A Personal Word of Thanks

A writer is nothing without engaged readers like you.

Sep 03, 2024

I hope everyone has had an enjoyable Labor Day weekend, as we commemorate and celebrate the contributions and achievements of all American workers.

The short week ahead brings just a few City of Reno meetings, including the Ward 3 NAB on Tuesday (9/3), followed by the Washoe County Stadium Authority and the Reno Planning Commission on Wednesday (9/4). You can find all of those agendas and supporting materials here.

I’ve been working on some extensive research for future editions of The Barber Brief while also taking some time off to savor a bit of late summer sunshine, so this one will be short and sweet. I’ll highlight a few recent news stories toward the end.

My Heartfelt Appreciation

I’m thrilled to share that last Friday, the Reno News & Review announced that I was voted Best Local Author in their 2024 Best of Northern Nevada Reader's Poll! I am so honored by this recognition, and want to extend my deep and heartfelt thanks to all of those who nominated me, who voted for me, and who have appreciated my writing through the years, whether in the Brief or elsewhere. And I send my congratulations to all the other nominees and awardees—you can find the full list here.

I first began researching and writing about Reno nearly 25 years ago, and since then, I’ve written about the city in just about every format imaginable. I thought I’d take a moment to direct you to some examples, in case you’d like to check them out.

Reno Historical

I’ve written more than 120 entries for the website/smart phone app Reno Historical, which I co-founded in 2014 and currently edit and manage for the Historic Reno Preservation Society. The platform, which is free to access, currently features more than 250 entries about historic Reno places, past and present, and continues to grow.

Paul Revere Williams in Northern and Central Nevada

I researched and wrote an essay about the Northern Nevada designs of the Los Angeles-based architect Paul Revere Williams for the Nevada Museum of Art in 2021, in conjunction with the exhibit, “Janna Ireland on the Architectural Legacy of Paul Revere Williams in Nevada.” Williams was the first African American architect to become a member of the American Institute of Architects, and in Reno alone, he designed the Luella Garvey House (1934), the Herman House at Rancho San Rafael (1936), the El Reno Apartments (1937), and the First Church of Christ, Scientist (the Lear Theater, 1939). You can read that essay on the museum’s exhibit website here.

The Historic 4th Street-Prater Way Corridor

I researched and wrote a six-part history of 4th Street and Prater Way through Reno and Sparks for RTC Washoe as part of the 4th Street-Prater Way History Project. The multimedia online feature about this historic corridor includes that narrative history, oral histories, and slideshows of historic and contemporary images. Hosted by the Nevada Humanities platform Online Nevada, you can access that website here.

Black Springs, Nevada

I wrote about the work that I and others have been doing to document and promote the history of Black Springs, a historic African American community just a few miles north of Reno, in the essay “Lifting the Voices of Black Springs,” for the Historic Reno Preservation Society newsletter, FootPrints. You can read that essay here.

Time & Place with Alicia Barber

For several years, I wrote and produced “Time & Place with Alicia Barber,” a regular feature on KUNR public radio highlighting Nevada voices and stories from the past. You can read and listen to the full archive on the KUNR website here.

Reno’s Big Gamble: Image and Reputation in the Biggest Little City

And of course, I hope you’ll check out Reno’s Big Gamble: Image and Reputation in the Biggest Little City, which was published by the University of Kansas Press in 2008. You can read a Nevada Today article published upon the book’s publication here.

Selected Reviews of Reno’s Big Gamble

“No place has worked harder than ‘the biggest little city in the world’ to shape its identity and reputation. Alicia Barber tells a fascinating story about the ways that insiders and outsiders have constructed and reconstructed Reno’s image in pursuit of the big bonanza of economic growth.” – Carl Abbott, author of The Metropolitan Frontier: Cities in the Modern American West and Greater Portland: Urban Life and Landscape in the Pacific Northwest

“In an era when societies around the world (including the UK) have been grappling with the issue of how best to accommodate legalized casino gaming and gambling with its inherent risks and rewards, Barber’s book seems particularly resonant. It provides a fascinating account of one community’s attempt to manage its image and reputation while reaping the benefits of the morally ambiguous activities that have been the economic lifeblood of Nevada’s Biggest Little City.” – William H. Kelly, The Times Literary Supplement (UK)

“Alicia Barber’s book, which explores the history of Reno, Nevada, as a tourist destination from the late nineteenth to the early twenty-first century, is a welcome corrective to the prevalence of studies that cover much narrower periods….Her work makes a compelling case for more nuanced scholarship on the role of image in the history of managing cities in growth and decline.” – J. Mark Souther, American Historical Review

“Barber traces the ups and downs of Reno’s turbulent urban development with an engaging and energetic writing style complemented by strong analytical insights….Reno’s Big Gamble is a compelling study of one of America’s most enigmatic and adaptable cities and an excellent model for future studies of urbanism and tourism in the American West.” – Angela Hawk, Southern California Quarterly

Local News Digest

Here are a few articles and op/eds of note published over the past week.

“Grand Sierra Resort’s grand expansion plans go from vapor-project to a reality with a special use permit submitted” (Mike Van Houten, Downtown Makeover, 8/27/24)

“Reno City Council members spar over development and wild horses” (Kelsey Penrose, This is Reno, 8/30/24)

“City moves ahead on design for Pembroke flat fields” (Kelsey Penrose, This is Reno, 9/1/24)

“Editorial: Reno’s city council meetings are bizarre and appalling” (Bob Conrad and Kristen Hackbarth, This is Reno, 9/1/24)

“City scraps draft business license code changes after backlash” (Kristen Hackbarth, This is Reno, 9/2/24)

Can I count you among my paid subscribers?

If you’ve been considering becoming a paid subscriber but just haven’t gotten around to it yet, please consider taking the time to click on the link below. For just $6 per month or $60 per year (or more, if you like!), you’ll be helping to support my ongoing research and writing, and allow me to continue offering The Barber Brief free of charge to everyone, no matter their financial resources, to ensure that we all have equal access to as much information as possible about the shaping of the city we share.

And to all who have contributed—I can’t thank you enough for your generosity!

Be sure to check out my Citizen Guide for helpful resources and links for anyone hoping to become more informed and engaged in issues related to urban development (& more) in Reno.

As always, you can view this and prior newsletters on my Substack site, subscribe to receive each new edition in your email inbox, and follow the Brief (and contribute to the ongoing conversation) on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram. If you feel inspired to contribute to my efforts, sign up for a paid subscription through my Substack site or contribute to my Venmo account at @Dr-Alicia-Barber or via check to Alicia Barber at P.O. Box 11955, Reno, NV 89510. Thanks so much for reading and have a great week.