Short Takes

The Lexington Herald Leader recently interviewed poet Frank X Walker about his upcoming book events, installation as Kentucky's next poet laureate, and his new book, TURN ME LOOSE. When asked about his decision to write a collection of poems focused on Medgar Evers, "'I would like to think that I don't consciously choose my subjects,' [Walker] says. 'I like to think that they choose me or something happens that makes it seem like an obvious choice, and in the case of Medgar Evers, it was actually a poem by Lucille Clifton.'"

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/04/19/2607416/new-poet-laureate-frank-x-walker.html#storylink=cpy"

THEY SAVED THE CROPS was recently reviewed in the Journal of Historical Geography.“[Author Don] Mitchell achieves more than enough in They Saved The Crops to distinguish this book as the history of record for the Bracero program. As with his previous work, he focuses on our societal tendencies to conceal exploitation in our food system, and how these exploitative acts bleed into the relationship between labor and capital throughout the U.S. economy.”

It was also featured in Cultural Geographies:“Mitchell has made an important contribution to both our understanding of landscape as well as California agricultural history.”

KPFA's "Against the Grain" recently interviewed Alison Mountz for her essay in BEYOND WALLS AND CAGES. Mountz, an associate professor of geography at the Balsillie School of International Affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University, spoke of arrest patterns and discrepancies in detention and deportation procedures in the U.S. Her essay includes a map that shows where deaths have occurred in state detention facilities.

Clive Webb's RABBLE ROUSERS was reviewed in the Journal of American Ethnic History: “In one of the book's most important contributions, Webb exposes the role of antisemitism in shaping the ideology of both the far right activists and the racial politics of the postwar South. . . . Rabble Rousers provides a valuable insight into the success of and limits to the politics of massive resistance and the extreme right wing.” 

New Orleans Review featured Rebecca McClanahan's THE RIDDLE SONG: “McClanahan sweeps you along with a barrage of detail and lovely prose. She has the knack of summoning through facts and presentation. . . . McClanahan is excellent company, whether at a hospital bedside, over a glass of wine, or walking between rows of graves.”