UPK Authors Rack Up Recognition

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 18, 2010) − Two publications from the University Press of Kentucky (UPK) have recently received award recognition. Author John Wertheimer has been named the 2010 recipient of the Willie Parker Peace Book Award for his book "Law and Society in the South: A History of North Carolina Court Cases." In addition, UPK author Jim Tomlinson received a special mention for the 2011 Pushcart Prize for his short story "Angel, His Rabbit, and Kyle McKell" from his publication "Nothing Like An Ocean: Stories."

Wertheimer was announced the winner of the Willie Parker Peace Book Award at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Society of Historians (NCSH) on Oct. 23. The Peace Book Award is annually presented by NCSH to encourage the writing and publication of the history of a North Carolina county, institution or individual. Established in 1941, the NCSH was created with the purpose of collecting and preserving history, tradition and folklore at the state, county, and local levels of North Carolina.

In honoring Wertheimer, the award's panel of judges noted "the author has done a masterful job of guiding the reader through the often complicated subject of the law as it applies to punishment for crimes of all types between the 1830s and 1980s. Covering this wide of a time span proves to be extremely interesting and fascinating, and this author accomplishes this with ease. He has provided the researcher with a rich source of information that is both remarkable and worthwhile."

In "Law and Society in the South," Wertheimer looks at eight key legal disputes heard in North Carolina between the 1830s and the 1970s. A professor of history at Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., he examines some of the most controversial issues of southern history, such as: white supremacy and race relations, the teaching of evolution in public schools, and prohibition.

Tomlinson's "Nothing Like an Ocean" earned a special mention from the 2011 Pushcart Prize committee for his short story "Angel, His Rabbit, and Kyle McKell." The Pushcart Prize honors and celebrates pieces of poetry, short fiction, and essays that are published by small presses.

"Nothing Like an Ocean" records the lives of simple characters who live in a fictional Appalachian town, each with their own dark past. In the specific story recognized by the Pushcart Prize committee, Tomlinson provides the reader with themes of loss and the inevitability of change. A native of Berea, Ky., Tomlinson is a widely published author, who has been recognized in the New York Times and received the 2006 Iowa Short Fiction Award for his first book "Things Kept, Things Left Behind."

As well as the recent award recognition, two other UPK publications have received positive press coverage. Susan Compo's "Warren Oates: A Wild Life" was listed among the "Best books of the year: 2010" as published by The Guardian. In the book, Compo shares the life of one of the most memorable and skilled actors of the 1970s, an actor who had a wild life off screen but great talent on screen.

Additionally, the Wall Street Journal published a positive review of John Baxter's "Von Sternberg" titled "The Unhappiest Man in Hollywood." In his book, Baxter reveals to readers the director and artist's devastating childhood and his rise in a career that would go on to earn him three times as much as the president.

Offices for the administrative, editorial, production and marketing departments of UPK are found at the University of Kentucky, which provides financial support toward the operating expenses of the publishing operation.

For more information on these books or for purchase information, visit UPK online at www.kentuckypress.com/.