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

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 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

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: Randall Williams of NewSouth Books on APT's Face to Face

On August 24, NewSouth Books' Randall Williams was interviewed by Lori Cummings on the Alabama Public Television program Face to Face. Williams discussed the philosophy of NewSouth Books, the realities of the publishing business, and what a prospective author should know when dealing with a book publisher.

NewSouth Books is headquartered in Montgomery, Ala. NewSouth authors profiled on This Goodly Land include John Beecher, Virginia Pounds Brown, Rheta Grimsley Johnson, Oxford Stroud, Sue Walker, and Kathryn Tucker Windham.

This program can now be viewed online. The program opens with an interview with first-time author Chris Hagler. Randall Williams' interview starts at about 7:45 min into the show.

Watch NewSouth Books' Randall Williams on APT's Face to Face.

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

Video: Winston Groom on Profiles with Wendy Garner

This past May, the Alabama Public Television series Profiles with Wendy Garner broadcast an interview with Alabama author Winston Groom (profiled on This Goodly Land). You can watch this interview as streaming video.

Watch "Winston Groom" on Profiles with Wendy Garner online.

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