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Louisa Shepard
Senior News Officer
lshepard@upenn.edu
Literature
The future of decline in America
The future of decline in America
In his new book “The Future of Decline: Anglo-American Culture at its Limits,” English Professor Jed Esty offers alternatives to America’s “language of greatness,” taking lessons from the experience of Britain during the past century.
Creating an artist’s book at the Common Press
Creating an artist’s book at the Common Press
Artist-in-residence Katie Baldwin is printing a book she wrote and illustrated, inspired by a 400-plus-year-old volume in the Penn Libraries collection, sponsored by a residency with the Philadelphia Center for the Book.
On book bans and free speech
On book bans and free speech
Sigal Ben-Porath of the Graduate School of Education says book bans and challenges affect free speech and expression, especially for young people, and that institutions of higher education are important for developing tools based on evidence for assessment.
Examining experimental print in ‘Cut/Copy/Paste’
Examining experimental print in ‘Cut/Copy/Paste’
In her first book, Whitney Trettien of the School of Arts & Sciences experiments with printed and digital assets while examining bookwork from the 17th and 18th centuries.
More intricate riddles of life on ‘In These Times’
More intricate riddles of life on ‘In These Times’
Episodes 4 and 5 of the OMNIA podcast’s fourth season cover how to confront trauma, using words as a coping mechanism, and music and meaning.
Joan DeJean on ‘Mutinous Women’
Joan DeJean on ‘Mutinous Women’
In her latest book, Joan DeJean of the School of Arts & Sciences investigates the lives of female prisoners deported in 1719 from Paris to the French colony of Louisiana.
Undergraduate research projects look at migration from multiple angles
Undergraduate research projects look at migration from multiple angles
The Wolf Undergraduate Humanities forum takes on the topic of migration, with individual research projects ranging from slavery debates within the Jewish Orthodox community to Southeast Asian refugee youth.
Four Penn faculty awarded Guggenheim Fellowships
Four Penn faculty awarded Guggenheim Fellowships
Four faculty have been named 2022 Guggenheim Fellows—Daniel Barber in architecture in the Weitzman School of Design and Kimberly Bowes in classical studies, Guthrie Ramsey in music, and Paul Saint-Amour in English in the School of Arts & Sciences.
Exploring Asian American athletes: Stereotypes and success
Exploring Asian American athletes: Stereotypes and success
Asian Americans are competing at the highest levels of sport, a topic discussed in David Eng’s Introduction to Asian American Literature and Culture course in the School of Arts & Sciences.
Alternative literary history
Alternative literary history
A decade of research and writing by English Professor Emily Steiner has resulted in a new book about the work of John Trevisa, a 14th century English author who translated encyclopedias and other reference books, helping to create a body of general knowledge for non-specialists.
Media Contact
In the News
BBC
The Iliad: How modern readers get this epic wrong
In a Q&A, Emily Wilson of the School of Arts & Sciences discusses what the Iliad can tell us about modern society, from masculinity to environmentalism.
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The New York Times
Warriors who seek immortal fame and find it, in epic poetry
A book review of the School of Arts & Sciences’ Emily Wilson’s translation of the “Iliad” says she brings Homer’s great war story to rousing new life.
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Scientific American
What’s the world’s oldest language?
Deven Patel of the School of Arts & Sciences believes that Sanskrit is the oldest continuous language tradition, which means that it’s still producing literature and being spoken.
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Philadelphia Sunday Sun
‘Be Holding’ dives into Black genius and joy
“Be Holding,” a poetry performance that seeks to heal grieving Black families, was directed by Brooke O’Harra and composed by Tyshawn Sorey, both of the School of Arts & Sciences.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
The life and work of acclaimed Black children’s author and illustrator Ashley Bryan is honored in a new Penn exhibit
Lynne Farrington of the Kislack Center comments on a new Penn Libraries exhibit celebrating the late Black children’s author and illustrator Ashley Bryan.
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The New York Review of Books
Trees in themselves
“Elderflora: A Modern History of Ancient Trees,” a new book by Jared Farmer of the School of Arts & Sciences, is reviewed.
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