Storied Charlotte
Storied Charlotte
  • Home
  • Storied Charlotte
  • Monday Missive

Contact Me

Office: Fretwell 290D
Phone: 704-687-0618
Email: miwest@uncc.edu

Links

  • A Reader’s Guide to Fiction and Nonfiction books by Charlotte area authors
  • Charlotte book art
  • Charlotte Lit
  • Charlotte Readers Podcast
  • Charlotte Writers Club
  • Column on Reading Aloud
  • Department of English
  • JFK/Harry Golden column
  • Park Road Books
  • Storied Charlotte YouTube channel
  • The Charlotte History Tool Kit
  • The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Story

Archives

  • July 2025
  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013

Storied Charlotte

Tameka Fryer Brown on Celebrating Black Culture with All Children All Year

February 11, 2024 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

A week or two ago, I contacted Tameka Fryer Brown, a Charlotte children’s author whose books include That Flag, Not Done Yet: Shirley Chisholm’s Fight for Change, and Brown Baby Lullaby, and I asked her if she would be willing to send me a few paragraphs about how she incorporates Black history in her books for children. I was thinking that I would feature her response in a blog post related to Black History Month. She responded by asking if I would be open to her “talking about how children’s books that center on Black culture … are important to share with all children?” Of course, I said yes.  A few days later, she sent me the following commentary:

Did you know there are designated themes for Black History Month? Each year, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History encourages a particular area of focus for celebrating the myriad contributions to society made by Black people, both in the past as well as the present. From the ASALH website:

“When Carter G. Woodson established Negro History week in 1926, he realized the importance of providing a theme to focus the attention of the public. The intention has never been to dictate or limit the exploration of the Black experience, but to bring to the public’s attention important developments that merit emphasis.

“For those interested in the study of identity and ideology, an exploration of ASALH’s Black History themes is itself instructive. Over the years, the themes reflect changes in how people of African descent in the United States have viewed themselves, the influence of social movements on racial ideologies, and the aspirations of the Black community.”

This year’s BHM theme is African Americans and the Arts. As a literary artist whose medium is children’s books, I, of course, am overjoyed! Today, there are many titles available for kids and young adults by Black authors and illustrators, about the creative contributions Black people have made throughout history—not only in literature, but also in the visual and performing arts, culinary arts, architecture, fashion, film, music, and more.

We who have been educated in the United States know that during Black History Month, an emphasis on slavery and Jim Crow has typically governed the narratives presented to our children, assuming any observance is held at all. Providing such a limited perspective on the Black experience can foster a very narrow and pitiable view of Black lives, Black history, and by extension, Black destiny. This is harmful for all our kids.

Does our nation’s history include vile and heart-rending stories of suffering for Black people? Absolutely. And it is important not to shy away from those truths in our educational system. Those truths are a part of American history and should be shared throughout the year as such. But when it comes to “celebrating” Black History Month, we must focus on more than Black suffering. There are many celebratory aspects of our history, culture, and traditions that can be shared. This year, I pray those of us who have children in our lives will expose them to more than the usual tales of oppression and overcoming. Let’s be intentional about adding more stories of Black innovation, imagination, creativity, and joy to our children’s literary diets…not only in February, but in every other month as well.

For more information about Tameka and her books, please click on the following link:  https://tamekafryerbrown.com/

In her email message to me, Tameka added, “Thanks for sharing your platform.”  Well, as I see it, the thanks should go to Tameka for sharing her thoughts on the importance of celebrating Black culture throughout the year and for providing the children of Storied Charlotte and beyond with inspiring and joyful books.

Two Creative Writers Responding to Black History

February 05, 2024 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

February is Black History Month, so now is an especially fitting time to reflect on the connections between Black history and Charlotte’s community of readers and writers. During last year’s Black History Month, I wrote a Storied Charlotte blog post about four works of nonfiction that deal with Black history in the Charlotte area, but Black history is not a topic that only historians address in their books.  Charlotte is home to several creative writers who also respond to Black history in their published works.  Two such writers are the novelist Malika J. Stevely, whose publications include the historical novel Song of Redemption, and the poet Grace C. Ocasio, whose poetry collections include Family Reunion and The Speed of Our Lives.   I contacted Malika and Grace and asked them for more information about how Black history informs their writing.

Malika J. Stevely. Image by Lowaunz Farrow

Here is Malika’s response:

As a genealogist and writer of historical literature, I find that Black history shapes my creative writing by allowing me to bring to life stories of extraordinary people who made their way through walls despite the systems that were meant to confine them.

I’ve heard some authors explain why they choose to avoid writing about Black history stating that their storytelling would be limited due to the restrictions Blacks have had within this country. To that, I say they don’t know enough about Black history. They don’t know enough about the joys and triumphs folded within our past. And what I find most tragic is that they don’t see the human aspect of the people who lived through these experiences.

When many people think of history, they see it as an occurrence from long ago that has no effect or presence in the modern world. In fact, history is always repeating itself, changing its color and bending its shape to fit into its new decade. As an author, when I’m able to dive into Black history and allow it to move around the peaks of my imagination, it reminds me of seeing a black-and-white photo or news footage from a historical event and later seeing it in color. It brings a new perspective; it evokes and heightens empathy, making it more relatable, and allowing me to see it from contemporary eyes.

When writing historical literature, I not only want my audience to experience time travel, but my main goal is to humanize my characters and make the reader feel as if they are walking alongside them.

I remember Lonnie Bunch, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute, say that “history is a weapon,” while Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Alice Walker, once said that “history is a keeping of records.” I am protective of Black history and have an unshakable desire to keep it alive. I am protective of the people who have forgone certain experiences that cause me to peel back the layers of their stories and the decisions they made.

Black history motivates me to share truth and stories that may have never been publicly told by those who experienced it. It is in gratitude that I write creatively, not just for myself or my audience, but for those who were never privileged to feel the texture of a pen and its ink. When writing creatively, I am humbled to spiritually take along on the journey those who came before me, for they will know that their struggles were not in vain or forgotten.

Here is Grace’s response:

When I was growing up in New York, I celebrated Black history week, what has now morphed into Black history month. My Uncle Arthur, who lived in South Carolina, sent my brother and me a copy of The Black Book. For a long time, that book was like the Bible to me.  Thus, my experience of Black life early on shaped many of the poems I went on to write as an adult. 

In terms of my writing process, I do not intentionally set out to write about the Black experience. The process of writing a poem about a Black historical figure or Black history in general is wholly an organic phenomenon for me. When I was an active member of the Carolina African American Writers’ Collective, an organization founded by the distinguished poet Lenard D. Moore, I, along with other members, was challenged to write on historically relevant subjects. Some of the poems I wrote, namely about Emmett Till, Michelle Obama, and Nelson Mandela, were inspired by writing prompts shared during the collective’s meetings. 

Recently, some poems I wrote with an emphasis on semi-autobiographical material appeared in the North Carolina Poetry Society’s Witness: Appalachia to Hatteras, an annual collection of poetry. This collection features the work of established poets and student poets alike as part of the Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series. Some of my poems in this publication center around Black female singers and dancers who were groundbreaking in their contributions to not just Black history, but contemporary American history as well: singers included are Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, and Whitney Houston while dancers included are Katherine Dunham, Judith Jamison, and Misty Copeland. Soon, I hope to complete my work-in-progress poem on Josephine Baker. 

I thank Malika and Grace for sharing their reflections on how Black history relates to their work as creative writers. As we celebrate Black History Month, it is important that we remember that so many of the stories that make up Storied Charlotte are shaped in one way or another by Black history and by Black writers. 

Tags: Black History Month

Charlotte’s Banned Books Club

January 28, 2024 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

For the past four decades, I have been concerned about the ongoing problem of book banning.  I addressed this topic in my first two books—Trust Your Children:  Voices Against Censorship in Children’s Literature and Children, Culture and Controversy.  These books both came out in 1988.  Since then, I have remained engaged in the anticensorship movement. I’ve written many articles and columns about censorship, and I’ve given countless presentations on this topic, including a high-profile speech in Singapore.   Given my track record in this area, it’s not all that surprising that my ears pricked up when I heard about the founding of a new group in Charlotte called the Banned Books Club. 

Every month I receive an email from Park Road Books about their “Upcoming Book Clubs and Author Events,” and that’s where I read the following announcement: “The Banned Books Club will discuss 1984 by George Orwell at Park Road Books in February.  The meeting will be on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, at 6:30 pm.  The book club is open to everyone.”  For more information about this event, please click on the following link:  https://www.parkroadbooks.com/event/banned-books-book-club-discusses-1984

Intrigued, I contacted my friends at Park Road Books and asked them if they could tell me the name of the person who is in charge of the Banned Books Club.  They put me in touch with Michelle Bentley, the founder of the club.  In my communications with Michelle, I learned that she has been an avid reader since her childhood days growing up in a rural area in Rowan County.  In 1991, she moved to Charlotte where she worked for a while as a preschool teacher.  She is now the mother of three grown children.  While her children were growing up, she believed that it was important for her children, as well as for other children, to have access to a wide range of reading materials.  This belief caused her to object to the recent rise in book banning efforts.  She responded by founding the Banned Books Club in November 2023. I asked her for more information about the club.  Here is what she sent to me:

We are a newly formed and growing book club meeting monthly at Park Road Books. Our first meeting took place last November, with the discussion of one of the most consistently banned or challenged books, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. Since then, we have discussed The Bluest Eye and The Hate U Give. We formed as part of an effort to protest book bans. However, we do try to understand the concern or fear that caused an individual or individuals to challenge the books that we discuss. Seeking to understand this fear can illuminate underlying prejudices in our society. Only when we understand can we grasp how our world needs to change and grow.

What sparked the idea of starting this club can be traced back to my childhood.  As a child I did not live near a public library. However, a book mobile would park bi-weekly in an area that I could easily walk to. I spent many hours sitting inside that book mobile. I would look through as many books as I could and then checkout a stack to carry home. I felt relaxed and at home sitting between the shelves of books. It was a refuge for me as a young person.  Now I live near Park Road Books, and it has become my haven much in the same way.  Outraged about the increasing number of books being challenged, and in some cases banned, I decided to ask them about starting a book club. I have no experience in this area, but they have graciously guided me. My inexperience is masked by the individuals who are participating in the group. They naturally encourage thoughtful conversation, making everyone feel comfortable and connected. It feels powerful and hopeful to be in community with one another.

We have the first Tuesday at 6:30 reserved monthly with Park Road Books.  At our next gathering, February 6th, we will be discussing 1984 by George Orwell. For our following book we have selected The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. We are currently considering other titles we want to add to our reading year.  Additionally, we hope to occasionally invite a guest in to speak on related issues, such as the importance of representation in literature. 

I commend Michelle and the other members of the Banned Books Club for encouraging people to read banned books.  When one reads for oneself the books that are targeted by would-be censors, it often becomes clear that these books are being misrepresented by the people who want to ban them.  One of the themes that runs through Orwell’s 1984 is the problem of distorting the meaning of words and misrepresenting reality.  I think it is fitting the Banned Books Club will be discussing Orwell’s classic dystopian novel at their next meeting, for this book has a lot to say to those of us in Storied Charlotte who believe in the freedom to read.

Tags: Banned Books

Shaun “Shef” Williams Is Cooking at the Library

January 20, 2024 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

When I first learned about the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s Around the World in 21 Branches Festival Tour, it reminded me a fun culinary event called a progressive dinner party.  In case you are not familiar with this type of dinner party, it refers to a multi-course dinner during which the successive courses are prepared and served at the different homes of the various people hosting the party.  The library’s Around the World in 21 Branches Festival Tour is organized in a similar way, but instead of taking place in different homes, this multi-stop event takes place at the various branches of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.  The Sugar Creek Library is the next stop on the tour.  The Sugar Creek Library’s event will take place on Saturday, January 27, 2024, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.  Given that I already associate the event with a dinner party, I am especially pleased to report that the Sugar Creek Library event really will involve the cooking of delicious food.

The featured author at the Sugar Creek Library event is Shaun “Shef” Williams.  Shaun will talk about his new cookbook titled Soul in the Citi: Homestyle Cooking in the City.  As part of his presentation, he will be doing live cooking demonstrations during which he will prepare recipes from his cookbook.  His presentation is scheduled to begin at 12:00 noon.  For more information about the event and to register, please click on the following link: https://cmlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/659ef7dfeb28943d007ffb15

Shaun currently lives in Mint Hill where he operates a catering and event production business called Shef Shaun’s Kitchen:  https://www.shefshaunskitchen.com/  In writing Soul in the Citi, Shaun drew on his catering experiences, but he also drew on his experiences working as a chef in New York City and Charlotte.  However, it was his childhood experiences cooking with his grandmothers in Cleveland that served as his chief inspiration when writing this cookbook. 

He recalls that his grandmothers “made everything from scratch and often with no written recipes.  The secret ingredient to making everything taste so good was definitely love.”  His goal in writing Soul in the Citi is to help his readers “cook up dishes that remind you of Grandma’s kitchen!” 

In addition to running his business and sharing his love of soul food, Shawn is writing his second cookbook.  I am sure that his many fans in Storied Charlotte are ready for a second helping.

Tags: cookbooks

Charlotte’s Three Musketeers

January 13, 2024 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

I read The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas during my college days.  Although I do not remember all of the details of the plot, I do remember the camaraderie of the three central characters.  I also remember their famous motto: “All for one, one for all.”  I thought about The Three Musketeers and their motto when I heard that three Charlotte fantasy authors—John G. Hartness, Patrick Dugan, and Darin Kennedy—have decided to band together in order to promote their new books.  I contacted them and asked for more information about their project.  Here is what they sent to me:

John G. Hartness, Patrick Dugan, and Darin Kennedy are three Charlotte-based fantasy authors who have embarked upon a new venture for 2024. All have a new book/series that they are eager to get into the hands of readers, and they have joined forces to launch a Kickstarter to introduce their latest stories to the world.

John is a fixture in the southeastern science-fiction/fantasy convention circuit and was previously the president of Charlotte Writers Club, the oldest writer organization in the Charlotte area. His works include various series such as Bubba the Monster Hunter, The Black Knight Chronicles, and Quincy Harker – Demon Hunter, the latter two of which are actually set here in Charlotte. His latest book is The Seven: Unforgiven, a high-fantasy take on the Akira Kurosawa film The Seven Samurai of which John is a huge fan.

Patrick is a local programmer in the Charlotte area who writes everything from steampunk to high fantasy to cyberpunk fairies and is a frequent guest at multiple events along the southeast as well. He works with fellow author Jim Nettles/James McDonald on a project called Books & Beer where Charlotte-area and regional authors come together monthly to do readings and sell books to the public at venues where alcohol and literature are paired liberally. His latest book is Stone Cold Witch, a tale of an inexperienced elemental witch in Asheville, NC, who must learn her trade quickly as a member of her coven has been murdered, a demon is loose, and the fate of the world is at stake.

Darin is a family physician with Atrium Health where he both sees patients and teaches new physicians right here in Charlotte and writes fantasy stories in his free time. Doctor by day, novelist by night, Darin has published numerous books, including two trilogies, Fugue & Fable (set in Charlotte) and The Pawn Stratagem as well as a modern-day, young adult take on A Christmas Carol. His new series is Songs of the Ascendant, an ‘80s pop music fueled, contemporary fantasy that takes elements of multiple shows, movies, and books from Darin’s formative years and blends them together. He has nearly finished writing the third of the first three books in this series – Shadows of the Night, All Fired Up, and You Better Run – and he can’t wait to get these books out there to the public.

The new Kickstarter for these three Charlotte-based authors runs 2 Jan – 1 Feb 2024. Feel free to check out their latest offerings. The link to check out the Kickstarter and back their project is:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/falstaffbooks/new-year-new-books

I wish John, Patrick, and Darin all the best on their three-pronged promotional project. Like the three original musketeers, these three fantasy authors have embraced the motto of “One for all, all for one.” Also like the original musketeers, our three comrades have connections to a real place.  The original musketeers were based in the storied city of Paris, but our modern-day trio can be found right here in Storied Charlotte.  

Tags: fantasy stories

Chris Arvidson’s Ekphrastic Adventures

January 08, 2024 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

A month or two ago, one of my students stopped by my office and asked me about the meaning of a literary term that she had come across in her reading for a class that she was taking on literary theory.  After I answered her question, she said, “I wish I could be like you and know the meaning of all of these fancy words and terms.”  I assured her that in reality I do not know the meaning of all the literary terms that are bandied about these days. I think that she might have been a little disappointed in me.

I am in my late 60s, but I am still adding new words and terms to my vocabulary on a regular basis.  Recently, for example, I looked up the meaning of the term ekphrastic poetry.  My friend Chris Arvidson, a Charlotte poet and artist, had mentioned to me that she had taken an interest in writing ekphrastic poetry, but I wasn’t sure what she meant by this term.  Although I associated the term with art, I didn’t know exactly how art figures in ekphrastic poetry.  Well, I turned to the Poetry Foundation’s “Glossary of Poetic Terms,” and I found out that an “ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art.”  Intrigued, I asked Chris for more information about her interest in ekphrastic writing.  Here is what she sent to me:

I’ve always considered myself a writer first, then an artist, but the two have really begun to meld together, so the ekphrastic form lends itself tremendously to my general artistic adventure as a result. I think about ekphrastic writing in the most general of applications. I have run into those (usually academics) who take a very strict view of what the ekphrastic form precisely must be, and I resist this notion with fervor.  In this strictest sense, the form is seen only as the production of a description of a piece of art. I see many more possibilities. To me ekphrastic writing is about where a piece of art takes the writer. And, in this way, the combination of the work of art and the writing done in response to it, become a whole of its own—the sum becomes another kind of whole. And it needn’t only be poetry. 

This idea of creating ekphrastic work led to an exhibit at Charlotte Art League last Spring, a show of works by artists from around the country, paired with writers who shared their art-inspired work. It was a tremendous success by any measure and has inspired the Art League to mount another such effort for May of 2024. To pull the show off this year, I teamed up with Jay Ward, Charlotte’s Poet Laureate, and Caroline Kane Kenna, the immediate past President of the Charlotte Writers Club. We herded the cats, as it were, pouring through the entries and created “pairings” of writers and artists. Jay and Caroline are on board again for the 2024 show 1 + 1 = 3. And we’ve decided to up the stakes a bit and make it a juried exhibition. Opening night, we’ll bring the writers to the stage to read their art-inspired work. 

In preparation for the submission process, I’m doing several workshops – in hopes of inspiring writers to participate. First off, I’ll be doing a workshop for Charlotte Writers Club on Saturday, January 13, 10-12:00 p.m., at Providence United Methodist. Then on Saturday, January 20, I’m teaming up with Charlotte Lit and the Charlotte Art League from 10-12:00 p.m. at the Art League, to do a very specific ekphrastic adventure. Finally, on February 17, I’ll be leading one of Jay Ward’s Poet Laureate Workshops at the University City Library from 1-3:00 p.m. The deadline for entries for the May show is February 26. (To see how we plan to put this all together, go to the Charlotte Art League’s website and the Call to Artists 1 + 1 = 3 page for more details https://charlotteartleague.org/call-to-artists1- or just drop me a line for more information: chris@chrisarvidson.com.)

And, in January at the Art League, I’ve got an ekphrastic piece in the show called “It’s Never Just Black and White” which includes two collages and a poem. 

I thank Chris for sharing this information about her ekphrastic adventures and for her willingness to share her interest in ekphrastic writing with the rest of Storied Charlotte. 

Tags: poetry

Bridging Religious Differences through Story Sharing

December 21, 2023 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

The word holiday comes from the Old English word hāligdæg, which means holy day.  Given the origins of the word, it is not especially surprising that religious tensions often surface during the holiday season. After all, most religions have holy days, and many of these holy days fall around the December solstice.  During this year’s holiday season, however, we are experiencing a troubling uptick in religious tensions in part because of global events and in part because of an overall increase in divisive discourse in our society.  Against this backdrop, I am reminded of how religious differences influenced my family’s celebrations of the holiday season during my childhood days. In the case of my family, Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol served as a bridge that enabled our family to come together for the holidays.

My mother came from a long line of Swedish Lutherans who always celebrated Christmas.  When my mother was just a little girl, she helped her mother prepare for the family Christmas activities.  Her mother died when Mom was still a child, but Mom had already accumulated a treasure trove of Christmas memories, many of them involving her mother.   My father came from an equally long line of Polish Jews who never celebrated Christmas.  For the most part, the differences in my parents’ religious backgrounds were manageable largely because both of them had turned away from organized religion during their teenage years, but these differences occasionally flared up. 

Not long after my parents moved into their first apartment in the early 1950s, the differences in their religious backgrounds surfaced when Christmas season arrived.  My mother assumed that they would put up a Christmas tree, but my father felt reluctant to buy one.  He had always associated Christmas trees with Christians, and he wasn’t a Christian.  My mother no longer thought of herself as a Lutheran, but she still loved Christmas and she very much wanted a Christmas tree.

Just before Christmas, my father had a change of heart.  He secretly bought a tree and some inexpensive decorations and began setting it up while my mother was away from their Greenwich Village apartment.  That same afternoon, my mother purchased another tree and talked a neighbor into helping her carry it to their apartment.  She walked in and was startled to see my father decorating a Christmas tree.  That marked the beginning of my parents’ efforts to create their own holiday traditions.

For my mother, Christmas presented an opportunity to celebrate her Swedish heritage. My brother, sister, and I wholeheartedly joined in the Swedish merriment.  We baked Swedish Christmas cookies, listened to Swedish Christmas music, and put Swedish decorations on our two Christmas trees, one of which was about fourteen feet high.  In fact, we called the smaller one our Swedish tree, and that tree always featured the handmade, heart-shaped paper baskets that my mother had kept from her childhood.  We ate Swedish pancakes, and on Christmas Eve we ate a Swedish fish dish called lutfisk.  Actually, my brother and I usually ate steak since we did not care for the lutfisk, but my mother prepared lutfisk anyway.

My father half heartedly went along with our Swedish Christmas doings, but he must have felt a bit like the odd man out.  Looking back on my childhood, I now understand that my father’s Jewish background made it difficult for him to relate to my mother’s exuberant Christmas spirit. Eventually, however, he found a way to make his own contribution to our family’s holiday traditions. 

Throughout my childhood, my father read aloud to my brother, sister and me nearly every night after we finished our homework.  We had no television, so listening to Dad read aloud was our main form of evening entertainment.  One of my father’s favorite authors was Charles Dickens, and he read to us a number of Dickens’s novels.  One Christmas Eve, he took Dickens’s A Christmas Carol off the shelf and read the entire story to us.  Usually, Mom didn’t listen to Dad read, but that night she joined us in the living room.

The reading of A Christmas Carol became an annual ritual.  I still cherish the memory of our entire family sitting in the living room gazing at our giant Christmas tree and listening to Dad once again relate the story of Scrooge’s reformation.

A Christmas Carol will always have a special place in my heart, for I know that it was the shared love of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol that helped my family bridge the differences between my parents’ religious backgrounds.  Such is the power of stories. I wish everyone in Storied Charlotte a holiday season full of shared stories

Tags: holiday stories

Charlotte Lit Press Plans to Publish Poetry Collection by AE Hines

December 18, 2023 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

I have been following with interest the recent rise of Charlotte Lit Press, which is the new publishing operation associated with Charlotte Lit.  Kathie Collins and Paul Reali, the co-founders of Charlotte Lit, are also the people behind the creation of Charlotte Lit Press.  Kathie is the Editor-in-Chief, and Paul is the Managing Editor.  Kathie and Paul contacted me this past week and let me know that they are about to publish a new poetry collection by AE Hines.  Intrigued, I asked them for more information about this forthcoming release.  Here is what they sent to me:

We’re very excited to tell you about the latest news from Charlotte Lit Press – our publishing imprint. Charlotte poet AE Hines, author of the acclaimed debut Any Dumb Animal, will release his second collection, Adam in the Garden, with Charlotte Lit Press, March 2024.

Here’s what the great Dorianne Laux said about the collection:

With Adam in the Garden, AE Hines dares to imagine a new Eden, as his speaker finds himself “middle-aged and queer,” in poems that weave sound and image into tightly crafted narratives. Whether confronting betrayal and loss, sex and desire, or even environmental collapse, threads of hope and gratitude run throughout these verses, as does the speaker’s anxiety about the fragility of what binds.

“Perhaps you too have done this,” he asks, “Found yourself awake on the edge // of so much happiness you fear fate / might intervene?” In plain-spoken language, Hines transforms simple, everyday acts into tender and moving lyrics, offering surprising journeys and closing lines that continue to inspire. We find a poet willing to risk sentimentality without collapsing into sentiment. A seeker willing to risk blasphemy in his personal search for truth.

We’re grateful for the trust Hines is putting in Charlotte Lit Press. The cover reveal is today, and we’re happy to give Storied Charlotte readers the first look! Pre-sales direct from Charlotte Lit Press (open now at charlottelit.org/press) will be signed by the author. And: thanks to a group of the author’s friends, all pre-sales will result in a dollar-for-dollar donation match to Charlotte’s Time Out Youth.

A good question is: how did we get here, into publishing full-length poetry collections? Here’s a brief history. We launched the imprint “Charlotte Lit Press” in 2022 to publish Litmosphere: Journal of Charlotte Lit, which includes the top entries from our Lit/South Awards. (We’ll publish our third issue next May.) Early this year, the Press expanded into poetry chapbooks; we have now released six, with more in the works.

The turning point was when the amazing poet and Lit faculty member Lola Haskins brought us her 14th collection, Homelight. We jumped at the chance to publish an established, nationally known and lauded poet. Being able to work with Hines is a natural progression. We’re not accepting open submissions yet—we’re going to focus on the launch of Adam in the Garden—but we’re thinking hard about what’s next for Charlotte Lit Press.

I thank Kathie and Paul for sharing this information about Charlotte Lit Press and their planned launch of Adam in the Garden.  I am also pleased to play a role in the reveal of the book’s stunning cover.  As I see it, we are all fortunate that Charlotte Lit Press has set up shop right here in Storied Charlotte.

New Nonfiction by Charlotte Writers

December 11, 2023 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

Charlotte is home to many talented nonfiction writers, including Gavin Edwards, Scott Fowler, and Lara Vetter.  All three of these writers have new books out in time for the holidays, and all three books are intended for general readers.

Edwards, together with Joanna Robinson and Dave Gonzales, just released MCU:  The Reign of Marvel Studios. The book tells the story behind the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is often referred to as the MCU.  The authors trace the history of Marvel Studios from the release of Iron Man in 2008 to the company’s evolution into one of Hollywood’s dominant players. The book in based on more than a hundred interviews with actors, writers, producers and others involved in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Edwards is a regular writer for Rolling Stone and the author of more than a dozen books, such as Kindness and Wonder:  Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever; The World According to Tom Hanks:  The Life, the Obsessions, the Good Deeds of America’s Most Decent Guy; and The Tao of Bill Murray:  Real-Life Stories of Joy, Enlightenment, and Party-Crashing.

Sports Legends of the Carolinas: Exclusive Photographs and In-Depth Conversations with the Sports Icons of our Times

Scott Fowler and photographer Jeff Siner published a hardcover coffee-table book titled Sports Legends of the Carolinas.  Many of the people profiled in the book are tied to Charlotte, including Muggsy Bogues, Jake Delhomme, Bob McKillop, and Judy Rose.  Fowler wrote the text, and Siner, a photographer for The Charlotte Observer, provided photographs for all of the people profiled in the book.

Scott Fowler is a sports columnist for The Charlotte Observer, where he has worked as a writer since 1994.  He recently started a podcast featuring interviews with sports icons from North and South Carolina, and he drew on these interviews in writing Sports Legends of the Carolinas. 

Lara Vetter’s new release is a biography, H.D. (Hilda Doolittle), which is part of Reaktion Books’ Critical Lives series. It provides a lively account of modernist poet H.D.’s life and remarkable literary career including discussions of H.D.’s interactions with such notable figures as Sigmund Freud, Marianne Moore, and Ezra Pound.  Since H.D. spent most of her adult life in London and Switzerland, this biography also sheds life on the American expatriates who moved to Europe during the first half of the 20th century.

Vetter, a professor of English at UNC Charlotte, is an internationally recognized expert on H.D.

The diverse nature of these three books shows reflects the wide range of authors who call Storied Charlotte home. 

Tags: nonfiction

Delving into the History of Disney

December 02, 2023 by Mark West
Categories: Storied Charlotte

In October 1923, Walt and Roy Disney officially founded the Disney Brothers Studio—now known as The Walt Disney Company. Disney has been celebrating its 100th anniversary throughout 2023 by commemorating the company’s greatest hits and marking the major milestones in the company’s remarkable 100-year history.   However, not all of Disney’s productions have achieved iconic status or have even met with success.  In order to understand the history of Disney, one needs to examine Disney’s lesser-known productions as well as its celebrated successes.  With this idea in mind, Kathy Merlock Jackson, Carl H. Sederholm, and I edited a collection of essays titled Forgotten Disney, which came out this year in order to coincide with the celebration of Disney’s 100th anniversary. The contributors to Forgotten Disney come from around the world, but Charlotte writers are well represented.

Paula T. Connolly, a professor of English at UNC Charlotte, contributes an essay titled “Mickey & Co. Enlist:  Disney’s World War II Animated Shorts.” In this essay, she analyzes the cartoons that Disney produced to support the war effort.  Among the cartoons that she examines are 7 Wise Dwarfs (1941), The Thrifty Pig 1941), The New Spirit (1942), Out of the Frying Pan into the Firing Line (1942), and Der Fuehrer’s Face (1943).  She discusses the role these cartoons played in encouraging viewers to purchase war bonds, conserve materials needed for the war effort, and support the soldiers fighting overseas.  As she points out, these animated shorts were products of their time, but they still have something to say to contemporary viewers.  She writes, “examining their techniques of persuasion can tell us much about how narratives—particularly political ones—are used to garner audience support.”

Dina Schiff Massachi, a lecturer in the American Studies Program at UNC Charlotte and an expert on L. Frank Baum and his Oz stories, contributes an essay titled “Disney’s Abandoned Rainbow Road to Oz.”  She traces the history of Disney’s plan to produce a feature-length film titled the Rainbow Road to Oz. As she recounts, initial work on the film began in 1957, but the film was never completed.  In addition to examining the various reasons why Disney ultimately shelved this film, she discusses the connections between Rainbow Road to Oz and two other Disney Oz projects that came out after Walt Disney’s death: Return to Oz (1985)and Oz the Great and Powerful (2013). As she points out in the conclusion of her essay, “While Disney revolutionized how Americans look at classic European fairy tales, … neither Walt Disney nor the company he built have ever truly been able to capture L. Frank Baum’s Oz with any real success.”

For readers who want to know more about Forgotten Disney, please click on the following link:  https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/forgotten-disney/

Paula’s and Dina’s contributions to Forgotten Disney underscore for me the important scholarship that is coming out of Storied Charlotte in the field of popular culture studies.  

Tags: Forgotten Disney
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »
Skip to toolbar
  • Log In