The Rowan History Club will meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. David Goldfield, author of “America Aflame: How the Civil War Created a Nation,” will speak.
Goldfield answered a few questions for the club before his visit:
“Born in Memphis, I grew up in Brooklyn, a combination that has left me with a cracker edginess. Attempting to soften both influences, I attended the University of Maryland. It didn’t work, but I learned a lot, and much of what I have accomplished since leaving College Park I owe to that institution.”
How many books have you written? “Thanks to the nurturing I received at Maryland, I’ve published 16 books on various aspects of Southern and American (they’re different) history. Three of them, “Cotton Fields and Skyscrapers,” “Black, White, and Southern,” and “Still Fighting the Civil War,” managed to win awards and receive Pulitzer Prize nominations.
Tell about your work at UNCC. “I’ve been sharing what I’ve learned with my students at the University of North Carolina where I’m the Robert Lee Bailey Professor of History. A significant part of that sharing is my U.S. history textbook, “The American Journey: A History of the United States” (6th Edition; Pearson, 2011). My most recent book, “America Aflame: How the Civil War Created a Nation,” was published by Bloomsbury in March 2011.
And your life outside a college campus? “I also share my work with people and organizations outside academia. The ivory tower offers a good vantage point, but it’s important to come down to earth at frequent intervals. I have served as an expert witness in voting rights cases, consulted for history museums, and I work as an Academic Specialist for the U.S. State Department, leading seminars and workshops abroad on various aspects of American culture.
“My work is my joy. But in the interstices of teaching, writing and researching, I enjoy the music of Buddy Holly and Gustav Mahler (though not at the same time), reading Southern novels, jogging (I used to call it running), and baseball.
Goldfield has a website, www.davidgoldfield.us
The meeting will be held in the Messinger Room (accessible by elevator). Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month, September-May. The museum is located at 202 N. Main St. Guests to the program should enter through the rear entrance.
A roundtable format will allow for a 30 to 45 minute presentation, followed by a question-and-answer period. The Rowan History Club is open to all persons interested in the history of Rowan County. There are no dues or admission fees, and refreshments are served.
For more information, contact the Rowan Museum at 704-633-5946 or email rowanmuseum@carolina.rr.com .