Data can be used to bring about changes that matter. In addition to its use in research that is published, read, and added to amongst scholars, it can be used to advocate for policy changes, environmental changes, social changes, and more. It can be used for engaging with the local community, or improving state and national economy, or for moving towards global social justice.  Hear from various researchers about how they have used data to make an impact on society. They will reflect upon how they first recognized what impact their data could have, and how they then worked towards turning that data into a form to be practically used beyond academia.

About the Panelists
•    Dr. Chris Prentice (moderator)—Professor of Nonprofit Management, Department of Public & International Affairs; and Director of Center for Social Impact
•    Dr. Adam Jones—Professor of Economics, Department of Economics & Finance
•    Dr. Hayley Estrem—Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
•    Dr. Daniel Soques—Associate Professor of Economics, Department of Economics & Finance; and Director of The Truist Center for Global Capitalism and Ethics
•    Dr. Blake Wiggs—Director of Strategic Initiatives, The Innovation Project; and 2022 EdD graduate in Curriculum and Instruction from Watson College of Education

Date: Monday, February 13 at 1:00-2:00pm
Speakers: Chris Prentice (moderator), Adam Jones, Hayley Estrem, Daniel Soques, Blake Wiggs
Register: https://uncw.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lcuCurTgrHtfdskbF47WpbT4f5Gap_kHO

As part of the NEA Big Read: Cape Fear, UNCW’s Office of the Arts and Randall Library are hosting a collaborative, year-long effort to promote literacy in Wilmington and the broader Cape Fear region. Programming for the NEA Big Read: Cape Fear spans three counties and includes community book reads, discussions, family-friendly events, book clubs, teacher training, performances, story times, and art festivals that focus their efforts on Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi and other companion titles.

To see a list of NEA Big Read events happening across the Cape Fear, visit UNCW's Office of the Arts. Be sure to check out the NEA Big Read Subject Guide for other titles by Yaa Gyasi, companion titles, and supplemental resources.

NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.  The National Endowment for the Arts Big Read is designed to broaden our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. UNCW is one of 70+ nonprofit organizations to receive a grant to host an NEA Big Read project.  The NEA Big Read: Cape Fear was made possible by our community sponsors which include the Brunswick Arts Council and the Arts Council of Wilmington and New Hanover County.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS: UNCW Office of the Arts, UNCW Randall Library, Arts Council of Wilmington & New Hanover County, Brunswick Arts Council, Cameron Art Museum, Cape Fear Community College, Cape Fear Literacy Council, Cape Fear Museum of History and Science, DC Virgo Preparatory Academy, The Harrelson Center, International School at Gregory, Isaac Bear Early College, NC Project Lead, Inc., New Hanover County Public Library, New Hanover County Schools, Pender County Library, UNCW Centro Hispano, UNCW Department of Creative Writing, UNCW Department of English, UNCW Department of World Languages and Cultures, UNCW Gender Studies & Research Center, UNCW Honors College, UNCW Watson College of Education, WHQR Public Media, Working Films, YWCA Lower Cape Fear

African American Read-In 2023: "AMPLIFYING BLACK voices! It is IMPORTANT for ALL OF US TO SEE OURSELVES in books"

Join in the celebration as we come together to bring awareness and to amplify Black voices in literature and forms of artistic expression at the 2023 African American Read-In (AARI) on Tuesday, February 21 at 5:30 pm in the Education Building, Room 162. This event is sponsored by Randall Library, Watson College of Education, and English Department. Selections from this year's NEA Big Read title, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi will be read. Learn more about the African American Read-In or sign up to read at the event, at: https://library.uncw.edu/news/african_american_read_in_2023

NEA Big Read Homegoing Panel Discussion and Ghanaian Cultural Celebration 

In celebration of the 2022-23 NEA Big Read selection, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, Randall Library invites you to the Homegoing Panel Discussion and Ghanaian Cultural Celebration on Tuesday, March 21, at 5 pm in the Sherman Hayes Gallery. The panel discussion will explore various themes from the text, accompanied by a cultural celebration, which will include a Ghanaian book display, exhibit, storytelling, and more. This event is brought to you in collaboration with UNCW Faculty and Randall Library. 

FlashLIT Celebration Reception

Come support our student authors and artists on Thursday, April 20 at 5:30 pm in the Sherman Hayes Gallery for the 2023 FlashLIT celebration, reading, and reception! The event will include readings from the top winners, free books, and great food! This year's FlashLIT theme is GENERATIONS. Theme was inspired by the selection of Yaa Gyasi’s book Homegoing as the NEA Big Read book for this academic year. This event is sponsored by Randall Library. Learn more about Randall Library's annual student writing contest at: https://library.uncw.edu/news/flashlit_2023

Many college courses require you to use a graphing calculator, but they are expensive, and it’s easy to leave at home by accident on the day of a test or a study group -- or run out of batteries just as you finish entering a long equation. Randall Library has your back!

The Randall Library is now lending TI-83 Plus and TI-84 Plus calculators for 24 hours at a time. Borrow one to take your exams and quizzes, or use them in the library to finish your homework. You can borrow, and return, these calculators at the Circulation Desk during desk hours. Questions can be directed to https://library.uncw.edu/contact

We also have a few TI-84 Plus calculators with Python programming capability in addition to their regular features. Interested faculty can contact Sciences Librarian Sam Zelick for more information at zelicks [at] uncw.edu.  

Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 FlashLit Contest!

The theme this year was "Generations," and our judges were impressed by the creativity with which entrants were able to reimagine the prompt in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry!

•     First place: “Mother’s Scales,” by Chase Kirkwood
•     Second place: “Wishwasher,” by Emalee Gross
•     Third place: “Portrait of a Mother,” by Abigail Celoria

The judges also selected seven pieces to be included alongside the top three entries in this year's anthology, which will be designed and published by the Creative Writing Publishing Lab students and illustrated by ART 273 digital illustration students.

Honorable mentions (alphabetical by last name):

•     Diehl, Shelby: "The Well-Organized Mind"
•     Garrow, Marissa: "To Feed Off Connection"
•     Rowell, Elizabeth: "Thicker"
•     Salvetti, Taylor: "A Story About Water From a Woman's Mouth"
•     Smith, Emma: "Blackberries"
•     Summerville, Madison: "Nobody Nose"
•     Yatsonsky, Nicole: "Found in Time"

Stay tuned for details on our Reading Reception and Celebration on Thursday, April 20th, and congrats again to all!

Calling all student writers!  Randall Library’s annual writing contest, FlashLIT, starts NOW!

This year’s theme is “GENERATIONS.”

This theme was inspired by the selection of Yaa Gyasi’s book Homegoing as the NEA Big Read book for this academic year. Homegoing, the story of one Ghanian family split into two branches over the course of nearly three hundred years of history, explores ideas of family history, ancestral memory, inheritance, and the impact of past events on the lives of their survivors and descendants. We encourage you to reimagine the theme creatively, and entries will benefit from engaging with it in unique or unexpected ways. All genres—in both fiction and non-fiction—are welcome.

FlashLIT is a hallmark of applied learning at UNCW where the entire student body is invited to participate. This is a writing competition where contestants have two weeks to write 500 words (or less) in any genre of writing. The top three winners are awarded monetary prizes (applied to student accounts through the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid). First prize - $200.00; Second prize - $150.00; Third prize - $100.00. The three winners, along with selected honorable mentions, will be published in an anthology. Students from the Creative Writing Department Publishing Lab will be producing the anthology, and students in ART 273: Digital Illustration will be illustrating all entries, so it is truly a cross-campus applied learning production.

FlashLIT Contest Rules
If any of these rules or formatting guidelines are not followed, your submission will be automatically disqualified.

• Must be a UNCW student, currently enrolled.
• 500 words or less.
• Must include theme GENERATIONS.  Must mention Randall Library.
• Submissions due by Wednesday, February 1st at 5:00 p.m. EST.
• One entry per student.

Formatting Guidelines

• Double-spaced, 12 pt., Times New Roman, 1-inch margins on all sides.
• Use one tab to indicate every paragraph indent.
• Section breaks should be notated by (***).
• Turn off all auto-formatting features (such as automatic paragraph indenting, outlining, bullet points).
• Enter only one space after terminal punctuation. If you used two spaces, search/replace to update your file.
• For dashes, use em-dash character with no space on either side, or use two hyphens, and we’ll search and replace the em-dash during typesetting.
• For any special characters or glyphs, such as trademark symbols, accents, or irregular punctuation, please note them by highlighting them in yellow with MS Word's "text highlight color" feature.
• If you'd like to include a special character or a glyph, but you don't know how to set it, please submit a hard copy of your story with specific instructions for the placement and type of special character to be inserted.
• Files should be saved and submitted as follows: lastname_firstname.docx.
• Submit a .docx version of your submission via the form (https://library.uncw.edu/forms/flashlit_submission)

NOTE: Edits and revisions will NOT be allowed after submissions, nor will the publisher have time to check your work. Take care that your piece is fully edited and perfected before submitting.