Diana Cunningham

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Brown Wins 2nd Annual Thomas Wolfe Award

By Diana Cunningham | October 3

The 2001 Thomas Wolfe Prize was presented to acclaimed Southern writer Larry Brown on Tuesday night. Professors and students filled Hamilton Hall to see him accept the award and to hear his advice on being working writer -- ironic considering Brown seemed to be the only one with no formal education in literature. Regardless, Brown's eight-book bibliography asserted him as a highly successful writer. He is the only two-time winner of the Southern Book Award, and the experience of being a writer and a Southerner was the focus of his lecture.

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Transparent Thriller Lacks Depth

By Diana Cunningham | September 20

The Glass House2 Stars There's nothing like the adrenaline rush and lingering chill of an exciting and suspenseful movie. Unfortunately, the so-called thriller "The Glass House" inspires no screams of terror, no cold touch of fear -- not even a slight shiver. One might have high hopes for the first movie attempt by director Daniel Sackheim, one of the producers of the television series "The X-Files." But all expectations are disappointed. He should have stuck to science fiction.

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DIVE Recommends

By Diana Cunningham | August 30

Rick Bragg never knew his grandfather, Charlie, the subject of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist's book, "Ava's Man." Bragg did know that his grandmother Ava would still light up at the memory of her husband, decades after he died. He also knew that his family mourned his grandfather deeply, though they spoke of him little. Bragg wrote, "What kind of man was this, I wondered, who is so beloved, so missed, that the mere mention of his death would make them cry 42 years after he was preached into the sky?"

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`Spider Woman' Not A Typical Musical

By Diana Cunningham | April 20

The Pauper Players spring musical production opening tonight has the kiss of death.But that's not a bad thing.The character referenced in the musical's title, "Kiss of the Spider Woman," is an incarnation of death, and her kiss is just part of the musical's dark appeal.The production was a 1985 Broadway hit and tells the story of two cellmates, Molina and Valentin, in a grim prison in Latin America who survive by sharing a fantasy, escaping into the many movies of the beautiful film star Aurora.Like the original, the Pauper Players production is intended for mature audie

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Storytelling Provides a Means of Transmitting Culture, History

By Diana Cunningham | April 12

In Germany it is said that "Handsome words do not butter the cabbage." Popular Chinese folk wisdom affirms that "Talk does not cook the rice." In the United States, culinary references aside, "talk is cheap." But these proverbs may be underestimating the significance of words, and stories in particular, in society."Stories from across the world deal with the core of what it means it be human," said Professor Glenn Hinson, chairman of the UNC curriculum in folklore.People tell stories to give a moral to the listeners, to observe a phenomenon and

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Novel Spans Decades in Tale of True Love

By Diana Cunningham | April 5

The Last Time They Met3 1/2 StarsTrue love can only be thwarted by car crashes, boating accidents and ill-timed pregnancy, at least according to Anita Shreve's latest novel "The Last Time They Met."The story traces the disastrous love affair of two soulmates frustrated by fate. Ex-high school sweethearts and present-day poets Thomas and Linda have a chance reunion at a literary convention.

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Look Mom, No Studio

By Diana Cunningham | March 1

"Deep thinkers, shallow pockets, big ideas, small bank accounts and, as always, NO FAT CATS."That's the motto of the Hi Mom! Film Festival, where a $13 weekend pass is the ticket to 49 independent films, a performance by Poncho Holly and the chance to mingle with the filmmakers behind the films.Despite rapid growth and increasing success since its beginning four years ago, Hi Mom! remains a forum for creativity.

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Buddhist Sand Sculpture In Progress at Ackland

By Diana Cunningham | February 26

A kind of sand construction very different from the dribble castles and sand crab mansions built on sunny beaches by vacationers begins today at the Ackland Art Museum. The museum is presenting the construction of the intricate medicine Buddha sand mandala -- a painting made from colored sand -- as part of its two-year exhibition on Buddhist art and ritual from Nepal and Tibet.In addition to the mandala, the exhibition includes a Buddhist altar and sculptures from India, China, Japan, Thailand and Burma.

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Chapel Hill Historians Present `Leading Ladies'

By Diana Cunningham | February 2

The starlets of the '30s are lighting up the big screen once again in the film classics that made them famous.Presented by the Chapel Hill Historical Society, "Leading Ladies of the '30s" will highlight legendary actresses in their most memorable roles during the next month. Each week the series will feature a different film classic, beginning Sunday with Alexandre Dumas' classic French tragedy, "Camille."The Chapel Hill Historical Society was founded in 1966.