Tuesday, September 28, 2010

MacArthur Genius Grant Winner Annette Gordon-Reed Speaks at Monticello

Word comes from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation that one of the recipients of this year's so-called "genius grants" -- a $500,000, no-strings-attached fellowship -- is historian Annette Gordon-Reed, whose Pulitzer Prizing-winning book, The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family, also earned the National Book Award in 2008. Gordon-Reed is also author of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy, published in 1998.

Days before she received the Pulitzer Prize for history, I captured Gordon-Reed on video as she delivered remarks at the grand opening ceremony of the Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center and Smith Education Center at Monticello. In this video clip, she is introduced by Leslie Greene Bowman, president of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation.


The ceremony took place on April 15, 2009, two days after Thomas Jefferson's birthday and, perhaps coincidentally, the same date as the first boisterous exercise in democracy known as the Tea Party at the Charlottesville Pavilion.


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Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Set Your Clock Radio Alarm

Last week's guest spot on Coy Barefoot's WINA-AM radio show was so successful that I have been invited back to do the show again tomorrow (Thursday), September 2, during the 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. segment.

One way to measure success on talk radio is by counting the number of listeners who call in with a question or comment.  A couple of months ago, I was on Coy's show and nobody called in, which was disappointing.  But last week's appearance attracted five callers on the air, with two others waiting to talk when the show segment had to break for the news at the top of the hour.

You can hear the whole conversation from August 24, including the call-ins, at Charlottesville Podcasting Network.

Last week we talked about Governor Bob McDonnell's proposals to privatize the state ABC monopoly and the Fifth District congressional race.  I expect this week's discussion will address those topics, with a different angle, or similar topics of interest to Charlottesville listeners.

So tune in tomorrow to "Charlottesville Right Now" on WINA (1070 AM) and feel free to call with questions, comments, or challenges.  Both land-line and cell-phone calls are welcome.


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