- News
By Director of Alumni Programs Laura Lee Brown
Elizabeth “Liz“ Lafferty Woodman ’70, Publisher, Podcaster
Can you give a brief description of what you do?
I’ve worked in book publishing for most of my career. About 15 years ago, I started Eno Publishers, a regional publishing program, named for the river that runs through Hillsborough, North Carolina, where I live. Right before COVID, I decided to shift from paper to audio and jump on the podcast wagon. (My first job was at a radio station. I loved radio. I still do. But I was told my voice wasn’t right for it.)
Now, I record some of the authors we’ve published over the years. We call it “27 Views“ podcast, named for a series of anthologies we released. Authors read and talk about their stories, some of which are literary, some of which are just fun. Initially, I never expected to do more than interview the authors-–you know, the fun part. Some amazingly skillful students from UNC had signed on to do all things technical. But during the pandemic they scattered. Not wanting all the recordings to gather dust, I learned audio editing and how to do my own recording.
What do you enjoy about publishing and podcasting?
Today, I finished an episode about Georgia Carroll, who was a famous cover girl and married bandleader Kay Kyser. The couple left glamorous 1940s Beverly Hills to settle in Chapel Hill. Her story is told through the eyes of a writer who was her close friend. In a previous episode, we visited with a Washington Post columnist who talked about the pressures of being his family’s Christmas pie king…and we discussed/argued about the correct pronunciation of
p-e-c-a-n. Novelists Jill McCorkle and Allan Gurganus and the late Elizabeth Spencer also are featured.
What did you learn at Oldfields that you still use in your life today?
When you ask what I learned at Oldfields that I use in my daily life, I remember learning to love books and reading during my years at Oldfields. We spent forever in study hall back then, and reading made the hours fly by. Whereas algebra…
What do you miss most about Oldfields?
The most enduring gift from Oldfields days is, of course, friendship. My life feels fuller for all the engaging, smart, independent women with whom I feel such a strong bond. And they remember whether they were a Green or a White, and, like true friends, amazingly enough, remind me of my affiliation (Green, I think…no wait…White? I’ll have to call them).
