Recently Professor Peter J. D. Mellini of Sonoma State University was awarded a Fellowship for College Teachers and Independent Scholars from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The grant awards Mellini $30,000 to pursue research during the 1999-2000 acedemic year on his topic A Biography on PUNCH, 1906-1992: A Chapter in the Social and Political History of the British Media.
PUNCH was an influential, humorous weekly publication in Britain read by the Royal family down to the middle-class featuring political and social cartoons as well as satirical material aimed at English society. It enjoyed its largest circulation and most significant years in the 20th century from 1906-1948 and was a model for magazines such as the New Yorker. However, PUNCH began in the 1960s decline in popularity. Mellini, having previously written articles and biographical sketches on PUNCH, will be spending seven to eight months during the year living in London, interviewing people who were associated with the magazine, searching for information in the PUNCH archives, and creating from this a book. Mellini, a professor at SSU for 30 years, is also working on his third book "Images of Nations," and is working to publish the revised version of his second book, "In Vanity Fair," co-authored by Roy Matthews (UC Press, 1982).
Created in 1965, the NEH is a federal agency awarding fellowships and grants to scholars enabling them to pursue research in and make contributions to all the fields of humanities including history, literature, philosophy, and other disciplines. Since its beginning, NEH has awarded close to $3 billion in fellowships and grants, as well as funding education, museum exhibitions, and documentaries. Projects are funded based upon their merit and significance according the NEH.
For more information, contact Peter Mellini at (707) 664-2489.
