Office of Scholarly Publications at Georgetown University: The Revenge of Bonnie Morris

Thursday, March 05, 2009

The Revenge of Bonnie Morris

I get a major kick out of Georgetown Women's Studies lecturer Bonnie Morris, who appeared like a comet in my office when Booklab was just getting rolling. I went to see her amazing one-woman show "The Revenge of the Women's Studies Professor" when she performed in DC a couple of years back, and now I'm happy to note that it's a new (last month!) book from Indiana University Press. "Dr. Bon" is an oldskool feminist with two books that were finalists for the Lambda literary award, and a seat on the board of Mothertongue, a DC-based spoken-word theatre space for women. She has more energy than a sugar-fed fifth-grader, and if you thought sexism was a thing of the past, her books will get you thinking twice.

1 comment:

Sandra said...: I heard Bonnie read at mothertongue some time back and was just blown away by how smart and funny her voice is...she was reading from a memoir-style essay about growing up with very progressive, activist parents, so I'll be intrigued to see if it found its way into this book.

It's an important topic, too. I think too many folks just assume that the age of sexism is past in academia or in the workplace. It's not. There's been huge progress, sure, but there's also some shocking everyday reminders of how ingrained people's attitudes can be.

Thanks so much for the heads up that this has come out!; 3/14/2009 10:24 AM

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Literary Events

William Morris Endeavor Agency Visited Booklab. Eric Lupfer of the William Morris Endeavor Agency was my guest for a Georgetown University faculty book talk at noon on October 15 in the Leavey Center. Over 70 faculty members attended, including special guests from the Center For Advanced Holocaust Studies at the Holocaust Museum, and some from Mary Washington College. Eric focused on his own approaches, work he admires, and backstage realities at a major literary agency.
Matthew Carnicelli Visited Booklab. This former Dutton editor turned literary agent, first in his own boutique and now with Trident Media, captivated an audience of 70 faculty members with his insights on how scholarly research can form the basis of engaging and popular books. He discussed some of the mechanics of approaching agents, but his core message was what he particularly looks for in an engaging crossover book.
Cary Goldstein Visited Booklab. Director of Publicity and Acquiring Editor Cary Goldstein at Hachette's estimable imprint TWELVE discussed how academic authors can become quoted experts in today's voracious news climate. He analyzed nonfiction from both of his unique perspectives: as an acquisitions editor, and as a senior-level publicity strategist. He also discussed TWELVE and what distinguishes its editorial and promotional approach from other houses.
Smithsonian Books Editor and Georgetown Alumna Visits Georgetown. Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard, a senior editor at Smithsonian Books who was an executive editor at Random House and Farrar, Straus & Giroux, and who has been reponsible for several literary bestsellers, will co-teach a book proposal seminar in the spring. Please see the blog at the left for details.
Sebastian Junger Visited Booklab. Bestselling author Sebastian Junger -- who used to be a Washington, DC journalist and who is still a reporter at heart -- is also a great supporter of Booklab. He discussed his work with faculty. We met in the historic Philodemic Room, where he offered such unorthodox advice as "Write what you DON'T know... you'll learn along with your readers and tell a better, more thorough story." Afterward he accompanied our team to the National Press Club for its annual Book Fair and Authors Night.
Georgetown Author Barbara Mujica at Chapters Literary Bookstore. Georgetown alumna and Chapters co-owner Terri Merz hosted Barbara Mujica at Chapters for a special wine reception.
Oxford University Press Visited Georgetown. The Faculty of Languages and Linguistics hosted Cynthia Read, the executive editor of Oxford USA, on April 17 for a conversation and question and answer session.
University of Arizona Press Visited Georgetown. Carole Sargent welcomed Dr. Christine Szuter, Director of the University of Arizona Press, at the Book Lab townhouse on Wednesday, March 14 at 10:30 a.m.
The Authors Guild at Georgetown. Executive Director Paul Aiken and General Counsel Jan Constantine answered professors' questions about university press contracts, and authors submitted contracts ahead of time for detailed review.
Father James V. Schall read from his new book The Life of the Mind: On the Joys and Travails of Thinking, in late October.
Gemstone of Paradise: The Holy Grail in Wolfram's Parzival, by G. Ronald Murphy, S.J. was the subject of a book talk at the National Press Club's Eric Friedheim Library. Father Murphy regaled the audience with his fascinating story of actually finding the Holy Grail.

Office of Scholarly Publications
at Georgetown University

Thursday, March 05, 2009

The Revenge of Bonnie Morris

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