Four More Author Profiles on This Goodly Land

This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape has just added four new Alabama author profiles to its Web site. Like our earlier profiles, these include biographical information about the authors, information about their work, and places where interested readers can go to find out more.

Our latest additions are novelist Catherine Rodgers, Old Southwest humorists H. E. Taliaferro and George Washington Harris, and autobiographer/children’s book author Ellen Tarry.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

New Author Profiles on This Goodly Land

This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape has just added six new Alabama author profiles to its Web site. Like our earlier profiles, these include biographical information about the authors, information about their work, and places where interested readers can go to find out more.

Our latest additions are novelist Jack Bethea, travel and nature writer Archie Carr, journalist and nonfiction writer Frye Gaillard, crime fiction writer Carolyn Haines, and novelists/children’s book authors Wyatt Blassingame and Virginia Sorensen.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Audio: Rheta Grimsley Johnson on NPR

On November 29, 2009, Alabama author Rheta Grimsley Johnson's book Poor Man's Provence (NewSouthBooks) was reviewed by Debbie Elliott on NPR’s program Weekend Edition Sunday. In addition to the review, the Web site has an excerpt from the book.

Listen to Debbie Elliott's review of Poor Man's Provence on NPR.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

First Draft Fall Issue Now Available Online

The Fall '09 issue of First Draft, the journal of the Alabama Writers' Forum, is now available online in PDF format at the First Draft page of the AWF Web site. PDFs of earlier issues, from Summer '98 through Spring '09, are also available here.

This issue features an interview with Muscogee poet Joy Harjo and an essay by Alabama author Phyllis Alesia Perry. First Draft also publishes articles about Alabama literary events, book reviews, and other items of literary interest.

AWF, a partnership program of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, sponsors community-based programs to promote the appreciation of Alabama's literary heritage and to support Alabama's writers in the various stages of their careers. Their Web site also includes book reviews, a directory of literary resources, and announcements of classes, competitions, and publishing opportunities.

Download a PDF version of the Fall '09 issue of First Draft.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Video: Philip Henry Gosse in Alabama

On October 4, 2007, Auburn University Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology professor Gary Mullen presented a lecture on Alabama author Philip Henry Gosse. This lecture was presented as part of the Discover Auburn series. Videos from this series are now available online as part of the Auburn University Digital Library.

The Discover Auburn lecture series is presented jointly by the Auburn University Libraries, the Auburn University Bookstore, and the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University.

Watch Prof. Gary Mullen's lecture "Philip Henry Gosse: A Naturalist's View of Dallas County, Alabama in 1838."

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Four More Author Profiles on This Goodly Land

This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape has just added four new Alabama author profiles to its Web site. Like our earlier profiles, these include biographical information about the authors, information about their work, and places where interested readers can go to find out more.

Our latest additions are novelists Robert E. Bell, Andrew Lytle, Anne Rivers Siddons, and Lee Smith.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

New Author Photos on This Goodly Land

We've added new photos to fifteen of our author profiles at This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape.

Profiles with new photos include:

Crime fiction writers Ace Atkins, Tim Dorsey, and Richard North Patterson; novelists Joe David Brown, Rebecca Harding Davis, Mary Johnston, and Elise Sanguinetti; Harlem Renasissance writers Arna Bontemps and George Wylie Henderson; poets Sidney Lanier and Father Abram J. Ryan; New Journalist Gay Talese; travel writer Octavia Walton Le Vert; writers for children and young adults Peter Huggins and Deborah Wiles

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Nine New Author Profiles on This Goodly Land

This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape has just added nine new Alabama author profiles to its Web site. Like our earlier profiles, these include biographical information about the authors, information about their work, and places where interested readers can go to find out more.

Our latest additions are New Journalist Gay Talese, travel writer and Nineteenth Century journalist Anne Royall, Social Realism novelist Rebecca Harding Davis, librarian and Harlem Renaissance figure Arna Bontemps, and writers of books for children and young adults John Green, Peter Huggins, Margaret Zehmer Searcy, Emma Gelders Sterne, and Deborah Wiles.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Seven New Author Profiles on This Goodly Land

This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape has just added seven new Alabama author profiles to its Web site. Like our earlier profiles, these include biographical information about the authors, information about their work, and places where interested readers can go to find out more.

Our latest additions are mystery writers Ace Atkins, Tim Dorsey, and Richard North Patterson; historical novelists Douglas Fields Bailey, Lonnie Coleman, and J. H. Ingraham; and travel writer Octavia Walton Le Vert.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

New Author Profiles on This Goodly Land

This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape has just added four new Alabama author profiles to its Web site. Like our earlier profiles, these include biographical information about the authors, information about their work, and places where interested readers can go to find out more.

Our latest additions are historical novelist Mary Johnston, poets Sidney Lanier and Father Abram J. Ryan, and memoirist/travel writer Eleanor de la Vergne Risley.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Audio: Interviews with Kathryn Tucker Windham and Rick Bragg on Alabama Arts Radio

Two Alabama authors were recently featured in separate broadcasts of the Alabama Arts Radio Series.

In the July 5, 2009, program, Kathryn Tucker Windham was interviewed by Joey Brackner.

Listen to Kathryn Tucker Windham on Alabama Arts Radio.

In the September 27, 2009, program, Rick Bragg was interviewed by Al Head.

Listen to Rick Bragg on Alabama Arts Radio.

To stream, left-click on either "High MP3" or "Low 56K." To download, right-click and choose "Save Link As ..." or "Save Target As ..."

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Audio: "Autobiography and Memoir" and "Crime Fiction" Podcasts

This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape has just uploaded two new audio podcasts to our Multimedia page.

The two most recent programs in the series are titled "Autobiography and Memoir" and "Crime Fiction." Maiben Beard from the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities interviews Dr. Bert Hitchcock and Dr. Christopher Keirstead from the Auburn University Department of English.

Supplemental materials for these programs are available at This Goodly Land's Web site and include audio transcripts, reading lists, discussion questions, and lesson plans.

Stream Autobiography and Memoir Audio.

Stream Crime Fiction Audio.

(To download, right-click on the link(s) above and choose "Save Link As ..." or "Save Target As ...")

Learn more about the subjects of This Goodly Land's audio podcasts from our supplemental materials. Scroll down the page to find the most recent podcasts.

These podcasts are also available free from This Goodly Land's section of iTunes U. (The iTunes software is also free, but you must have it on your computer to access these materials. You can get it from the iTunes download page of the Apple Web site.)

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Audio: Will Wright Interviews Edward O. Wilson on NPR

On September 1, 2009, Alabama author Edward O. Wilson was interviewed by computer game designer Will Wright on NPR’s program Morning Edition during the “Open Mic” segment. The two discussed the future of computer games in children's science education and his own introduction to science as a child. The Web page has two additional question/answer segments not included in the broadcast.

Listen to "E.O. Wilson And Will Wright: Ant Lovers Unite!" on NPR.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Audio: New Podcast: Reading from Gosse's Letters from Alabama

This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape has just added another new podcast to our "Multimedia" page.

Mr. Aaron Trehub, Assistant Dean for Library Technology, Auburn University Libraries, reads a selection from Philip Henry Gosse's Letters from Alabama (U.S.): Chiefly about Natural History.

Supplemental materials for this program are available at This Goodly Land's Web site and include an audio transcript, a reading list, discussion questions, and lesson plans.

Stream "Letters from Alabama" Audio.

To download, right-click on the link(s) above and choose "Save Link As ..." or "Save Target As ...")

Learn more about the subjects of This Goodly Land's audio podcasts from our supplemental materials.

iTunes users can also stream or download audios, transcripts, and supplemental materials from This Goodly Land's section of iTunes U.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Audio: New Podcast on Nineteenth Century Women Writers

This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape has just added another new podcast to our "Multimedia" page.

Maiben Beard from the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities interviews Dr. James Emmett Ryan of the Auburn University Department of English about women's contributions to literary culture in Nineteenth Century America.

Supplemental materials for this program are available at This Goodly Land's Web site and include an audio transcript, a reading list, discussion questions, and lesson plans.

Stream "Nineteenth Century Women's Literary Culture in America" Audio.

To download, right-click on the link(s) above and choose "Save Link As ..." or "Save Target As ...")

Learn more about the subjects of This Goodly Land's audio podcasts from our supplemental materials.

iTunes users can also stream or download audios, transcripts, and supplemental materials from This Goodly Land's section of iTunes U.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

This Goodly Land Updates Our Page at MySpace.com®

Our MySpace.com® page was originally created by a group of graduate students at Auburn University about a year ago.

We have recently updated our page, installing some of the same features that appear on our Facebook Page (photos, videos, Zazzle store, and blog feed) and adding something new (Twitter feed). We have also switched to the new 2.0 profile layout, making these features a little easier to find.

Check out our "new and improved" MySpace.com® page and become a Friend.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Audio: Another New Podcast: The Historical Novel

This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape has just added another new podcast to our "Multimedia" page. (This podcast is also available via This Goodly Land at iTunes U.)

Maiben Beard from the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities interviews Dr. Bert Hitchcock, Professor emeritus of the Auburn University Department of English about the historical novel.

Supplemental materials for this program are available at This Goodly Land's Web site and include an audio transcript, a reading list, discussion questions, and lesson plans.

Stream "The Historical Novel" Audio.

To download, right-click on the link(s) above and choose "Save Link As ..." or "Save Target As ...")

Learn more about the subjects of This Goodly Land's audio podcasts from our supplemental materials.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Audio: New Podcasts from This Goodly Land

This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape has just added three new podcasts to our "Multimedia" page. (These podcasts are also available via This Goodly Land at iTunes U.)

In "Old Southwest Humor," Maiben Beard from the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities interviews Dr. Benjamin B. Williams, Professor emeritus of the Auburn University Montgomery Department of English about frontier humor from the 1830s to the 1860s.

In another audio, Dr. Dwayne Cox of the Auburn University Libraries reads an example of Old Southwest humor: an excerpt from Joseph Glover Baldwin's book The Flush Times of Alabama and Mississippi.

Finally, we have prepared an audio version of Dr. John C. Hall's Draughon Seminar on William Bartram and his travels in the South. This audio has been split into three parts to make downloading easier.

Supplemental materials for these programs are available at This Goodly Land's Web site and include audio transcripts, reading lists, discussion questions, and lesson plans.

Stream "Old Southwest Humor" Audio.

Stream "Flush Times" Audio.

Stream "Bartram's Travels" Audio, Part 1.
Stream "Bartram's Travels" Audio, Part 2.
Stream "Bartram's Travels" Audio, Part 3.

(To download, right-click on the link(s) above and choose "Save Link As ..." or "Save Target As ...")

Learn more about the subjects of This Goodly Land's audio podcasts from our supplemental materials.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Audio: Mary Ward Brown on Alabama Arts Radio

The April 7 broadcast of the Alabama Arts Radio Series features Alabama author Mary Ward Brown. The program was recorded at the Lunch at the Library program of the Selma-Dallas County Public Library. Ms. Brown read from her new memoir, Fanning the Spark, and was interviewed by Pam Kingsbury of the University of North Alabama.

Listen to Mary Ward Brown on Alabama Arts Radio program.To stream, left-click on either "High MP3" or "Low 56K." To download, right-click and choose "Save Link As ..." or "Save Target As ..."

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Video: Maiben Beard on Talk with Tonya

The Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities' own Maiben Beard was interviewed by WSFA 12 News's Tonya Terry on Talk with Tonya this past Monday (April 6) about the upcoming Alabama Book Festival (Saturday April 18, 9-5, Old Alabama Town, Montgomery).

Watch WSFA's Talk with Tonya. Click on the icon (left-hand side) for the April 6 episode. Maiben's interview appears about 24 minutes into the program.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Video: ArchiTreats at ADAH

The Alabama Department of Archives and History has made videos of its "ArchiTreats: Food for Thought" lectures available online. This series features leading experts speaking on topics in Alabama history. ArchiTreats is sponsored by the Friends of the Alabama Archives and the Alabama Humanities Foundation.

Watch videos from ArchiTreats: Food for Thought online.

If you live or work in or near Montgomery, you can attend ArchiTreats in person. Lectures are held at the Archives (624 Washington Avenue) at noon on the third Thursday of the month. Bring a sack lunch; coffee and tea are provided free of charge. ArchiTreats is free and open to the public.

See the 2009 ArchiTreats schedule (PDF format).

Directions to the Archives and parking information (html format).

Directions to the Archives and parking information (PDF format).

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

2009 Alabama Book Festival

The Alabama Book Festival will take place on April 18, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., on the grounds of historic Old Alabama Town in Montgomery, Ala. The Festival is organized by the Alabama Center for the Book, an affiliate program of the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University.

More than fifty novelists, poets, artists, illustrators, playwrights and children’s writers will participate in the Festival including: Daniel Anderson, Tina McElroy Ansa, Susan Youngblood Ashmore, Rick Bragg, Joel Brouwer, Peter Campion, Guy and Candie Carawan, Sheryll Cashin, Robert Dalby, Melissa Delbridge, Foster Dickson, Kathleen Driskell, Sara DuBose, Lynnell Edwards, Margaret Fenton, Thom Gossom, Wayne Greenhaw, Lauretta Hannon, Andrew Hudgins, Dr. Gloria Joseph, Douglas Kearney, Nanci Kincaid, Thomas Larson, Sebastian Matthews, Erin McGraw, Linda Kenney Miller, Jim Murphy, Don Noble, Martin Olliff, Molly Peacock, Ron Riekki, Solomon Seay, Elizabeth Findley Shores, Louie Skipper, Warren St. John, Frank Stitt, Jeanie Thompson, Barbara Wiedemann, Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder, Crystal Wilkinson, Kathryn Tucker Windham, Beth Maynor Young, and Bob Zellner.

The Festival will include a dedicated children’s area, with activities such as theater performances, storytelling, magic performances, book characters in costume, hands-on science experiments, and crafts. There will also be appearances by authors of books for children and young adults: Natalie Pope Boyce, Susannah Felts, Charles Ghigna, Helen Hemphill, Peter Huggins, Kerry Madden, Margaret McMullan, Mary Pope Osborne, Laurel Snyder, and Carole Boston Weatherford.

On April 17, the day before the Festival, the Alabama Writers' Forum will be offering two writing workshops. A Writing Stimulus workshop will be led by Erin McGraw and Andrew Hudgins. A second workshop, specifically for teachers, will be led by Kathleen Driscoll and Molly Peacock. Both workshops will be held at Troy University-Montgomery Campus. For information about the workshops, contact the Alabama Writers’ Forum at 334 265 7728 (toll-free 866-901-1117) or email at writersforum@bellsouth.net.

Download the Press Kit for the Alabama Book Festival.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

2009 Alabama Writers Symposium in Monroeville

Registration has begun for the 12th annual Alabama Writers Symposium to be held on April 30-May 2, 2009. Symposium events will be held on the campus of Alabama Southern Community College, at the Monroeville Community House, and at the Old Courthouse Museum in downtown Monroeville, Ala. This year's theme is "Mystery, Murder, Mayhem, & More."

Participating writers and literary scholars include Nancy Anderson, Philip Beidler, Jake Berry, Rick Bragg, Alan Brown, Kirk Curnutt, Tim Dorsey, Robert Gray, John Hafner, Carolyn Haines, Bert Hitchcock, Frank Turner Hollon, Jennifer Horne, Ravi Howard, Hank Lazer, Don Noble, Julia Oliver, Jennifer Paddock, Tito Perdue, Gin Phillips, Michael Piafsky, Jeanie Thompson and Sue Brannan Walker.

Festival activities include readings, presentations, discussions, workshops, and a dramatization of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.

Download the brochure (PDF format) for "Mystery, Murder, Mayhem, & More," 2009 Alabama Writers Symposium.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

2009 Montevallo Literary Festival, April 16-17

The 2009 Montevallo Literary Festival will be held on April 16 and 17 at the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Ala. Festival activities include readings, presentations, films, panels, workshops, and a performance of the Rebecca Gilman play, Boy Gets Girl.

Participating authors include Daniel Anderson, Emma Bolden, Mary Ward Brown, Christopher Chambers, Rebecca Gilman, Hartford Gongaware, Andrew Grace, Anthony Grooms, Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis, Maurice Manning, Michael Morris, and Janisse Ray.

Fees for non-University of Montevallo students are $45 for the conference only and $95 for the conference plus one workshop. Drama, poetry and prose workshops are available. Workshop participants must register and submit a manuscript by Friday, April 3.

Register for the Montevallo Literary Festival.

View the Festival event schedule.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

First Draft Spring Issue Now Available Online

The Spring '09 issue of First Draft, the journal of the Alabama Writers' Forum, is now available online in PDF format at the First Draft page of the AWF Web site. PDFs of earlier issues, from Summer '98 through Fall '08, are also available here.

This issue profiles Alabama author Rick Bragg, recipient of the 2009 Harper Lee Award. First Draft also publishes articles about Alabama literary events, author interviews and essays, book reviews, and other items of literary interest.

AWF, a partnership program of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, sponsors community-based programs to promote the appreciation of Alabama's literary heritage and to support Alabama's writers in the various stages of their careers. Their Web site also includes book reviews, a directory of literary resources, and announcements of classes, competitions, and publishing opportunities.

Download a PDF version of the Spring '09 issue of First Draft.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Audio: This Goodly Land Downloads via iTunes

This Goodly Land’s new audio programs (along with transcripts and supplemental materials) are now available at the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts section of iTunes U, the portion of the iTunes Store that has video and audio podcasts created by colleges and universities.

All of our materials can be downloaded to your computer for free. The audios can also be streamed, that is, accessed from within iTunes without downloading. If you subscribe, new audios will be downloaded to your computer automatically whenever they are added to the collection.

The iTunes software is also free but you must have it on your computer to access these materials. You can get it from the iTunes download page of the Apple Web site.

Find This Goodly Land audios at iTunes U.

(Of course, you can still listen to and/or download these audios at the new Multimedia page of This Goodly Land's Web site.)

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Video: New Video Player from Embedr

If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you will notice that we have a new embedded video player.

Last month, the supplier of our old player, Splashcast™, discontinued its free service. Although the Splashcast™ player still worked for the videos we had already selected, it was no longer possible for us to add videos.

Our new player is from Embedr, a free service that allows us to create a playlist of videos and present them to you. We think you'll be happy with the switch.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Audio: This Goodly Land Announces Its First Podcasts

This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape proudly unveils its new audio podcast series. Our "Multimedia" page has links to mp3s of interviews with scholars on topics relevant to Alabama authors.

The first two programs in the series are titled "The Harlem Renaissance" and "Travel Writing." Maiben Beard from the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities interviews Dr. Susana Morris and Dr. Christopher Keirstead from the Auburn University Department of English.

Supplemental materials for these programs are available at This Goodly Land's Web site and include audio transcripts, reading lists, discussion questions, and lesson plans.

Stream "Harlem Renaissance Audio, Part 1."

Stream "Harlem Renaissance Audio, Part 2."

Stream "Travel Writing Audio."

(To download, right-click on the link(s) above and choose "Save Link As ..." or "Save Target As ...")

Learn more about the subjects of This Goodly Land's audio podcasts from our supplemental materials.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Writing Today at Birmingham-Southern College, March 13-14

Registration has begun for the 28th annual Writing Today writers' conference, which will be held on March 13-14, 2009, on the campus of Birmingham-Southern College.

Conference activities include presentations by two Major Speakers (novelist Mark Winegardner and poet David Kirby), author readings, and workshops. This year, the program will also include a live taping of the public television program Bookmark, with host Don Noble interviewing Mark Winegardner.

Speakers with Alabama connections include Myra Crawford, Charles Ghigna, Thom Gossom, Hank Lazer, Don Noble, Wendy Rawlings, and R. A. Riekki.

Learn more about the Writing Today conference and register online.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Video: Southern Voices at Hoover Public Library

Tickets are now on sale for Hoover [Ala.] Public Library's Southern Voices: A Celebration of Writing, Music, and Art being held February 19-22.

The festival includes an exhibit of artwork by Pamela Watters, concerts by Louden Wainwright III, and presentations by Adriana Trigiani, Greg Iles, Tasha Alexander, Mary Kay Andrews, Daniel Omotosho Black, Patti Callahan Henry, Ronald M. Gauthier, and Alabama author Daniel Wallace.

See the Southern Voices Web site for more details.

Audios from the 2007 festival and videos from the 2008 festival are available for streaming at the Web site. These presentations are also available for download at the Hoover Library Live multimedia blog.

Frye Galliard, Southern Voices, 2008, video (large file, may have long download time; Google Video, QuickTime, Windows Mediaplayer versions)

Joshilyn Jackson, Southern Voices, 2007, audio (play in window, play in popup, or download to your computer)

Charles J. Shields (biographer of Harper Lee), Southern Voices, 2007, audio (play in window, play in popup, or download to your computer)

Charles J. Shields, Southern Voices, 2007, brief video (play in window, play in popup, or download to your computer)

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

March 2009: Southern Literary Trail Events

The Web site for the Southern Literary Trail has posted schedules for March 2009 events in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Check the schedules for local activities, or plan a trip around your favorite Southern writer(s).

Events include tours, lectures, panel discussions, films, theatrical performances, storytelling, concerts, exhibits, and book signings. Some require admission fees, but many are free.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Reminder: Lewis Nordan Symposium Coming Up on Friday, January 23

Just a reminder:

The CMDCAH Symposium on the life and work of Alabama writer Lewis "Buddy" Nordan will be held on Friday, January 23, at the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center.

Nordan himself will deliver the keynote address, "Don't Cry for Me, Itta Bena," at 7 PM on Friday evening. He will be introduced by writer Clyde Edgerton, who will also sing his rendition of Nordan's "Sugar Among the Chickens."

This year, the Symposium will also be available as a live Webcast. Online attendees can see and hear the presentations in real time and ask questions of the speakers via a chat window. (This system is optimized for PC users; Mac users may experience difficulties.)

Log in to the Nordan Symposium "conference room" as a guest.

The Symposium is free and open to the public. For more information, see the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities' Symposium page.

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape

Video: Alabamians on Southern Spaces

Southern Spaces is a free online scholarly journal from the Robert W. Woodruff Library of Emory University. The journal publishes multimedia essays and presentations on "the real and imagined places of the American South."

Some of the videos found on Southern Spaces will be of special interest to Alabamians. These are available in Real Media, Windows Media, and QuickTime versions.

Natasha Trethewey, poem "Elegy for the Native Guards"

Natasha Trethewey, poem "Theories of Time and Space"

Jake Adam York, seven poems

Jake Adam York, four poems

John Howard, lecture on memoir by Alabamian Ben Duncan

Minnie Bruce Pratt, poem "No Place"

Minnie Bruce Pratt, lecture

Gwen Patton, tour of the Civil Rights Archive at Trenholm State Technical College

William Christenberry, lecture on the influences on his art

Wayne Flynt, lecture on Alabama's regions

Susan Pace Hamill, lecture on Alabama's timber and its influence on the state's economy

Midge Coates, Project Manager
This Goodly Land: Alabama's Literary Landscape