Friday, May 11, 2012

New UGA Press Director Appointed

Press Release from UGA Today:

Lisa M. Bayer named director of the UGA Press

May 10, 2012
Contact: Toby Graham

Athens, Ga. - Lisa Bayer, current marketing director and regional trade editor at the University of Illinois Press, has been named director of the University of Georgia Press following a national search.

"Lisa Bayer's experience and exceptional knowledge of academic publishing make her the right choice to direct the University of Georgia Press," said William Gray Potter, university librarian and associate provost, to whom Bayer will report. "She is a creative and forward-thinking leader who will add to the UGA Press's existing record of success and distinction."

While at Illinois, Bayer led the marketing activities for this $4 million scholarly publisher, whose title output is approximately 100 new books annually. She also has been a key member of the management team responsible for establishing the Illinois Press's vision and direction, strategic goals, and fiscal planning.

Prior to coming to Illinois in 2006, Bayer held marketing and sales positions at Southern Illinois University Press, Penn State University Press, Minnesota Historical Society Press, and the Redleaf Press. She holds a bachelor's degree in education (English) and a master's degree in English from Southern Illinois University.

Bayer succeeds Nicole Mitchell, who had served as the director since 2001 and left in late 2011 to become director of the University of Washington Press. Bayer's appointment is effective July 1.

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 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.

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Fall 2012 titles announced

The Fall 2012 seasonal catalog is now available on our website featuring titles that will be published from September through February 2013. We have an exciting range of new books in the categories of history, geography, international relations, legal studies, civil rights, literary studies, environmental studies, creative writing, and food studies.

A few of the highlights include:

Joshua D. Rothman’s FLUSH TIMES AND FEVER DREAMS: A STORY OF CAPITALISM AND SLAVERY IN THE AGE OF JACKSONis narrative history set against a backdrop of frenzied economic speculation and racial violence.

In KATHARINE AND R.J. REYNOLDS: PARTNERS OF FORTUNE IN THE MAKING OF THE NEW SOUTH, Michele Gillespie offers the first biography of a fascinating couple who helped shape the New South.

Robert J. Cottrol examines the impact of law on peoples of African descent in the Americas in THE LONG, LINGERING SHADOW: SLAVERY, RACE, AND LAW IN THE AMERICAN HEMISPHERE.

LIFE ON THE BRINK: ENVIRONMENTALISTS CONFRONT OVERPOPULATION is a collection of essays that reassesses a crucial and controversial environmental issue.

Four new volumes in the Geographies of Justice and Social Transformation series continue to build this area of our list in exciting directions.

THE NATURAL COMMUNITIES OF GEORGIA is the long-awaited, landmark reference to the ecological diversity of the state.

EAT DRINK DELTA: A HUNGRY TRAVELER'S JOURNEY THROUGH THE SOUL OF THE SOUTH is former AJC writer Susan Puckett’s lively guide to sampling the foodways of the Mississippi Delta.

Our two new Flannery O’Connor Award winners’ books: E. J. Levy’s LOVE, IN THEORY and Hugh Sheehy’s THE INVISIBLES.

Monday, May 07, 2012

Short Takes

Post No Ills Magazine describes Iain Haley Pollock's SPIT BACK A BOY as "an evocative and graceful body of work tangled in questions about maturity and playfulness, solitude and silence, race and representations of race and the ways in which we recognize what we value."

Rednecks and non-rednecks alike will want to read THE RISE AND DECLINE OF THE REDNECK RIVIERA according to a recent review in The Jacksonville News. "Even if you're not a redneck, you will want to go to the Alabama coastline when you read Harvey H. Jackson III's new book."

“Whether or not you have an attachment to the Gulf Coast, you’ll find much that is interesting and entertaining in THE RISE AND DECLINE OF THE REDNECK RIVIERA. . . . Mr. Jackson’s personal perspective enhances rather than interferes with his analysis, and his lucid, often pithy writing makes this book an engaging read.”—The Washington Times

In a recent interview for Kirkus, Charles Seabrook, author of THE WORLD OF THE SALT MARSH, recalls what it was like growing up around the salt marsh: "I’ve had many good times in the salt marsh. In my childhood, I spent many a day in the marsh in back of my boyhood home on John’s Island, S.C. I guess that’s why I grew to love salt marshes so much. I loved the unique sulfide smell of the marsh. It’s the smell I now equate most with my childhood, though some people don’t care for it, especially if they’re visiting the coast for the first time."

"John Lane's latest nonfiction book, MY PADDLE TO THE SEA, is the sort paddlers dream of writing: a book that captures all of the passion and all the ambivalence about a beloved river and region. Like other classic river narratives . . . the book is by turns provoking, exhilarating, nerve-wracking, and soothing, providing the full quiver of emotions one experiences when descending a river."—Terrain.org

Upcoming events for the week of May 7th

May 8, 2012

THE WORLD OF THE SALT MARSH by Charles Seabrook
Location: Manuel's Tavern
Atlanta, GA
Time: 7:00pm
Description: Talk/Signing with books for sale by A Cappella Books

ELBERT PARR TUTTLE by Anne Emanuel
Location: Newcastle
Atlanta, GA
Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Description: Award/Talk/Signing – Anne Emanuel to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Center for Human Rights. Pre-registration required.

THE RISE AND DECLINE OF THE REDNECK RIVIERA by Harvey H. Jackson III
Location: Anniston Star lobby
Anniston, AL
Time: 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Description: Signing – Event co-sponsored by The Anniston Star and Longleaf Style.

May 9, 2012

CORNBREAD NATION 6 edited by Brett Anderson
Location: Octavia Books
New Orleans, LA
Time: 6:00pm
Description: Talk/Signing – Panel will consist of contributors Lolis Elie, Sara Roahen, Wayne Curtis, Bob Marshall, and David Grunberg.

May 10, 2012

THE WORLD OF THE SALT MARSH by Charles Seabrook
Location: Dunwoody Nature Center
Dunwoody, GA
Time: 7:00-8:30pm
Description: Talk/Signing – Spend an evening with author and columnist Charles Seabrook as he talks about his new book. The event is free and open to the public, however, advanced registration is required.

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

In the News: Doing Recent History

On Thursday, May 3rd, the New School in New York will be hosting a launch event for the new book, DOING RECENT HISTORY. The event will begin at 6:00pm and feature a panel and book signing. Co-editor Claire Bond Potter will be joined by contributors Gail Drakes and David Greenberg, with David K. Rosner moderating the discussion. More information about the event can be found here.

DOING RECENT HISTORY is the definitive guide to the practice of recent history. It explores the challenges of writing histories of recent events where visibility is inherently imperfect, hindsight and perspective are lacking, and historiography is underdeveloped. DOING RECENT HISTORY offers guidance and insight to any researcher considering tackling the not-so-distant past.

Journalists, historians, and interdisciplinary scholars are constantly trying to write about recent history and end up struggling with the accompanying challenges. New technologies and new evidence present exciting new challenges and opportunities in the field of history. The recent past is also often a highly contested one, requiring interdisciplinary methods and an attention to ethical engagement of living subjects. With no other book out there exploring these methodological and ethical issues, DOING RECENT HISTORY is an important resource, particularly for those in higher education.

In this YouTube video, Renee C. Romano gives a good overview of the book.


"How I wish DOING RECENT HISTORY had been available when I began writing histories that were 'just over my shoulder.' Potter and Romano demonstrate that tackling recent history poses unique challenges, and they offer absolutely indispensable guidance in meeting them."—Alice Echols, author of HOT STUFF: DISCO AND THE REMAKING OF AMERICAN CULTURE