Toni Morrison and Mark Twain: The Black and White Of It

Alabama Humanities Foundation Scholar, Dr. Elaine Hughes, will speak Thursday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m., at the Parnell Memorial Library in Montevallo. Hughes’s presentation will explore important parallels in the works of two important American authors and social critics: Mark Twain and Toni Morrison. According to Hughes, “Though writing a century apart, Mark Twain and Toni Morrison have dared to explore in their fiction the great truths underlying their cultures’ espoused attitudes and beliefs. From Twain’s indictment of the hypocrisy of the 19th Century to Morrison’s examination of contemporary society’s duality, their voices have provided readers penetrating portrayals of their fellow countrymen. An examination of the historical, political and biographical contexts of major works by these authors reveals the parallels in their social criticism—of the post-Civil-War era and the post-Civil-Rights period in America. ‘Morrison and Twain: The Black and White of It’ is a presentation that attempts to put before an audience those questions about ourselves that we have difficulty confronting: our beliefs, our prejudices, our fears. Through examination of works by two major American writers—writing during tumultuous times in our country—we can understand those elements in our society that shape us and perhaps seek a better understanding of ourselves. Racism was at the root of the problems resulting from slavery; racism remains today at the root of many of our social problems. Literature can provide the vehicle by which each of us, and thus our society, can make that painful journey to self understanding.”

For the past 35 years, Hughes has been a professor of American literature at the University of Montevallo, with a specialty in contemporary literature. She has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in Southern literature and in Alabama literature. She has delivered more than 200 lectures to varied audiences—from high-school honors students to retirees in UAB’s New Horizons—in many locations. In 1998-1999, she received the Carnegie Foundation CASE Professor of the Year Award for Alabama and was the 2007 Recipient of the Eugene Current-Garcia Distinguished Scholar Award. Hughes has been involved with the Alabama Humanities Foundation since 1978 and chaired the board of directors from 2004-2006. She holds the honor of professor emerita from the University of Montevallo.

Barbara Belisle, Mary Jo Buff, Lelia Mitchell, Robin Norsworthy, Mary Lou Williams, and Thomasyne Hill Smith will read from American authors Toni Morrison and Mark Twain. Event sponsors are the Montevallo Branch of AAUW, Alabama Humanities Foundation, and Parnell Memorial Library. All are welcome.

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, February 21-27

For the second year Carmichael Library is teaming up with the UM Counseling and Career Center to encourage awareness of eating disorders. The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting individuals and families affected by eating disorders. Among NEDA's efforts is the National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

The theme of this year's awareness campaign is "It’s Time to Talk About It." From confronting negative stereotypes about body image that are presented in mass media to reminding ourselves that we are beautiful, it is NEDA's goal that everyone who sees their message can do just one thing to raise awareness about these important issues.

Now through the end of the week we're displaying a selection of books about eating disorders. Our display also contains a number of ideas about how all of us can do just one thing to combat eating disorders.

Related Resources On the Web:

• Healthy Weight Network - Presents research and information on obesity, eating disorders, weight loss and healthy living at any size
• National Association for Males with Eating Disorders - Offers support to and public awareness about males with eating disorders
• Reflections Body Image Program - Dedicated to promoting positive body images for all women

Image credit: © National Eating Disorders Association. Used with permission.

Quick Bib: The Olympic Games

With the 2010 Olympic Games in full swing, we present a short list of books about this ancient athletic tradition. All of these items can be found in the library's Circulating Collection (Second Floor) unless otherwise noted.

Krzyzewski, Mike, and Jamie K. Spatola. The Gold Standard: Building a World-class Team. New York: Business Plus, 2009. Browsing GV885.7 .K79 2009

Payne, Michael. Olympic Turnaround: How the Olympic Games Stepped Back from the Brink of Extinction to Become the World's Best Known Brand. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2006. GV721.5 .P34 2006

Perrottet, Tony. The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Ancient Games. New York: Random House, 2004. GV23 .P47 2004

Schaap, Jeremy. Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. GV697.O9 S33 2007

Spivey, Nigel Jonathan. The Ancient Olympics. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2004. GV23 .S69 2004

On the Web:

The Ancient Olympics - Compare ancient and modern Olympic sports, tour the site of Olympia as it looks today, learn about the context of the Games and the Olympic spirit, and read about the Olympic athletes who were famous in ancient times. From Tufts University.

CTV Olympics - Complete coverage of the games from Canada's CTV.

The Nazi Olympics, Berlin 1936 - From the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum an online exhibit of materials related to the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.

Rings - 2010 Vancouver Olympics - Olympics and Paralympics blog from the New York Times.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons license.

UM History Professor Marks Somber Anniversary

In the spring of 2006, Clark Hultquist, UM Professor of History, was on sabbatical and living in Paris. During his stay, he traveled to Verdun and spent a weekend touring the area where German forces attempted to overwhelm the French army with a concentrated infantry and artillery attack. His visit coincided with 90th anniversary of the battle. Luckily, Dr. Hultquist took the time to relate his experience through writing, photographs, and video. With his permission, I've included links to his blog entry and media.

This Sunday marks the 94th anniversary of Verdun's opening salvo. On February 21, 1916, Germany unleashed a nine-hour artillery assault on the French stronghold. However, this bombardment was on a scale that world had never seen before. According to the Almanac of World War I, the barrage resulted in "284 shells for every 6 feet of the front" completely saturating the battlefield. The shelling continued at this rate for days and days. To put this in perspective, Dr. Hultquist states, "In the first week alone the Germans fired more than two million artillery shells on some twenty-five miles of French defenses. In the first three weeks alone, at Verdun, more artillery shells were fired by the German army in this sector than during the entire American Civil War by both sides." The battle continued for almost one year and resulted in more than 700,000 casualties (with as many as 420,000 dead). Ending on December 22, 1916, Verdun provides a perfect snapshot to a war that eventually consumed tens of millions of lives.

To read more about Dr. Hultquist's experience, please visit:

http://clarque2006.blogspot.com/2006/03/verdun.html

And to view his photos and video, click here

For further reading:

Almanac of World War I by David F. Burg and L. Edward Purcell (Ref. D 522.5 .B87 1998)

Fighting the Great War: a global history by Michael S. Neigberg (D 521 .N44 2005)

The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916 by Alistair Horne (D 545 .V3 H6)

Again, I'd like to thank Dr. Hultquist for allowing us to use his materials. His experience is a perfect example of how the University of Montevallo attempts to bring the world to its students on a daily basis.

Black History Month 2010 Events

The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs has announced several events to commemorate Black History Month on the Montevallo campus.

On Tuesday, February 16^th, Colonel Ernest Craigwell, Jr. will be on campus to speak about his experiences as one of the original Tuskegee Airmen. Col. Craigwell, Jr. is a highly decorated retired fighter pilot who served in three wars--WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. With more than 400 combat missions in fighter aircraft, Mr. Craigwell received 26 medals for valor in combat on four combat tours. Col. Craigwell will speak at Ramsay Hall, room 106, at 6:30 p.m. This event is sponsored by Multicultural Affairs and the Black Student Union.

On Monday, February 22^nd, the Umdabu South African Dance Company will perform in Lebaron Recital Hall. Umdabu Dance Company is a South African dance troupe based in Birmingham, Alabama. Umdabu is dedicated to the preservation and presentation of traditional Zulu culture through dance. The company is directed by veteran South African dancer/choreographer, Johannes "Jomo" Xulu. Opening for Umdabu will be the UM NPHC performing a step tease. The event will begin at 7:00 p.m. and is sponsored by Multicultural Affairs and the University Program Council.

Lastly, Calvin Johnson will give a talk on Tuesday, February 23^rd. Mr. Johnson served over sixteen years in Georgia prisons for crimes he did not commit. With the help of the Innocence Project and the development of DNA technology he was finally able to prove his innocence and was released. Mr. Johnson will be sharing his inspirational story at Ramsay Hall, room 106, at 7:00 p.m. This event is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

For more information on UM's observance of Black History Month, contact Robert L. Robinson, Coordinator of Multicultural Affairs at (205 665-6023.