Holiday book signing by ASU authors takes place Dec. 3

November 19, 2010 -- A number of ASU faculty members will sign copies of their recently-published books on Friday, Dec. 3, from 12 noon-2 p.m. at the 3^rd floor exhibit space in the Dean B. Ellis Library, 322 University Loop West Circle, Jonesboro.  Books will be available for purchase and will be personally inscribed by the authors for a unique holiday gift. The event is free and open to the public.

The authors who will be signing their books are Dr. Gregory Hansen (“A Florida Fiddler”); Dr. Nancy Hendricks (“Dear Mrs. Caraway, Dear Mr. Kays”); Dr. Natalie Johnson-Leslie and Steve Leslie (“The ABCs of Surviving School Violence”); and Drs. Clyde Milner and Carol O'Connor (“As Big as the West”).

“A Florida Fiddler: The Life and Times of Richard Seaman” by Dr. Gregory Hansen, associate professor of English and folklore, is according to one reviewer, "more than a biography of a traditional fiddle player. It is a chronicle of the collaboration between a fieldworker and his subject, an exploration of the evolution of a tradition … and a study of the American tall tale in its Southern incarnation." Hansen has been a noted presenter on the subject at conferences world-wide including the International Country Music Conference, in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as the North Atlantic Fiddle Conference in Aberdeen, Scotland.

“Dear Mrs. Caraway, Dear Mr. Kays” by Dr. Nancy Hendricks was published last month to coincide with the presentation of the play of the same name at the ASU Centennial Celebration Finale. Hendricks is director of alumni communications and formerly taught English at the university. The book contains the full text of correspondence between A-State President V. C. Kays and U. S. Sen. Hattie Caraway as found in the Kays Archives, which Hendricks utilized in writing the play. It also includes a reassessment of the woman called 'Silent Hattie,' previously-unseen photos from the Caraway family album, and a rare interview with Caraway's granddaughter, her last living direct descendant, who shares memories of the first woman elected to the Senate.

Dr. Natalie A. Johnson-Leslie is an assistant professor of teacher education at ASU, where her husband H. Steve Leslie is an adjunct instructor in communication studies and an academic technology specialist. Together, they have written “The ABC’s of Surviving School Violence,” giving children a course of action for every letter of the alphabet in case of school violence. Dr. Johnson-Leslie and Mr. Leslie state, “School violence over the last decade needs attention in order to prevent more harm to the nation’s children.” The Leslies hope to educate, inform, and instill practical principles and strategies that may save lives. Parents and teachers can use the book to emphasize survival tips to overcome violent acts.

For Drs. Clyde Milner and Carol O'Connor, writing “As Big As the West: The Pioneer Life of Granville Stuart” was an adventure for more than a decade. Their book, described by Oxford University Press as "a fast-paced narrative biography of one of the Frontier West's most complex figures," is the story of Stuart, whose life mirrored the saga of the Old West. Milner is director of ASU's Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program, and O'Connor is interim dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. With rich detail and narrative flair, they illuminate the fascinating, complex life of the archetypal frontiersman who lived a life as big as the West. The book has garnered praise including a starred review in Publishers Weekly, the leading magazine of book publishing.

For more information on the holiday book signing, contact librarian April Sheppard (asheppard@astate.edu) at (870) 972-3077.

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