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27 Views of Durham, The Bull City in Prose & Poetry
Eno Publishers builds on its successful 27 Views series by showcasing the literary community of Durham, North Carolina, in 27 Views of Durham: The Bull City in Prose & Poetry. The book features 27 writers, who in poetry, essays, short stories, and book excerpts focus on the town of Durham, famous for Duke University, tobacco, and Southern cuisine. The collection offers readers a broad and varied picture of life past and present in Durham, as well as a sense of the town's literary breadth. Contributing authors include Steve Schewel, Barry Saunders, Jean Anderson, Carl Kenney, Katy Munger, David Guy, Ariel Dorfman, Pierce Freelon, Miguel Rojas-Sotelo, Andre Vann, John Valentine, Shirlette Ammons, Jim Wise, and others.
From the publisher:
27 VIEWS of DURHAM: The Bull City in Prose & Poetry is an anthology of the city known for tobacco, diversity, sports, and grit. 27 Views of Durham casts a wide net, capturing the city’s ethos. Journalists, novelists, poets, essayists, and a song writer offer readers a broad and varied picture of life, present and past, in the legendary Southern city—from a history of the city’s first mayor, re-elected seven times, to a deeply personal essay about African American movie-going experiences, to reflections on the city’s overwhelming opposition to Amendment One, to an anthem that celebrates the Bull City.
Authors appreciate Durham’s tolerance and diversity, tout its vibrant arts and food scenes, and downtown revitalization. Yet they don’t shy away from its ongoing struggles. As Steve Schewel writes in his introduction, “Notwithstanding the surprising emergence of Durham as a cool place to live, our writers know that just over the centerfield fence at the gorgeous Durham Bulls Athletic Park . . . looms the massive phalanx of the jail. . . . Juxtaposed with the cool is the persistent reality of poverty . . .” The views create a literary montage of Durham, reflecting its social, historic, and creative fabric.
27 Views of Durham is the fourth book in Eno Publishers’s 27 Views series that features the literary communities of contemporary Southern towns. The series’s initial book was the award-winning 27 Views of Hillsborough, with an introduction by novelist Michael Malone, followed by 27 Views of Chapel Hill, published in 2011 with an introduction by Daniel Wallace, and 27 Views of Asheville.
From the publisher:
27 VIEWS of DURHAM: The Bull City in Prose & Poetry is an anthology of the city known for tobacco, diversity, sports, and grit. 27 Views of Durham casts a wide net, capturing the city’s ethos. Journalists, novelists, poets, essayists, and a song writer offer readers a broad and varied picture of life, present and past, in the legendary Southern city—from a history of the city’s first mayor, re-elected seven times, to a deeply personal essay about African American movie-going experiences, to reflections on the city’s overwhelming opposition to Amendment One, to an anthem that celebrates the Bull City.
Authors appreciate Durham’s tolerance and diversity, tout its vibrant arts and food scenes, and downtown revitalization. Yet they don’t shy away from its ongoing struggles. As Steve Schewel writes in his introduction, “Notwithstanding the surprising emergence of Durham as a cool place to live, our writers know that just over the centerfield fence at the gorgeous Durham Bulls Athletic Park . . . looms the massive phalanx of the jail. . . . Juxtaposed with the cool is the persistent reality of poverty . . .” The views create a literary montage of Durham, reflecting its social, historic, and creative fabric.
27 Views of Durham is the fourth book in Eno Publishers’s 27 Views series that features the literary communities of contemporary Southern towns. The series’s initial book was the award-winning 27 Views of Hillsborough, with an introduction by novelist Michael Malone, followed by 27 Views of Chapel Hill, published in 2011 with an introduction by Daniel Wallace, and 27 Views of Asheville.
- GenresNonfiction
240 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 19, 2020
Pretty cute little collection of stories and poems. Despite (or maybe because of it) including bits regarding the less ideal parts of the city (bigotry, poverty), it comes across as a real, true, and worthwhile city to consider home.
September 5, 2025
LOVED reading & learning more about my hometown.
April 13, 2018
27 Views is a series that focuses on North Carolina towns as seen through its resident writers/artists. This volume caught my attention because it listed among the contributors Clyde Egerton, Ariel Dorfman, and Jean Anderson.
The contributions include essays and commentary, excerpts from longer fiction pieces, and some poetry. Authors are from a wide range of ages and have lived in the area varying lengths of time. Many of the pieces, especially from the newer residents, feel like something the Chamber of Commerce would approve of heartily or (as they are) pieces from local arts papers whose job it is to make a place seem ten times cooler and more exciting than it can possible be. (Our town's weekly arts paper does that, too.)
Like all collections, not every selection is going to be a winner with every reader. Young readers might not care for the nostalgia of the more historical remembrances or those who remember the area's more challenging times won't be able to connect with the pieces that romanticize those times and are written by people who weren't there or even born when they happened. And, as with all collections, there can unexpected gems. If was a wonderful surprise to be introduced to the sensory-rich, almost photographic descriptions written by Lewis Shiner (and to discover I can access more of his writing for free on his website) and the sharp, gritty, smart poetry of National Poetry Slam Champion George Yamazawa, Jr. (I must seek out more of this guy's work. His clear, no BS style is riveting, and his contribution felt to me like the most authentic, gut-felt piece in the entire collection.)
I admit to an eyeroll or two at some of the "see how hip and trendy and open to individuality and quirkiness we are!" pieces. It's not that the writing wasn't good or the piece not entertaining, but it just had that sheen of "I've moved here from elsewhere and have made myself an instant expert on the place and am now going to turn it into my idea of what it should be...which is a lot like the place I left" vibe to it. I'm reminded of the people in my current neighborhood where newcomers have decided they speak for everyone and their vision of what the area should be trumps the opinion of those born here and offer their learned and affluent opinions without stopping to consider maybe those born here also have opinions. But I digress....
It's been a long time since I've been to NC, and I've been told many times that I wouldn't recognize most of it anymore. (Certainly I don't recognize it from recent news stories that sound more like they're coming out of 1920s Alabama.) If the stories in this volume are any indication, the people who said I wouldn't recognize the town are right. At the same time, a lot of these stories don't exactly fit with what I'm hearing from long-time and native residents of the area. As with most things, I assume the truth is somewhere in the middle. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable read. Even if one is unfamiliar with the area, it would be a fun read.
Note: I read the Kindle version of this book. Adding a functional Table of Contents to the Kindle navigation menu for it would have been helpful. It's not usually a big deal for me in novels or non-fiction books, but I consider it a basic function for compilations and books of poetry.
The contributions include essays and commentary, excerpts from longer fiction pieces, and some poetry. Authors are from a wide range of ages and have lived in the area varying lengths of time. Many of the pieces, especially from the newer residents, feel like something the Chamber of Commerce would approve of heartily or (as they are) pieces from local arts papers whose job it is to make a place seem ten times cooler and more exciting than it can possible be. (Our town's weekly arts paper does that, too.)
Like all collections, not every selection is going to be a winner with every reader. Young readers might not care for the nostalgia of the more historical remembrances or those who remember the area's more challenging times won't be able to connect with the pieces that romanticize those times and are written by people who weren't there or even born when they happened. And, as with all collections, there can unexpected gems. If was a wonderful surprise to be introduced to the sensory-rich, almost photographic descriptions written by Lewis Shiner (and to discover I can access more of his writing for free on his website) and the sharp, gritty, smart poetry of National Poetry Slam Champion George Yamazawa, Jr. (I must seek out more of this guy's work. His clear, no BS style is riveting, and his contribution felt to me like the most authentic, gut-felt piece in the entire collection.)
I admit to an eyeroll or two at some of the "see how hip and trendy and open to individuality and quirkiness we are!" pieces. It's not that the writing wasn't good or the piece not entertaining, but it just had that sheen of "I've moved here from elsewhere and have made myself an instant expert on the place and am now going to turn it into my idea of what it should be...which is a lot like the place I left" vibe to it. I'm reminded of the people in my current neighborhood where newcomers have decided they speak for everyone and their vision of what the area should be trumps the opinion of those born here and offer their learned and affluent opinions without stopping to consider maybe those born here also have opinions. But I digress....
It's been a long time since I've been to NC, and I've been told many times that I wouldn't recognize most of it anymore. (Certainly I don't recognize it from recent news stories that sound more like they're coming out of 1920s Alabama.) If the stories in this volume are any indication, the people who said I wouldn't recognize the town are right. At the same time, a lot of these stories don't exactly fit with what I'm hearing from long-time and native residents of the area. As with most things, I assume the truth is somewhere in the middle. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable read. Even if one is unfamiliar with the area, it would be a fun read.
Note: I read the Kindle version of this book. Adding a functional Table of Contents to the Kindle navigation menu for it would have been helpful. It's not usually a big deal for me in novels or non-fiction books, but I consider it a basic function for compilations and books of poetry.
May 11, 2016
A very nice collection of prose and verse about our city, Durham NC. This little book contains a variety of articles which have whet my appetite for a deeper dive into the history of Durham. There were even details of some happenings over the past 30 years that we had missed while living here. And the book ended with a song by Rebecca Newton entitled "One Square Mile", which you can listen to here - https://www.reverbnation.com/rebeccan... - All in all, this book is a must read for residents of our diverse and lovable city.
October 15, 2012
I've never been to Durham, but after reading this personal candid book by 27 of its residents, I feel like I know the Bull City. This collection of poetry and both non-fictional and fictional prose is at times whimsical, at times touching, always poignant. These are tales of baseball, belonging, race and ethnicity, childhood, church, community, courtship, and more, told in the rich voices of 27 talented writers. The book paints a portrait of a city's diversity, past and present, and resonates with the gritty energy of the enduring place all those writers call home.
July 9, 2014
Hugely disappointing; a disjointed collection of random articles and blog excerpts, many of which were only tangentially-related to the Bull City. It felt like someone did a quick Google search for "Durham" and then included the first 27 hits.
I find it was particularly ironic (and completely typical) that, while many of the articles heralded Durham's thriving art scene and creative class, the publishers commissioned a Chapel Hill artist for the cover art. Lame.
I find it was particularly ironic (and completely typical) that, while many of the articles heralded Durham's thriving art scene and creative class, the publishers commissioned a Chapel Hill artist for the cover art. Lame.
December 13, 2012
Most of the historical sections in this book are simply fantastic and while some contributions are certainly more interesting than others, the collection ultimately seems pretty cohesive. 27 Views is worth your time, particularly if you're curious about many of Durham's quirky and beloved traditions got their start!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews