Illinois Press Blog » miscellaneous

Cookie!

michael — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:13:47 +0000

Our annual holiday cookie exchange.

Prof. Pradeep Dhillon discusses philosophies and practices of Sikhism

jmcardle — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 15:24:01 +0000

Professor Pradeep Dhillon, editor of our Journal of Aesthetic Education, sat down with the Illini News Bureau to discuss cultural aspects of Sikhism. In light of the August 5 tragedy at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee, Dhillon, who is a Sikh, discussed many of the cultural practices of Sikhism, as well as some of the misconceptions about the world’s fifth largest religion:

Sikh practice emphasizes reading and meditating on the teachings of the gurus, service to those around us, and sharing our blessings with others. One of the interesting practices with regards to the emphasis on social equality is that following a Sikh religious service a community meal is typically prepared by volunteers and then shared. Everyone, regardless of belief, social status, or gender, eats together. This is particularly significant within the Indian context where taboos around food play an important social role.

Read the full interview here.

Spring Book Sale – 55% off

michael — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:14:16 +0000

The University of Illinois Press is having a sale on select books. 55% off plus free shipping. Click here for details and a full list of titles.

Celebrity appearances

michael — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:45:55 +0000

NPR’s Melissa Block and Will Shortz (or their respective doppelgangers) at the University of Illinois Press halloween party.

Happy Halloween

michael — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 20:44:59 +0000

The University of Illinois Press fun crew.

Ooga chaka ooga ooga

michael — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:01:33 +0000

Woo hoo! University of Illinois Press Database Administrator Leslie DeLucia was featured yesterday on NPR’s All Things Considered during its Summer Jobs feature. KFC, featuring Blue Swede!

Goodbye, Brittany!

denise — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:57:07 +0000

Today many of us are saying goodbye to our Marketing Department Intern, Brittany Pyle. Over the past year she’s made herself a valuable member of our team, and cheerfully completed any task assigned, which were frequently both essential and mind-numbing. Personally, we’ve shared stories about growing up in neighboring small towns that apparently haven’t changed that much over the past century, let alone the last twenty years. And I’ve gotten to live vicariously, as a settled Gen-Xer, through her stories of learning how to make music videos by working on one for Elsinore, and got an in-depth lesson in fine art copyright after her class work turned into national news when the same band was taken to court over an album cover.

Brittany’s last day with us is tomorrow. Next week she will join Parkland College as the Art Gallery Exhibit Coordinator, with a second (unpaid) internship Fridays at 40 North, 88 West, our local arts council. They’re both very privileged to get her! She’ll also find time to continue working on her own art.

Gail Collins’ tribute to twenty-somethings in yesterday’s New York Times captured my feelings better than I can. All the best to you, Brittany.

Goodbye, Pat

michael — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:49:20 +0000

October 10, 2005, was my first day on the job here at the University of Illinois Press. The person who hired me, then Marketing Director Pat Hoefling, had decided to move back to Bloomington, Indiana, to work at Indiana University Press. Though she had planned October 7 as her last day, Pat offered to stay through the 10th to provide one full day of intense training.

Thereafter I would only see Pat once a year at BEA. I was always grateful that she took a chance on hiring someone who had previously worked in music, but not book publishing.

I’ll never forget the first question that she asked me during my phone interview: “On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest, how would you rate your level of tenacity?”

I chuckled to myself and thought, “How can I answer anything but 5?” In that split second I couldn’t come up with a good justification for a “4″ (3 or below being absolutely out of the question) so I answered “5.” The phone interview turned into an office interview and eventually the job.

Recently I heard that Pat was ill. I kept up with her status via circulated e-mails from her Indiana colleagues. Sadly, she passed away on July 7 due to cancer and complications from a stroke.

Pat, I didn’t know you well, but am thankful that you asked me to join you in the publishing community. It misses you already.

(Read Indiana University Press’ ”In Memoriam” post here.)

Who does Spike Lee think he is?

michael — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 21:06:49 +0000

Daina Berry, author of “Swing the Sickle for the Harvest Is Ripe”: Gender and Slavery in Antebellum Georgia, and Mark Schultz, author of The Rural Face of White Supremacy: Beyond Jim Crow, will appear on the season finale of NBC-TV’s Who Do You Think You Are? on Friday, April 30. Film director Spike Lee is the featured guest tracing his family ancestry.

Watch a preview here.

“The last song played was provided for free by the record company, which I also met for lunch…”

michael — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:49:35 +0000

In October of 2009 I linked to a Galley Cat story about a new FTC rule that required book bloggers to disclose that reviewed books were provided for free by a publisher. In the past few days I have seen the practical application of this requirement.

About.com: Blues
BluesSpeak: The Best of the Original Chicago Blues Annual

Guide Disclosure: A review copy of this CD, DVD, or book was provided by the record label, publisher, or publicist. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.

ExUrbanis
A Parisienne in Chicago: Impressions of the World’s Columbian Exposition

Although I received my complimentary copy of this charming book from the publisher, that has not influenced my review in any way.

Is this really necessary? I ship books to “traditional” media outlets all of the time and don’t recall seeing a similar notification attached to any reviews. Radio stations receive free CDs from record companies and don’t disclose that fact after the implied endorsement of every played song. And, bookstores don’t alert customers that books receiving prime display space are there because the publishers have paid a premium for placement.

I vote for consistency.