News from the University of Georgia Press

Short Takes

noreply@blogger.com (ddesjard@ugapress.uga.edu) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:55:00 +0000

Robert Hirschfield, of the Jerusalem Report, praises David Caplan's first book of poems, IN THE WORLD HE CREATED ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, in what at times reads like half obituary and half review. Calling for the second life of this splendid collection of poems where "[r]eality is hardedged, varied, [and] seriously explored," Hirschfield decries the neglect of Caplan's book and even challenges it by saying that "[t]he complexity of the poet's Biblically-based worldview may come as a surprise to the literary secularist."

Nancy Lord, of the Orion Magazine, writes that "We're lucky that the fresh, original voice of Melinda Moustakis has arrived to speak to us from her heart's home." For Lord, BEAR DOWN, BEAR NORTH is a wonderful addition of "imaginative fiction" amidst a "surge of well-regarded literary non-fiction" concerning Alaska.

Story Circle Book Reviews describes Jill Christman's book DARKROOM: A FAMILY EXPOSURE as "[a]lternately humorous, sensitive, intellectual, evocative and eye opening. . . . a written collage that will touch and enlighten readers."

A reviewer in the Arkansas Review wrote that John C. Inscoe's WRITING THE SOUTH THROUGH THE SELF "is without a doubt a valuable contribution to the field of southern studies."

The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society calls Diane Mutti Burke's book ON SLAVERY'S BORDER "a significant contribution toward [the] understanding" of the different practices, the "very different experiences," that slaves encountered in the Upper South, where plantation life was less common, and the plantation-ridden Lower South. The reviewer says that Mutti Burke's research into the contrasts between each distinct region of the south "make[s] a significant contribution toward such understanding."

The American Historical Review slates CONTENTIOUS LIBERTIES as "a major contribution" to the "literature on Christian missions in Jamaica," and the Midwest Book Review calls it "[a] fascinating, in depth account of conflicts between disparate cultures in the 1800's. . . .highly recommended as an excellent pick for international history shelves."

The American Historical Review praises Alexander Macaulay's MARCHING IN STEP as "an authoritative institutional history based on Macaulay's perceptive understanding of his alma mater."

Somebody Else, Somewhere Else: The Raymond Andrews Story

noreply@blogger.com (ddesjard@ugapress.uga.edu) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:41:00 +0000

The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center and the Morgan County African-American Museum are collaborating to present Somebody Else, Somewhere Else: The Raymond Andrews Story, an independent documentary film by Jesse Freeman, about the life of Georgia writer Raymond Andrews (1934-1991). The film will be shown at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center auditorium on Sunday, February 12 at 2:00 pm. A question and answer session with the filmmaker and a reception will follow the screening. There is a suggested donation of $5.00 at the door.

Andrews is best known for his novel, APPALACHEE RED, a riotous tale of racial redemption set in the fictional Muskhogean County, a location modeled after Andrews’ birthplace, Morgan County, Georgia. APPALACHEE RED was followed by ROSIEBELLE LEE WILDCAT TENNESSEE and BABY SWEET'S. All three novels, known collectively as the Muskhogean Trilogy, are available from the University of Georgia Press. Andrews other works include a memoir, The Last Radio Baby, and a collection of novellas called Jessie and Jesus and Cousin Claire.

Raymond Andrews was one of ten children born into a sharecropping family in Morgan County. He was part of the great intellectual migration of African Americans away from the rural South to the urban North. After fighting in the Korean War, Andrews studied at Michigan State University and later moved to New York City. Raymond Andrews was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2009.

Somebody Else, Somewhere Else features archival footage of interviews with the writer, as well as original interviews with his friends, family members, fellow writers, and literary scholars. The film includes an interview with Raymond’s brother, Benny Andrews, who was a renowned visual artist. Benny and Raymond shared a close but complicated relationship that informed each of their bodies of work. Other interviewees include the novelists Philip Lee Williams, Terry Kay, Tony Grooms, Richard Bausch, and Gary Gildner.

The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center is a non-profit performing and visual arts center located at 434 S. Main Street in historic Madison, Georgia.

Other resources on the life and work of William Andrews include the New Georgia Encyclopedia and a special issue of the Georgia Review published to coincide with "Once Upon a Time in Athens," the journal's two-day appreciation of Andrews in fall 2010.

In the News: Michael E. Dorcas and John D. Willson Share New Findings on Pythons

noreply@blogger.com (ddesjard@ugapress.uga.edu) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:38:00 +0000

INVASIVE PYTHONS PYTHONS IN THE UNITED STATES authors Michael E. Dorcas and John D. Willson are part of a new study that was just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (Dorcas is the lead author on the paper.) The study has found that the overabundance of Burmese pythons has led to a significant decrease in the number of mammals in the Florida Everglades. The study has drawn much attention from many news outlets over the last couple of days, including USA Today, NPR, BBC, and National Geographic.

For more information on the study's findings, check out some of the news links below. Also, be sure to pick up a copy of INVASIVE PYTHONS IN THE UNITED STATES to learn more about this predator and how it is affecting Florida and the rest of the United States.

Miami Herald: "Pythons likely wiping out Glades mammals, new study finds"
USA Today: "Pythons have stranglehold on Florida Everglades ecosystem"
Associated Press: "Pythons apparently wiping out Everglades mammals"
BBC: "Pythons linked to Florida Everglades mammal decline"
NPR: "Invasive Pythons Put Squeeze On Everglades' Animals"
National Geographic: "Pythons Eating Through Everglades Mammals at 'Astonishing' Rate?"
Washington Post: "In Florida Everglades, pythons and anacondas dominate food chain"
CNN (blog): "Pythons Wiping Out Mammals in Everglades, Researchers Say"
Time (blog): "Invaders: How Burmese Pythons Are Devouring the Everglades"