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The Umversity of North Carolina-Asheville
May 1979
VOL.l NO. 2
raison d’etre
Photo by Loveeta Baker
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At one point, worried and well-meaning members of the Univer
sity Publications Board asked me what quantity and quality of staff
produced The Rag and Bone Shop. My answer was supposed to indi
cate the viability of future publications. They wanted me to assure
them that hordes of dedicated writers, artists, photographers, and
salespeople had been harnessed in an orderly, calm fashion to dili
gently compile all within their reach. I would like to have assured
them of this. Instead, I blurted out something to the effect that The
Rag and Bone Shop was a guerilla effort, staffed by three or four
maniats wiho crept out of the hills each month and decided to publish
a paper in much the same way that Judy Garland turned to Mickey
Rooney and said, “I know, let’s put on a show! We can use my
father’s barn, and I’ll bet my Mom’ll make costumes if we ask her!”
However tenuous our grip on publishing The Rag and Bone Shop
has been, the experience has been addictive, and it seems that lately
our enthusiasm has infected others, too.
We are beholden to many contributors who provided us with the
material in this issue, Kim Duckett, student at UNC-A, has written
a sensitive personal view of her experience as a feminist, and of the
University’s growing awareness of the need for classes in Women’s
Studies. In a related article, Dr. Illeana Grams of the Philosophy
Department has written a review of Del Martin’s lecture on battered
women.
Off-campus submissions include delightful cartoons by David
Cohen4)hotography by Ralph and Brigid Burns, illustrations by Jean
Penland, and poetry by Bettie Sellers, Robert S. Richmond, and
Jonathan Clarke. A special thank-you goes to Richard James who,
aside from his entertaining fiction, has provided us with such artful
morsels as “Billy Resigns,” “Psycho-Weather Forecast/’ “Daily
Horoscope,” and the “Math Test for Literature Majors.”
Two articles by staff members promise to make interesting read
ing. Kristi Leatherwood, a graduating senior, has submitted a power- ^
ful interview with two UNC-A social science majors who have served
time in North Carolina penal institutions, and are interested in seeing
“Scared Straight” programs developed in the state. Also appearing in
this issue is Bill Porter’s fine interview with Cleanth Brooks. Al
though Brooks is a distinguished American literary critic, I feel that
the interview is of interest to any reader of literature.
Despite my insistence that T/ie Rag and Bone Shops staff was a
renegade crew, the Publications Board has been of inestimable value
in supporting and insuring the future of the publication. They have
approved our format, staff, and budget for the coming year. With this
in mind, I would like to announce to all members of the university that
there are staff positions available and that we are already accepting
material for the fall.
In these last two issues we have attempted to replace The Ridge-
runner. If we have not quite hit the mark, we plan to next year. With
the incorporation of articles from the journalism classes that will be
introduced in the fall, and contributions from other departments on
campus, we feel that the paper will more adequately represent the
University as a whole. Because we feel that the university acts as a
cultural center for the area, we will continue to accept work from
off-campus sources. Our primary objective is to make The Rag and
Bone Shop the best publication possible — one that will appeal to,
and be enjoyed by, non-University readers as well as students.
An old friend of mine who has just moved to New York City to
work with the Times told me that he would be glad to keep an eye
out for any publishable material he might come across. He said, “I’ll
try to be selective. In fact, I know of some very interesting and arcane
landscape poetry you might be able to use.” “Excellent!” I sighed,
thinking that The Rag and Bone Shop might soon have friends
throughout the universe, “i think you’ll like it,” he explained. “Hm,
yes . . . arcane landscape poetry ..“Because,” he went on, “I could
just walk into any restaurant or bar in the Village and whisper
‘publish,’ and every waiter, busboy, and customer within earshot
would dump fifteen tons of manuscript on me, and before I was
crushed to death would extract the name of the publication from my
waning consciousness.”
Thanking you in advance for your submission.
Sincerely,
The Editor
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