by | May 20, 2013 · 8:30 am

Callaloo Takes Center Stage

We are proud and honored to publish all 80-plus journals under the JHUP umbrella, but are especially excited when one receives special recognition. That means, right now, that the apple of our eye is Callaloo, along with its esteemed editor, Charles Henry Rowell.

PBS NewsHour recently aired a special segment about Rowell’s long-time commitment to African American literature, particularly poetry. The interview includes footage of Rowell and journal staff working on an upcoming issue of the journal, which was founded by Rowell and is publishing its 36th volume this year. Callaloo continues to identify, nurture and promote new black writers while also showcasing literary stalwarts. Former Poet Laureate Rita Dove, National Book Award winner Terrance Hayes, and current Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey have all been published in the journal.

The segment also touched on Rowell’s extensive collection of pieces from black artists, some of which end up serving as the focus of covers for Callaloo. Later this year, JHUP will publish Callaloo Art, a special issue highlighting these and other works. Rowell’s passion for sharing undiscovered writers, poets, and artists serves as a reminder of the power held between the covers of a journal.

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by | May 17, 2013 · 8:30 am

Person, place, or thing

By Michele Callaghan, manuscript editor

I was in elementary school when I first learned about nouns. The teacher said that a noun was a person, place, or thing. Flipping this around, you can say that people are nouns. You might think this is obvious, even in an era in which grammar has been sidelined to some extent. But in my line of work, we frequently encounter authors who think that people are adjectives.

We have all seen this on television or read in the newspaper: law enforcement agents describe a “black male in his twenties” or a “white female in her fifties.” Another category in which this is prevalent is the scientist or doctor using an adjective to categorize a person, for example, “the subject was a depressive.” What these professions have in common is their emphasis on facts. There is the misconception, perhaps, that you are letting your emotions run away with you if you refer to a person as a noun. It lends an air of objectivity to what can really be subjective interpretation of facts.

A puzzling corollary to this is the recent phenomenon of using “woman” as an adjective but not “man.” We have “woman doctors” and many hope that Hillary Clinton will be the first “woman president.” But we wouldn’t call Jimmy Carter a “man president” and my father a “man professor.” I can only guess that this confusion of nouns and adjectives is because in days past being a female anything signified to some people inferiority, if not being downright laughable.

Who cares? Does it matter to anyone but editors and others who uphold the laws of grammar whether we use nouns or adjectives to describe people? I think it should.

In the first case of the misplaced adjective, calling a person an adjective—a diabetic, a schizophrenic—limits his or her humanity. It literally depersonalizes and also views someone through the lens of illness alone. The current trend in consumer health and psychology is to get away from this approach and say a person has schizophrenia or diabetes but is not equated to it.

In the second case, using a different turn of phrase for women and men doesn’t help grammar or equality. I shouldn’t need a different part of speech—woman editor—from that of a man in my profession. I am a woman (noun) and an editor (noun). When you combine these two elements, I am a female editor (noun and the adjective that modifies it) not a woman editor (noun noun).

I like the certitude and exactitude of adjectives and noun being in their rightful places. Years ago, a group formed to promote what it saw was the uplifting value of people was called simply Up with People. While I may not adhere to its beliefs on political matters, I share the idea that people should be celebrated. And so should places and things. In other words, up with nouns!

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by | May 15, 2013 · 8:30 am

The consequence of patents on BRCA genes

Guest post by Sue Friedman

On April 15, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on whether Myriad Genetics’ patents on the BRCA genes, which are associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, should be upheld. This case culminates a four-year legal tug-of-war between Myriad Genetics & Laboratories and a long list of individual, advocacy, and health care professional groups represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) . The plaintiffs agree that regulations allowing exclusive gene patents negatively affect access to care and research.

I was fortunate when I was first tested for a BRCA mutation in 1998: my testing costs were covered by my health insurance. Although I was initially tested without genetic counseling, I eventually went to a large cancer center for a second opinion, met with a genetics expert, and gained access to up-to-date, credible information. It wasn’t until I started FORCE  (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered) that the deeper implications of patenting the BRCA genes became apparent to me.

In the Family, a 2009 documentary by producer Joanna Rudnick, highlights some negative consequences of Myriad’s gene patents. The film includes eye-opening interviews with Dr. Mark Skolnick, Myriad’s founder, and Dr. Mary-Claire King, who is credited with locating the BRCA gene. King’s research proved the existence of hereditary breast cancer gene mutations and laid groundwork that sent laboratories racing to be the first to isolate and clone the gene for genetic testing.

Rudnick questions how a gene—a product of nature—can be patented, stating, “It’s like patenting your thumb.” Skolnick replies by comparing Myriad’s gene patents to patents for iPods, telephones, and computers, cavalierly asserting, “I think the single greatest inventive thing I did was to create Myriad. We did it to win the race . . . and we won.” A recent article on NOVA Next highlights just how narrowly that race was won. Although a laboratory in the United Kingdom had already sequenced the BRCA2 gene, Myriad published and applied for a patent less than 24 hours before the British scientists could publish their manuscript. Had the British team’s findings been published just a day earlier, Myriad’s effort to patent the BRCA2 gene would have probably failed.

Rudnick asks Dr. Skolnick point-blank why the cost of BRCA testing continues to increase, to which he replies, “I think there’s a point at which we have to start looking at decreasing the cost of the test.” That decrease has never been realized. Four years later, BRCA testing is more expensive—Myriad charges $3,500—even though technology has reduced the cost of sequencing DNA. The February 6, 2013 edition of the Salt Lake Tribune reported that “Myriad projects full-year 2013 revenue will fall between $575 and $585 million . . . a 16 to 18 percent increase over fiscal 2012.”

Dr. King’s philosophy regarding the commerciality of gene patents starkly contrasts with Skolnick’s. “The critical thing about the patents we hold is that none of them are exclusively licensed. They are completely open for anyone to use for research purposes, and any company that wishes to license them can for a trivial amount of money,” she says. King’s last royalty check amounted to $2.73. It’s not difficult to imagine how different BRCA testing might be had King won the race to sequence the BRCA genes.

In the interview, Skolnick defends Myriad’s profits by saying “If we make this huge . . . investment in educating the market don’t we have a right to deliver the test?” Skolnick continues, “All I know is that doctors were not prepared to do this. We had to teach doctors.” In 2008 and again in 2009 FORCE testified to the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics Health and Society, expressing both our general concerns regarding direct-to-consumer marketing of genetic tests and our specific concerns about Myriad’s marketing practices, which encourage BRCA testing without prior genetic counseling from qualified experts. FORCE has documented and reported our concerns about Myriad’s methods of marketing BRCA testing, which we feel are harmful and misleading to the health care community and members of the HBOC community. We also concur with the ACLU that exclusive gene patents negatively affect access to care and innovation in research, as illustrated by our testimony to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The SCOTUS decision is critically important for anyone who is concerned specifically with hereditary disease. FORCE has filed an Amicus brief on behalf of plaintiffs in advance of the hearing. The Myriad case is just one example of how exclusive patents on genes can hurt consumers. Gene patents are a universal issue that ultimately affects all of us. Even if hereditary cancer does not run in your family, chances are that you have inherited a genetic predisposition to some disease. Imagine if a company were given exclusive control over all testing and research for a disease that runs in your family.

Early media reports indicated that SCOTUS appeared skeptical of the validity of gene patents and may rule in favor of the plaintiffs. A ruling is expected by the summer. In the meantime, FORCE will continue to speak out and advocate on this important issue and others that impact the community we serve. I strongly encourage people to become informed about the issue and to take the time to voice their opinion.

FriedmanSue Friedman, D.V.M., is the founder and executive director of Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered and coauthor of Confronting Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer: Identify Your Risk, Understand Your Options, Change Your Destiny.

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by | May 14, 2013 · 8:30 am

The Doctor Is In: Staying connected to your baseline self in depression

The Doctor Is In is an occasional series where JHU Press authors discuss the latest developments and news in health and medicine.

Guest post by Susan J. Noonan, M.D., M.P.H.

Often times in depression, whether it is major depression or bipolar depression, a person can feel lost to him or herself. You may have difficulty remembering just what you were like before the episode began. This can come on quite gradually during the course of the illness. I have often heard phrases from sufferers such as “I don’t feel like me,” or “I just don’t feel familiar to myself!” What does this mean? It means that you are experiencing a set of feelings, emotions, and behaviors that are not typical of your usual self—these are driven by depression. This experience feels quite odd, alien, and uncomfortable when it happens.

Depression takes away your sense of self as a whole human being, leaving you with the feeling that there is nothing in life BUT depression. Your baseline self seems to fade into the background. Your usual characteristics are still there, they are just hidden down deep and over-ridden by the stronger symptoms of depression. This adds to the distress of the illness. In addition, the new feelings may impair your ability to regroup and gather your lifelong coping resources to manage your depression symptoms. If you cannot grasp who you are as a person, what defines you, you may not have access to the skills and strengths you have always had to get you through the difficult times, including this episode. You may also lose sight of your hopes, dreams, and goals in recovery. So, it is very important to try to stay connected to your sense of self, to your underlying sense of who you are as a person. When you have a connection to who you are and what you are about, you feel more stable and grounded. Then you can draw on the skills and strengths you have had all along to cope with and manage the illness. Remember: you are not your depression!

How do you stay connected to your baseline self in the midst of depression? This requires some effort. As I describe in my soon-to-be-published book Managing Your Depression: What You Can Do to Feel Better, you should start by remembering your positive qualities, strengths, skills, interests, preferences, likes, and dislikes relating to everything around you. Try to recall what makes you you. Start to paint an internal picture of yourself when you are well and at your baseline self. Then, using these qualities, construct a statement for yourself (only) that describes who you are, what you are about. Keep that in the back of your mind and use it to boost yourself at times when you are down or overwhelmed by your circumstances.

noonanSusan J. Noonan, M.D., M.P.H., is a physician and certified Peer Specialist who works as a consultant at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is the author of Managing Your Depression: What You Can Do to Feel Better, forthcoming from JHU Press.

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by | May 10, 2013 · 11:14 am

Happy Mother’s Day

For many of us, the approach of Mother’s Day prompts a frantic spree at the shopping mall or a quick stop at the florist.  But allow it, please, to also inspire a once-a-year parameter for browsing recent titles and perennial favorites on the JHU Press list.

mezeyFrom Nancy Demand’s Birth, Death, and Motherhood in Classical Greece to Jessamyn Neuhaus’s  Manly Meals and Mom’s Home Cooking to Nancy J. Mezey’s New Choices, New Families, moms and motherhood have been the focus of thoughtful works by historians, literary scholars, political scientists, and sociologists.

neuhaus

Just published, and a great new addition to this sub-set, is Maternal Megalomania: Julia Domna and the Imperial Politics of Motherhood, by historian Julie Langford. The book looks at the life of Julia Domna, wife of Roman emperor Septimius Severus, and especially at how her image and story were used in imperial propaganda to advance the position of her husband and two sons (both future emperors).  The book is clearly a must-read for all who think their own family politics are fraught and fractious. But the book also carries Julie Langford’s lovely dedication to her own mother, which we reprint here with warm thoughts and best wishes to mom’s everywhere:

langford

“This book is dedicated to my mother, Mary Langford, who fed, clothed, and educated seven children on one civil engineer’s modest income. She woke us at the crack of dawn to read scripture before we went to school, surreptitiously robbed the grocery budget to pay for our music lessons, and mended her winter coat so that she could buy us new ones. Though she initially disapproved of my decision to pursue a career in academia instead of staying home to raise a family, once she got on board with the idea, she defended it fiercely. She admits that she does not always understand what I am yammering on about, but she is sure nonetheless that it is brilliant. For these and so many other kindnesses, I thank her.”

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francus accampokennedy JACKET COMP 1.indd

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by | May 8, 2013 · 8:30 am

Let’s make it National Railroaders Appreciation Day

Guest post by Theodore Kornweibel, Jr.

Pop quiz: Who are Pamela Beckham and Lisa Harris, and why should you know them?

Second question: What industry has been, historically, the most male dominated? Admittedly, that’s a hard one: there are so many candidates. But I’m a historian, so I’ll venture an answer: the railroad industry.

May 11 is National Train Day. Let’s start the festivities with a bit of history (don’t worry; I’ll get back to Pamela and Lisa). Whether driving spikes or driving a locomotive, railroading has always been considered a male profession. Even today, women in the industry still have to be thick-skinned to endure the slurs and jibes of men who think their presence on the rails brings bad luck, or who are just male chauvinists.

But as I studied railroad history, I uncovered a contradictory phenomenon. African American women were the first female railroaders, two decades before white women. They were slaves. Enslaved and free blacks, including females, built most of the South’s railroads before and after the Civil War. They weren’t just cooking and washing, either. While American society regarded white femininity as something to be protected, black women never had that luxury. Enslaved women, working alongside their husbands (and occasionally their children), cut through the wilderness, graded the land for tracks, and hustled rails and ties. After slavery ended, black women abandoned such brutal labor, but continued to work as railroad cooks, car cleaners, and janitors. When white women broke glass ceilings and found clean work in railroad offices, black women continued to be excluded and limited to performing hot, dirty, and frequently dangerous manual labor jobs. Railroading a male profession? Not so. But a white person’s profession? Until recently, affirmative.

Back to Pamela and Lisa. Black (and white) women have used civil rights laws from the 1960s to claw their way to the top trades. Pamela Beckham is an Amtrak conductor, the first woman to head an all-black, all-female crew (conductor, brakeman, and engineer). A train doesn’t move an inch without the conductor’s appropriate signal to the engineer. The engineer, who drives the locomotive, doesn’t open the throttle without her conductor’s permission.  The two of them share responsibility for the lives, literally, of the hundreds of passengers on their train.

Lisa Harris is an Amtrak engineer with an Acela high-speed train under her control. The next time you travel safely and on time from Washington to New York, observe the landscape a-blur while your train rockets at 150 miles per hour. Be thankful that Lisa and every other engineer is not only highly trained, but conscientious and committed to getting you safely to your destination.

Today, it’s no rarity to see African Americans in skilled and responsible positions on any railroad. Black men have surged ahead, but female engineers and conductors are close behind, particularly on Amtrak. So let’s close the historical loop. Enslaved women labored alongside enslaved men to build the South’s first rail network. For a hundred years after Emancipation, black men continued to be excluded from working as conductors and engineers. Black women didn’t have a ghost of a chance. Historical wrongs have today been largely righted. But let’s not forget the railroad pioneers, many of whom are still working.

So when you attend National Train Day festivities in your city, look for black railroaders. If they’re staffing your train, thank them for their professionalism and skill. Let’s expand the ceremonies to make the holiday into National Railroaders Appreciation Day. If you’re black, or have studied black history, you know how hard railroad men and women of color have worked to get where they are. Thank you, Pamela and Lisa. You’ve inspired us all.

kornweibelTed Kornweibel, professor emeritus of African American history at San Diego State University, retired in 2006 after a distinguished 36-year career as a scholar and teacher. His most recent book, Railroads in the African American Experience: A Photographic Journey, won the George W. and Constance M. Hilton Award for Best Railroad Book of 2011.  A photograph of Lisa Harris appears on page 505.

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by | May 6, 2013 · 11:55 am

What We’re Reading

We have not visited this occasional series in a while, so let’s give an update on  what some folks at the Press have read recently or are in the middle of reading. I just started All the Sad Young Literary Men, a novel by Keith Gessen I came upon in a dollar store. I needed to pick up something else that day, but the title caught my eye as I cut through their “literature” section. I am entertained in the early going, even though it carries some Ivy League/Manhattan pretension throughout the prose. Still, I’m a sucker for coming of age stories, especially when they only cost me $1.

Here’s what some of my colleagues are reading, including a couple of JHU Press books:

Rosa Griffin
Office Assistant, Rights & Permissions

Ms. Letitia Stockett, a Baltimore writing teacher, was successful at giving a cultural view of how Baltimore, Maryland came into existence in her 1928 book, Baltimore: A Not Too Serious History (JHU Press). Ms. Stockett’s tour of the Baltimore region, which  covers the years 1500 to 1900, begins on Charles Street at Mount Vernon Place. There is a great deal of overlapping and repetition in the book, which helps to connect events and people.

Ms. Stockett’s anecdotes are about real Baltimore citizens, including Hetty Cary, a famous female Confederate spy; Betsy Patterson, who married Jerome Bonaparte without Napoleon’s permission and was refused entrance to France in her pregnant condition; and John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Lincoln, who had a proud family lineage in Baltimore. Fires, riots, inventions, the cemetery at North and Greenmount Avenues, music, art, trees, the origin of the Jones Falls, and bouts of yellow fever add to the book’s imagery and dispel some mysteries.

But there are also times when you can’t tell if quotes belong to Ms. Stockett or someone else. In addition—despite the fact that Ms. Stockett believed that something historic always had to be destroyed for progress to come—by her own account, no other religious group except Christian (in a time of “freedom of religion”) and no other race except white accomplished anything.

Mary Lou Kenney
Manuscript Editor

I’ve just finished up The Cairo Triology, three novels by Naguib Mahfouz that were written in the 1950s but translated into English in the 1990s. At a time when Egypt has been in the news and all of us should be better acquainted with Arab cultures, this deep look into three generations of one family offers a glimpse into social structure as well as politics and history.

The three separate volumes are all named after streets where the characters live: Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, and Sugar Street. As the story unfolds (roughly between 1919—1944), the reader is immersed in the lives of parents, children, and grandchildren. Issues of Islam, women, society, learning, philosophy, and growing old are all discussed. Parts of the trilogy I found fascinating and applicable to today’s events. Other parts I had to force myself to slog through. But even if I skipped a paragraph or two occasionally, the books were well worth the investment in time.

Ann Snoeyenbos
International Sales,  Project MUSE

I grew up near an Amish community, so I’ve read most of the Hopkins Press books on the Amish. When I first started reading Train Up a Child: Old Order Amish and Mennonite Schools,  by Karen M. Johnson-Weiner  (JHU Press),  I thought “Oh no, way too much detail,” but now I am totally into it.

Talking about education involves so much more than just how and when kids learn to read, write, and do math. All our social concepts are pushed in the educational experience. Reading about Amish schools in this much detail makes me wonder about mainstream public schools and other parochial schools. What do the games kids play at lunchtime tell us about their perceived role in the world? What does it mean when a cubby for personal items is considered to be too individualistic? This anthropologist is helping me think about education from a new angle.

Patty Weber
Journals Production Coordinator

I am about to start reading Naomi Novik’s seventh book in her Temeraire series, Crucible of Gold. I’m not sure I should be counted on to pitch books, since every time I have described this series to someone I get skeptical looks, but stay with me.

Patty_WWR

This series is set during the Napoleonic Wars, and follows the main character, William Laurence, who was a captain in the British Navy until he came across a dragon egg that bonded to him after hatching. After that, Laurence is more or less conscripted into the Aerial Corps, where he and his dragon, Temeraire, and their crew join other dragons to fight for their country against the French and their own dragons, and have lots of exotic and amazing adventures along the way. Dragons! And history! And Napoleon! There’s swashbuckling, romance, aerial battles, adventure, intrigue . . . The list goes on.

I have really enjoyed the series; each book has been fun and engaging. This latest book has Laurence and Temeraire traveling to Brazil to parley with the Incan empire and attempt to thwart the French in South America. If this sounds like something you’d like, I suggest starting with the first book, His Majesty’s Dragon.

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