This month marks the 20th anniversary of the launch of Charlotte Viewpoint. On November 18, 2003, on my 41st birthday, I sent the first issue of Charlotte Viewpoint by email to 20 neighbors and friends. Over the next 13 years, until November 2, 2016, Charlotte Viewpoint captured and elevated the conversation, arts, culture, and civic life of the Charlotte region. In celebration of its archive, this newsletter will showcase, every two weeks over the next year, select essays, interviews, reviews, fiction, poetry, and contributions that distinguished the magazine and the Charlotte region.
You might find the format of this newsletter familiar as it is inspired by The New Yorker Classics email that showcases essays and stories from its legendary catalog. The New Yorker was a guiding light for me when I launched Charlotte Viewpoint. I wanted to publish thoughtful and engaging work that trusted the intelligence of readers and had a moral center about what Charlotte was and could be. I’m proud of what everyone at Charlotte Viewpoint over its 13-year run produced. If you remember CV then, I hope you find joy in rediscovering the richness of its content. If you are new to CV, I hope it opens a world of connection and insight about a time not long ago that you find relevant today.
In this issue, you’ll read a history of Charlotte Viewpoint written by Michael Solender, who served as editor of the City Life section of the magazine. You’ll also read a guest essay by Carol Hardison, a review by Meg Freeman Whalen, a story by former editor-in-chief Lila Allen, and see an artist gallery by Barbara Schreiber. In addition, you’ll see links to four of our PDF magazines that showcase Op-Eds, photography, art, and poetry. You’ll want to explore every one of those back issues. This newsletter is a thank you to the editors and contributors who made the magazine, the readers and partners who supported it, and the region we call home. I invite you to share it with everyone you know. Mark Peres Charlotte Viewpoint Founder The Charlotte Center Founder & Executive Director |
Charlotte Viewpoint: A History |
An embodiment of free speech, Speakers Corner in London’s Hyde Park draws citizens ready to exchange ideas on issues shaping the community and the world. There is something special about coming together to participate in civic discourse that is communicated with flair. Engaging in such dialogue helps individuals better formulate their own opinions and appreciate those of their neighbors.
Few things in metropolitan life are as satisfying as sharing perspectives in ways that inform and entertain. Charlotte Viewpoint does all that and more as the Speaker’s Corner for this region. The 9-year-old online publication that began as a neighborhood newsletter now is run by a committed team of editors that has emerged as a respected voice within the community. CV has become a unique sounding board for community leaders and artists, featuring thoughtful commentary and original works of poetry, fiction, photography, art and video.
A platform to drive innovation
Founder and publisher Mark Peres has described his vision for Charlotte Viewpoint as “CBS Sunday Morning meets The New Yorker about Charlotte on the web.” The idea from the start was to raise the game of intellectual discourse and creative expression in the city so Charlotte might further emerge as a vital and significant place to live. “The writing and editorial focus is consistently smart and progressive,” said Tom Gabbard, CEO of the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. “CV has been willing to probe hard civic issues, but in a way that is thoughtful and constructive. I loved the thought of creating an outlet for views that were different from what we could expect from commercial media,” he said. |
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From 2012: Our Post-Crisis Challenge |
It’s true; we’re in an economic recovery. We have been for a couple of years. There are signs of it all around in the private sector. Our housing market has started to improve. High end retailers have seen profits return. The Charlotte unemployment rate is finally leaving double digits.
And there’s more good news. After years of record-breaking numbers of people facing personal financial crisis and homelessness, the growth in need has peaked. |
| From 2015:
American Orchestral Relegated to Exotica |
It must be a bit disheartening to musical patriots that American orchestral music is still so exotic to an American orchestra that it gets a single, isolated program across an entire series of concerts. This weekend, the Charlotte Symphony performs its American Classics series program, continuing a longstanding habit of herding our homegrown composers into one place.
The Charlotte Symphony is not unique in this habit. |
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From 2009: In The Crosshairs |
I was born with a head like a boiled potato: bald and slick. I’ve seen pictures; my eyes shined black glass reflections edge to edge through almond-shaped eyelids like my mother’s. I’m the most Korean-looking of all four of us now, but when my hair first came in, it was light and curly, like a white baby’s. It took two years to get to that point. Before then, Marvin tells me, my mother would massage my scalp with a mixture of Vitamin E and Vaseline, polishing it to a pinball gloss. |
| From 2012:
Barbara Schreiber |
Barbara Schreiber creates colorful, intimate paintings and drawings that explore a world in disarray. Much of her work depicts the place between expectation and reality. Schreiber has exhibited her work at PS 1, the High Museum of Art, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, the Sorbonne and numerous other venues.
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About Charlotte Viewpoint |
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Charlotte Viewpoint is a magazine about the city and culture of the Charlotte region that ran from 2003-2016. Charlotte Viewpoint published civic and cultural commentary and programmed events about Charlotte for engaged citizens to nurture creative capital, elevate civic discourse and promote intellectual and artistic excellence in the Charlotte region. |
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| Charlotte Viewpoint has been archived by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room for its historical significance. |
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