University of Michigan Press Blog

For World Autism Awareness Day, review lessons from ‘The Accidental Teacher’

by Phillip Witteveen April 2, 2014

According to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly one in 68 American children fall on the Autism spectrum, a category of brain developmental disorders that can encompass a broad array of symptoms that can include difficulty with social interaction and communication and a tendency toward repetitive behaviors. These symptoms vary in severity from person to person, and may be accompanied by other medical conditions. Since the 1970s, April has been National Autism Awareness Month, a month to celebrate the autistic community and to raise awareness about the disability, and start a conversation about their stories […]

Kristin Goss Featured on “New Books in Political Science”

by Phillip Witteveen March 24, 2014

Kristin Goss recently spoke with Heath Brown for the New Books in Political Science podcast, where she discussed her book The Paradox of Gender Equality, a look at “women’s civic place” as it has changed over a 100 year period. In the book, Goss examines the evolution women’s public interests and the parallel evolution of “women’s presence on Capitol Hill” from the late 19th century to the present day. “You didn’t pull off a little project,” says host Heath Brown, “this is a big project.” Goss recounted two stories from early in Paradox, which serve to capture the main argument of the book. […]

‘Butch Queens Up in Pumps’ Reviewed in Lambda Literary Review

by Meredith Kahn March 11, 2014

Cover: Butch Queens Up in Pumps Gender, Performance, and Ballroom Culture in Detroit

Comparative Literature scholar Chase Dimock recently reviewed Marlon M. Bailey’s Butch Queens Up in Pumps: Gender, Performance, and Ballroom Culture in Detroit in the Lambda Literary Review. Dimock praises Bailey’s Butch Queens as a rigorous piece of scholarship, and notes that the book treats its subjects with respect and care, reading “personally and emotionally in a way that few academic studies achieve” thanks to Bailey’s personal experiences and involvement in Detroit Ballroom culture. Read the full review online.

Nancy Goldstein Featured on Marketplace

by Phillip Witteveen March 11, 2014

Nancy Goldstein, author of Jackie Ormes: The First African American Woman Cartoonist, was recently featured on NPR’s Marketplace. The segment joined a series of features for Black History Month. Goldstein explains what makes Ormes a unique and enduringly important figure in the history of American journalism. Through her strong, capable female characters, Ormes told stories that both undercut stereotypical portrayals of African Americans common at the time and tackled difficult topics with humor and wit. Listen to the segment and see images of Ormes’s work at Marketplace.org.

As Denzel Washington opens ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ on Broadway, Ellen Handler Spitz’ ‘Illuminating Childhood’ explores the play’s significance

by Shaun Manning March 6, 2014

“Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 play, A Raisin in the Sun, was both her first and the first by any playwright of color to astonish Broadway,” Ellen Handler Spitz writes in Illuminating Childhood: Portraits in Film, Fiction, and Drama, opening an entire chapter devoted to the play. “Crossing boundaries of race, ideology, and class, it puts onstage an unforgettable portrayal of parent-child relations, bridging all gaps, and the maturity of Hansberry’s grasp, at the age of twenty-eight, is breathtaking.” The latest revival of A Raisin in the Sun, directed by Kenny Leon and starring Denzel Washington, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, and Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose, begins […]

← Previous Entries