The Store of Joys: Writers Celebrate the North Carolina Museum of Art's Fiftieth Anniversary (Paperback)

~ Huston Paschal (Author, Editor), Reynolds Price (Author), North Carolina Museum of Art (Corporate Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

To celebrate its fiftieth anniversary, the North Carolina Museum of Art plans to stage several special events involving all the arts in the state. As a part of this celebration, the Museum invited some of the state's major writers and poets to contribute responses to works from the Museum's permanent collection. The contributors were asked to submit a previously unpublished poem or a work of short fiction or creative nonfiction that connected the written word with the visual representation. The book that evolved from this project includes new works from forty-five writers and poets. Each written piece appears adjacent to a full-color reproduction of the artistic piece which inspired the writer. The anthology includes 19 poems, 13 non-fiction essays, and 13 fiction pieces. For example, Alan Shapiro responded to the image of a victorious hero on an ancient Greek vase by composing a poem about men weeping_and more generally about notions of sexuality, a subject he has examined in his recent work. Inspired by Milton Avery's "Blue Landscape," Lee Smith wove a haunting tale about a lonely little girl named Daisy who finds solace with an "orchard girl" on a nearby ridge. With The Store of Joys, the Museum has created a lasting tribute to its own collection and to the literary genius for which the state has become so well known.

About the Author

Poets and writers contributing to The Store of Joys: Betty Adcock, James Applewhite, Daphne Athas, Gerald Barrax, Doris Betts, Linda Beatrice Brown, Kathryn Stripling Byer, Fred Chappell, Angela Davis-Gardner, Ann Deagon, Wilma Dykeman, Charles Edward Eaton, Clyde Edgerton, Anderson Ferrell, Marianne Gingher, Jim Grimsley, Allan Gurganus, R.S. Gwynn, William Harmon, David Brendan Hopes, John Kessel, Romulus Linney, Pete Makuck, Margaret Maron, Jill McCorkle, Michael McFee, Tim McLaurin, Heather Ross Miller, Robert Morgan, Lawrence Naumoff, Michael Parker, Deborah Pope, Joe Ashby Porter, Reynolds Price, Gibbons Ruark, James Seay, David Sedaris, Alan Shapiro, Lee Smith, Elizabeth Spencer, Max Steele, Julie Suk, Eleanor Ross Taylor, Robert Watson, and Jonathan Williams

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: John F. Blair Publisher (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895871742
• ISBN-13: 978-0895871749
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,534,730 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Paint and Pen, March 28, 2000

By	Miriam A. Kilmer "Owner, Rising Dove Bookstore" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

On March 26th, 2000, I visited the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, where I found this marvelously creative book in their gift shop. Prominent North Carolina authors were asked to choose a work of art from their permanent collection and comment on it.

How I love connections! This book contains a beautiful poem and a scholarly article both inspired by F.C. Frieseke's painting "The Garden Parasol." F.C. Frieseke was my grandfather; the primary figure in the painting portrays his wife, my grandmother Sadie. You can find images of "The Garden Prasol" and many other Frieseke paintings by searching the web.

In this same collection, I found a wonderful poem by James Applewhite, who was my poetry teacher at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His poem was inspired by Winslow Homer's painting, "Weaning the Calf." I had "chosen" this painting as the one I would most like to take home from the museum (their Frieseke is too big for my condo)!

For several years I lived across the street from another author represented in this book, Fred Chappell, who was then a professor at UNC-G. Although I was not priviledged to take any of his courses, I did enjoy a poetry reading of his in 1973.

I recommend "The Store of Joys" to all lovers of visual arts, literature, North Carolina, and interdisciplinary studies. The reproductions are excellent, and the authors' reactions add so much to our appreciation.

5.0 out of 5 stars Paint and Pen, March 28, 2000

By	Miriam A. Kilmer "Owner, Rising Dove Bookstore" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

On March 26th, 2000, I visited the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, where I found this marvelously creative book in their gift shop. Prominent North Carolina authors were asked to choose a work of art from their permanent collection and comment on it.

How I love connections! This book contains a beautiful poem and a scholarly article both inspired by F.C. Frieseke's painting "The Garden Parasol." F.C. Frieseke was my grandfather; the primary figure in the painting portrays his wife, my grandmother Sadie. In this same collection, I found a wonderful poem by James Applewhite, who was my poetry teacher at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His poem was inspired by Winslow Homer's painting, "Weaning the Calf." I had "chosen" this painting as the one I would most like to take home from the museum (their Frieseke is too big for my condo)!

For several years I lived across the street from another author represented in this book, Fred Chapell, who was then a professor at UNC-G. Although I was not priviledged to take any of his courses, I did enjoy a poetry reading of his in 1973.

I recommend "The Store of Joys" to all lovers of visual arts, poetry, literature, and interdisciplinary studies. The reproductions are excellent, and the authors' reactions add so much to our appreciation.

Please visit my website on F. C. Frieseke at: go.to/frieseke

4.0 out of 5 stars A Genuine Treasure, December 11, 1998

By A Customer

As a fan of the North Carolina Museum of Art since my Elementary days when we would take day-long field trips there this book is a real treat. Some of the museums most farmiliar painting are included, along with a very rich selection of literature. Its fun to compare the responses, especially those that have been derived from the same painting. In one case, The Eye of God by Minnie Evans draws not only the most rich and descriptive narrative of the book, but the coldest of the poems as well. My favorite is the recollections of David Sedaris on his cildhood trips and Mrs. Kingman's colorful guidance through them. This book- as the North Carolina Museum of Art- is truly a store of joys.