Mark West

Charlotte Professor Mark West who organized a Novello-lite to fill the void this year. The library liked West’s idea, and is sponsoring “A Tribute to Novello.”

Local writers will lend their services for free and Novello Press will announce the two books it will publish this year.

“I felt like the community had benefited from Novello for all these years and maybe it was time for the community to show its appreciation to the Library for what the festival has come to mean,” said West in a press release from the library.

October 1 and 2 will feature adult authors and October 9 will feature young adult and children’s authors.

In addition, Novello Festival Press (NFP) will present its two most recent publications:

October 2: Topograph: New Writing from the Carolinas and the Landscape Beyond, an Anthology edited by Charlotte Viewpoint’s Jeff Jackson
October 9: The Children’s Book: Wings and Dreams: The Legend of Angel Falls by Irania Macias Patterson with illustrations by Catherine Courtlandt McElvane.

Pat Siegfried, a former librarian with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and current owner of Black Forest Books and Toys, will head up the youth events. West will coordinate the adult events.

For more information visit the Library’s website at www.cmlibrary.org/novello.

A Tribute to Novello Schedule:

Adult Events — Friday, Oct. 1
Location: Levine Museum of the New South, 200 E. Seventh Street
7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: History Writers Panel
Featuring the exhibit: Old Stories for a New South – Artist/Author Gail Haley
Haley’s original artwork created for Mountain Jack Tales and other books will be on display along with Southern folktales and paintings

Mary Kratt: is the author of more than a dozen books of regional history and poetry. Her prizewinning works include biography, women’s history and other lively stories.

Tom Hanchett: is the staff historian at the Levine Museum of the New South.

John Grooms: is an award-winning writer and former editor of Creative Loafing newspaper. Grooms writes the CL column, “Boomer with Attitude”.

Mike Lassiter: is the author of Our Vanishing Americana: A North Carolina Portrait.

Adult Events — Saturday, Oct. 2
Location: Main Library, 310 North Tryon Street, Charlotte

10 a.m. to 4p.m., Used Book Sale
Great bargains on used books in the Francis Auditorium of Main Library, lower level. Produced by the Friends of the Public Library to benefit the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. This inventory sampling sale is a prelude to the Friends’ HUGE book sale scheduled for October 22-28 at Quail Corners Shopping Center.

12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m., Fantasy Writers Panel
Andrew Hartley is a Distinguished Professor of Shakespeare at UNC Charlotte. His latest book is a fantasy novel titled Act of Will. He is also the writer of several thrillers including his latest, On the Fifth Day.

Faith Hunter is the author of “The Jane Yellowrock Series” and other fantasy/science fiction books.

1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., Romance Writers Panel
Harold Lowry (aka Leigh Greenwood) is the author of the novel Someone Like You . Lowry was the first male president of the Romance Writers Association of America.

AlTonya Washington has been a published romance novelist for 6 years. Her novel Finding Love Again won the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Multicultural Romance in 2004. Her latest novel is The Book of Scandal.

2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., Novello Festival Press (NFP) Panel
NFP will showcase one of its its two most recent publications: Topograph: New Writing from the Carolinas and the Landscape Beyond, an anthology edited by Charlotte Viewpoint’s Jeff Jackson. The children’s book: Wings and Dreams: The Legend of Angel Falls by Irania Macias Patterson with illustrations by Catherine Courtlandt McElvane will be showcased on October 9.

3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m., Mystery Writers Panel
Mark de Castrique: is an author, playwright, public speaker, and television producer. His latest novel is Fatal Undertaking.

Cathy Pickens: is a lawyer turned award-winning writer of the Southern Fried Mystery series featuring Avery Andrews.

4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Poetry Panel
Tony Abbott, Alex Grant, and Diana Pinckney (Lorimer Press)
Irene Honeycutt, Richard Allen Taylor, and Stephen E. Smith (Main Street Rag Press)

5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., Short Story Writers Panel
Aimee Parkison is an award-winning fiction writer and UNC Charlotte professor. Her work has appeared in North American Review, Quarterly West, Other Voices, Fiction International, Denver Quarterly, American Literary Review, Crab Orchard Review, River City, and Web Conjunctions.

Robert Boisvert is a Charlotte news anchor and is the author of Long Dead Lover, a short story collection.

S. Craig Renfroe teaches English courses at Queens University and is the author of the short story collection, You Should Get That Looked At.

6:30 p.m. to 8p.m., Novelists Panel
Judy Goldman is an award-winning author and poet. Her work has been published in many literary journals such as Kenyon Review, Southern Review, Ohio Review, Gettysburg Review and in numerous anthologies. Her latest novel is Early Leaving.

Aaron Gwyn is an award-winning author and he is a professor at UNC Charlotte. His work has appeared in several journals and anthologies including The Gettysburg Review, Esquire, McSweeney’s, Glimmer Train and many others. His latest work is the novel, The World Beneath.

Pat MacEnulty is the author of five books as well as numerous short stories, essays, poems and plays. She is also a teacher, workshop leader, writing coach and freelance editor. She is the recipient of several awards for screenplays and fiction writing.

All Day, Local publishing houses Main Street Rag, Lorimer Press and Novello Festival Press will have booths with books to sell and featured writers.

Children’s Events — Saturday, Oct. 9
Location: ImaginOn: The Joe and Joan Martin Center, 300 East 7th Street

10:30 Opening entertainment/book characters “Max” and “Spot”

Studio i Author Panels
11:15 a.m. Junior Fiction
Stephanie Tolan: Listen!; Surviving the Applewhites; Wishworks, Inc.,
Eleanora E. Tate: Celeste’s Harlem Renaissance, The Secret of Gumbo Grove
Melissa Thomson: author of the Keena Ford series

12:15 p.m. Young Adult Mystery/Suspense
Caroline B. Cooney: Face on the Milk Carton, If the Witness Lied, and many more

Mark de Castrique: Death on a Southern Breeze

1:15 p.m. Young Adult
Carrie Ryan: Dead-Tossed Waves, Forest of Hands & Teeth
Karon Luddy: Spelldown

First Floor Picture Book Panels
11 a.m. Authors and Illustrators
Tameka Brown: Around Our Way on Neighbors’ Day
Sherry Neidigh: Count Down to Fall, The Best Nest (Illustrator)
Gail Haley ,A Story, A Story, Mountain Jack Tales, Kokopelli Drum in Belly (Author and illustrator)
Judy Stead: The Twelve Days of Christmas in North Carolina (Author and Illustrator)
12 p.m.
Carole Boston Weatherford: Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, The Beatitudes: From Slavery to Civil Rights, and many more
Gloria Houston: Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree, My Great Aunt Arizona, Mountain Valor, and more
Kelly Starling Lyons: One Million Men & Me and Eddie’s Ordeal

1:30 Introducing Novello Festival Press’ new bi-lingual children’s book
Wings and Dreams: the Legend of Angel Falls”
Author: Irania Macias Patterson
Illustrator: Catherine Courtlandt McElvane

Children’s crafts, activities and appearances by book characters “Max” and “Spot” occur throughout the day from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information contact:
Adult Event Oct. 1&2: Mark West (704) 687-4229 (704) 687-4229
Children’s Event Oct. 9: Pat Siegfried (704) 332-4838 (704) 332-4838
Media Inquiries: Angela Haigler (704) 416-0704 (704) 416-0704

Information regarding A Tribute to Novello can be found at www.cmlibrary.org/novello

After the break, read the CMS press release and see a list of the schools that could close. Others on the list? Garinger, Harding and Olympic high schools.

CMS Schools that could close.

Press Release:

Guiding principles applied in preliminary list of schools

Board of Education asks staff to continue to develop framework for improving schools

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Sept. 7, 2010 – The guiding principles developed by the

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education during the summer got their first

application Sept. 7 in a work session, as CMS staff presented a list of 32 schools

where change may be needed.

Using the Board’s guiding principles, CMS staff developed an index that uses four

factors to compare schools: academic proficiency, academic growth, per-pupil cost

and condition of the school. Because the Board has made academic growth a top

priority, the index weights it more heavily than other factors.

Mike Raible, executive director of planning and project management, gave a

presentation explaining how the index was created and how it was used in generating

the list. Dr. Christopher Cobitz, executive director of state and federal programs

for the CMS Office of Accountability, provided in-depth statistical explanations of

the index.

In choosing the list of schools where change is needed, the staff also looked at

site-specific factors at schools. CMS staff emphasized that the list was the

starting point for Board discussions about changes at schools, and that the list is

very likely to change as that conversation continues.

“This is not going to be an easy process,” Dr. Gorman told employees in an email

after the meeting. “Whenever lists are made, anxieties rise. That’s understandable.

But I hope that our employees and our parents and the community at large will see

this list for what it is: a starting point for Board discussions that will resume on

Thursday and last well into the fall about our schools and how we can work together

to improve academic achievement and most wisely use the resources that we have.”

The Sept. 7 work session continued a series of Board meetings and forums on best

ways to improve Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and use resources wisely. The public

forums began in June and continued through the summer.

The Case for Continuous Improvement: A Comprehensive Review of CMS is the title of

the Board review intended to refine the guiding principles used to set policy in

such areas as transportation, student assignment, magnet lottery and other district

operations.

Staff will offer further recommendations to the Board Sept. 14. Public comment on

the recommendations will begin after Sept. 28.

To see the slide presentation from the Sept. 7 work session click

here<https://extranet.cms.k12.nc.us/news/stories/newsletters/pdf/9A7A201044906PM.pdf>.

To see the full list of CMS schools and their ranking using the index, click

here<https://extranet.cms.k12.nc.us/news/stories/newsletters/pdf/9A7A201044935PM.pdf>.

As you know, Beitler has been polling between 6-10% in recent polls and he has taken a controversial stance on the immigration issue (in favor of amnesty and pathway to citizenship).

Even Democrats, who in general favor amnesty, do not have the guts to use the word “amnesty.” Yes, Beitler might not be known now, and he may not be on election day, but with such a controversial stance on immigration, he will raise more than a few eyebrows.

Mint Hill Police are urging all residents to make sure that they do not leave their vehicles unlocked with personal items inside. Several items have been stolen to include, Car stereos, GPS Systems, IPods, Laptops, Money, and any other items of value.

Mint Hill Police are requesting that residents pay close attention to their neighborhoods for suspicious activity and persons. Any items of value should be removed from your vehicles and placed in a secure area.

Please contact Mint Hill Police at 704-545-1085 (Office) or 704-889-2231 (Dispatch) for concerns on this release. For immediate and emergency assistance please call 911.

Also in this week’s paper:

• Dwight Moody, who has called the Mint Hill area home for many decades, is a world famous bluegrass fiddler. Read the first of a two-part interview about his amazing 60 year career that is still going strong. In the video above, watch him play fiddle with the latest incarnation of the WBT Briarhoppers, a band he has played for since the 1940s.

• A Mint Hill fireman was injured at last Saturday’s training session. Mint Hill, along with Idlewild and Matthews fire departments, used the old Idlewild Country Club building in a controlled burn for training purposes. However, everything didn’t go according to plan.

• The Mint Hill Historical Society has another Eagle Scout building a historically accurate structure at the Carl J. Historical Village. Lacey Hampton reports.

• In sports, Rocky River High School may have lost its first game last week, but that didn’t stop the school spirit. Also, read previews of Butler, Independence and Rocky River’s games this week.

• In the opinion section, Leslie Southerland has the kindergarten blues, this week’s editorial looks at the latest black eye for Butler High School, and John Hood “believes” Bev Perdue’s excuse for not reporting travel campaign expenses.

Neiman Marcus chose Charlotte Mecklenburg Library as the charitable beneficiary for its Fashion’s Night Out event on Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m.  Winners of the raffle will be announced at the free event, but they do not have to be present to win. Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased on-line by visiting www.cmlibrary.org/raffle. Tickets can also be purchased at the event or at any of the 20 library locations.

Interested in attending Fashion’s Night Out? Reserve your spot at the event by emailing RSVPCharlotte@NeimanMarcus.com.

However, the genre’s penetration into the schools is mixed. Jeff Jones, the media center specialist at Charlotte’s Independence High School, said there are “50 or 60 books” in the graphic novel collection. “The same people check out a lot of them, but not a lot of different people,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s just for free reading [and] entertainment.”