Short Takes

EXIT, CIVILIAN author Idra Novey has a couple of events this month. The first was on January 24 at the Fordham Lincoln Center in New York. She read as part of the Poets Out Loud series. More information is available here. The second event is on January 31 at Florida Atlantic University. From 4:00-5:00pm, she will be giving a public reading and meeting with students working with incarcerated students. The Miami Herald has more information about the event.

Cold Front Magazine selects EXIT, CIVILIAN as one of the top 40 poetry books of 2012. The Volta also names it as one of the best books of 2012, calling EXIT, CIVILIAN "a smart and immaculately crafted book that deserves and rewards you."

The Athens Banner-Herald reviews EAT DRINK DELTA and interviews author Susan Puckett. "Her journalistic style focuses on the personalities and stories behind the restaurants she eats at, and wants you to eat at, instead of the food alone."

Philanthropy magazine describes the philanthropic efforts of Katharine and R. J. Reynolds in Michele Gillespie's new book. "Gillespie ably documents how the Reynoldses' entrepreneurship and philanthropy helped pave the way for North Carolina's (and the South's) resurgence in the 20th century." 

ATLANTA'S OAKLAND CEMETERY has received a lot of attention lately. The Emory Alumni Association has it featured on their website, and the Westminster Schools mentions the book in the latest alumni magazine. One of the photographs by Ren and Helen Davis appeared on the cover of the October issue of American Cemetery.

Southern Living features members of the Southern Foodways Alliance, as well as recipes from the Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook in the article "The South's Most Storied Recipes."

"Pynchon's work has always attracted superior intellects, and one of the field's best, David Cowart, shares his insights in THOMAS PYNCHON THE DARK PASSAGES OF HISTORY."—American Literary Scholarship

Giveaway for "2013 Python Challenge"

ABC News and the Associated Press have been following the Florida Python Hunt that began this past weekend. Over 1,000 people from more than 30 states have signed up to compete in the "2013 Python Challenge." The hunt is part of a plan to deal with the ongoing problem of the Burmese python infestation. As we reported last year, a new study found that the overabundance of Burmese pythons has led to a significant decrease in the number of mammals in the Florida Everglades. According to CBS News, Florida "is offering cash prizes to whoever brings in the longest python and whoever bags the most pythons by the time the competition ends at midnight Feb. 10."

Since UGA Press has published INVASIVE PYTHONS IN THE UNITED STATES which focuses on this exact issue, we will also be offering an incentive for the participants. Once the winners have been announced, we will send both winners a copy of INVASIVE PYTHONS IN THE UNITED STATES. Good luck to all of the python hunters!

UGA Press to now offer Golden Coast titles

UGA Press is pleased to announce that it is now distributing books produced by Golden Coast Publishing Company in Savannah, GA. These large-format volumes, illustrated with color photographs, chronicle the architecture, culture, and history of the South.  

The newest Golden Coast offering, OLD LOUISVILLE celebrates a forty-five-square-block neighborhood in the heart of Kentucky’s largest city. As Old Louisville is among the largest and most significant historic preservation districts in America, its development reflected the exuberance of its patrons and their architects. OLD LOUISVILLE takes an intimate tour of fifty residential designs, from grand mansions to cozy cottages, celebrating the architectural context of this remarkable neighborhood and commemorating the passion and the dedication of those who have recognized the value of its past and have sacrificed to preserve the certainty of its future. 

Here is an interview with author David Domine and photographers Franklin and Esther Schmidt detailing the book.

Listed below are previously published Golden Coast titles, all now available through UGA Press:
 
THE ARCHITECTURE OF JAMES MEANS, GEORGIA CLASSICIST William R. Mitchell,Jr.; Photography by Van Jones Martin

CLASSIC NATCHEZ Written and Photographed by Van Jones Martin

CLASSIC NEW ORLEANS William R. Mitchell Jr.; Photography by James R. Lockhart

CLASSIC SAVANNAH William R. Mitchell, Jr.; Photography by Van Jones Martin

COASTAL GEORGIA Beth Lattimore Reiter; Photography by Van Jones Martin

MADISON William R. Mitchell, Jr.; Photography by Van Jones Martin and James R. Lockhart

A CONTINUING TRADITION William R. Mitchell, Jr.; Photography by Van Jones Martin and James R. Lockhart

THE DRAWINGS OF ANDREA PALLADIO
Douglas Lewis

LEWIS EDMUND CROOK JR,, ARCHITECT, 1898-1967 William R. Mitchell, Jr.

LOOKING BACK Harry DeLorme Jr. and Pamela King

SUMMEROUR William R. Mitchell, Jr.

NEW SOUTHERN CLASSICISM Philip Kopper

PALLADIO AND AMERICA Selected Papers Presented to the Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architecttura

THE RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE OF HENRY SPROTT LONG AND ASSOCIATES William R. Mitchell Jr. ; Photography by Van Jones Martin

SOUTHERN ARCHITECTURE ILLUSTRATED Foreword by Lewis E. Crook, Jr., AIA; Introduction by Dwight James Baum, AIA.

Short Takes

Benjamin Houston, author of THE NASHVILLE WAY, has an op-ed in the Nashville Tennessean. He describes how 2013 is the 50th anniversary for an important year for Nashville in terms of civil rights.

On Largehearted Boy blog, THE INVISIBLES author Hugh Sheehy describes a music playlist that relates to his book: 

Brian Eno, "Thursday Afternoon"; Mogwai, Hardcore Will Never Die But You Will; Slowdive, Souvlaki
Atmospheric music is the only music I ever listen while writing, and I only listen to it then when I've been writing all day and feel sapped of energy and in need of something to hypnotize me so that I might push on to write pages that are at least draft-worthy. Unlike so many of my literary heroes, I write sober, unless you count my habitual coffee overdose, and when my caffeine tolerance spikes, albums like these can prop me up for hours.

Georgia Trend magazine names Joe Cook, author of the forthcoming ETOWAH RIVER USER'S GUIDE, and Natasha Trethewey, author of BEYOND KATRINA, as two of the 100 Most Influential Georgians, and THE WORLD OF THE SALT MARSH author Charles Seabrook as a Notable Georgian.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution names THE WORLD OF THE SALT MARSH as "the most entertaining and informative tour of the year" in its round-up of the best books of 2012.

Congratulations to Kathryn Newfont, author of BLUE RIDGE COMMONS. The Western North Carolina Historical Association has announced her as the winner of the 2012 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award. The presentation ceremony will be held February 3 at 2:00pm at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Site Visitor Center in Asheville, NC.

Mississippi Magazine recommends EAT DRINK DELTA to readers who want to take "a gastronomic journey through the Delta. . . . Taking 18 years of experience as a food editor, Puckett whips up a great read about tried-and-true Southern favorites in this guidebook of old and new Delta hot spots."

Listen here for a brief overview of EAT DRINK DELTA on WABE 90.1 FM.

The Lone Star Book Review rates ATLANTA'S OAKLAND CEMETERY as a "'must have book' if you are interested in the Civil War and Atlanta history. . . . This is a 'Top Shelf book' that you will be very proud to own and show off to your friends."

Tennessee Alumnus magazine interviews REMEMBERING MEDGAR EVERS author Minrose Gwin about her inspiration for her new book.

I didn't write a biography because that's not what I do. My field is literature. I had begun research on traumatic points in history that inspired art and literature. The deeper I got into the Evers story, the more work I uncovered. . . . His legacy stretched out through all this work, but he wasn't well known as a civil rights leader.

Biography features PHILLIS WHEATLEY in the Summer 2012 issue as "by far the most comprehensive book about Wheatley's life and work. There are only a handful of scholarly texts on Wheatley, and few match the caliber of Carretta's full-length study of the famed eighteenth century African American poet."

Alabama Review's Matthew L. Downs reviews MY WORK IS THAT OF CONSERVATION, stating that "[Mark] Hersey’s biography is a readable, well-researched discussion of one of the most beloved and least understood figures in Alabama history. . . . Hersey demonstrates that the scientist’s understanding of sustainable agriculture prefigured many of the tenets of modern environmentalism."

Robert Krause of Georgia Historical Quarterly reviews WILLIAM BARTRAM: THE SEARCH FOR NATURE'S DESIGN, noting that the "extensive compilation serves to expand our knowledge of Bartram as an explorer, naturalist, artist, writer, and citizen of the early republic. Fascinating as a general read and invaluable for the depth of its sources, The Search for Nature’s Design underscores Bartram’s distinct intellectual and scientific contribution to early American life and thought."

UGA Research praises WORLD OF THE SALT MARSH, stating that "Charles Seabrook paints a portrait of the disappearing wetlands of the Southeast in an absorbing work that encompasses natural history, cultural heritage, and personal experience"

Short Takes

The Wall Street Journal calls Michele Gillespie's KATHARINE AND R. J. REYNOLDS "a rich and original history of a misunderstood period."

SOUTHERN CIVIL RELIGIONS has received positive reviews in both the Journal of American History and the Journal of Southern Religion. According to the Journal of American History, "Remillard writes with admirable clarity and brevity. He utilizes a wide range of primary materials that present a variety of perspectives. . . . [The] book reminds us that even a society as locked down as the 'solid South' failed to keep down courageous, alternative visions of the good society."

Country Living features EAT DRINK DELTA in its February issue, while the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recommends it as one of ten new must-have cookbooks. Susan Puckett tackles the Mississippi Delta "with research and respect," and EAT DRINK DELTA "reads like a travel guide with recipes." (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

In an interview with Saporta Report, Susan Puckett answers questions about the Delta and her experiences there. When asked what Atlantans should learn from the Delta, she replies:

Independent neighborhood restaurants are an endangered species, and they need your support. They are often the glue that holds a community together, especially in the Delta.  For the outsider, they can provide a window into a culture we do not understand, to have a better understanding of their own. They also help us keep our stories alive.

Creative Loafing highlights both EAT DRINK DELTA and CRAIG CLAIBORNE'S SOUTHERN COOKING in the 2012 cookbooks and food reads round-up. "[W]e're excited about [EAT DRINK DELTA], an exploration of the region with photographs by Delta resident Langdon Clay."

The Rewilding Institute highlights the new book, LIFE ON THE BRINK, in a recent blog post on its site.

The Journal of Southern History describes J. Brooks Flippen's JIMMY CARTER, THE POLITICS OF FAMILY, AND THE RISE OF THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT as "a significant contribution to the history of religious politics, American conservatism, the 1970s, and the Carter administration."

Social History of Medicine claims that DELUXE JIM CROW "will likely become the definitive survey of the state of health care in the South in the New Deal and World War Two era for a long time to come."

The Midwest Book Review compliments AN EMPIRE OF SMALL PLACES for its "blend of  geography, history, and social observation" which "makes for a fine survey examining Britain’s colonial empire in North America and its economic and political ties with various Indian nations."

Anniversary of Medgar Evers's Death: Myrlie Evers-Williams, widow of Evers, to give invocation at upcoming presidential inauguration

According to the Washington Post, President Barack Obama has selected Myrlie Evers-Williams to deliver the invocation at his public inauguration on January 21. President Obama picked Evers-Williams because her career “reflect[s] the ideals that the Vice President and I continue to pursue for all Americans - justice, equality and opportunity.” Evers-Williams is the widow of civil rights leader Medgar Evers.

On June 12, 1963, Evers was assassinated in the driveway of his Mississippi home by white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith. The first NAACP field secretary for Mississippi, Evers's death was the first assassination of a high-ranking public figure in the civil rights movement. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Medgar Evers's death, and, in honor of Evers, the UGA Press will be releasing two new books on Evers.

The first is REMEMBERING MEDGAR EVERS by Minrose Gwin. The book has a February pub date. In REMEMBERING MEDGAR EVERS, Gwin compiles together an impressive collection of fiction, poetry, memoir, drama, and songs that emerged in response to Evers's life and death. Gwin examines local news accounts about Evers, 1960s gospel and protest music as well as contemporary hip-hop, the haunting poems of Frank X Walker, and contemporary fiction such as The Help and Gwin’s own novel, The Queen of Palmyra. In this study, Evers springs to life as a leader of “plural singularity,” who modeled for southern African Americans a new form of cultural identity that both drew from the past and broke from it.

When speaking of REMEMBERING MEDGAR EVERS, Myrlie Evers-Williams said, "This is a book that should be widely read, shared with others, and placed in a spot of honor in every library. It tells important and all-too-often forgotten stories of the times with clarity and passion. It is a treasure."

In May, the press will release a new collection of poetry by Frank X Walker that speaks out on the life and loss of Medgar Evers. The poems in TURN ME LOOSE unleash the strong emotions both before and after the moment of assassination and take on the voices of Evers's widow, Myrlie; his brother, Charles; his assassin, Byron De La Beckwith; and each of De La Beckwith's two wives. Except for the book's title, "Turn me loose," which were his final words, Evers remains in this collection silent.

One-Third of 190 Grams of Lead (from TURN ME LOOSE)

Both of them were history, even before one
pulled the trigger, before I rocketed through
the smoking barrel hidden in the honeysuckle
before I tore through a man's back, shattered

his family, a window, and tore through an inner wall
before I bounced off a refrigerator and a coffeepot
before I landed at my destined point in history
— next to a watermelon. What was cruel was the irony

not the melon, not the man falling in slow motion,
but the man squinting through the cross hairs
reducing the justice system to a small circle, praying
that he not miss, then sending me to deliver a message

as if the woman screaming in the dark
or the children crying at her feet
could ever believe
a bullet was small enough to hate

Press News: UGA Press Hosts Book, Jacket, and Journal Show January 17-18

The Association of American University Presses 2012 Book, Jacket, and Journal Show is coming to Georgia. Since September, the exhibit has traveled across the country, starting with Columbia University Press in New York, NY. The show will end at the University of South Carolina Press in Columbia, SC in May.

As part of the 75^th anniversary of the University of Georgia Press, the press will be displaying all of the 2012 Book, Jacket, and Journal Show winners at UGA’s main library.

“We are pleased to host the AAUP 2012 Book, Jacket, and Journal Show and to share it with the university and community,” said Kaelin Broaddus, design and production manager of UGA Press. “I have only seen the show catalog, so I am eagerly looking forward to holding these books in my hands and turning every page. Perusing the AAUP Book Show leaves me renewed with admiration and inspiration. Despite how sumptuous these books look and feel, many are designed and produced with very tight schedules and budgets. They are often a labor of love, and it shows.”

Each year, a panel selects the best books from a variety of categories, including Scholarly Typographic, Scholarly Illustrated, Trade Typographic, Trade Illustrated, and Jackets & Covers. This year, the committee received 226 books, 300 jacket and cover design entries, and 4 journals from which to judge. The jurors, composed of designing professionals and AAUP members, selected 49 books, 1 journal, and 30 jackets/covers as the best examples of university press design.

UGA Press won Scholarly Typographic for A MESS OF GREENS, Trade Typographic for BEAR DOWN, BEAR NORTH and DRIFTING INTO DARIEN, and Trade Illustrated for INVASIVE PYTHONS IN THE UNITED STATES.

Members of the community, UGA students, staff, and faculty are welcome to stop by the press’s offices on the third floor of the library to peruse the best of university press design. The show will be on display January 17-18 from 12:00-4:00 p.m. both days.

The event is free and open to the public. Individuals or large groups who are unable to come during the show times are welcome to contact Broaddus to schedule an appointment for times during the week of January 14.

Founded in 1938, the UGA Press is the largest book publisher in the state. It has been a member of the Association of American University Presses since 1940. With a full-time staff of 24 publishing professionals, the UGA Press currently publishes 80-85 new books a year and has more than 1,500 titles in print. It has well-established lists in Atlantic World and American history, American literature, African-American studies, southern studies and environmental studies, as well as a growing presence in the fields of geography, urban studies, international affairs and security studies. For more information, see www.ugapress.org/