Is it just me or have some really great authors come out of Knoxville?
I have just finished my week in Knoxville and I couldn't have had a better time. The weather was perfect, the people welcoming and more authors than I know what to do with. Local columnist and author Jack Neely spent two days talking with me about some of the great Knoxville authors such as James Agee, Cormac McCarthy and Nikki Giovanni.
I also visited the Alex Haley Farm right outside of Knoxville. I was able to tour the Langston Hughes Library there as well as speak with Kathy Stookesbury-Long about Alex Haley and the time he spent in Knoxville.
Paul Bergeron met me in front of the Mabry-Hazen House to discuss his book "Andrew Johnson's Civil War and Reconstruction." Forensic Anthropologist Dr. William Bass talked to me about his memoir "Death's Acre" and how the body farm came to be at the University of Tennessee. And finally, Fred Brown and Jeanne McDonald discussed how the south shapes its writers from their book, "Growing Up Southern."
Thanks for the great interviews Knoxville!
Tiffany
Friday, October 7, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Welcome to Knoxville!
We started the week as a guest on Knoxville's NewsTalk 98.7 radio host Hallerin Hilton Hill's morning show. We found out that HE is the true C-SPAN Junkie!
We joined Comcast and the East Tennessee Historical Society for the "Knoxville Week" kick-off event at the East Tennessee History Center. Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and City of Knoxville Senior Director of Policy and Communications Bill Lyons welcomed C-SPAN. Dr. W. Bruce Wheeler gave the keynote remarks about the history of Knoxville and its role in the future. Comcast worked with us on coordinating the many logistics for the week...special thanks to Comcast's Russell Byrd, Susan Arp with SRW Associates and the City of Knoxville. We would also like to thank Cherel Henderson and the staff at the East Tennessee Historical Society for co-hosting a successful event with Comcast and C-SPAN.
We arrived in Knoxville this past weekend and jumped right into the rich history. We toured Knoxville Civil War sites with Frank H. McClung Museum's Joan Markel and learned about the city's early history at the William Blount Mansion. Blount was one of the signers of the U.S. Constitution.
On the literary scene, we talked with Professor Dan Feller about "The Papers of Andrew Jackson" series. The University of Tennessee Press has just released Volume 8. We met local author Martha Rose Woodward at the Sunsphere where she talk about her book "Knoxville's 1982 World's Fair". She explained how Knoxville was picked to host the world's fair and what impact it had on the city.
On the education front, we visited with the teachers and students at West High School and Farragut Middle School.
More to come on our visit to Knoxville!!
Debbie, Tiffany and Adrienne
We joined Comcast and the East Tennessee Historical Society for the "Knoxville Week" kick-off event at the East Tennessee History Center. Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and City of Knoxville Senior Director of Policy and Communications Bill Lyons welcomed C-SPAN. Dr. W. Bruce Wheeler gave the keynote remarks about the history of Knoxville and its role in the future. Comcast worked with us on coordinating the many logistics for the week...special thanks to Comcast's Russell Byrd, Susan Arp with SRW Associates and the City of Knoxville. We would also like to thank Cherel Henderson and the staff at the East Tennessee Historical Society for co-hosting a successful event with Comcast and C-SPAN.
We arrived in Knoxville this past weekend and jumped right into the rich history. We toured Knoxville Civil War sites with Frank H. McClung Museum's Joan Markel and learned about the city's early history at the William Blount Mansion. Blount was one of the signers of the U.S. Constitution.
On the literary scene, we talked with Professor Dan Feller about "The Papers of Andrew Jackson" series. The University of Tennessee Press has just released Volume 8. We met local author Martha Rose Woodward at the Sunsphere where she talk about her book "Knoxville's 1982 World's Fair". She explained how Knoxville was picked to host the world's fair and what impact it had on the city.
On the education front, we visited with the teachers and students at West High School and Farragut Middle School.
More to come on our visit to Knoxville!!
Debbie, Tiffany and Adrienne
Friday, September 23, 2011
It's time for "Charlotte Weekend" !
Charlotte weekend on Book TV and American History TV is upon us. We've been putting together the wide ranging segments we recorded while in Charlotte earlier this month. Some of the highlights on AHTV on C-SPAN3 are a tour of the Reed Gold Mine, and a profile of Charlotte’s Civil Rights movement with Charles Jones. On Book TV on C-SPAN2, we will hear from several local non-fiction authors including Rick Rothacker, author of "Banktown", where we learn about the rise and struggles of big banks in Charlotte. Too many programs to list here - but be sure to catch Book TV and AHTV this weekend. Check out the videos listed above on this page or visit our C-SPAN Video Library at c-span.org/videolibrary
Special thanks to the City of Charlotte, Mayor Anthony Foxx and Time Warner Cable for “C-SPAN Week” Proclamation in Charlotte – 9/19 to 9/25—such an honor! Thank you!
The Local Content Vehicle staff
Friday, September 2, 2011
Education Week in Charlotte
Special thank you to Time Warner's Dan Ballister, Central Piedmont Community College Associate Dean, Melissa Vrana and Dr. Cindy Moss, Director, STEM Program, with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for spear heading the educational visits in the Charlotte area. Our community and educational outreach in Charlotte gave us an opportunity showcase C-SPAN's free online educational resources, the LCV video production initiative and C-SPAN Classroom's 2012 StudentCam contest!
We kicked off the week with Gordon Bynum's Media and World History upper school classes at Providence Day School where we focused on video production, politics and the media. In addition, lower and upper school Librarians met with me to talk about C-SPAN's free resources for teachers.
Kristin Glaeser at Cochrane Collegiate Academy (Middle School) provided me with an opportunity to talk with her 9th grade World History students. Principal Pam Espinosa at McClintock Middle School gathered almost two hundred 6th to 8th grade middle school students in their auditorium. These students were engaged and ready to offer their thoughts on the next presidential election!
Central Piedmont Community College -- what can I say, they were fantastic! Lead by Melissa Vrana, Associate Dean, Arts, Communication and Culinary Arts...approximately 230 students met with me inside Tate Hall on Piedmont’s Central Campus. We conducted two sessions that focused on political discourse, C-SPAN's role in the media and how they can utilize C-SPAN's Video Library in their course work. The two groups included students from Political Science, Journalism, History as well as English majors.
I made a brief stop to Piedmont Middle School where Principal Dee Gardner helped collect several eager students to hear about how they can participate in StudentCam.
Principal Louise Jones set up presentations for several video production and journalism student groups in Hopewell High School's media center/auditorium located in Huntersville, NC.
Amanda Bradford Literacy Facilitator at Morehead STEM Academy brought 6th and 7th grade classes who were given an opportunity to learn from each other about what they would like to see President Obama focus on -- the students engaged in a healthy debate about the President and the future of the U.S... They also found out they don't have to wait to vote to get involved...they too just need to pick up a camera and start asking questions to find various points of view!
I think we will see StudentCam entries from our Charlotte middle and high school education community – they have been given this challenge -- so, go Charlotte go! Visit studentcam.org for more information about C-SPAN's 2012 video documentary contest!!
Thank you all for your time!
Debbie
Charlotte Authors, Bookstores and Libraries - Oh my!
Charlotte's literary community kept me busy! I started off the week speaking with David Radavich, president of the Charlotte Writers' Club. We met at The Book Mark where we picked a quite little corner and discussed the literary scene in Charlotte. Next, I went to the intersection of Trade and Tryon where I met up with Rick Rothacker who is a writer for the Charlotte Observer. He recently released a book called "Banktown" about the rise and struggles of big banks in Charlotte like Bank of America and Wachovia (now Wells Fargo).
I spent a couple days at UNC-Charlotte interviewing two professors. David Goldfield talked about his book "America Aflame" regarding the Civil War's impact on the nation. We taped his interview in the beautiful gardens of the University. Then, traveled to the Historic Rosedale Plantation where we heard from Karen Cox about her book "Dreaming of Dixie". I also caught up with Katie McCormick, assistant University Librarian for Specials Collections, to talk about the rare books located in the J. Murrey Atkins Library.
I stopped by Park Road Books and spoke with owner Sally Brewster about her store and readership in the community. I visited the Mecklenburg Public Library, where Jane Johnson was kind enough to give me a tour and talk to me about the library and rare finds they have in their Carolina Room.
I ended my week with an interview with Kevin Morgan Watson, founder and editor in chief of Press53, an independent publisher. We talked about the nature of the business and how he competes with larger publishers.
You will get a chance to view these unique video segments during C-SPAN2's Charlotte Weekend on BookTV September 24th and 25th. They will also be available to view online at www.c-span.org/lcvcontent or C-SPAN's Video Library at www.c-span.org/videolibrary indefinitely!! Thank you Charlotte!
Tiffany
I spent a couple days at UNC-Charlotte interviewing two professors. David Goldfield talked about his book "America Aflame" regarding the Civil War's impact on the nation. We taped his interview in the beautiful gardens of the University. Then, traveled to the Historic Rosedale Plantation where we heard from Karen Cox about her book "Dreaming of Dixie". I also caught up with Katie McCormick, assistant University Librarian for Specials Collections, to talk about the rare books located in the J. Murrey Atkins Library.
I stopped by Park Road Books and spoke with owner Sally Brewster about her store and readership in the community. I visited the Mecklenburg Public Library, where Jane Johnson was kind enough to give me a tour and talk to me about the library and rare finds they have in their Carolina Room.
I ended my week with an interview with Kevin Morgan Watson, founder and editor in chief of Press53, an independent publisher. We talked about the nature of the business and how he competes with larger publishers.
You will get a chance to view these unique video segments during C-SPAN2's Charlotte Weekend on BookTV September 24th and 25th. They will also be available to view online at www.c-span.org/lcvcontent or C-SPAN's Video Library at www.c-span.org/videolibrary indefinitely!! Thank you Charlotte!
Tiffany
Distant and Recent History in Charlotte
The last two days in Charlotte offered quite a contrast in history. I spent Thursday focusing on the 18th century in Mecklenburg County and Friday was dedicated to Charlotte's most recent history including the incredible growth of the city's immigrant population.
The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, or Meck Dec as the locals refer to it, is claimed to be the first ever written declaration of independence from the Crown of England. History lovers in Charlotte say the Meck Dec occurred on May 20, 1775. There is some controversy surrounding this document, because some claim the original was burned in a fire. I learned about General Cornwallis' battle in Charlotte during the fall of 1780. The final stop Thursday took us to President James K. Polk's birthplace in Mecklenburg County. The museum and surrounding land is dedicated to the early years of Polk's life.
My final stop Friday morning was at the Levine Museum of the New South where I learned about Charlotte's most recent history, the growth of the banking industry of the city, and Charlotte's growing immigrant population. Charlotte lays claim to the second fastest growing Latino population in the country.
I bid a final farewell to the Queen City. I give a big thank you to the folks at Time Warner Cable, who were such a big help in coordinating a successful trip.
Adrienne
The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, or Meck Dec as the locals refer to it, is claimed to be the first ever written declaration of independence from the Crown of England. History lovers in Charlotte say the Meck Dec occurred on May 20, 1775. There is some controversy surrounding this document, because some claim the original was burned in a fire. I learned about General Cornwallis' battle in Charlotte during the fall of 1780. The final stop Thursday took us to President James K. Polk's birthplace in Mecklenburg County. The museum and surrounding land is dedicated to the early years of Polk's life.
My final stop Friday morning was at the Levine Museum of the New South where I learned about Charlotte's most recent history, the growth of the banking industry of the city, and Charlotte's growing immigrant population. Charlotte lays claim to the second fastest growing Latino population in the country.
I bid a final farewell to the Queen City. I give a big thank you to the folks at Time Warner Cable, who were such a big help in coordinating a successful trip.
Adrienne
Thursday, September 1, 2011
C-SPAN Meets CHARLOTTE
Welcome to Charlotte!!! We joined our long time partner Time Warner Cable for our "Charlotte Week" kick-off event at the Charlotte Museum of History. Dr. Tom Hanchett gave the keynote remarks about the history of Charlotte and the New South. The folks at Time Warner Cable worked with us on coordinating the many logistics for the week...special thanks to Mike Smith, Mike Tanck, Dan Ballister and Stephanie Richin for their hard work. We would also like to thank Angelica Docgue, Mary Turk-Meena, Elizabeth Miller and the staff at the Charlotte Museum of History for co-hosting a successful event with Time Warner and C-SPAN.
We arrived in the Queen City this past weekend and jumped right into the rich history. We toured the Reed Gold Mine, The Old Mint and the Hezekiah Alexander Home. We spoke to two men who have fought for civil rights in Charlotte, Charles Jones who participated in sit-ins during the 1960's and James Ferguson, a civil rights attorney who focused on busing.
On the literary scene, we talked with author Rich Rothacker "Banktown: The Rise and Struggles of Charlotte's Big Banks" in downtown Charlotte outside the Bank of America Headquarters. We met with the president of the Charlotte Writers Club about the local area writers and visited the popular independent Park Roads Books store.
On the political front, in the less than a year Charlotte will be home to the 2012 Democratic Convention. Mayor Anthony Foxx and CEO of the DNCC, Steve Kerrigan provided us with insight into the planning process and the impact the convention will on the city of Charlotte. Bob Morgan, President of the Charlotte Chamber talked to us about the business climate in this growing and changing city.
More to come from this great southern hub!
Debbie
We arrived in the Queen City this past weekend and jumped right into the rich history. We toured the Reed Gold Mine, The Old Mint and the Hezekiah Alexander Home. We spoke to two men who have fought for civil rights in Charlotte, Charles Jones who participated in sit-ins during the 1960's and James Ferguson, a civil rights attorney who focused on busing.
On the literary scene, we talked with author Rich Rothacker "Banktown: The Rise and Struggles of Charlotte's Big Banks" in downtown Charlotte outside the Bank of America Headquarters. We met with the president of the Charlotte Writers Club about the local area writers and visited the popular independent Park Roads Books store.
On the political front, in the less than a year Charlotte will be home to the 2012 Democratic Convention. Mayor Anthony Foxx and CEO of the DNCC, Steve Kerrigan provided us with insight into the planning process and the impact the convention will on the city of Charlotte. Bob Morgan, President of the Charlotte Chamber talked to us about the business climate in this growing and changing city.
More to come from this great southern hub!
Debbie
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Frankfort Highlights!!
Frankfort weekend on Book TV and American History TV is upon us. We've been busily putting together the wide ranging segments we recorded while in Frankfort earlier this month as well as during our visit in late March. Frankfort was integral in the start of our LCV project as they were the first city to work with us to test out our new programming and community outreach initiative. During our visit in March, Frankfort Plant Board Superintendent, Cable/Telecommunications John Higginbotham, General Manager Jim Smith , Frankfort Plant Board members and the city of Frankfort including Mayor Gippy welcomed C-SPAN to Frankfort. They provided us with an opportunity to present C-SPAN’s new LCV initiative and highlight Frankfort Plant Board’s continued commitment to providing C-SPAN in the community. Frankfort Plant Board was the first C-SPAN affiliate to launch C-SPAN in HD.
During my visit in March, I talked with Freddie Johnson a third generation employee at Buffalo Trace Distillery. He tell the story of Prohibition, the first settlers and whiskey production. Curator Sara Elliot provided us insight into the political climate and events leading up to the assignation of Governor William Goebel—the only governor to be assassinated while in office. Russell Hatter, Frankfort’s historical expert, gave me a tour of Fort Hill overlooking downtown Frankfort where military fortifications were built during the Civil War to protect the city and its pro-Union state government. There, we discovered in 1864 Confederate rebels attacked Frankfort. The community warded off the attack from inside the Fort Boone earthen fort and as a result the state capital remained in Frankfort. And, Dr. Anne Butler talked about Kentucky State University as a Historical Black College and University (HBCU) and its impact in history. We also appreciate all of the assistance we received from Karla Nicholson and the rest of the staff from the Liberty Hall Historic Site.
Adrienne and Tiffany returned in August to tape additional programming for AHTV and BookTV. Tiffany focused on videotaping segments for BookTV. She talked to Lizz Taylor at Poor Richard’s Books about the bookstore and the voracious readers that live in Frankfort and heard from Doug Boyd, Kent Masterson Brown and other authors as they told the stories of Frankfort’s history and Kentucky’s history as a whole. Look for her produced segments on BookTV and right here on the LCV website.
Adrienne videotaped additional historical programming for AHTV which included segments on Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan who is best known for 3 dissents related to Civil Rights cases in which he was the lone man in decent; The Civil Rights Cases in 1883, Plessy v. Ferguson, and the Berea College case in 1908. The Kentucky Historical Society where she went behind the scenes with Trevor Jones to show our audience the Special Collections at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History. He also provided us with a tour of the Old Kentucky State Arsenal now referred to as the Kentucky Military Museum, a castle-like structure that was once used to house all of the state’s ammunition. She talked with Education Programs Administrator Leslie McWhorter about the architecture and the history of Old State Capitol. This is the third state Capitol building. Fire destroyed the first two buildings. This version, completed in 1830, was designed by 25-year old architect Gideon Shyrock. This is the only pro-Union state capitol occupied by the Confederate army.
I think we all three agree that our time in Frankfort was productive, interesting and fun! You can’t beat Frankfort’s hospitality. We want to extend a special thanks to John Higginbotham..his support and continue commitment to C-SPAN helped make the two weeks a huge success!
Be sure to catch Book TV and AHTV this weekend. Or...check out the videos listed above on this page.
Thank you,
Thank you,
Debbie and the rest of the crew…Mark, Adrienne and Tiffany
Thursday, July 28, 2011
It's Charleston Weekend
Charleston weekend on Book TV and American History TV is upon us. We've been busily putting together the wide ranging segments we recorded while in Charleston earlier this month. Some of the highlights on AHTV are a look at the progress being made on the Hunley submarine, and also a profile of the Old Slave Mart Museum. On Book TV, our exploration of the rare holdings of the Waring Historical Library will be sure to intrigue many interested in how medicine was practiced in colonial and antebellum times. Too many programs to list here - but be sure to catch Book TV and AHTV this weekend. Or...check out the videos listed above on this page.
Thanks - the Local Content Vehicle staff
Thanks - the Local Content Vehicle staff
Friday, July 1, 2011
Charleston Week
Look forward to spending the next few weeks readying all the segments for Book TV and American History Television - airing the weekend of July 30-31.
-Debbie, Tiffany, and Adrienne
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