CPCC Press

Jody Cassell, Where’s Leon? was created not just to be read but to be danced. The Essential Reader’s Guide on CD-ROM makes it possible for an adult non-dancer to bring creative movement and dance into their reading space as they learn to play with words and sounds. Intended for early learners, this book can be used to teach dance concepts, foster emergent literacy skills and build health in an individual, family, school or community.

AUTHOR BIO: Jody Cassell has been dancing since age four. She is a Teaching Artist in dance, dancing storyteller and solo dance/theatre performer. She earned a Master in Fine Arts in Dance from New York University School of the Arts, New York, NY and Master in Science in Dance/Movement Therapy from Hunter College of the City University of New York, NY. A Master Artist for the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts in Vienna, Virginia, Jody specializes in the integration of curriculum and dance/creative movement in classroom and professional development settings.

Tom Idema, The View From Here is the author’s personal account of his experiences flying jets in a U.S. Marine Corps attack squadron during his thirteen-month tour in Vietnam. From the moment Tom received his orders, he kept a journal and from that journal The View from Here was born. From the skies above the brutal war below, immerse yourself in his conviction of duty, the struggles of daily life, and the pressure not only to serve with honor, but to survive one of the most infamous wars in U.S. History.

AUTHOR BIO: After almost five years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Tom Idema has spent more than twenty-five years as a leader in the field of computer technology. Tom received his MBA from Western Michigan University and attended the University of Mississippi where he earned a Bachelor of Public Administration degree. Tom is a life member of both the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association and the Society of Wild Weasels. He is also a member of the Intruder Association.

Julie Green: They Called Him Mongoloid is the candid first person account of one mother’s journey from the joyful anticipation of a healthy new baby to the devastating reality that greets her instead. In 1965 Virginia, support groups were minimal, websites did not exist, and very little information was available to parents raising a child with Down syndrome. Still being referred to as mongolism well into the 1980’s, many families institutionalized these children. For Julie and her husband Fletcher, the challenge was not just caring for their developmentally disabled child but also confronting the prejudices of others, their families, and themselves.

AUTHOR BIO: Julie Green grew up in Oxford, NC with her parents and five sisters. She graduated from the University of North Carolina and received an MA in English from East Carolina University. She and her husband, Fletcher, live in Charlotte, NC with her three children and eight grandchildren nearby. Julie is a part-time instructor of English at Central Piedmont Community College.

Robin A. Edgar, Personal Legacies: Surviving the Great Depression Charlotte/Mecklenburg 1929-1939 explores ordinary histories during extraordinary times. Adding living color to the black and white facts about that era, it focuses on how individuals from various walks of life survived and how that survival shaped their lives. This book serves as a catalog for the exhibit which will run at The Charlotte Museum of History from September 29, 2006 through August, 2007.

AUTHOR BIO: A professional writer and storyteller for over thirty years, Robin A. Edgar conducts reminiscence-writing workshops based on her book, In My Mother's Kitchen: An Introduction to the Healing Power of Reminiscence. She teachers in a variety of venues including schools and universities and arts centers such as the prestigious John C. Campbell Folk School and often serves as a national keynote speaker and workshop facilitator for organizations such as Hospice and the Alzheimer's Association.

Sandi Huddleston-Edwards, Richard’s Key - It's summer, 1940. And for one family in North Carolina, life will never be the same. Six children, all under the age of 16, lose their father, their home, their childhood - and find themselves living in an orphanage. This is their story as seen through the eyes of two brothers: a realist, age 11, and an idealist, age 7. Drift into a world where one story has two sides but only one message. What seems like tragedy is ultimately their triumph. Let Richard's Key settle your doubts and reaffirm your faith in a warm and loving God.

AUTHOR BIO: Born in High Point, Sandi grew up in Durham. Today she resides in Huntersville. After earning her A.A. degree from Central Piedmont Community College, she attended the University of North Carolina – Charlotte, where she earned her B.A. and M.A. degrees in English. As a life-long learner, she enjoys teaching others the art and science of writing by teaching part-time at CPCC and Montreat College.

Caroline Castle Hicks: Such Stuff As Stars Are Made Of is a compilation of essays and poems reflecting the author’s love of words and her passion for writing about the joys to be found in everyday life. As she says in the book’s introduction, “I write to counteract the yearning that is so integral to the human condition, to break free from that limbo state that suspends me between a longed-for past and a wished-for future. On any given day, amidst life’s frustrations, its tedium, and even its grief, countless wonders spool out before me. By noticing them and sharing them in words, I stake my claim to now.” Sit back and let these wonder-filled pages inspire you to do some stargazing of your own.

AUTHOR BIO: A former high school English and Humanities teacher, Caroline Castle Hicks is now an award-winning freelance writer and poet. Her essays and poems have appeared in numerous publications, including two editions of the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series as well as Open My Eyes, Open My Soul, an anthology published in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s 75th birthday. Since 1998, she has also been a regular public radio commentator on Charlotte, North Carolina’s NPR affiliate, WFAE 90.7 FM. She lives in Huntersville, North Carolina, with her husband Dana and their two children, Mariclaire and Ian. (www.carolinecastlehicks.com)