In an article published October 22 in the Herald-Mail, Laura Hussey, an associate professor of Political Science, commented on Maryland voter turnout trends heading into Election Day on November 4.  Hussey said she doesn't expect a sudden uptick in voters turning out for the election next month.  She said that residents pay less attention to elections in an "off-election" year.

"Residents are not saturated with political information as you would in a presidential election year," Hussey said.  "Voters are less engaged."

On October 22, the Baltimore Sun published an article about Baltimore County campaign signs and how some are set up in a way to display bipartisanship.  Hussey was quoted in the article and discussed Democrat Tom Quirk's campaign signs being placed near Republican Joseph Hooe's.  Quirk is running for re-election as 1st District County Councilman, and Hooe is running for state delegate in District 12.  Hussey said it's not unusual for candidates to tout their work across party lines.

"It may influence voters' perceptions of a candidate's character traits, and these traits are a factor in some voters' choices," Hussey said.  "Most people...seem to prefer collaborative over combative personalities."

Why is a cemetery a good place to write a story? Why, because there are so many plots there! 

In addition to looking up terrible Halloween jokes, Special Collections has decided to get into the spirit of Halloween by sharing selections from our various collections that are filled with magic, the supernatural, and horror. Graduate Assistant Jessi Deane went through four of our different collections and pulled out her personal favorites to share with all of you! The best part—all of these selections are available for you to come and look at yourselves! 

GENERAL/RARE BOOKS COLLECTION

The History of Witchcraft and Demonology by Montague Summers

Written in 1926, Summers claims that this history of the supernatural spans too far across time and too far across the globe to accurately portray all of it. However, by choosing to focus on just Europe, he is able to examine two or three specific aspects of witchcraft and demonology. One of the things that stood out the most of me about Summers’ history was his argument that “it is quite impossible to appreciate and understand the true lives of [men and women]…unless we have some realization of the part that Witchcraft played in those ages” (ix). Although Summers certainly doesn’t try to claim that his findings are particularly historical or scientific,any fan of the supernatural and the occult should definitely come and check this out!

Famous Curses by Elliot O’Donnell

Not long after Montague Summers wrote his history of witchcraft, O’Donnell published a collection of famous curses that were supposedly cast around the world. One of these is the “Screaming Skulls of Calgarth,” which is quite similar to one of those urban legends that Jessi heard so often as a kid. Now, the real question is, are these tales of real curses? Or are they simply ghost stories told to children to keep them up at night? You may have to decide that for yourself. 

Bibliotheca Curiosa. A Treatise of Magic Incantations of Christianus Pazig edited by Edmund Goldsmid

Written in 1700, and translated in 1886 for an English audience, this little book traces the power of words in magic. Where do incantations come from? Why are they worded the way that they are? What powers do those words have? Or, perhaps, could it be that some of these “incantations” don’t have meaning simply because the words that they are made up of don’t have any meaning? These are all important questions that this little book attempts to answer. 

ROSENFELD COLLECTION

WerewolveSS by Jerry and Sharon Ahern

In 1944, Nazi leaders Heinrich Himmler and Joseph Goebbels outlined a plan called the “Werwolf,” which would place a guerrilla resistance force behind the Allied lines as they moved through Germany. When combining this with the popular historical interpretation of Hitler as an “occult groupie,” I’m sure you can guess where Jerry and Sharon Ahern went with this book! (Hint: Avid watchers of the hit HBO drama True Blood have definitely seen this before!)  A story of terror and suspense, WerewolveSS is definitely worth a read! 

The Howling by Gary Brandner

In the spirit of Halloween, be sure to check out another terrifying piece of werewolf literature! Following traumatic events in their lives, Karyn and Roy Beatty decide to move from the grimy city of Los Angles to the secluded mountain town of Drago. Although the town and its inhabitants seem friendly enough, it soon becomes apparent that something sinister is happening behind the scenes. The 1981 film The Howling is based on this blood curdling novel. 

The Tomb and other Tales by H.P. Lovecraft

H.P. Lovecraft, the author of the bone-chilling novel The Call of Cthulhu and Other Dark Tales, wrote The Tomb in 1917, making it the first piece of literature written by him in his adult life. Published in the March 1922 issue of The Vagrant, The Tomb and Other Tales consists of seventeen different short stories, early “novels”, and fragments by the master of horror fiction himself.  Jessi’s favorites are the fragments, specifically “Azathoth”; ranging from just one paragraph to only two or three pages, they were found in Lovecraft’s papers and were never expanded into short stories of their own. 

THE ARNOLD/HOWARD COLLECTION

Ghosts and Haunted Houses of Maryland by Trish Gallagher

Do you love haunted houses and stories of ghosts, ghouls, and spirits? Do you live in Maryland? Well, according to Trish Gallagher, you’re in luck! Claiming that our home state is “alive” with ghosts and other creepy hauntings, Gallagher records the stories of Maryland’s twenty-five most haunted sites. Although this may be Jessi’s own interest in Baltimore’s Confederate women shining through, but her personal favorite is the story of “The Hauntings at the Surratt House”. Mary Surratt, one of the alleged co-conspirators of the Lincoln assassination, is said to have begun haunting her family’s home following her execution in 1865. The best part about this book? All of these haunted sites and houses can be visited!

COMIC BOOK COLLECTION

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight

Published by Dark Horse Comics from 2007 to 2011, this particular comic series follows the canonical continuation of the popular television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The comics themselves start on year after the series finale, picking up the stories of our favorite characters right where we left them. True to the original in every way, Season Eight (and later Season Nine) was produced by Joss Whedon and utilized many of the same writers from the Whedon-verse. 

- # of grad programs attending: 60

- Date/Time: October 29 from 5:00-8:00 p.m.

- Location:   Johns Hopkins University, Homewood Campus 

3101 Wyman Park Drive, 

Baltimore, MD, 21211, US

- Transportation: UMBC's Career Center will provide FREE transportation! An RVSP is 

required. To get a seat, please signup through UMBCWorks (look under "Events").

- Attire: Business Casual! 

- Materials to bring (Strongly Recommended): Business cards.

801 Mt Vernon Pl NW, 

Washington, DC, 20001, US

The second annual Critical Social Justice campaign will be held February 16th-20th, 2015! This year’s theme is “Creating Brave Spaces,” inspired by the essay “From Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces” by Brian Arao and Kristi Clemens.

CSJ 2015 keynote speaker Franchesca Ramsey

Our keynote speaker will be comedian and social justice blogger Franchesca Ramsey (a.k.a. Chescaleigh), who’s perhaps best known for her viral parody video on racial microaggressions “Sh*t White Girls Say…To Black Girls.” Franchesca Ramsey’s keynote lecture “Your Powerful Online Voice: Social Media for Social Change” will be Tuesday, February 17th at 7:30pm in the UC Ballroom.

Several other programs will be held throughout the week which will support interdisciplinary learning and active engagement with social justice, including:

• CSJ 101 roundtable - Mon. 2/16, 12-1pm in Commons 329
• Invisible Privilege (Made Visible) activity & discussion - Tues. 2/17, 1-3pm on Main Street (event sponsored by: Mosaic Center)
• Women’s Center Occupies Main Street interactive exhibit & activities - Wed. 2/18, 11-2pm on Main Street (event sponsored by: Women’s Center)
• Social Justice Pedagogy: Tensions, Triggers & Teachable Moments faculty panel discussion - Wed. 2/18, 3-4pm in Sherman B-wing 220 (event sponsored by: Women’s Center)
• CSJ Reflection discussion - Thurs. 2/19, 3-4pm in the Mosaic Center
• Making Queer Spaces Safe Spaces roundtable - Thurs. 2/19, 7:30-9pm in the Women’s Center
• Feminist Art Gallery - Mon. 2/16 through Fri. 2/27 in the Commons Mezzanine Gallery

CSJ aims to support ongoing engagement with social justice across campus and we encourage all members of the UMBC community to get involved. If your department or organization is planning an event for that week that reflects the mission of CSJ, please fill out this form so we can contact you to find out more.

More details and events will be announced leading up to CSJ 2015, so like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and use the hashtag #CSJ2015 to keep up-to-date with the latest news!

Critical Social Justice is coordinated by the Women’s Center with Student Life’s Mosaic Center.