Storied Charlotte

Stories for Veterans Day

November 11, 2023 by Mark West

I am writing this Storied Charlotte blog post on Saturday, November 11, 2023. I waited until 11:00 in the morning to start writing this post in honor of Armistice Day, which is now known as Veterans Day. It commemorates the end of World War I. On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, all of the countries involved in World War I agreed to an armistice resulting in the cessation of military operations. The next year saw the observance of the first Armistice Day, which took place on November 11, 1919. In 1954, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day, but it is still observed on the eleventh day of November.

Veterans Day provides us with an opportunity to recognize and honor those who have served in the military. As I see it, one way to honor military service is to read and reflect on the stories about people in service during wartime. Several Charlotte authors have published such stories in recent years. Three examples are Gary Edgington’s Outside the Wire, Meredith Ritchie’s Poster Girls, and Nancy Northcott’s The King’s Champion.

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Gary Edgington’s Outside the Wire deals with America’s involvement in the Iraq War. The novel opens in Baghdad in 2008, and it immediately immerses the reader in the chaos and complexities of the war. The novel is marketed as a military thriller, but it also a story about a burgeoning relationship between a counterterrorism expert named Rick Sutherland and a military physician named Nancy Weaver. For more information about Gary and his debut novel, please click on the following link: https://garyedgingtonauthor.com/

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Meredith Ritchie’s Poster Girls is a historical novel set in Charlotte during World War II. The novel focuses on the women who worked at Charlotte’s Shell Plant where they manufactured ammunition for the war effort. Meredith tells the story from the perspectives of two military wives—one black and the other white—who both find employment at the Shell Plant. The novel delves into the nature of life on the home front, but it is also story about an unlikely friendship. For readers who want to know more about Meredith and Poster Girls, please click on the following link: https://www.meredithritchie.com/

Nancy Northcott’s The King’s Champion concludes her Boar King’s Honor historical fantasy trilogy. Although this novel’s main characters are wizards, the book centers on the real history of World War II from the Dunkirk evacuation through the Battle of Britain. Kate Shaw, one of the central characters, is an American photojournalist posted to her agency’s London office. With British Army officer Sebastian Mainwaring, she and others with magical Gifts work to stop the intended German invasion of Britain, Operation Sealion. For more information about The King’s Champion and Nancy’s other work, please visit her website, www.NancyNorthcott.com.

As all three of these novels make clear, war stories involve much more than a series of battle scenes. They are also stories about complex human relationships. As we observe Veterans Day here in Storied Charlotte, it is important that we remember that wartime service affects veterans and their families and to be grateful for what they have done.

Sarah Archer, Landis Wade, and Their Podcasting Mystery

November 06, 2023 by Mark West

It’s a mystery to me if Mark Twain really said, “Write what you know.” However, I know that this bit of writing advice is often attributed to Twain, and I also know that Sarah Archer and Landis Wade have followed this advice when writing their new novella, Death by Podcasting. Sarah and Landis (along with Hannah Larrew) are the co-hosts of the popular Charlotte Readers Podcast, where they regularly interview authors. Sarah and Landis know the world of podcasting inside and out, and they make extensive use of this knowledge in Death by Podcasting.

In many ways, Death by Podcasting fits within the sub-genre of the cozy mystery, but instead of taking place in a country estate or a quaint village, this mystery largely takes place in the virtual setting of a podcast. The central characters in Death by Podcasting go by the names of Raspy Fuse and Salty Remarks. Like Sarah and Landis, Raspy and Salty are the co-hosts of a podcast featuring author interviews. A few days before they are scheduled to record a live episode, Raspy and Salty receive a mysterious warning that one of the three authors whom they are scheduled to interview intends to kill them. At first, Raspy and Salty don’t take the warning seriously, but they soon learn that threat is real. What follows is a fast-paced and humorous account of their efforts to solve this mystery before it’s too late.

I contacted Sarah and Landis and asked them for more information about this mystery. Here is what they sent to me:

As co-hosts on Charlotte Readers Podcast, we thought it would be fun to co-write a mystery involving the intersection of podcasters and writers. We had plenty of inspiration to write a comedic mystery novella about podcasting, writing, and the sometimes-cutthroat world of modern publishing–though thankfully, no real-life murder inspiration.

We came up with a story about two podcasters, Raspy Fuse and Salty Remarks, who receive an anonymous text warning them that one of the authors they’re set to interview for their year-end live finale event plans to kill them. They must use their experience reading and writing mysteries to figure out which of the suspects–poet William Z. Wisp, thriller writer Edwin Nocturne, or romance novelist Della Molasses–might have deadly motivations. Along the way, they uncover the secrets connecting these writers to their own podcast team, and to another podcaster who died mysteriously.

This was a fun experiment in co-writing for both of us. In our November 7th episode, we talk about the process of taking turns writing and editing each other’s work, and the factors that can make co-writing both easier and harder than writing solo. None of our real-life podcast guests are believed to be murderers, so we plan to continue podcasting, as dangerous as it may.

The book comes out November 14th and will be available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook. We’ll be at Park Road Books on November 15th at 7 PM to celebrate the launch. We can’t wait to share it with readers and listeners, and hope they enjoy the tongue-in-cheek writing references and Charlotte Readers Podcast Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the story!

I congratulate Sarah and Landis on the publication of Death by Podcasting. I have long thought that Charlotte Readers Podcast is one of Storied Charlotte’s treasures, but now I will also think of it as the inspiration for a very entertaining story.

Tags: mystery novel

EpicFest Is Just Around the Corner

October 30, 2023 by Mark West

EpicFest, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s free literary festival for children and their families, will take place on November 3-4, 2023. On Friday, November 3, the featured authors and illustrators will visit various area schools where they will speak with students. On Saturday, November 4, these authors and illustrators will participate in a day-long festival at ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center, 300 E. Seventh Street, Charlotte. The event will start at 10:00 a.m. and conclude at 3:00 p.m.

I contacted Walker Doermann, one of the organizers of this year’s EpicFest, and asked her for more information about the event. She not only sent me the following information about this year’s festival, but she also sent me a photograph of her son enjoying last year’s event:

This year’s EpicFest features ten incredible authors who will be visiting Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools on Friday and then promoting their newest books on Saturday. Eight children’s authors, including Margaret Peterson Haddix, Jessica Kim, Dare Coulter, Ashley Belote, Jeffery Weatherford, Eleanor Spicer Rice, Judy Allen Dodson, and Saadia Faruqi will be at ImaginOn speaking about their experience as writers and signing books.

The EpicFest Family Festival at ImaginOn is a great time for young readers to engage with some of their favorite authors and hear about their writing inspiration, and for aspiring young writers to ask them questions about their writing process. In addition to a strong author lineup on Saturday, there will be plenty of hands-on activities for children of all ages. In addition to creative learning tables, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte will offer a special presentation of Schoolhouse Rock Live! at noon, and Charlotte Ballet leads a Dance-a-Story Nutcracker workshop at 1:00 p.m. Other festive touches throughout the day include roving costumed book characters, face painting and balloon twisting, and a visit from GameTruck Charlotte.

Also on Saturday, YA authors Amber Smith and Nora Shalaway Carpenter will be the featured authors at our first ever Teen Writing Conference at SouthPark Library (noon to 3:30 p.m.). Teens will have the opportunity to share their own work in a writing workshop with the authors, as well as attend a meet and mingle and book signing.

For more information about this year’s featured guests, please click on the following link: https://www.cmlibrary.org/epicfest

As usual, I will be volunteering all day at EpicFest. I have my rituals and traditions associated with the day. On Saturday morning, I will put on my book tie, which my wife bought for me at the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Library. I will then take the light rail to the Seventh Street Station. After exiting the train, I wil take the short walk to ImaginOn where I will spend the day helping the authors set up for their presentations and book signings. I hope to see you there. I would not miss EpicFest for anything. After all, EpicFest is a Storied Charlotte tradition.

Mark de Castrique and His Dangerous Women

October 23, 2023 by Mark West

Mark de Castrique, one of Charlotte’s best-known mystery writers, launched a new mystery series last year with the publication of Secret Lives. The central character in Secret Lives is Ethel Fiona Crestwater, seventy-five-year-year-old retired FBI agent who runs a boardinghouse just outside of Washington, D.C. Secret Lives and its feisty main character attracted a lot positive attention when the book came out. The novel received many rave reviews, and it was nominated for one of the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Awards. Readers who want to know more about Ethel and her sleuthing adventures will be pleased to know Dangerous Women, Mark’s second book in his Secret Lives series, will be released this week.

I recently contacted Mark and asked him for more information about Dangerous Women. Here is what he sent to me:

Dangerous Women is the sequel to Secret Lives, which came out last year. The story again features seventy-five-year-old Ethel Fiona Crestwater, an ex-FBI agent who, for over fifty years, has rented rooms in her house to fellow law enforcement officers, collectively known as “Ethel’s Army.” Feisty and fearless, Ethel is who I imagine Ruth Bader Ginsburg would be as an FBI agent. Paired with her only living relative, American University grad student, Jesse Cooper, Ethel pursues her own investigations, especially if she has a personal connection to the victims. Her adversaries underestimate her at their peril.

In creating a plot for Dangerous Women, I was able to tap into current topics that interest me. I was intrigued that with all the leaks in Congress and accusations of “insider trading” by senators and representatives, the U.S. Supreme Court had never had a leak, even though its rulings could impact corporations and their profits. Never had a leak–that is until I finished the first draft and the Dodd decision overturning Roe v Wade was leaked. Revision time.

The other topic I found interesting was the push to convert to electric vehicles. I believe climate change is real, but our effort to combat climate change isn’t a simple matter of plugging in your car. I learned that the United States produces only two percent of the world’s lithium, a mineral critical to the production of batteries. We are dependent upon other countries, some of which are hostile to us. And domestic production of lithium can leave land and water toxic for years that especially impacts ranchers and Native Americans. The question is how much do we destroy the environment in order to save the environment? I create a case before the Supreme Court that could have far-reaching consequences, consequences worth a lot of money to people who can profit from advance knowledge, a profit great enough to kill for.

Ethel and my Supreme Court Chief Justice, Clarissa Baxter, are the dangerous women determined to protect the court’s integrity and uncover the perpetrators behind a murderous conspiracy. I’ve been very pleased with the advance reviews including stars from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal. I hope Ethel and her army are as fun to read as they are to write.

For additional information about Dangerous Women and Mark’s other mysteries, please click on the following link: http://www.markdecastrique.com/

Mark will be signing copies of Dangerous Women and talking about Ethel Fiona Crestwater at Park Road Books on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, at 7:00 pm. I plan to be there. Ethel Fiona Crestwater might be from the DC area, but she is an honorary member of Storied Charlotte as far as I am concerned.

Tags: mysteries

Tameka Fryer Brown’s Picture Book about the Confederate Flag

October 16, 2023 by Mark West

I had the pleasure of meeting the Charlotte picture-book author Tameka Fryer Brown in person earlier this month when we both participated in the “Freedom to Read” panel discussion event sponsored by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. During this panel discussion, we talked about the importance of providing children with books that address the realities of American society and history, including the issue of racism. In this context, Tameka mentioned her new picture book titled That Flag, which deals in part with the history of the Confederate flag. Although I had previously read some of Tameka’s earlier picture books, I had not seen That Flag. When the panel discussion ended, I asked Tameka if I could take a look at her copy of That Flag. She handed it to me, and I read it right away.

Illustrated by Nikkolas Smith and published by HarperCollins, That Flag is told from the point of view of Keira, a Black girl growing up in the contemporary South. Her best friend is Bianca. Although Keira and Bianca are from different racial backgrounds, they see themselves as “almost twins,” especially when they are at school. However, Bianca’s family flies the Confederate flag in the front of their home. The display of this flag creates a tension between Keira and Bianca, and this tension intensifies when Keira begins to learn about the history of the Confederate flag. Tameka does an excellent job of presenting the history of this flag from its origins during the Civil War to its contemporary associations with various racist hate groups, but she always keeps her focus on the relationship between Keira and Bianca.

A few days after the “Freedom to Read” panel discussion, I contacted Tameka and asked her how she came to write That Flag. Here is what she sent to me:

On June 17, 2015, a young white man attended evening Bible study at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. At the conclusion of the class, he took out a gun and began shooting the church members. He killed nine of them. The investigation into this mass shooting revealed the murderer to be a white supremacist whose goal in targeting the historically significant Black church had been to initiate a race war. The investigation also unearthed several social media posts with photos showing him brandishing the Confederate flag.

As if the mass murders had not been devastating enough, a public debate arose soon after about that flag, as to whether it was indeed a racist emblem used throughout history to terrorize and oppress, or merely an innocuous and misunderstood symbol of Southern heritage and pride. So many people seemed to be either ignorant or in willful denial about the Confederate flag’s problematic origins and contemporary use, I knew a more fact-based truth about its history needed to be shared with our children as early as possible. Studies have proven that signs of racial prejudice can be seen even in preschoolers, thanks to the societal messaging they receive daily. To have any hope of abating bigotry, seeds of empathy, equity, and justice must consistently and intentionally be planted in kids’ hearts while they are untainted and receptive enough to fully embrace them. As a children’s book author, writing That Flag was my way of doing all of the above.

That Flag is a picture book about best friends divided over the meaning and significance of the Confederate flag. Unfortunately, no publisher was willing to buy it in 2015. A couple of editors suggested I rewrite it as a middle grade, but my heart was convinced it needed to be a book for younger readers. With no takers, I put the story away and focused on other manuscripts.

In 2020, the tide turned. As our country was purportedly in the midst of a “racial awakening,” I decided to tweak it a little and send it out again. This time, multiple editors expressed interest in the story and it went to auction. Between the book’s sale in 2020 and its publication this year, the book-banning movement in the United States has intensified significantly. To date and to my knowledge, however, That Flag has yet to be challenged or placed on any banned lists. For that, I am sincerely grateful.

As a Southerner, born and bred (with almost 30 of those years spent as a Charlottean), I pray That Flag will not only spark conversation among young readers and adults about the true origins and history of the Confederate flag, but that it will also provide insight and understanding as to the degree of fear and emotional pain the public veneration of it continues to cause so many Americans…including me. Surely there are more unifying, less traumatic representations of Southern heritage we can all celebrate.

For readers who want to know more about Tameka, That Flag, and her other picture books, please click on the following link: https://tamekafryerbrown.com/

I congratulate Tameka on the publication of That Flag. I enjoyed reading it, and I think it would appeal to anyone in Storied Charlotte who is committed to providing children with books that acknowledge the true complexity of our history.

Tags: picture books

The 10th Annual Celebration of Verse & Vino

October 09, 2023 by Mark West

The tenth annual celebration of Verse & Vino, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation’s grand literary gala and fundraiser, will take place in the Charlotte Convention Center on November 2, 2023. This event will feature five New York Times best-selling authors, wine, and food. I contacted Maggie Bean, the Director of Communications for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation, and asked her for more information about this year’s Verse & Vino event. Here is what she sent to me:

Every year — now for 10 years — we have worked diligently to put together a diverse group of authors for our Verse & Vino attendees, and this year we hope we’ve done our anniversary justice with this line up…

Starting with beloved cultural critic and Bad Feminist author Roxane Gay! We are a stop on Ms. Gay’s book tour for her new compilation of essays called Opinions.

Historical fiction fans will not be disappointed as we have two amazing authors joining us: Melanie Benjamin and Sadeqa Johnson with novels set in the midst of 1960s surf culture titled California Golden and in 1950s DC and Philadelphia titled The House of Eve, respectively.

Our thriller readers will definitely not want to miss Brad Taylor, former U.S. Army infantry and special forces officer and author of the current bestselling novel The Devil’s Ransom.

Etaf Rum rounds out our group with her highly-anticipated sophomore effort, Evil Eye, a follow-up to her acclaimed first novel A Woman Is No Man, a novel that “complicates and deepens the Arab American story — a tale as rich and varied as America itself” (The Washington Post).

We at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation are so excited to share this event with you, but don’t take our word for it. Verse & Vino alumna and beloved New York Times best-selling author Adriana Trigiani has declared, “Verse & Vino is the best event in the United States of America!”

For more information about participating in this year’s Verse & Vino event, please click on the following link: https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/verse-vino/

I attended the very first Verse & Vino event in 2013, and I remember how much I enjoyed the evening. Since then, I have been impressed with how Verse & Vino has established itself over the past ten years as one of our community’s premier cultural events. While Verse & Vino is an important fundraiser for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, it is also a celebration of libraries, literacy, and books. As a long-time supporter of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, I believe that participating in Verse & Vino is wonderful way to engage in our Storied Charlotte community and support our storied public library.

Tags: Verse & Vino

Celebrating President Carter’s 99th Birthday

October 01, 2023 by Mark West

I am writing this Storied Charlotte blog post on October 1, 2023, which is President Jimmy Carter’s 99^th birthday. President Carter has been on my mind a lot lately. A few months ago, I signed a book contract to edit an essay collection tentatively titled The Literary Legacy of Jimmy Carter: Essays on the President’s Books. President Carter published over thirty books, more than any American president except Theodore Roosevelt. Like President Roosevelt, President Carter wrote his own books without relying on ghostwriters. As part of my research for this collection, I visited the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta this past summer. All of the news surrounding President Carter’s 99^th birthday has caused me to reflect on my recent visit to the museum.

I arrived at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum on a Saturday morning. I thought that if I got there as soon as it opened, I would have the place to myself. I was wrong. I discovered that the Freedom Farmers’ Market takes place at the Carter Center every Saturday, so the grounds were teeming with people. However, most of them were not there to visit the museum. A cluster of about twelve of us gathered at the entrance to the museum, and as soon as the doors opened, we all entered together.

The museum provides visitors with an excellent overview of President Carter’s life, covering his childhood in Plains, Georgia, his years with the United States Navy, his political career as the Governor of Georgia and then the President of the United States, and his humanitarian work with the Carter Center. For more information about the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, please click on the following link: https://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov

I thoroughly enjoyed examining the museum exhibits, but what impressed me the most about my visit to the museum was the sense of community that I experienced while interacting with a number of the other visitors. Since we all entered the museum at the same time, we watched the introductory film about President Carter’s life and career while sitting near each other in the auditorium. After the film concluded, we began touring the exhibits as a group, and soon we began talking with each other.

We talked about the times that we met President Carter. I told the story of meeting him in New Hampshire while he was running for the presidency in 1975. I was a college student at the time, and I attended one of his campaign events. After listening to his speech, I had a brief conversation with him and bought a copy of his first book, Why Not the Best? A couple shared their experiences of working alongside President Carter on a Habitat for Humanity project. A woman in her early thirties talked about hearing President Carter give one of his famous Sunday school lessons in Plains.

We talked some about his presidency, but we mostly talked about his post-presidency years. Several of the people I talked to were from Georgia, and they talked about his contributions to the state. A man wearing a “Navy Veteran” shirt and a “Black Lives Matter” button said how much he admired President Carter’s commitment to the civil rights movement. He said that he knew the late Representative John Lewis and had volunteered on several of his campaigns. He reported that Rep. Lewis always had good things to say about President Carter.

A middle-aged man from Atlanta said that he was born during President Carter’s time in the White House, and he went on to say that he took pride in President Carter’s associations with Atlanta. He commented on how thrilled he was when he once saw President Carter and Rosalynn Carter at an Atlanta Braves game. The woman who had shared her story about attending one of President’s Carter’s Sunday School lessons said that she grew up attending a Baptist church in Atlanta, and she admired his determination to act on his religious beliefs.

We were quite a diverse group, reflecting different ages, races, and religious backgrounds. However, we were all brought together by our shared respect for President Carter. In this time of division, President Carter’s ability to bring people together is a remarkable gift. I think of it as his birthday gift to the American people.

Tags: President Jimmy Carter

North Carolina Reads Is Back for More in 2024

September 23, 2023 by Mark West

We will not be switching over to 2024 calendars for several more months, but the good folks at North Carolina Humanities have already announced the plans for next year’s North Carolina Reads program. This program is a statewide book club that meets virtually on a monthly basis. I contacted NC Humanities for more details about their North Carolina Reads program for 2024. They sent me an abundance of information, including the following official announcement, which I have condensed for the purposes of this week’s blog post:

North Carolina Humanities’ popular statewide book club program, North Carolina Reads, is back! Starting in February 2024, North Carolina Reads will feature five new books that explore issues of racial, social, and gender equity and the history and culture of North Carolina.

From February – June 2024, NC Humanities will host virtual monthly book club discussion events where participants will hear from guest speakers, including book authors and topic experts. Libraries, community groups, and individuals across North Carolina are encouraged to read along with NC Humanities, and then host their own local virtual and in-person community book discussion programs to accompany NC Humanities’ virtual events.

Now in its third year, North Carolina Reads has already brought 23 professional, award-winning authors and topic experts to public audiences. All of the books selected for this year’s book club are written by authors who are from, lived in, or currently reside in North Carolina.

Books, reading, literacy, and literary history are important parts of NC Humanities’ mission. At the heart of North Carolina Reads is NC Humanities’ desire to connect communities through shared reading experiences.

“After the isolation of the pandemic years, North Carolina Reads provides welcomed opportunities for connection across physical space,” said Sherry Paula Watkins, Executive Director of NC Humanities. “Communities around the state and nation are divided over many issues, but North Carolina Reads leverages our collective love of story to create new shared experiences where people can engage with each other, and authors and experts who they may not otherwise be able to hear from.”

NC Humanities’ is pleased to announce the following titles for North Carolina Reads 2024:

February 2024 – Beyond Innocence: The Life Sentence of Darryl Hunt by Phoebe Zerwick.

Non-Fiction. A young Black man is falsely accused of murdering a white woman in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and is sentenced to life in prison, where he spent 19 years behind bars before his tireless attorneys were able to prove his innocence. Part true crime drama, part chronicle of a remarkable life cut short by systematic prejudice, Zerwick’s narrative powerfully illuminates the sustained catastrophe faced by an innocent person in prison and the difficulty all formerly incarcerated people face when they try to restart their lives.

March 2024 – Poster Girls by Meredith Ritchie.

Historical Fiction. After an unwanted southern migration, an upside-down world in 1943 offers military wife and mother, Maggie Slone, a job at Charlotte’s largest wartime employer––the massive and dangerous Shell Assembly Plant. Meanwhile, military wife and Alabama native, Kora Bell’s steadfast determination enables her to navigate the challenges she faces as a Black woman seeking employment under Jim Crow. A shared love of literature spurs an unlikely friendship between Kora and Maggie, and the two work together to unify the plant’s workforce.

April 2024 – American Refuge: True Stories of the Refugee Experience by Diya Abdo.

Non-Fiction. In this intimate and eye-opening book, Diya Abdo–daughter of refugees, U.S. immigrant, English professor, and activist—shares the stories of seven refugees. Coming from around the world, they’re welcomed by Every Campus A Refuge (ECAR), an organization Diya founded to leverage existing resources at colleges to provide temporary shelter to refugee families. We learn that these refugees from Burma, Burundi, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, and Uganda lived in homes they loved, left against their will, moved to countries without access or rights, and were among the 1% of the “lucky” few to resettle after a long wait, almost certain never to return to the homes they never wanted to leave. We learn that anybody, at any time, can become a refugee.

May 2024 – The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb.

Fiction. The riveting story of a young Black musician who discovers that his old family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius: when it’s stolen on the eve of the world’s most prestigious classical music competition, he risks everything to get it back. Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian’s life is already mapped out. But Ray has a gift and a dream—he’s determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. Not his mother, who wants him to stop making such a racket; not the fact that he can’t afford a violin suitable to his talents; not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music.

June 2024 – Welcome to the Circus of Baseball by Ryan McGee.

Non-Fiction. A gloriously funny, nostalgic memoir of a popular ESPN reporter who, in the summer of 1994, was a fresh-out-of-college intern for a minor league baseball team. Madness and charm ensue as Ryan McGee spends the season steeped in sweat, fertilizer, nacho cheese sauce, and pure, unadulterated joy in North Carolina with the Asheville Tourists. He has since risen the ESPN ranks to national TV, radio, and Internet host, but his time in Asheville still looms large.

NC Humanities encourages readers to get a head start on their reading by checking with their local library or bookstore for assistance in finding book copies. Those who need accessible books may request books for free courtesy of the State Library of North Carolina Accessible Books & Library Services. Please read the eligibility requirements to see if you qualify for service. Please note, you do not have to read the books to participate in NC Humanities’ North Carolina Reads virtual book club discussion events. Event details and online registration information will be available in winter 2024 at nchumanities.org.

To expand accessibility in underserved communities across North Carolina, next month, NC Humanities will offer a limited number of North Carolina Reads book boxes to readers. These boxes will include a selection of the five book titles, unique swag, bookmarks, and curated program and discussion guides. Details on how to request a book box will be released on October 16. Boxes will be available to request October 16-20 at nchumanities.org.

If you’d like to receive updates about North Carolina Reads, please sign up for your e-newsletters at nchumanities.org. Discussion guides and program planning guides will also be available for free download in winter 2024 at nchumanities.org.

I thank North Carolina Humanities for organizing this program and for drawing attention to these five noteworthy books by North Carolina authors. I am especially pleased that Charlotte author Meredith Ritchie is included among the authors whose books are being featured. Meredith’s Poster Girls is a remarkable historical novel that sheds light on the lives of women in Charlotte during World War II. As I often say, my Storied Charlotte blog is all about celebrating Charlotte’s community of readers and writers, but as North Carolina Reads makes clear, Storied Charlotte is also a key player in the storied state of North Carolina.

Charlotte Lit Is Ready for the Autumnal Equinox

September 18, 2023 by Mark West

The autumnal equinox will take place on Saturday, September 23, 2023, at 2:50 am, at which point summer will officially come to an end and fall will begin. Now, I think it should take place at 2:23 am just to keep the 23-thing going, but the celestial bodies don’t care what I think. Since the celestial bodies are in charge, we will have to stick to 2:50 am. The arrival of fall means that the daylight hours will dwindle a bit with each passing day, and that means that many of us will be spending more time indoors. Well, the obvious corollary to that phenomenon is that we will have more time to write, and Charlotte Lit is here to help.

The good folks at Charlotte Lit are not letting the autumnal equinox sneak up on them. They have scheduled a wide range of fall programming for all kinds of writers. I contacted Paul Reali and Kathie Collins, the co-founders of Charlotte Lit, and I asked them for more information about their fall programs. Here is what they sent to me:

Mark, fall is an exciting time at Charlotte Lit. We’ve launched our full September-to-May calendar and we open entries for the 2024 Lit/South Awards.

Lit/South — we have to begin with our judges. We’re pinching ourselves, truly. In fiction, our judge is the great NC writer Clyde Edgerton. In creative nonfiction, the amazing Maggie Smith. And in poetry, Pulitzer Prize winner Jericho Brown—who will also be here in person in May to headline our annual Lit Up! event. They’ll help us award $6,000 in total prizes: $1,000 for the winner in each category, plus a shared $3,000 prize pool for the finalists. And, publication in Litmosphere: Journal of Charlotte Lit for all those plus selected semi-finalists. It’s open for just a month: October 1 to November 1, here: https://www.charlottelit.org/litsouth.

Writing classes — we have more than 50 on the calendar, so we’ll just highlight a few of the early ones. Almost all of these are on Zoom, so they’re easy for anyone to attend.

This Tuesday, September 19 — act now, it’s almost full! — former Mississippi Poet Laureate Beth Ann Fennelly leads a masterclass with the great title: “Build Me a Hummingbird of Words: Distilling Your Life Into a Flash.”

In fiction we have “Writing the Short Story,” three sessions with Craig Buchner starting September 26. “Manipulating Time in Fiction” with Paula Martinac is September 28.

In memoir, Judy Goldman — legendary teacher, her classes always fill up — leads another three-session class, “All About Me: Lessons on Writing Memoir,” beginning October 12.

In poetry, here are two events. To celebrate National Blank Poetry Day, we’ll host a free in-person conversation on literary citizenship, October 6, with NC Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green and two Charlotte poets, Jah Smalls and city poet laurate Jay Ward. Jaki will also teach a master class the next day. Then, on October 24, Pulitzer Prize nominee Morri Creech teaches “The Expressive Power of Repetition: The Pantoum and the Villanelle.”

Finally, for writers trying to publish their work, we cover the wide span from poems to novels. Kathy Izard leads “Paths to Self-publishing” on October 17; and Ashley Memory leads “Publishing Short Pieces: Contests and Open Calls” on November 7.

There’s so much more, but that’s a good sample of what we’re doing. And for anyone who doesn’t know where to begin, we have a free writing session every Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. called Pen to Paper. The best place to begin is: https://www.charlottelit.org/catalog

Storied Charlotte readers, we hope to see you or your pixels soon!

I thank Paul and Kathie for sharing this information about Charlotte Lit’s fall offerings. I also thank Charlotte Lit for providing Storied Charlotte writers with a veritable cornucopia of writing opportunities.

The Origin Story of A. J. Hartley’s Hideki Smith, Demon Queller

September 10, 2023 by Mark West

The Origin Story of A. J. Hartley’s Hideki Smith, Demon Queller – Charlotte author A. J. Hartley has just released a young adult fantasy novel titled Hideki Smith, Demon Queller. Like many of A. J.’s novels, Hideki Smith, Demon Queller focuses on a character who is something of an outsider. In the case of A. J.’s new novel, the central character is a fifteen-year-old boy named Caleb Hideki Smith. He lives in a small town called Portersville located in the mountains of North Carolina. He is half Japanese, but he has never paid much attention to his Japanese heritage until he is suddenly forced to deal with Japanese monsters that are threatening Portersville.

A. J. has a long-standing interest in Japanese myths and folklore, and this interest is reflected in his latest novel. Hideki Smith, Demon Queller is steeped Japanese mythology, especially the myths associated with shapeshifting. However, the story also has deep connections biographical connections. When he was a young man, A. J. spent two transformative years living in Japan. The origins of this novel can be traced back to his experiences in Japan. I recently contacted A. J. and asked him about the origins of Hideki Smith, Demon Queller. Here is what he sent to me:

After my undergraduate degree, I moved to a little mountain town in Yamanashi, Japan, called Kofu, where I taught high-school English for two years. I met my wife, Hisako, there, who is Japanese-American and was taking a year between undergrad and grad school to work in the same town. Fast forward some thirty-five years, and we’re here in Charlotte with a college age son, Kuma. I’m now retired from my academic position as a Shakespeare professor at UNC Charlotte, and HIDEKI is my 25^th published novel. It’s the first which has involved active collaboration with my family.

I had tried to tell a version of this story—which is deeply informed by Japanese folklore and mythology—ever since I lived in Kofu. In fact, I suspect that that side of Japan was part of the reason I went there in the first place. I’ve always been drawn to the strange and uncanny, and Japanese mythology is especially rich in that area, doubly so for people who didn’t grow up in that culture. But that sense of separateness was also part of the problem for telling the story. As much as I knew about Japan, it still didn’t feel like my own world, so trying to set a novel there proved impossible.

The breakthrough came when I decided to center the story on my son—or someone like him: a teenager growing up in a mixed-race family in North Carolina. That was absolutely something I knew and, with the help of my wife and son’s input, it was something I felt I could write.

The result is a YA adventure, a tale of shape-shifting Japanese monsters spilling inexplicably out of the Blue Ridge mountains, but a story rooted in questions of personal and cultural identity, how we adjust when we don’t quite fit in, how we find ourselves in spite of what people expect of us, and how we then carve out our place in the world. Which is not to say, of course, that it’s not a fun (and, hopefully, funny) journey, which will appeal to a wide range of readers across age groups, tastes, and ethnicities. After all, everyone feels alien, separate, and we recognize the same is true of other people even if they don’t actually turn out to be cleverly disguised supernatural foxes…

For readers who want to know more about A. J. and his various publications, please click on the following link: https://ajhartley.net/

For readers who would like meet A. J. and hear him talk about Hideki Smith, Demon Queller, he is doing a book signing and talk at Park Road Books on Saturday, September 16, at 2:00 pm. Here is a link with more information about this event: https://www.parkroadbooks.com/event/author-aj-hartley-discusses-his-new-book-hideki-smith-demon-queller

I know that A. J. has been working on this novel for many years, and I am pleased that he has now completed it. So far, I have read the first chapter, and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the novel. As I have said before, I feel fortunate that A. J. has made Storied Charlotte his home.

Tags: Japanese mythology young adult fantasy novel

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