Outside Southside: Natasha Trethewey Named U.S. Poet Laureate

From http://www.loc.gov/poetry/laureate.html.

Natasha Trethewey has been recognized with many titles over the past few years:

• Phillis Wheatley Distinguished Chair in Poetry at Emory University
• Member of the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame
• 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry Recipient
• 2008 Georgia Woman of the Year
• 2010 Keynote Speaker at Hollins University's Commencement
• 2012 Louis D. Rubin Writer-in-Reisdence at Hollins University
• 2012 State Poet Laureate of Mississippi

If you do not know who Trethewey is, that is probably about to change. Earlier today, she was appointed 2012 Poet Laureate of the United States by the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington.

Trethewey, a native of Mississippi and graduate of Hollins, has been noted as a gifted poet since her first collection, Domestic Work, was published in 2000. Since then, she has received numerous accolades for her works, which include Bellocq's Ophelia (2002), Native Guard (2007), Beyond Katrina (2010), and Thrall (expected Fall 2012).

Although Hollins is not quite Southside, it's exciting to have a Virginia connection. Congratulations, Poet Laureate Trethewey!

John Taylor. The Count and the Confession: A True Murder Mystery. New York: Random House, 2002.

from Open Library

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” In a perfect world, all court rulings would have the correct outcome. However, as we have seen time and time again, juries and judges get it wrong sometimes. Unfortunately, this often means that innocent people are forced to spend valuable periods of their lives behind bars and stigmatized. Far too often, individuals are guilty until proven innocent.

I was not going to post a review of John Taylor’s The Count and the Confession for this blog since it’s not quite Southside, but renewed interest in the Michael WayneHash case gave me the push to share my thoughts. Hash was arrested in 2000 for the 1996 murder of a church organist in Culpeper County and has spent the past twelve years in prison. If guilty, he would have been fifteen years old when the crime was committed. Hash maintained his innocence throughout his imprisonment, and he was released from prison yesterday.

Southside in the News: Richard's House of Prayer No. 2 an Entertainment Weekly Favorite

Photo by Jeff Vespa, from Skylight Books

Earlier this year, I reviewed Mark Richard’s House of Prayer No. 2: A Writer’s Journey Home. I discussed how I read it thinking that I would know exactly what it would be about and became pleasantly surprised that I was wrong. Richard has lived a remarkable life, and his ability to describe periods of it is outstanding.

photo from The New Yorker

Turns out, I wasn’t the only one who liked House of Prayer No. 2. I was pleasantly surprised this week when I opened my copy of Entertainment Weekly (always reading it from end to beginning for some reason) to find that Richard’s book had been named number one on “The Best Nonfiction” list. That’s right, he beat out the Steve Jobs biography and Tina Fey’s smart and funny Bossypants, another favorite of mine for 2011.

This is great news for Southside Virginia, of course. Although Richard is not from Southside per se, he is from the city of Franklin, which is close enough. What a wonderful way to recognize literary talent from our part of the state (almost)! If you haven't read it yet, pick it up knowing that you're reading a winner!

Out and about: Sharyn McCrumb at McIntyre's Books in Pittsboro, NC

Okay, I admit that not much of this post has much to do with Southside Virginia. No, Sharyn McCrumb is not a native daughter, and the hanging of Tom Dooley (or Tom Dula) did not occur in our neck of the woods - or state. Still, McCrumb is too good and her latest novel, The Ballad of Tom Dooley (2011), is too fascinating to not at least try to claim her. Virginia may be vastly different from region to region, but it is still worthwhile to celebrate the gems.

Photo from the Wilkes Journal-Patriot

In 2008, McCrumb was named one of eight Virginia Women in History for her depiction of the "richness and variety of Appalachian culture." She has won numerous awards from Virginia organizations and beyond and has seen her novels make the bestseller list multiple times. McCrumb teaches in universities and workshops, and her books are used in classes worldwide.

Outside Southside: Try the "Read North Carolina Novels" blog!

Although Southside Virginia will always be home, I am thoroughly enjoying getting to know North Carolina. Over the weekend I traveled north on Route 501 to have supper with my parents in South Boston. Along the way, feeling guilty for not submitting a blog post in the past week, I realized that you might be interested in a Reader's Advisory blog from our neighbors to the south. The North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill provides an extensive service with nearly 800 posts in its blog, Read North Carolina Novels. It is actually where I got the idea for this blog (full disclosure: I worked at the NCC during my time at UNC. I have posted over 100 posts and continue to volunteer for that blog) and how I learned more about the Old North State.

Therefore, whenever you get impatient with my pace of posting on Read Southside Virginia (my apologies), I encourage you to visit Read North Carolina Novels. You will find some great almost local titles and authors and a summary of each novel that will take you to different places in North Carolina - without spending a dime to get to there!

Mark Richard. House of Prayer No. 2: A Writer's Journey Home. New York: Nan A. Talese, 2011.

photo from The New Yorker

Say you're reading a book; the story is one that you think you’ll know before you’ve even started reading. In nearly every review and description of the book, authors illustrate that the memoir will detail the life of a "special child" growing up in tobacco-loving Southside Virginia during the 1960s. You might assume that the book will be rather self-congratulatory on the part of the author, Mark Richard, and that you will not be able to relate to him or to his experience at all. On those points, you will be wrong and then most likely right. Richard does not at all seem to be patting himself on the back for the success he has created after an undoubtedly difficult childhood complicated by deformed hips. However, you will probably find it hard to relate to his unbelievable and varied experiences.