BCCC Hosts Reception for the 50th Anniversary Edition of Life on the Pamlico
Over the course of 36 years, the way we tell stories has changed. Print is less prevalent, and video is now at our fingertips. What has not changed is our love for storytelling. Life on the Pamlico set out in 1981 to preserve North Carolina’s coastal heritage through oral history. This year, as Beaufort County Community College turns 50, the college will unveil its 50th anniversary edition of the publication. The public is invited to join the college on August 22 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. for a reception to celebrate the release of this latest edition.
The ways in which Life on the Pamlico has transmitted the stories of the people of the Pamlico River has changed over the years. The publication started as a printed magazine, but now it is published exclusively online. Its format has changed throughout the years from a transcribed question and answer format to more narrative biographies and features. The widespread accessibility of video has allowed LOTP to feature student video interviews along with the written articles. Through these histories, readers can see how time, people and places in Eastern North Carolina have simultaneously changed and remained the same. Issues have contained stories of new arrivals to the area, food cultures, businesses and urban legends.
Students produce LOTP as a final student project through Cultural Studies (HUM 120). With Roy Armstrong II as its initial advisor, it was available to the public for a $4 annual subscription. Dixon Boyles edited the publication after Armstrong’s retirement. After a brief lapse, Bryan Oesterreich revived Life on the Pamlico in 2008 and reconceived it, along with James E. Casey, as an online digital publication in 2010. Since 2013, Suzanne Stotesbury has served as the publication’s editor and Casey has continued to work as designer for the online publication and video projects.
The reception will feature live bluegrass music in the library from Justin Casey, who crafted the theme to LOTP as it transitioned to incorporate video in 2013. Former editors and advisors for the publication will present a short program at 5:30 p.m.
