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‘Cuba in the Raw: A Story of Sugar’ (video)

February 5, 2013 By

The history of sugar’s rise to prominence as the “white gold” of the Caribbean became the passion of an MTSU language professor. Dr. Ric Morris, who teaches Spanish and linguistics in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, produced “Cuba in the Raw: A Story of Sugar,” featured at a public screening at the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building. The story of “Cuba in the Raw” is the featured Cover Story in the February edition of MTSU’s monthly video magazine, “Out of the Blue.”

Written, directed and narrated by Morris, the 58-minute film uses the sugar industry as a prism through which to view Cuba’s rich and complicated history. You can learn more about the documentary at Morris’ home page, http://mtweb.mtsu.edu/rmorris, and you can watch “Out of the Blue” anytime at www.youtube.com/mtsuoutoftheblue.

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National Storytelling Festival 2012 includes MTSU alumna’s tales

November 6, 2012 By

MTSU alumna Christi Underdown-Dubois, left, explains how she participated in the “Story Slam” competition at the recent National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn.

MTSU alumna Christi Underdown-Dubois, a relative newcomer, was a part of the recent 2012 National Storytelling Festival in historic Jonesborough, Tenn. The October event celebrated 40 years of storytelling that started in the tiny East Tennessee town and has become an international movement.

This special report on the storytellers and the National Storytelling Festival features some of the prominent artists who practice the profession as well as the founder of the festival, Jimmy Neil Smith. Smith conceived the idea of a storytelling festival in a conversation with his students in the early 1970s after listening to comedian Jerry Clower. The first festival was held around a wagon on the courthouse square; today, the National Storytelling Festival features multiple venues in and around Jonesborough.

For more information about the event, visit www.storytellingcenter.net/festival.

 

 

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June ‘Out of the Blue’ a great respite from summer heat

June 6, 2012 By

Relax in the shade with a cool drink and enjoy all the features in the June 2012 edition of MTSU’s monthly video magazine, “Out of the Blue,” including:

  • the first turn of the shovels for the University’s new $147 million Science Building;
  • the balloon-dropping celebration of MTSU’s 100,000th undergraduate degree at spring 2012 commencement;
  • a music-business major whose love for a soft drink helped her net a cool $123,000 for college;
  • a hard-working sophomore who can kick back with a national Goldwater Scholar Award on his mantel and in his bank account;
  • the behind-the-scenes talents of electronic media communication students at the first “Academies of Nashville Video Awards”;
  • a visit on a neighbor’s brand-new porch, courtesy of Habitat for Humanity and MTSU volunteers, and more!

You can watch “Out of the Blue” above or on Murfreesboro cable Channel 9 Monday through Sunday at 7 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. and on NewsChannel5+ Sundays at 1:30 p.m. It’s also available on other cable outlets in middle Tennessee, so check local listings.

Check out the “Out of the Blue” archives anytime at www.youtube.com/user/MTSUOutOfTheBlue/videos!

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