by Jenny Geyer
October 31, 2016

The following is a blog post written by Dina Khapaeva, Professor at the School of Modern Languages, Georgia Tech, and author of The Celebration of Death in Contemporary Culture, forthcoming from the University of Michigan Press in spring 2017. Halloween is upon us, a time when the suburbs of any American city can be found covered with images of death, most of them about as realistically revolting as they can be; rotting corpses, mutilated body parts, skulls and crossbones, and skeletons—skeletons of all sizes, standing, hanging, carrying coffins. Already by late September, some of the most exclusive neighborhoods, where funeral […]
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by Lauren Stachew
June 7, 2016
This month is the 37th annual African-American Music Appreciation Month. Originally called ‘Black Music Month,’ Kenny Gamble, Ed Wright, and Dyana Williams developed the idea in 1979 to set aside a month dedicated to celebrating the significance of black music. The group successfully lobbied President Jimmy Carter to host a reception on June 7th, 1979 to formally recognize the month, and since then, African-American Music Appreciation Month has grown into a nationally celebrated and revered occasion, with events held annually across the country. The University of Michigan Press has many exciting titles that celebrate the rich and inspiring history of […]
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