Short Takes

KPFA's "Against the Grain" recently interviewed Rashad Shabazz, assistant professor of geography at the University of Vermont and contributor to BEYOND WALLS AND CAGES. The interview can be listened to here. Shabazz contends that "prisons are in fact porous in a way that threatens the lives of many people living in poor neighborhoods and communities of color."

La Jicarita reviews David Correia's PROPERTIES OF VIOLENCE: "Correia'sremarkable book is not just about New Mexico, not just about land grants. PROPERTIES OF VIOLENCE presents a way of conceiving of property as a mobile, fungible, plastic set of social relations."

TURN ME LOOSE author Frank X Walker was inducted as Kentucky's poet laureate on April 24. At the ceremony, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear spoke highly of Walker and his work: "He helps you recognize things about yourself, including things you'd rather not embrace. And he does this in the context of Kentucky's complex history." For more on the induction ceremony, check out WFPL 89.3's coverage of the event.

Poet Kyle Dargan was a guest on a recent episode of Bill Moyers and Company. Watch the interview here. Dargan is the author of three UGA Press books: THE LISTENING, BOUQUET OF HUNGERS, and LOGORRHEA DEMENTIA.

Robert Cornwall reviews THE FAITHS OF THE POSTWAR PRESIDENTS on his blog, Ponderings on a Faith Journey. He calls the book "excellent" and "fascinating" and describes Holmes as the perfect guide for understanding the complex relationship of faith and political office.

The Louisville Courier-Journal calls OLD LOUISVILLE "a joyous celebration . . . of breathtaking beauty." For more on OLD LOUISVILLE, be sure to stop by Barnes & Noble on South Hurstbourne Pkwy on Friday, May 10 at 6:00pm for a book signing with author David Dominé and photographers Franklin and Esther Schmidt. More information here.

The newly released ETOWAH RIVER USER'S GUIDE is making its debut at the Coosa River Basin Initiative's WATERFEST event happening this Friday and Saturday (May 3 & 4). CRBI Executive Director and Riverkeeper, Joe Cook, is the author of the book and will be signing copies at the event. Be sure to find a moment during the many activities to pickup a copy! (It's printed on waterproof paper, so you can take it with you while you paddle.) The Rome News-Tribune has more information about WATERFEST and the ETOWAH RIVER USER'S GUIDE.

Friends and fans of TURN ME LOOSE author Frank X Walker created a tribute video for him, in celebration of his inauguration as Kentucky's new poet laureate. Check out the heartwarming and entertaining video here.

Several of our books have recently won awards. Here's a list of some of the recent winners:
- Congratulations to Benjamin Houston! His book, THE NASHVILLE WAY, won the Tennessee  History Book Award, sponsored by the Tennessee Library Association and the Tennessee Historical Commission. (We last won the award in 2004 with the book BEFORE SCOPES by Charles A. Israel.) THE NASHVILLE WAY also won the British Association of American Studies' Arthur Miller Centre First Book Prize.
- Congratulations to Julie Armstrong! Her book, MARY TURNER AND THE MEMORY OF LYNCHING, won Honorable Mention for the Society for the Study of Southern Literature's 2012 C. Hugh Holman Award.
- Congratulations to Drew A. Swanson! His book, REMAKING WORMSLOE PLANTATION, won Georgia Historical Society’s 2013 Malcolm Bell, Jr., and Muriel Barrow Bell Award for the best book in Georgia history published in 2012. (John Inscoe's WRITING THE SOUTH THROUGH THE SELF was last year's recipient.)
- Congratulations to Ren and Helen Davis! Their book, ATLANTA'S OAKLAND CEMETERY, won Georgia Historical Society’s 2013 Lilla M. Hawes Award for the best book in Georgia local or county history published in 2012.