Remembering Marty Shapiro — When I became a member of the English Department in 1984, many of the faculty members who had built the Department in the 1960s were still teaching, including Morton (Marty) Shapiro. Marty joined the English Department in 1964 and continued to teach in the department until he retired in 1993.
I have many fond memories of Marty. I remember talking with him about his childhood in New York City. My father grew up in New York around the same time period, and this connection led me to feel a sense of kinship with Marty. He was an avid lover of films, and I occasionally ran into him at the Manor Theater where we would talk a bit about whatever film we had just seen. Marty helped found the Charlotte Film Society, and he sometimes shared with me news of the Film Society’s doings. Marty was proud of his children, Sam and Julie, and he liked to talk about them. I struck up a friendship with Sam, and Marty seemed pleased that his son and I were friends The last time I saw Marty was at Park Road Books quite some years ago, but I remember talking with him about a course that Sam was teaching for the American Studies Program. I was the director of the program at the time, and Marty liked the fact that Sam was teaching at the same university where he had pursued his teaching career for nearly thirty years. When I learned that Marty had died on September 11, I contacted several faculty members who also knew Marty and asked them about their memories of Marty.
In her email to me, Boyd Davis wrote, “Marty Shapiro liked good books, good films, and good talk, which he defined as being wit and crackle about good books and good films. He was passionate about his field, American Literature, and especially concerned that students work first to become critical and thoughtful readers of primary source material before doing anything else.”
Jay Jacoby wrote about Marty’s tastes in food and literature: “Marty and I did not always have the same tastes for food (he loathed my gefilte fish balls suspended in horseradish gelatin–go figure, right? We both liked, and dined together at, Katz’s Deli in NYC–famous for its “Send a salami to your boy in the army”) or literature (I never understood his liking Henry James or Saul Bellow). We did enjoy many of the same films and, in my early days at UNCC, playing tennis at the old JCC on Sharon Amity. It was good to have a landsman in the department, someone to say Happy New Year to every fall and to exchange Hanukkah at the department Holiday parties.”
Anita Moss wrote about Marty’s approach to teaching: “When I was a young instructor in the English Department in 1972, Marty was exceptionally kind and generous to me. He invited me to sit in on his classes if we happened to be teaching the same texts. Once in the summer he was teaching American Literature, and I was teaching British literature, but we were both exploring the Victorian period. Marty invited me and my class to join him and his class on a field trip to a lovely Victorian home on The Plaza, named “Victoria.” The home-owners gave us a well-informed tour, but I was delighted with how much Marty knew and shared about architecture and interior design of the period. As other colleagues have mentioned, Marty loved classical music, but I remember how we shared our enthusiasm for great jazz singers–Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn, Lena Horne, and the much younger singer, Chris Connor. Marty did not enjoy tedious meetings, but he came alive when the talk was about literature, art, or music. Then he became animated with his vital interests in ideas and art. I am glad that I knew him and that he shared his interests with colleagues, friends, and students for so many years.”
Paula Eckard took a course from Marty as an undergraduate student, and she sent me an email about this experience: “As a young undergraduate in Marty Shapiro’s Major American Writers course, I was introduced to many of the writers that I teach today. I took his class, which met in Winningham, during a hot summer school session. I recall the course being equally intense, especially when we discussed Melville. One day I was late for class after running out of gas at the intersection of Highways 29 and 49. I was fearing my professor’s wrath when I finally got to class. Instead he responded with kindness and humor, something I had not expected. Since then, I’ve tried to treat students with the same positive regard that he showed to me.”
Marty’s family will have a visitation on Wednesday, October 7, and the clubhouse of Quail Hollow Estates, from 5:30pm until 7:30 pm. The address is 7301 Quail Meadow Lane, Charlotte, NC 28210. Here is the link to an obituary: http://www.throbertson.com/index.php/2014-12-25-20-56-36/299-morton-shapiro-september-11-2015
Kudos— As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of our department. Here is the latest news:
Aaron Gwyn‘s Wynne’s War was recently published in France. The novel has received very positive reviews from the French press including a glowing review in Le Monde. For those of you who read French, here is the link: : http://www.lemonde.fr/livres/article/2015/09/24/westerns-sans-frontieres_4769426_3260.html.
Joan Mullin, along with Jan Rieman and Cat Mahaffey from the University Writing Program, recently gave a presentation titled “Practicing What We Preach: Growing Pains of a Stand Alone Unit” at a meeting of the Carolina Writing Program Administrators.
Kristen Reynolds, one of our graduate students, received a 2015-16 Graduate Life Fellowship.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here are some dates to keep in mind:
Quirky Quiz Question — Marty Shapiro grew up in New York City, but he moved to the South after serving in the Army during the early 1950s. He received his Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of Alabama. Does anybody know the name of the city where the University of Alabama is located?
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is published by Algonquin Books. Although Algonquin Books is now a division of Workman Publishing, the editorial office is still located in the same community where the publisher was founded in 1983. Where is Algonquin Books located?
Monday Missive - September 21, 2015
Jay Jacoby – Art
Cy Knoblauch – Biology
Ron Lunsford – Philosophy
Jim McGavran – Dance and Theater
Malin Pereira – Africana Studies
Mark West – Art
There is no other department in the College that has provided six interim chairs for other departments. The various leadership roles that English professors have played over the years is a reflection of the strength of the English Department, but this record of leadership also reflects the versatility of the discipline of English. The critical insights and the reading and writing skills associated with English are readily transferable to other disciplines as well as to interdisciplinary fields. It is worth noting that the current directors of four of the interdisciplinary programs in the College come from English. Here is the list:
Paula Eckard – American Studies
Katie Hogan – Women’s and Gender Studies
Aaron Toscano – Humanities, Technology, and Sciences Minor
The versatility of English also benefits our students. I was reminded of this last week when I viewed a a video about our Technical/Professional Writing Program. One of our current graduate students, Yekaterina Dolmatova, interviewed two of our recent program graduates and produced a short, five-minute video. It’s now on the University’s Youtube channel. As this video demonstrates, the versatile nature of our program helps prepare our students to succeed when they enter the workforce. Here is the link to the video: https://youtu.be/glp1fHcjSD8
Mecklenburg Library is sponsoring a series of events designed to encourage members of the Charlotte community to read and discuss a common text this fall. This program will take place between September 28 and October 17. The text that has been selected for this year is Gabrielle Zevin’s The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry. This 2014 novel deals with a cranky bookstore owner who gradually forges connections with other people through their shared love of books. In many ways, the novel is a celebration of books, bookstores, and the reading life. I have agreed to lead several book discussions focused on this novel at various library locations. For more information about this program, please click on the following link: http://www.cmlibrary.org/about_us/in_the_news/#!/pressrelease/charlotte-mecklenburg-library/r/charlotte-mecklenburg-library-unveils-2015-community-read-titles,c9820275
Sarah Minslow will be speaking at local libraries about censorship as part of Freedom to Read Week. She will speak on Monday, Sept. 28th 6pm at Independence Library, Thursday, Oct. 1st at 6pm at Matthews Library, and Saturday, Oct. 3 at 2 pm at Uptown Library. Please come along and add to the conversation.
Lara Vetter recently presented a paper titled “Espionage and Psychoanalysis in H.D.’s Late Prose” at a conference on “H.D. and Feminist Poetics” in H.D.’s birthplace, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here are some dates to keep in mind:
Quirky Quiz Question — The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is published by Algonquin Books. Although Algonquin Books is now a division of Workman Publishing, the editorial office is still located in the same community where the publisher was founded in 1983. Where is Algonquin Books located?
Monday Missive - September 14, 2015
With the birth of our son (Gavin), my wife and I decided to introduce Gavin to some Jewish traditions, and one of the people I turned to for advice on this matter was Jay Jacoby. Jay was then a professor in the English Department, and he and I had many conversations over the years. An expert on Jewish culture, Jay explained to me the significance of several of the major Jewish holidays. Like my father, I am not a religious man, but I took an interest in the stories that Jay told about these holidays.
Several current members of the English Department share Jay’s interest in Jewish literature and culture. Here are three examples. Jeffrey Leak is currently researching the connections between mid-twentieth-century African American poets and Rosey Poole, a Jewish scholar and editor who lived in Holland and Great Britain. Alan Rauch has taken an interest in graphic novels that deal with Jewish themes, and he will be teaching a course on this topic in the spring semester. Maya Socolovsky has written on Allegra Goodman’s most recent novel, The Cookbook Collector, which deals with contemporary Jewish-American culture.
The topic of cookbooks reminds me that Jewish holidays almost always have some sort of food connection. Apples dipped in honey is associated with Rosh Hashanah. In keeping with this culinary tradition, I will bring in some apple-honey tarts of my own invention tomorrow and set them out in the faculty/staff lounge. In the meantime, I wish you all a happy Jewish New Year.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here is a date to keep in mind:
Quirky Quiz Question — In addition to teaching in the English Department, Jay Jacoby served as the interim chair for two departments. Can you name these departments?
Monday Missive - September 7, 2015
Fostering Creativity — Today is Labor Day, but in the Charlotte area, it is also Yard Art Day. Deborah Triplett, a Charlotte photographer, created Yard Art Day a few years ago. As she explains on the event’s website, she invites participants “to celebrate their creative spirit by displaying or performing their own works of art in their front yards or balconies for the public” (http://www.yardartday.org/). This year I created a “book mobile” for Yard Art Day. I love books and I love mobiles and other forms of kinetic art, so I decided to create a work that integrates both of these loves.
One of the main reasons I am a big supporter of Yard Art Day is that it fosters creativity. Most of us who participate in Yard Art Day are not professional artists, but we enjoy being creative and sharing our creations with an appreciative audience. Fostering creativity is also at the core of the English Department’s DNA. The most obvious example of this side of our department is our burgeoning creative writing program. Many of the students who take our various creative writing courses relish the opportunity to write poems and short stories, and they take pleasure in sharing their creative work with their classmates.
However, our creative writing teachers are not the only members of our department who foster their students’ creativity. For example, our faculty members in the area of technical and professional writing regularly sponsor an exhibition of their students’ work. I attended this event last semester, and I was very impressed with the high level of creativity that our students brought to their projects. Other faculty members in our department encourage their students to experiment with theatrical projects, film and digital productions, and various visual presentations, ranging from formal conference posters to free-for-all collages.
The creative dimensions of our department spin around us in unpredictable but appealing ways. It’s sort of like a mobile.
Kudos— As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of our department. Here is the latest news:
Chris Davis recently had a poem titled “Idol” accepted by Hawaii Review for a “Literature of Crime” issue.
Andrew Hartley was a guest speaker this Labor Day weekend at Dragon Con, which is one of the largest fantasy conventions in the world. An interview with him appeared in the Daily Dragon. The person who conducted the interview is Nancy Northcott, who is an affiliated member of our department. Here is the link: http://dailydragon.dragoncon.org/2015/discussing-books-and-audiobooks-with-a-j-hartley/
Liz Miller recently presented a paper titled “Relational Agency: An Emerging Perspective in Applied Linguistics” at the annual conference of the British Association of Applied Linguistics, held in Birmingham, England.
Jennifer Munroe recently had an article titled “Shakespeare and Ecocriticism Revisited” published in Literature Compass. Here is the link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/enhanced/doi/10.1111/lic3.12251/
Lance Phillips’s poem “Sericulture” was published last month in 33rd edition of New American Writing. Here’s a link: http://www.newamericanwriting.com/current.htm.
Daniel Shealy recently had a chapter titled “Little Women in Its Time” published in Critical Insights: Little Women, edited by Gregory Eiselein and Anne K. Phillips.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here are some dates to keep in mind:
September 10 — Shakespeare in Action is co-sponsoring a guest lecture by Sujata Iyengar titled “Why Shakespeare’s King John Leaves out the Magna Carta” at 4:30 in Fretwell 290B.
October 19 — The deadline to apply for a Faculty Research Grant is October 19. For more information, click on the following link: http://research.uncc.edu/proposal-development/locating-funding
Quirky Quiz Question — What is the name of the American sculptor who is largely responsible for introducing mobiles to the art scene?
Last week’s answer: runcible spoon
In her article about Edward Lear’s nonsense poetry, Sarah Minslow discusses many of Lear’s poems. One of Lear’s most famous poems is “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat.” In this poem, the owl and the pussy-cat eat “slices of quince” with an unusual utensil. What is this utensil called in the poem?
Monday Missive - August 31, 2015
Hidden Gems — Student Niner Media recently published a tabloid called Welcome Back to UNC Charlotte 2015. I thumbed through it this weekend and came across an interesting article titled “Hidden Gems in the UNC Charlotte Course Catalog” by Casey Aldridge, the Opinion Editor for the student paper. In her article, she features several of the most “exciting” courses offered at UNC Charlotte this fall, and nearly half of them are classes being taught by members of our department. She especially highlights “Sexing Shakespeare,” which Kirk Melnikoff and Kent Brintnall are co-teaching. She also includes Tony Jackson’s “I Can’t Believe My Eyes: Storytelling, Movies, Science Fiction” and Valerie Bright’s “Blood, Sweets, and Beers: Forbidden Food in Literature and Culture.”As this article underscores, the English Department is offering a wide range of engaging courses, and the preliminary enrollment figures indicate that a record number of students are signing up for these classes. The current enrollment figures for our undergraduate courses (including LBST courses) add up to a total of 2,335 seats filled. Last fall semester, we had 2,079 seats filled. This represents a 12% increase. In reviewing these figures, I am very pleased that the English Department is having such success in attracting so many students to our courses.
News from Our English Learning Community — Tiffany Morin, the Director of our English Learning Community, recently sent me the following report:
The members of the English Learning Community are settling in after completing their first week of college. This year we have 18 very enthusiastic students, who are ready to start planning their Fall Events. They are currently completing their profile collages, so you can soon learn more about the individual members from the ELC bulletin board, located by 290-B. If you would like to involve the ELC in any upcoming events, please contact Tiffany Morin.
Sarah Minslow recently published an article titled “Challenging the Impossibility of Children’s Literature: The Emancipatory Qualities of Edward Lear’s Nonsense” in Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s Literature.
Coleen Muir published an article titled “The Price of Diversity.” It was published through The Rumpus on August 25. Here is the link: http://therumpus.net/2015/08/the-price-of-diversity/
Quirky Quiz Question — In her article about Edward Lear’s nonsense poetry, Sarah Minslow discusses many of Lear’s poems. One of Lear’s most famous poems is “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat.” In this poem, the owl and the pussy-cat eat “slices of quince” with an unusual utensil. What is this utensil called in the poem?
Last week’s answer: Harold Hill and Miss Marian
Does anybody know the name of the salesman in The Music Man? For extra credit, does anybody know the name of the librarian?
Monday Missive - August 24, 2015
Cymbalism — Over the course of the summer, I have been following the construction of the new Vickie and Gene Johnson Marching Band Center. This building will house UNC Charlotte’s new marching band, and the members of the band have been practicing this summer. A few days ago, I saw a group of about five or six students playing the cymbals.
This scene brought back memories of my ill-fated and short-lived career as the cymbals player in my small high school. I played the bassoon back in those days, but during the marching band season, they had to find another instrument for me to play since the bassoon is not an instrument that one can play while marching. I was a pretty good bassoonist, but the cymbals and I were not made for each other. One night during a football game, the band was supposed to play the national anthem. We performed in the bleachers, and right in the middle of our performance, the handle strap on one of the cymbals ripped apart just as I was crashing the cymbals together. Like Captain America’s mighty shield, my cymbal hurdled through the air. Everyone near me quickly scrambled to get out of the way before they were beheaded by my disc of destruction. Luckily, only my cymbal and my ego were damaged.
The birth of UNC Charlotte’s marching band also reminded me of the famous mu
sical The Music Man. In this musical, as you may remember, a fast-talking salesman sails into a small town and tries to convince the townsfolk that they need a marching band, complete with uniforms that he would be happy to sell them. Initially, the salesman is just working a scam, but when he meets the town’s librarian, the situation starts to change. She represents the wisdom and knowledge associated with books, the values associated with integrity, and an optimism tied to a deep faith in the fundamental goodness of the human heart. Madame Librarian, as she is called in one of the musical’s songs, transforms the hustler’s hullabaloo into something meaningful and memorable for the townsfolk. In this regard, I think that Madame Librarian and the English Department have a lot in common. How’s that for cymbalism?
Staff News — All three members of the English Department staff have recently signed up for important training sessions and programs. Here are the details:
Jennie Mussington – Front Desk Safety and Security training – all day class off campus on Friday, July 17
Monica Alston – Notary Public – all day class at CPCC on Saturday, August 8. Monica is waiting on her official Notary Public number so she can take her oath then the Department will have their very own Notary Public on hand.
Angie Williams – UNC Charlotte Continuing Education Meeting and Event Planning Program – all day class every other Friday and Saturday, September 25 – November 14.
The English Department is fortunate to have such a dedicated staff.
New Part-Time Faculty Members — This fall semester several new part-time faculty members are joining the English Department. Our new adjunct faculty are:
Jessica Morton who is teaching ENGL 3100 Approaches to Literature
Lance Phillips who is teaching ENGL 2127 Introduction to Poetry Writing
Sam Shapiro who is teaching ENGL 2090 Topics in English: The Films of Hitchcock
Please join me in welcoming these new colleagues to our department.
Fretwell 100
Fretwell 290B
Quirky Quiz Question — Does anybody know the name of the salesman in The Music Man? For extra credit, does anybody know the name of the librarian?
Heather Vorhies’s account of her recent trip to Germany reminds me that Heather is not the only member of our department who presented a paper at a conference in Germany this summer. Can you name the other member of our department who presented a paper in Germany this summer?
Monday Missive - August 17, 2015
As I thought about these three chance encounters, I realized that one of the reasons I have no desire to retire is that it would limit my opportunities to share my love of children’s literature and to make a difference in students’ lives. I consider myself fortunate that my job and my interests so closely align. This fall semester marks the beginning of my 32nd year as a member of the English Department, and as always I am looking forward to teaching my children’s literature class. I am also looking forward to working with all of you as we kick off a new academic year.
News from Our Foreign Bureau — This summer I have been reporting on news about members of our department who have been globe trotting this summer. This week I am featuring Heather Vorhies. I asked Heather about her European adventures, and she sent me the following report:
e International Society for the History of Rhetoric in Tubingen, Germany, on July 29. It was the perfect place for the conference–the Rhetoric Department at the University of Tubingen is 500 years old. We didn’t get too much other travel in around the conference, but my husband and I did make it to Baden-Baden for the thermal spas (105 degree water coming up from the ground!) and to Frankfurt to walk around the skyscrapers and find locks all over the bridges. It seems that couples go to bridges with an inscribed lock to “solidify” their relationship (most had the two names and the date). The bridges were absolutely COVERED with them! And I was surprised to see that you could get an inscription on a combination lock.
–University Convocation Thursday, August 20 9:00am coffee, 9:30-11 Convocation
Fretwell 290B
Quirky Quiz Question — Heather Vorhies’s account of her recent trip to Germany reminds me that Heather is not the only member of our department who presented a paper at a conference in Germany this summer. Can you name the other member of our department who presented a paper in Germany this summer?
In my upcoming presentation at the Waltonwood retirement community, I will talk about the history of Disney’s animated movies, including his Mickey Mouse movies. When Mickey made his first film appearance, he was not called Mickey Mouse. What was Mickey’s original name?Monday Missive - August 10, 2015
I see these presentations as contributing to the English Department’s community engagement activities. Our department has a longstanding tradition of working with community organizations and institutions. I could list many examples, but I will limit myself to three that immediately come to mind. Through her work with the Charlotte Writing Project, Lil Brannon has made a real difference in the careers of many CMS teachers. Jeffrey Leak has worked closely with the staff of the Levine Museum of the New South in developing programming and exhibits. Greg Wickliff has worked with the Charlotte Chapter of the Society of Technical Communication on various projects involving our students. As these examples demonstrate, the members of our English Department are engaged in a wide range of community outreach activities.
You Ought to Be in Pictures — In 1934 Rudy Vallee recorded “You Ought to Be in Pictures,” and the song went on to become a smash hit. Rudy Vallee might not have realized it at the time, but his song relates to Janaka Lewis. Janaka recently sent me an email about her summer adventures, and she included news about her new career as a movie star:
On August 1, I took a trip to Durham to see the premiere of the film When We Free, directed by Julia Roxanne Wallace and produced by Dr. Alexis Gumbs of Durham (who both discussed the making of the film on behalf of Black Feminist Film School on campus last fall). When I had the opportunity to visit the first set in Mebane last August, I was put in costume and invited to participate in the scene setting up a table at a church meeting, which earned me a few seconds of screen time and credits, by name, as “Congregant #2.”
Quirky Quiz Question — In my upcoming presentation at the Waltonwood retirement community, I will talk about the history of Disney’s animated movies, including his Mickey Mouse movies. When Mickey made his first film appearance, he was not called Mickey Mouse. What was Mickey’s original name?
Last week’s answer – Jen MunroeMonday Missive - August 3, 2015
Bryn Chancellor Photographer: Christy Whitney
Bryn Chancellor Is in the House — I am pleased to report that Bryn Chancellor, our new creative writing professor, has arrived and is already settling into her new office. Bryn has had a very busy summer. She spent a month at the Jentel Artist Residency, a retreat for visual artists and writers in rural Wyoming. While there, she worked on a draft of a new novel and gave a reading as part of “Jentel Presents” in the nearby town of Sheridan, Wyoming. She was awarded this residency as part of the Poets & Writers Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award. Also this summer, she served on the fiction faculty at the Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference at the University of the South, working with talented high school age creative writers. Please join me in welcoming Bryn to the English Department.
Charlotte Research Scholars Program — This summer both Sarah Minslow and Malin Pereira mentored undergraduate students as part of the Charlotte Research Scholars Program. Sarah mentored Kenia Rios. Kenia’s research project examines how child soldiers are depicted in contemporary popular culture with a focus on some of the texts and films that have been among the most successful. This research specifically examines child soldiers in Ender’s Game, Harry Potter, The Walking Dead and The Hunger Games. Malin mentored Shanon Murray. Shanon titled her project “The Anatomy of Racism: Racial Oppression and Social Injustice in the Work of African American Poet Wanda Coleman (1946-2013).” She focused on Coleman’s “didactic poetics.” Both Kenia and Shanon gave poster presentations on their research at the Summer Research Symposium last month.
Sarah Minslow and Kenia Rios
Shanon Murray
News from Our Foreign Bureau — This summer I have been reporting on news about members of our department who have been globe trotting this summer. This week I am featuring Pilar Blitvich. I asked Pilar about her European adventures, and this morning she sent me the following report:
Kudos— As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of our department. Here is the latest news:
Jeffrey Leak was a guest on WFAE’s Charlotte Talks last week. He participated in a panel discussion on the national debate over the display of the confederate battle flag and related issues.
Kirk Melnikoff gave the invited talk “Christopher Marlowe’s ‘Mighty Line’: Language and Power on the Elizabethan Stage” at the University of Cologne on July 2.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here are some dates to keep in mind:
August 3 — Last day of classes for the second summer session.
August 10 — Grades due for all classes taught during the second summer session.
Quirky Quiz Question — Bryn Chancellor spent part of this summer writing in Wyoming. Bryn is not the only member of our department who has Wyoming connections. In fact, one member of our department has a BA degree from the University of Wyoming. Do you know whom this faculty member is?
Monday Missive - July 27, 2015
The Enduring Power of Books — As I was flying back to Charlotte last night, I reflected on my week in New York City. Over the course of the week, I focused much of my attention on researching Theodore Roosevelt’s personal library at his Long Island home, which is called Sagamore Hill. However, I also took advantage of some of the unique cultural opportunities available in the city. I went to the Morgan Library where I saw their exhibition titled “Alice: 150 Years of Wonderland.” I also saw Matilda: The Musical, which is based on Roald Dahl’s last children’s novel, also titled Matilda. In reflecting on these experiences, I realized that they all relate to the enduring power of books.
When viewed collectively, the books in Roosevelt’s personal library have the nearly magical power of making Roosevelt come alive. Roosevelt’s presence comes through clearly when one sees the 8,000 books that he collected and, in many cases, read. His books reflect his passions, his personality, and his personal history. Because these books are shelved in the same book cases that he and his family used so many decades ago, the arrangement of the books also speaks to his tastes and intellectual proclivities. One can see how he grouped books, how he favored certain books by giving them prime bookshelf space, and how he displayed his books with other objects that had meaning for him. Roosevelt was an avid reader, and his library captures this important side of his life.
One of the books that Roosevelt enjoyed and often quoted in his correspondence was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, so it seemed fitting that I was able to see the Alice exhibit during my week in New York. As I viewed the exhibit, I marveled at how many other people were also there to see the exhibit. During the two hours I spent at the Morgan Library, scores and scores of children and adults came to see the Alice exhibit, and they took their time examining the various items on display. The popularity of the exhibit underscored for me the power that certain books have among readers. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland came out exactly 150 years ago, but it still has the power to captivate readers of all ages.
My wife and I saw Matilda on the last night of our visit to New York, and we both enjoyed it immensely. The musical is quite true to Roald Dahl’s story. As those of you who have read this story already know, Dahl’s tale is a celebration of books and reading. In the story, Matilda is a brilliant girl who loves to read, much to the chagrin of her crass and neglectful parents. Matilda turns to books to cope with her difficult life at home and school. Through her reading, Matilda finds the power to endure and eventually overcome the obstacles that face her. Of course, Roosevelt never read Matilda, but he too had a difficult childhood although for different reasons. He suffered from severe asthma as a child, and it was not until his teenage years that he had the stamina to engage in the strenuous physical activities that he so much enjoyed as an adult. Like Matilda, the young Roosevelt turned to books to help him overcome the limitations that constrained his childhood. His passion for reading can be traced back to his childhood, and throughout his life he continued to love the books that he had enjoyed as a boy.
There is a lot of power in books, I thought to myself as the plane reached cruising altitude. And then I pulled out a biography of Roosevelt and read until the plane touched down in Charlotte.
Kudos— As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of our department. Here is the latest news:
Boyd Davis, Jackie Guendouzi and Margaret Maclagan have just published “Expanding expectations for narrative styles in the context of dementia,” Topics in Communication Disorders 35: 237-257.
Allison Hutchcraft recently read her poetry as part of The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative’s Reading Series in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here are some dates to keep in mind:
August 3 — Last day of classes for the second summer session.
August 10 — Grades due for all classes taught during the second summer session.