Miscellany

Barri Piner played a bit part in Divine Secrets of Ya-Ya Sisterhood, a film based on the 1996 novel by Rebecca Wells, starring Sandra Bullock, James Garner, Ellen Burstyn, and Ashley Judd. Piner appears in Vivi's (Ellen Burstyn's) party scene near the end of the film. "This is the first time that I have been an extra. My hometown (Magnolia) is only ten minutes away from Faison, where the scene was filmed (June 7-8). There was an 'extra' recruiting agent in Kenansville, and I went to sign up. It was pretty easy. Even though we worked hard for little money, it was so much fun I would do it again." The Screen Gems Studio film is scheduled for release in 2002. 

A professional profile of Karen Baldwin is featured in the June issue of AFS News, the bi-monthly newsletter of the American Folklore Society.  Titled "The Folklore Profession in the 21st Century (The Dual Platform): Karen Baldwin," the article sketches the scope and some highlights of Baldwin's career. 

On Thursday, October 4th, Laura Micciche appeared on the TV show "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire" as the guest audience member of her college friend Frank Cook. Frank won $64,000, bowing out of the competition on a Shakespeare question. Even though a good deal of Laura's banter with host Regis Philbin found its way to the cutting room floor, she did have time to say "Hi Reg!" and to plug ECU. 

Poets Keith Flynn and Al Maginnes visited Greenville as part of the Writers Reading Series of Eastern North Carolina organized by Pat and Resa Bizzaro. Both poets read at 3:00 and 7:00 at the Greenville Museum of Art on October 10th.

Each summer, Dr. Rick Taylor organizes a trip to London for interested graduate students.  For information on the most recent trip to London, click here. 

The 2001 issue of the North Carolina Literary Review, published this October, includes contributions by Chip Sullivan and Jim Holte, who interviewed John Kessel, Pat and Resa Bizzaro, who interviewed Robert Morgan, Lorraine Hale Robinson, who wrote the latest installment of the Dictionary of NC Writers, entries in the new "Food Finds" section, and a sidebar on an UFO sighting in NC. English Department graduate student Corinee Guy wrote NC Newsbriefs. Also featured in this issue, from the ECU School of Art, are Joan Mansfield (illustrations), Jacqueline Tait Leebrick (photographs), and Brandie Knox Kirkman (design).  Graduate Assistant Michelle Graham expanded the NCLR website, which includes an index, compiled by Cheryl Dudasik-Wiggs, to the contents of all back issues of NCLR. Visit the NCLR website at http://personal.ecu.edu/bauerm/nclr.htm