BILL MINUTAGLIO Vita
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BILL MINUTAGLIO Vita As of: January 2014 FORMAL EDUCATION: Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, 1977-1978, Masters of Science. Thesis: “The Indian American Community in New York City.” Columbia University Graduate School of International Affairs, 1976-1977. Specialization in South Asian Studies. Columbia University, Bachelor of Arts, History, 1973-1976. ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS/AWARDS: 2007 - present: Clinical Professor, School of Journalism, College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin 2011: Recipient of the Regents’ Outstanding TeaCher Award from The University of Texas System. From award letter: “Only a select number of faculty members, from across The University of Texas System, were chosen for this significant honor and the accompanying monetary award, and to win one of these awards is truly a remarkable achievement . An external review committee comprised of highly experienced academic administrators, faculty members, Regents, and students evaluated the nominations based on several criteria.” 2013-2014: Fellow to the Heyne Professorship, College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin. 2012-2013: Fellow to the Everett Collier Chair in the College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin; 2010-2011: Fellow to the Everett Collier Chair in the College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin 2007 (spring): Lecturer, School of Journalism, College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin BOOKS, DOCUMENTARY FILMS & RESEARCH: **BOOKS – Commissioned by University of Texas Press to complete two volumes in the landmark “Texas Bookshelf Series” – which aims to create the definitive books on selected Texas topics. Minutaglio will write the book on “Texas business” and on “Texas politics.” A small handful of faculty members were asked to participate in the project. Minutaglio is the only professor to be asked to do two volumes. Publication tentatively set for 2019 for the first volume; 2020 for seCond volume. ** BOOK: (2013): “Dallas 1963” -- about the political/cultural climate in the three years leading to the assassination of President Kennedy. Publisher: Twelve, a division of the Hachette Publishing Group (Little Brown, etc.). 1. Amazon named “Dallas 1963” one of The Best Works of History for 2013. 2. Kirkus named “Dallas 1963” one of The Best Books of 2013. 3. The Daily Beast named “Dallas 1963” one The Five Essential Books to read about the Kennedy assassination (along with works by Norman Mailer, William Manchester and Don DeLillo). 4. Parade Magazine, the best read magazine in America, named “Dallas 1963” one of its Three Top JFK Books. 5. The Seattle Times named “Dallas 1963” one of The Best Books of 2013. 6. The Kansas City Star named “Dallas 1963” one of The Best Books of 2013. 7. The Daily Oklahoman named “Dallas 1963” one of The Favorite Books of 2013. *The book has been cited and/or excerpted in dozens of venues around the world: The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Die Welt (Germany), Irish Examiner, Montreal Times, The Sunday Times of London, Il Post (Italy), Faro de Vigo (Spain), Estadao (Brazil), NRK (Norway), Irish Times, Metro (France), Deutsche Welle (Germany), The Guardian (UK), National PubliC Radio, USA Today, etc. SeleCted Reviews: After fifty years, it’s a challenge to fashion a new lens with which to view the tragic events of November 22, 1963—yet Texans [Minutaglio and Davis] pull it off brilliantly. —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) The many observances related to the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination will come and go, but for those who want a more permanent reminder, there is Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis’s lauded, new, conspiracy-free book, 'Dallas 1963.' —The New York Times A chilling portrait... The accounts of events in 1963 unfold in the book like a thriller novel. — Associated Press Luxuriant...potent — The New Yorker For the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination there are dozens of books coming. But the only one, for my money, that really distinguishes itself is this terrifying account of the potent blend of right-wing hysteria, subversive reactionaries, and violence that bubbled over in Dallas in the years before Oswald pulled the trigger. The scariest part: the paranoid right was as freaked out then as they are now. —The Daily Beast Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis's DALLAS 1963 is a brilliantly written, haunting eulogy to John F. Kennedy. By exposing the right-wing hatred aimed at our 35th president, the authors demonstrates that America—not just Lee Harvey Oswald—was ultimately responsible for his death. Every page is an eye opener. Highly recommended! —Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University and author of CRONKITE [Minutaglio and Davis] so effectively set the scene in the years, months and weeks leading up to Nov. 22 that the assassination reads not as a historical abomination but as the logical result of the violence, paranoia and hate that preceded it. —Austin American-Statesman Mesmerizing...[General Edwin Walker] comes off as a real-life version of Jack D. Ripper from Dr. Strangelove, and that movie’s sense of dark comedy and menace permeates the real world of Dallas in this era. —Maclean's Dallas 1963 stands out as a well-reported and unique contribution to a diverse and unwieldy canon of books about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy...Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis evoke the murky, paranoid racial and political climate in Dallas that preceded the assassination. —Kirkus "Published to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of JFK’s assassination, this fine book proves that there is always something new to be said about that much- discussed subject." —Booklist "Every great book season needs that one deeply researched non-fiction heavyweight, and this fall, it's DALLAS 1963, a collaboration between writers Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis that should be enthralling catnip for history junkies." —Complex Pop Culture "Minutaglio and Davis effectively tell that valuable story, chronically weaving together episodes and characters from 1960 to 1963...Dallas 1963 clearly explains why the city's leaders deserved the shame that followed." —San Antonio Express-News "In this harrowing, masterfully-paced depiction of a disaster waiting to happen, Minutaglio and Davis examine a prominent American city in its now-infamous moment of temporary insanity. Because those days of partisan derangement look all too familiar today, DALLAS 1963 isn’t just a gripping narrative—it’s also a somber cautionary tale.” —New York Times Magazine contributor and author Robert Draper “The authors skillfully marry a narrative of the lead-up to the fateful day with portrayals of the Dixiecrats, homophobes, John Birchers, hate-radio spielers, and the ‘superpatriots’ who were symptomatic of the paranoid tendency in American politics.” — Times of London editor and author Sir Harold Evans "Why was JFK assassinated in Dallas, of all places? Minutaglio and Davis answer that question...and even though we know what happened, getting to that last point is squirmy: my heart pounded, I wanted to yell 'WATCH OUT!' When you can immerse yourself in a book like that, it's always a good sign±—which is why I recommend this one." —Las Vegas Review-Journal " Vivid." —Detroit News "Fascinating." —Kansas City Star "A remarkable new book...The best examinations of history remind us that forces driving the events of, say 50 years ago, are...likely to re-form and gather strength anew." —Steve Robinson, "Do Events of 50 Years Ago Remind Us of Today's Front Page?" **DOCUMENTARY FILM (2013): “CACTUS JACK: THE LEGACY OF JOHN NANCE GARNER.” Premiered in 2013, to be aired on national PBS stations. Screenwriter, script development, researcher, consultant for first major documentary on Vice President/Speaker of House Garner; collaboration with The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin. **BOOK, (2010): “In SearCh Of The Blues: A Journey To The Soul Of BlaCk Texas,” University of Texas Press. A book that examines race in America, and the role that journalists play in covering race. Honors: Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, “Book It” Book Club Selection, 2011 Review: "It was like hearing, feeling music—It was like summoning smoke, something over there that you had to at least pursue, even if you had no damned clue—and would never have a clear understanding..." writes Minutaglio on why he loved to read Langston Hughes as a young Italian American in New York City, circa 1968. IN SEARCH OF THE BLUES is, in part, Minutaglio's homage to Hughes: through a sweeping collection of interviews and elegant insight into the generative power of place, the reporter gives voice to African Americans in some of the most neglected corners of America. From communities like Sand Branch in Southeastern Dallas, where "the simple act of raising a cup of water, maybe badly contaminated water, to your lips is never far from your mind," to rumbling blues clubs, Minutaglio's search for the soul of black Texas is relentless. OXFORD AMERICAN, SEPT. 2010 Review: "Bill Minutaglio writes about Texas with an intimacy honed over years of exploring neighborhoods and personalities during his residencies in Houston, Dallas, Abilene and San Antonio. Yet this well-known journalist won't be invited to contribute to the glossy travel magazines any time soon. That's because Minutaglio's favorite subjects are the very places that tourists – and even many long-time residents – avoid . .In each of these pieces, he pushes journalism to its limits . a book as deeply felt and well written as this one has made a believer out of me . This commitment to the story behind the story sets this book apart, and will keep you thinking – and feeling – long after you have put it down" The Dallas Morning News Review: “You don't have to search for the blues because the blues always find you.