NEWS

Harris publishes memoirs about growing up in the South

Dr. Trudier Harris, J. Carlyle Sitterson distinguished professor of English at UNC, relates her experiences and memories of growing up as a black female in the South in her recently published memoir, "Summer Snow: Reflections from a Black Daughter of the South."

"Summer Snow," published by Beacon House, is a collection of essays that explore a variety of topics, including the role of extended family in the black community; the significance of front porches in Southern black society; and how higher education affects how black women are treated and received by their peers, all from Harris’ own experience.

A specialist in black literature and folklore, Harris has won the William C. Friday/Class of 1986 Award for Excellence in Teaching and the UNC Tanner Faculty Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. A native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., she holds a bachelor’s degree from Stillman College and master’s and doctoral degrees from Ohio State University.

Harris’s other books include "South of Tradition: Essays on African American Literature" (University of Georgia Press, 2002); "Saints, Sinners, Saviors: Strong Black Women in African American Literature" (Palgrave, 2001); "The Power of the Porch: The Storyteller’s Craft in Zora Neale Hurston, Gloria Naylor and Randall Kenan" (University of Georgia Press, 1996); "Fiction and Folklore: The Novels of Toni Morrison" (University of Tennessee Press, 1991); and "Black Women in the Fiction of James Baldwin" (University of Tennessee Press, 1985).

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Library photo exhibit highlights beauty, contours of human face

UNC senior Brad Rolen of Burlington has a one-person photography exhibit in Davis Library through the summer, titled "Portrait: Landscape." The display in the second floor reading room consists of 10 large-format, silver gelatin prints of the faces of 10 UNC and Duke University students.

Rolen took the pictures for a spring semester portraiture course taught on both campuses and funded by the Robertson Scholars Collaboration Fund. An arm of the Robertson Scholars Program, the fund supports programs designed by students, faculty or staff that help bring the two campuses together. Jeff Whetstone, a UNC art department lecturer, and Wendy Ewald of Duke designed and taught the portraiture course, which was open to all students.

The portraits are very large – 30 inches by 40 inches – and invite viewers to explore the contours of the human face, said Whetstone: "From an artistic point of view, Brad’s photographs draw you in closer and ask you to look at the detail of the human face, then reward you with how beautiful the human face is from even very, very close up. The details of the pictures really seduce you to come in closer."

Hours at Davis vary this time of year. For a schedule, visit http://www.lib.unc.edu/libinfo/hours.html. For more information, call Patricia Thompson, chair of the library public art committee, at 962-2397.

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Common questions facing teachers to be examined in May 15 program

Elementary and middle school teachers face many questions, even after the final bell for students has rung: What is a first-grader’s perspective of a scientist? Do women want careers in science? How can small group teaching be more effective?

Graduate students in the Master’s for Experienced Teachers program in the UNC School of Education will present their research findings on these topics and more at an Action Research Symposium May 15. The free, public symposium will be from 6-9 p.m. at R.D. and Euzelle Smith Middle School, 9201 Seawell School Road, Chapel Hill.

Action research involves case studies of a teacher’s own practice, said Dr. Paula Lane, associate director of the Research Triangle Schools Partnership and an assistant professor in the UNC school. For teachers to change their practice and become better and stronger teachers, they need a way to step back and look at a part of their practice, Lane said. "Action research is a way for [teachers] to step back and take the time to really be reflective and look at an aspect of their teaching."

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Debut novel wins short fiction award

Dave Shaw of UNC’s Center for the Study for the American South has received the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction for his debut novel, "Here Comes the Roar." The book collects three short stories and a short novel, all loosely tied together around a central theme.

The University of North Texas Press gives the Porter award annually to an author who submitted a transcript for consideration for a first book. The winner receives a cash prize and publication by the press. Shaw’s book is due in November.

At UNC, Shaw is deputy editor of "Southern Cultures," a nonprofit print quarterly published for the center by the University of North Carolina Press. The quarterly circulates to more than 2,800 subscribers.

A current online complement includes a music section with samples of more than 40 recordings. The online version is available via http://www.unc.edu/depts/csas/.

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News Services contact: L.J. Toler, 962-8589, laura_toler@unc.edu