Southerners love to talk food, quickly revealing likes and dislikes, regional preferences, and their own delicious stories. Because the topic often crosses lines of race, class, gender, and region, food supplies a common fuel to launch discussion. Consuming Identity sifts through the self-definitions, allegiances, and bonds made possible and strengthened through the theme of southern foodways. The book focuses on the role food plays in building identities, accounting for the messages food sends about who we are, how we see ourselves, and how we see others. While many volumes examine southern food, this one is the first to focus on food's rhetorical qualities and the effect that it can have on culture. The volume examines southern food stories that speak to the identity of the region, explain how food helps to build identities, and explore how it enables cultural exchange. Food acts rhetorically, with what we choose to eat and serve sending distinct messages. It also serves a vital identity-building function, factoring heavily into our memories, narratives, and understanding of who we are. Finally, because food and the tales surrounding it are so important to southerners, the rhetoric of food offers a significant and meaningful way to open up dialogue in the region. By sharing and celebrating both foodways and the food itself, southerners are able to revel in shared histories and traditions. In this way individuals find a common language despite the divisions of race and class that continue to plague the South. The rich subject of southern fare serves up a significant starting point for understanding the powerful rhetorical potential of all food.

The Successful Speaker's Guide: Assess Your Strengths, Find Your Tools, and Enhance Your Confidence compiles original material and reading selections that help readers assess their own strengths and weaknesses as speakers, and uses specific tools to prepare the perfect speech for any occasion. Filled with expert guidance for speaking successfully in class, or in professional or social settings, the text focuses on practical tips and real-world applications. Rooted in the belief that good communication skills are the secret to advancing in a career, working well in a team, negotiating, relating to customers, and building great relationships with colleagues, the fifteen chapters discuss every aspect of public speaking from tips for speech preparation to the psychology of audiences. The book also includes information on choosing a speech topic and determining the speech's purpose, using visual and sensory aids, overcoming speaker's anxiety, and incorporating research into a speech. The Successful Speaker's Guide enables student-readers to decide what tools are available to support successful speaking and how they want to make use of these tools in ways that are comfortable and appropriate for the situation. It is an ideal text for public speaking or introductory communication courses.