MUMENTOUS:
Original Photos and Mostly-True Stories about Football,
Glue Guns, Moms, and a Supersized High School Tradition
That Was Born Deep in the Heart of Texas
by
Amy J. Schultz
Nonfiction / Photo-Driven Memoir / Women’s History / Pop Culture / Texana
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Page Count: 178 pages
Publication Date: April 25, 2023
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The closest you'll ever get to seeing someone actually wear their heart on their sleeve is in Texas, every fall, at the local high school homecoming game.
They're called homecoming mums. They are as bodacious as football, as irresistible as a juicy rumor, and as deep as a momma's love. Over a hundred years ago when the custom began, mum was short for chrysanthemum, a typical corsage that boys gave to girls before taking them to the big football game. But through the decades, mum went from a simple abbreviation to a complicated shorthand for an eye-popping tradition that's as ingrained in the culture as it is confounding to outsiders.
Through her original photography and collection of stories from across and beyond the Lone Star State, Amy J. Schultz takes us deep in the heart of mum country. You'll meet kids who wear them, parents who buy them, and critics who decry them as just another example of consumerism gone wild. But mostly, you'll discover that just like every ritual which stands the test of time, someone is keeping the tradition alive. Someone like Mom.
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A Scrapbook Pages for
Amy J. Schultz’s
Mumentous Journey
A photo early in my research process in 2016.
A worthy photo that didn’t make it into the book.
Amy J. Schultz is an author and award-winning photographer who explores unique aspects of modern culture that hide in plain sight. When she isn’t talking about homecoming mums, Amy is writing, taking photos, working on other creative projects, traveling, snort-laughing, or vacuuming up dog fur.
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TWO WINNERS:
First Prize: signed hardback copy + enamel pin;
Second Prize: eBook + enamel pin
(US only; ends midnight, CST, 9/8/23)
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Oh my gosh -- that 2nd photo of the cheerleader mums. Can you imagine the pressure on their dates, knowing the mums would be on display like that at the homecoming game?! Love all this Texana. Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing these photos from my "cutting room floor," Rebecca! They mean as much to me as those that made it into the book. And Kristine's comment about cheerleaders displaying mums along the sidelines is totally on point. Those mums in particular become part of the visual history of the game itself. - Amy J. Schultz, author, MUMENTOUS
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