved to a new building and Jim’s Corner was no more, the plaque likely thrown away or lost in the move. I had since moved across the country, so I did not know of its removal until a couple of years later.

Another essay features a scrapbook I bought at an estate sale in Virginia, of a woman who had meticulously collected the ephemera of her life over a four-year period during WWII. The scrapbook was amazing to me, and I bought it despite a hefty $75 price tag. Among its treasures were the pair of nylon stockings she wore throughout the war, theater tickets, a performance review (rather mixed) of her job as a volunteer on the psych ward of Walter Reid Memorial Hospital, a menu from Antoine’s in New Orleans, her birth certificate (we share the same birthday, though many years apart), dental x-rays, you name it. This was her own memorial to herself, but a memorial with little context. How to piece it together into a life, a remembrance from scraps?

If you read the book, and I hope you will, far from a hodgepodge, I’m confident that you will see that these are indeed linked essays. This is a memoir-in-essays. But it took me years – 25 years to be exact – to see what now seems obvious. For years, I wanted to collect my essays into a book, and I tried various configurations and titles. It took me so many years because it took me that long to finally see what held these essays together. I don’t remember all the titles I tried out, thankfully, but one that stays with me is A Handbook for Haunting. Not a bad title, actually. But not the right title for my book. Once I understood that the best title for my book was How to Change History, I understood everything about my book that previously had been obscured. That’s the only way I can frame it – it was like all my essays were poured into a funnel and out the other end came that title. Suddenly, I knew which essay would anchor the book and which one would end it, and that has never changed.

Readers who want to know more about Robin should check out his Substack Turning Life into Fiction https://robinhemley.substack.com/ as well as his writing retreat and editing venture, https://authorsatlarge.com/

I plan to attend Robin and Judy’s joint talk on September 26, and I am looking forward to reconnecting with Robin and hearing about his latest book. Robin truly is a world traveler, but he will always have a place in Storied Charlotte, and he will always be my friend wherever he goes.

Tags: memoir Robin Hemley

Honoring Ken Sanford and His Book about the History of UNC Charlotte

September 06, 2025 by Mark West

James Kenneth (Ken) Sanford, the author of Charlotte and UNC Charlotte: Growing Up Together, died on August 25, 2025, at the age of ninety-three. Bonnie Cone, the founder of UNC Charlotte, hired Ken in 1964, the year before Charlotte College became the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Ken’s official title was Director of Public Information and Publications, a position he held until his retirement in 1994. Drawing on his inside knowledge of the early history of the university, he set to work on writing a history of UNC Charlotte around the time that he retired. The book came out in 1996 under the title of Charlotte and UNC Charlotte: Growing Up Together, and it established Ken as an important Charlotte historian.

Remembering Ken Sanford, Charlotte's first public relations ...

I first met Ken a few years after I arrived at UNC Charlotte in 1984. He and Sam Nixon, one of the people who worked in his office, arranged for a reporter from The Charlotte Observer to interview me about my research. At the time, I was impressed with how much Ken knew about the publications by UNC Charlotte’s faculty members.

When Ken’s book came out, I attended an event related to the launching of the book. I still have the copy of the book that he signed. I remember him saying, “You’re in the book.” Well, my curiosity got the best of me, so I checked, and sure enough, he mentioned my research in a couple passages in the book. What impressed me the most about the book, however, are the chapters in which he explains how Bonnie Cone succeeded in founding the university. In these chapters, he relates Bonnie Cone’s campaign to establish the university to the larger history of Charlotte during the post-World War Two years. Ken’s account of how Charlotte’s leaders from this period got behind Bonnie Cone’s campaign stands out as an indispensable source for anyone who is interested in the history of Charlotte during these years.

In a sense, Ken’s book is much more than a history of a university. While it certainly provides readers with a detailed telling of the university’s first fifty years, the book also speaks to larger concerns. In the preface to the book, Doug Orr, a former UNC Charlotte administrator who went on to serve as the president of Warren Wilson College, comments on how Ken’s book transcends the history of UNC Charlotte:

9780945344025: Charlotte and Unc Charlotte: Growing Up Together

Ken Sanford’s account of this special university is worth reading on one level as an engaging account of one university’s formative years during the second half of the twentieth century, and of the cast of individuals, decisions, an events that marked its progress and union with a city also experiencing its coming of age. But in a more universal sense, it chronicles the manner in which an American university created out of a cow pasture can address its urban dynamic and, in fact, reach out and envelop itself with that urban presence, and therefore be a model for building a contemporary university.

In 2020, Ken moved to the Aldersgate Retirement Community in Charlotte, and it was there that I saw him for the last time. I occasionally give presentations at retirement communities, including Aldersgate. After one of my talks at Aldersgate, Ken came up to me, and we talked for a few minutes. He said that he liked my presentation, and he told me that he was glad to see UNC Charlotte professors sharing their expertise with members of the community. In reflecting on that final conversation with Ken, I realized that my presentation was related to Ken’s longstanding conviction that UNC Charlotte should be an active player in the larger Charlotte community. Throughout his career, he acted on this conviction, and Storied Charlotte is a better place because he did.

Tags: Ken Sanford

Taylor Hartley’s Debut Romantasy Novel

August 30, 2025 by Mark West

I first learned the meaning of the word “portmanteau” during my days as a graduate teaching assistant. I was covering Lewis Carroll’s poem “Jabberwocky” in an introductory fantasy literature course, and I was trying to explain to my students how Carroll went about creating the made-up words in the poem, such as “chortled” and “galumphing.” For example, I talked about how he combined the words “gallop” and “triumph” to come up with the word “galumphing.” I thought there must be a term for such word combinations, so I looked it up. I found out that there is such a word, and the word is “portmanteau.” I flashed back on this memory when I read about Taylor Hartley’s debut novel, Song of the Hell Witch. Alcove Press will officially release the book on September 9, 2025. The publisher is marketing the book as a “romantasy.” Well, the term “romantasy” is a portmanteau. It is a combination of the words “romance” and “fantasy,” and it’s the perfect descriptor for Taylor’s new novel.

By day, Taylor is an English teacher at David W. Butler High School here in Charlotte, but Taylor is also a creative writer. Initially, Taylor wrote short stories, including a story titled “The Vampire.” However, a recent political/legal development prompted Taylor to try writing a novel, and this decision resulted in Song of the Hell Witch. I recently contacted Taylor and asked for more information about the book. Here is what Taylor sent to me:

Song of the Hell Witch is a book born out of rage. When Roe vs. Wade was overturned, my male boss decided to host a meeting to allow the women to “air their feelings,” as he could see that many of us were upset. He then proceeded to talk for the entirety of that meeting, sucking up all the air in the room. Afterwards, I had a sincere desire to grow a pair of talons and rip into him. And then I thought, “What if we lived in a world where women who experienced trauma transformed into mythological creatures capable of fighting against the men who consistently make decisions that negatively impact their own mothers, daughters, and sisters?”

I started to write that evening. About a woman trapped inside a patriarchal society. About the ways she silenced the loudest parts of herself—the roughest parts of herself—in order to thrive in that society. About the good man she had to leave behind to obtain the life she thought she wanted.

Song is a second-chance romance that explores feminism, classism, and what our world could look like if women stopped playing by the patriarchy’s rules and banded together rather than viewing each other as enemies.

I wrote the following summary of the book for marketing purposes.

Rekindled romance spreads new wings in this atmospheric romantasy, where magic empowers women trapped inside an oppressive patriarchy.

This striking novel is perfect for fans of the feminist ideals in When Women Were Dragons and the unique magic system in One Dark Window.

Once a vicious street rat, Prudence Merriweather has clawed her way to the top of society and now enjoys newfound power as the Duchess of Talonsbury. All she has to do to protect her fragile position is maintain the act of gentility, make her husband happy—and keep her monstrous magic a secret.

Puck Reed, the Thief Lord of Talonsbury, once delighted in taking risks and humiliating the social elite at any cost, but now lives a quieter criminal lifestyle. With a daughter of his own to protect, Puck tries to lay low and stay safe for her benefit. His daughter, Bea, suffers from a mysterious illness bent on killing her, and Puck will stop at nothing to find a cure.

When Prudence’s magic betrays her, she has no choice but to flee—and who better to smuggle her out of the city than her childhood best friend and former sweetheart, Puck Reed? With the help of old friends and new allies, they learn about Stormlash, a safe haven miles beyond the city walls where women and their magic can flourish beyond the oppressive eye of Leora’s religious fanatics. Stormlash may also hold the key to curing Bea’s illness. The challenge? Keep her alive long enough to get there.

With Bea’s illness claiming more of her strength, Puck and Pru must work together to reach Stormlash and, in the process, confront a growing evil threatening to devour the country they call home.

Perfect for fans of Carissa Broadbent and Hannah Whitten, this second-chance romantic fantasy features monstrous women stepping into their full power, a father who will do anything to save his daughter, and the rekindled flame of an old, enduring love.

The official launch for Song of the Hell Witch will take place at Park Road Books on Saturday, September 13, 2025, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm. For more information about this event, please click on the following link: https://parkroadbooks.com/event/2025-09-13/taylor-hartley-discusses-her-book-song-hell-witch

I congratulate Taylor of the upcoming publication of Song of the Hell Witch. Storied Charlotte is home to numerous fantasy writers, including Paul Barrett, A.J. Hartley (no relation to Taylor), John G. Hartness, Darin Kennedy, Gail Z. Martin, Larry Martin, and Nancy Northcott, and now that list includes Taylor Hartley.

Tags: Romantasy Taylor Hartley

The Charlotte Writers Club Has Big Plans for Its 2025-2026 Season

August 23, 2025 by Mark West

The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word club as “an organization of people with a common purpose or interest, who meet regularly and take part in shared activities.” This definition applies perfectly to the Charlotte Writers Club (CWC). Since Adelia Kimball founded the club in 1922, the CWC has provided Charlotte-area writers with opportunities to meet regularly with other writers and to engage in writing-related activities. Like many cultural organizations, the CWC kicks off its season of programming in September. Curious about CWC’s upcoming programs, I contacted Barbara (Bay) Yager, CWC’s current president, and asked her about the club’s plans for its 2025-2026 season. Here is what she sent to me:

For over a century, the Charlotte Writers Club has welcomed storytellers at every stage of their writing journey—beginners to experts—and in every form—poetry, fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and beyond. We are a community where writers share their expertise with the curious, where beginners and published authors learn side by side. This season, September through May, our programming reflects two central themes: honing your writing craft and navigating the path to publishing.

Our monthly meetings, held the third Tuesday of each month at Providence United Methodist Church, feature distinguished authors, editors, and literary professionals. Nationally recognized memoirist Judy Goldman opens the season in September with What’s the Big Idea?, followed by booksellers Sally Brewster of Park Road Books and Katie Mitchell of Trope Book Shop, who will share what authors should know from booksellers. Other months include novelist Kim Wright Wiley on story structure, Andrea Hurst and Lydia Caudill on what agents want, and poet David Radovich on shaping poems for publication.

Complementing the meetings are our Saturday workshops, where participants can roll up their sleeves and apply new tools directly to their work. Offerings include Melinda Ferguson on memoir, Misha Lazzara on the importance of setting, Sarah Archer on plotting versus pantsing, Barbara Presnell on the narrative arc, and Irene Honeycutt on writing with grief. Workshops conclude in May with a candid discussion of the publishing gamut featuring three accomplished authors, Lisa Williams Kline, Gilda Morina Syverson, and Ann Campanella.

Beyond meetings and workshops, CWC provides year-round connections. Writers can join critique groups by genre, participate in monthly virtual writing salons hosted by Tiffany Grantham, or test new work at our popular open mic nights at Mugs Coffee. In the Student Enrichment Program for middle and high school students, we offer monthly virtual writing salons, creative writing workshops, and student contests. Our annual contest series, including the Ruth Moose Flash Fiction opening on September 1st, Poetry, and Elizabeth Simpson Smith Short Story competitions, helps writers aim high.

Our new season begins on September 1. Let CWC be part of your journey. Visit the website for all our event details, whether you’re learning, publishing. or connecting, we look forward to meeting you and hearing your story. More information on these events can be found at https://charlottewritersclub.org/events/

I thank Bay for providing me with this information about CWC’s plans for its new season. I also commend the Charlotte Writers Club for playing such an important role in the history of Storied Charlotte over the past 103 years.

Tags: Charlotte Writers Club

An Evening with Charlotte Author Joy Callaway

August 16, 2025 by Mark West

Last week I received an email from Maggie Bean, the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation, in which she informed about an upcoming event featuring Charlotte author Joy Callaway. Intrigued, I asked Maggie for more information about this event. Here is what she sent to me:

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation invites you to an evening of history, romance, and Charlotte’s own literary talent. Join us on Monday, September 15 at 6 PM at Wray Ward for Final Draught with bestselling author Joy Callaway, as she discusses her newest novels Star of Camp Greene and Sing Me Home to Carolina. Guests will enjoy an intimate conversation with the author moderated by author Susie Orman Schnall, light bites, and complimentary beer and wine.

Set in Charlotte during World War I, Star of Camp Greene transports readers to the city’s Camp Greene military base, a bustling training site that transformed the Queen City and left a lasting impact on the region. Callaway’s meticulous historical research blends with her talent for weaving compelling love stories, offering a vivid portrait of Charlotte’s past and the people who shaped it. In Sing Me Home to Carolina, she wows with her signature blend of romance and rich storytelling, this time in rural South Carolina.

Whether you’re a history buff, a romance reader, or simply someone who loves a good story rooted in our community, this Final Draught event is an opportunity to experience two of Charlotte’s local literary talents. Tickets are $20 and include light bites and beer and wine. More details and tickets are available at foundation.cmlibrary.org/events/joy-callaway.

I commend the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation not only for organizing this event with Joy Callaway but also for sponsoring the Final Draught author series. Created in 2017, this series provides area book lovers with opportunities to engage in conversations local writers over a glass of good beer or wine. The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation also sponsors the annual Verse & Vino event, but that is a very large event. The Final Draught series is smaller and more informal than Verse & Vino. I am a fan of both the Final Draught series and Verse & Vino, and I think that they both enrich Storied Charlotte’s cultural life.

Tags: Final Draught Joy Callaway

Charlotte Lit Serves Up a Smorgasbord of Classes and Events

August 10, 2025 by Mark West

I am half Swedish. My mother’s ancestors immigrated to America from Sweden in the early 20^th century, and they brought with them traditions that my mother honored throughout my childhood. On celebratory occasions, my mother would set up a traditional Swedish smorgasbord that included a wide variety cold and hot dishes. My love of pickled herring can be traced back to my mother’s elaborate smorgasbords.

The word smorgasbord popped into my head when Paula Martinac, Charlotte Lit’s Community Coordinator, sent me a writeup about Charlotte Lit’s programming for this fall. Like a traditional Swedish smorgasbord, Charlotte Lit’s fall lineup includes a variety of tempting offerings. Also like a smorgasbord, it has a celebratory quality to it, for this year’s programming marks Charlotte Lit’s tenth anniversary of providing the Charlotte community with writing courses and literary events. “But you don’t have to take my word for it,” as LeVar Burton said on Reading Rainbow. Here is what Paula sent to me:

Charlotte Lit is starting its tenth year of programming this fall—and in our brand-new studio space in Uptown! We have a great selection of classes and events designed to appeal to writers and readers with different interests in the literary arts.

Making its debut in our class lineup is the mini-lab, a condensed version of our signature writers’ intensives, Authors Lab and Poetry Chapbook Lab. Mini-labs incorporate expert instruction with discussion, prompts to get folks writing, a workshop component, and most important, community building. Students can choose a six-week class in personal essay writing with Rebecca McClanahan, or a five-week class in short-form prose with Luke Whisnant. We recently ran spotlights on both Rebecca and Luke on our blog. There will be mini-labs in playwriting and poetry in Winter–Spring 2026.

We’re also premiering a four-week literature class taught by UNC Charlotte Professor Emerita Jennifer Munroe. Watch out, because Jen will be highlighting the somewhat weirder elements of Shakespeare’s plays, including poisons and potions.

Our short classes highlight special topics in all genres, with favorite teachers like Tara Campbell, Angelo Geter, Patrice Gopo, David Hicks, and C.T. Salazar. 2025 GoodLit Poetry Fellow Olivia Dorsey Peacock, a self-described “tea maven,” will lead a tea meditation designed to awaken the senses and spark creativity. In fiction fundamentals, Paula Martinac will demystify point of view while Heather Newton from Flatiron Writers Room in Asheville will explore how to strengthen dialogue. For those ready to submit work for publication, Paul Reali’s class will take the angst out of the often-confusing process.

In addition to in-person classes that showcase our new space, we’ve got online sessions for those who live farther away. Most of our classes appeal to all levels of writers, from beginners on up, but we offer master classes for more advanced students. This semester, Robin Hemley will be in town to lead a master class on using objects in creative nonfiction, and Jan Beatty will teach about writing risk in poetry.

Exclusively for Charlotte Lit members, Rebecca McClanahan will offer a free multi-genre session musically titled “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered: Three Pathways to Our Deepest Work.” (Pro tip: You can join Charlotte Lit any time before September to get this benefit.)

The Fall 2025 class schedule is available now at charlottelit.org/classes. In November, we’ll announce the Winter–Spring classes, featuring new offerings by popular faculty like Bryn Chancellor, Kathie Collins, Judy Goldman, and Charlotte Poet Laureate Junious “Jay” Ward.

And, of course, we’ll have plenty of events! Our official studio launch is Friday, October 3, which will be a jam-packed day of special programming—watch our newsletter for the lineup. In addition, we’ll host a faculty talk on memoir writing, with Judy Goldman and Robin Hemley; a book launch for Lola Haskins’ new poetry collection; an evening edition of our popular Pen to Paper writing community, with Megan Rich; a reading by Poetry Chapbook mentor Nickole Brown; and a panel discussion called “Lessons from the Slush Pile: Advice on Journal Submissions from Editors and Readers.” There’s a lot going on, and folks will find full descriptions on our website: charlottelit.org/

I would like to offer Charlotte Lit a toast for providing Storied Charlotte with this veritable smorgasbord of classes and events, so in the tradition of my Swedish ancestors, let’s raise our virtual glasses and say skål!

Tags: Charlotte Lit

Remembering John Barringer and His Contributions to Charlotte’s Literary Community

August 05, 2025 by Mark West

John Barringer, the founder of the store now known as Park Road Books, died on July 17, 2025, at the age of ninety. John’s lasting impact on Charlotte’s literary community began in 1977 when he opened the Little Professor Book Center in the Park Road Shopping Center. In August of 1999, Sally Brewster joined the store, and they changed the name to Park Road Books. Sally bought the store from John in 2003, after which John officially retired.

John’s retirement did not mean that his involvement in the world of books was over. Working as a volunteer, he helped create Julia’s Café & Books as part of the Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region’s ReStore at 1144 N. Wendover Road. John was also a collector of rare and signed books. In 2012, he donated these books to the Queens University of Charlotte Special Collections. Now known as the John Barringer Book Collection, these books are on display in the mezzanine of the Everett Library on the campus of Queens University.

I first met John shortly after I moved to Charlotte in 1984. I quickly became a regular customer at Little Professor. When the name changed to Park Road Books, I kept calling the store Little Professor out of habit. I often talked with John about our shared commitment to resisting censorship. I remember John telling me that as a former Lutheran minister, he did not always personally like the values represented in all of the books that he sold in the store, but he believed that his store should include a wide range of books representing a wide range of viewpoints. He told me once about a customer who demanded that he remove a particular young adult novel from the store because she thought the book was “sinful,” but he refused to stop selling the book.

John and I also shared an interest in children’s books, and he made sure that the store was welcoming to children. After my wife and I became parents, we often brought our young son to the store. Together, we enjoyed checking out the new picture books. Many of these picture books came home with us.

John was very involved with the Dilworth Rotary Club. In 2020 the club invited me to give a talk about the importance of children’s literature and literacy at one of their meetings, and John introduced me. In an email that he sent to me before the meeting, he wrote, “I fondly recall your visits to the bookstore where you always brought your son.” I fondly recall those days, too.

Like many other book lovers, I will long remember John and his many contributions to Storied Charlotte.

Tags: John Barringer Park Road Books

The Construction of Charlotte Lit’s New Home

July 26, 2025 by Mark West

Regular readers of my Storied Charlotte blog might remember a post that I wrote in December 2024 in which I announced that Charllotte Lit had found a new and permanent home. As I mentioned in that post, Charlotte Lit had just signed a lease for a large, open studio space in the Ascend Nonprofit Center located in Uptown Charlotte. In that post, I quoted Paul Reali who explained that they were in the process of designing the space and raising funds to pay for the construction of the interior renovations. Well, after months of planning and fundraising, the construction of Charlotte Lit’s new home is now underway. I contacted Kathie Collins and Paul Reali, the co-founders of Charlotte Lit, and asked for an update. Here is what they sent to me:

Mark, we have great news: construction has begun on Charlotte Lit’s new home.

We will remain forever grateful for the former Midwood International and Cultural Center space in which Charlotte Lit was born and nurtured during its first seven years of programming and for the following two-year temporary headquarters at hygge coworking, but we’re thrilled to announce our permanent home, a brand-new studio and true center for the literary arts, right in the center of Charlotte.

Community has been the heart of Charlotte Lit since our debut in 2016. Bringing together a community requires commitment, shared interests, and space. We now have all of these: a ten-year renewable lease, thousands of writers and readers who want to connect with each other, and, by this October, a beautiful, conveniently located studio housed within the Ascend Nonprofit Center on 5^th Street in Uptown Charlotte.

Before we say anything else, we want to express our deepest thanks to Anne and Steve Schmitt for their generosity and enthusiasm, and to Merriman Schmitt Architects, Inc., for donating their time, professional expertise, artistry, and patience to help us make this dream a reality. Big thanks to Steve, Mackenzie, and Simone for working so hard and holding our hands through the process. We’ve included some of Merriman Schmitt’s renderings of the completed space to show your readers.

Our single 1200 square-foot space will be multi-purpose, with space for classes and special events like readings and community conversations. We’ll have integrated tech throughout and a stylish, functional kitchen to help us keep patrons and guests properly caffeinated and, shall we say, “inspired.”

Under the front windows will be the Dannye Romine Powell Poetry Place, outfitted with comfy chairs, excellent lighting, and a decided poetic ambiance. Thanks to the many generous folks who donated in Dannye’s name—and to Lew Powell for his continuing support of Charlotte Lit, including the donation of Dannye’s personal poetry library.

Chzstaff will have a space in one corner, we’ll have storage in another, and—does it need to be said?—there will be books. Bookshelves line an entire wall, and we’ll have several floating bookcases, too, in our curated lending library. Need a good novel or poetry collection or craft book? We’ll have options!

The second phase of the capital campaign to pay for this amazing new community space is now underway. We have just over $100,000 pledged, but another $100,000 to go. We’re confident our community will help us make it happen and would deeply appreciate support from the greater Charlotte community as well! (Information on giving and helping connect us to donors is at charlottelit.org. Or simply contact Paul Reali at paul@charlottelit.org.) Doors open this October. We can’t wait to see you there!

I congratulate Kathie, Paul and everyone else who has helped Charlotte Lit reach this milestone. In following the story of Charlotte Lit’s quest for a permanent home, I am reminded of the cumulative nursery rhyme “The House That Jack Built.” The story behind Jack’s house involves lots of steps, but the rhyme always comes back to the line “the house that Jack built.” The story behind the creation of Charlotte Lit’s new home has also involved many steps, but in the end, it will be the house that Charlotte Lit built. Everyone in Storied Charlotte will benefit from this new community resource.

Tags: Charlotte Lit

Curious George Visits ImaginOn

July 19, 2025 by Mark West

Anyone who has ever read Margret and H. A. Rey’s picture books about Curious George knows that Curious George is always on the move. In Curious George Gets a Medal, he even takes a rocket trip to space for which he is awarded a medal that reads, “To George, the First Space Monkey.” The book about Curious George’s space flight came out in 1957, but Curious George hasn’t slowed down a bit since then. He is still on the move, and he recently landed in Charlotte.

This summer ImaginOn is hosting an interactive exhibit called “Curious George: Let’s Get Curious.” The exhibit will remain at ImaginOn until August 23, 2025. Like George, I am curious about new things, so I recently visited the exhibit. Becca Worthington, the head Children’s Librarian at ImaginOn, gave me a tour of the exhibit. I didn’t wear a yellow hat, but I did have a yellow legal pad, which I used to take notes. Becca informed me that every year ImaginOn rents an exhibit from a children’s museum. The Minnesota Children’s Museum created this exhibit in 2007, and ever since then it has been touring the country.

The exhibit features a series of activity stations related to scenes from the books. One of these stations is based on the apartment building that is depicted in Curious George Takes a Job in which George gets a job washing the building’s windows. Children can operate wheels that move George on pulleys from one window to another. Becca offered to let me have a go at operating the wheels, but I contented myself with watching a girl intently move George around the building. Another station features a replica of George’s space rocket. Children can have their pictures taken standing next to George in his space suit. I saw lots of children posing for pictures, and I even saw one mother getting her picture taken with George. Other stations include a sidewalk produce stand, where children can sort and weigh different types of fruits and vegetables, and a construction site, where children use various machines to move building materials.

My favorite station is called the “Museum within the Museum.” Intended more for the grownup visitors, this station provides information about Margret and H. A. Rey and their perilous escape from Paris just before the Nazis invaded the city. As Jews, they knew they needed to flee Paris to avoid persecution at the hands of the Nazis. This station includes displays detailing how they moved from Paris to Bayonne, France, to Lisbon, Portugal, to Brazil, and eventually to New York City. Among the few things that they carried with them during their escape was the manuscript for the first Curious George book. Once they made it to America, they sold the book to Houghton Mifflin, which published it in 1941.

During my tour of the exhibit, I could not help but notice that I was surrounded by children and their families exploring the exhibit and having fun together. Maryann O’Keeffe, the Library Program Coordinator at ImaginOn, commented on the popularity of the exhibit in an email that she sent to me. She wrote, “This exhibit has been our most popular one by far, exceeding attendance records for the past 13 years, with nearly 17,000 visitors in June alone. I believe that it is so popular because kids who grew up reading and watching Curious George are now parents (and grandparents!) themselves and I’ve heard them introduce kids to George and the Man in the Yellow Hat that way.”

For readers who want to know more about “Curious George: Let’s Get Curious,” please click on the following link: https://www.imaginon.org/blog/summer-exhibit-%E2%80%9Ccurious-george-let%E2%80%99s-get-curious%E2%80%9D

I am pleased that ImaginOn is hosting the Curious George exhibit this summer. This exhibit celebrates Margaret and H. A. Rey’s classic picture books, but it also celebrates the contributions that immigrants have made to our culture. As I see it, all of us in Storied Charlote and beyond are fortunate that America welcomed two European Jews who fled the Nazis in 1940 and brought with them a story about a curious monkey.

Tags: Curious George ImaginOn

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