Alabama Book Festival attendees first to see state’s bicentennial children’s book
Attendees of the Alabama Book Festival at Montgomery’s historic Old Alabama Town on Saturday received a special treat: they were the first to see the brand new book, Alabama My Home Sweet Home, by Charles Ghigna. Ghigna, also known as Father Goose, is an award winning author who lives in Homewood, Ala. He wrote Alabama My Home Sweet Home as a bicentennial book for young readers; the book features a bear cub named Camellia who accompanies readers through the book as they come across famous Alabamians like Helen Keller, Rosa Parks and Jesse Owens during their own time and place in history. “We are thrilled to have a bicentennial book especially for young readers,” said Alabama Bicentennial Commission Executive Director, Jay Lamar. “What better time than the celebration of the state’s 200th birthday to introduce them to important Alabama people and places.” Another Alabama native, Michelle Hyde provided illustrations for the book. A graduate of the Ringling College of Art & Design, her work has appeared in The Birmingham News and several other publications. Hyde and her family reside in Birmingham. “It is even more special that Alabama My Home Sweet Home was written and illustrated by two people who call Alabama home,” said Lamar. “Father Goose is, of course, a beloved Alabama children’s writer. Michelle Hyde’s cheerful illustrations clearly show how well she knows the state. They make a great team.” Ghigna is the author of 5,000 poems and more than 100 books from publishers such as: Random House, Time Inc., Disney, Scholastic, and Highlights magazine. He is a former poet-in-residence and chair of creative writing at the Alabama School of Fine Art, who currently serves as an instructor for creative writing at Samford University.
Time Inc. exploring sale of Birmingham’s Coastal Living, other titles
Time Inc. is exploring a sale of Coastal Living, Sunset and Golf magazines as the struggling publisher concentrates on larger titles in its turnaround strategy, Chief Executive Officer Rich Battista said in an interview Tuesday. Battista said in May the company would sell some smaller properties as it tried to push ahead with a digital strategy and move past months of talks with potential acquirers. In the interview, Battista called the three publications “wonderful brands” but said Time needed to invest in other properties instead. The company also publishes People and Sports Illustrated. “It’s really important to focus on the key biggest growth drivers of this company that will move the needle the most,” he said. “These are wonderful titles and wonderful brands. They’re just relatively smaller in our portfolio.” Signage is displayed on the exterior of Time Inc. headquarters in New York. (Alexander F. Yuan/Bloomberg) Time may also consider unloading other assets, Battista said. Earlier this week, the publisher said it was looking to sell a majority stake in Essence, a monthly magazine for black women. Battista said in the interview that Time was increasing its video production for television and social media and looking to expand the Foundry, which creates content for advertisers. In April, Time announced it was sticking with its online strategy rather than selling itself. Last month, the publisher cut 300 employees, or 4 percent of its workforce, to be more efficient and reinvest resources in growth areas. Digital dollars Like other magazine publishers, Time is struggling to reinvent itself as print advertising dries up and the lion’s share of digital advertising dollars goes to Facebook Inc. and Google. The magazine owner has spent months restructuring its business and replacing senior management, hoping to persuade advertisers to pour money into its titles. Coastal Living, based in Birmingham, focuses on home design and travel in communities along the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts. The magazine shares Birmingham with other titles, including Southern Living and Cooking Light, and Time recently announced the relocation of Food & Wine from New York to Birmingham. Based in Oakland, California, Sunset is a monthly publication focused on West Coast lifestyle, including travel, food, home and garden. It was founded in 1898 by railroad executives who wanted to attract people on the East Coast to move out West. Golf magazine, a monthly based in New York, focuses on golf instruction, equipment and courses. It competes with Conde Nast’s Golf Digest. Republished with permission of Alabama NewsCenter.
