Yesterday's double dose of depressing news struck close to home on 
both fronts. My last book was published by a university press (Kent 
State University Press, which seems to be holding on during these 
difficult times). And I work for a newspaper (Cleveland's Plain Dealer, 
which seems to be holding on, as well). So the Missouri and New Orleans 
announcements were as alarming as they were distressing. When I learned 
late in the day that a dear friend has been hit with shingles (a badly 
named affliction if there ever was one), I was afraid to leave the 
house. Obviously not a day for happy news.
      About a year ago, I asked Twain pal David Bianculli if he had 
noticed that everything we grew up cherishing and holding dear was under 
fire: books, libraries, theater, newspapers, publishing, literary 
fiction. He'd noticed. And all of these things, it seems to me, have 
contributed and would continue to contribute to the quality of our lives 
and the vitality of our democracy.
     I'm not one to curse change and shake my fist at the sky. I know 
about adapting. I've done enough adapting over the last 35 working years 
to make Darwin pass out. And I'm no Luddite, as the ability to post to 
this forum might suggest. But as much as I admire Ray Bradbury, I must 
agree with Terrell. Ray got the science-fiction cautionary tale wrong. 
It should have been about a voracious beast consuming everything in its 
path.


On 5/25/2012 9:32 AM, Vicki Dempsey wrote:
> It is sad indeed to lose the University of Missouri Press.  I am
> afraid that many smaller university presses are threatened by this
> economy and changes in how people access information.  I was very
> troubled yesterday to see that the Times-Picayune is going to a three-
> day-a-week format.  Who knew that Farenheit 451 would dawn, not
> through a police state, but because of electronic media, hard times
> and Republican legislators?  (Okay, so we did know Repubs would be
> involved...)
>
> Terrell Dempsey
> On May 24, 2012, at 11:55 PM, JULES AUSTIN HOJNOWSKI wrote:
>
>> That's too bad!
>> They published many Twain works and other very nice books :(
>> Thanks for letting us know.
>> Jules
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Mark Twain Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
>> Gregory spect=
>> er
>> Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2012 4:37 PM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: U of Missouri Press
>>
>> Hello List Members=3DE2=3D80=3D94
>>
>>
>>
>> A quick FYI. Since it published so much on Twain, I thought
>> I=3DE2=3D80=3D9=
>> 9d =3D pass along this article about the closing of the University
>> of Misso=
>> uri =3D Press. I find the closing of the press particularly
>> disappointing =
>> =3D because it produced an extensive catalogue of books on the
>> history, art=
>> , =3D literature, and life focusing on the state of Missouri.=3D20
>>
>>
>>
>> http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2012/may/24/university-missouri-press=
>> =3D
>> -closing/
>>
>>
>>
>> Greg Specter