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Louisa Shepard

Senior News Officer
  • lshepard@upenn.edu
  • 215-573-8151
  • Louisa Shepard

    Louisa Shepard covers English, history of art, music, theater, classical studies, and cinema and media studies, among other subject areas, in the School of Arts and Sciences. She also supports coverage for the Kelly Writers House, the Graduate School of Education, the Penn Libraries, the Penn Museum, the Arthur Ross Gallery, and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, as well as fine arts in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design. 

    Articles from Louisa Shepard
    Documentary filmmaking in the Himalayas
    aerial image of bhutan village

    Documentary filmmaking in the Himalayas

    Supported by National Geographic and other grants, seniors Alina Peng and Charles Zhang traveled to Bhutan to discover how villagers are coping with the effects of water scarcity and climate change.
    A time traveling Harriet Tubman, brought to life on stage
    Lorene Cary stands in her office with a wall of bookshelves behind her

    A time traveling Harriet Tubman, brought to life on stage

    English faculty Lorene Cary’s first play features a time traveling Harriet Tubman who toggles between her 19th-century life and a present-day Philadelphia prison where she recruits soldiers to fight with her in the Civil War. Playing to sold-out audiences, “My General Tubman” is on stage through mid-March at Arden Theatre Company.
    Penn announces seven 2020 Thouron Award winners
    Seven student faces and the symbol of the Thouron Award with the British and American flags

    Penn announced seven Thouron Scholars for 2020. From left, top row: senior Daniel Brennan, 2018 grad Braden Cordivari, 2019 grad Gregory Forkin, and senior Natasha Menon. Bottom row: senior Robert Subtirelu, senior Zachary Whitlock, and 2018 grad Maia Yoshida.

    Penn announces seven 2020 Thouron Award winners

    Four seniors and three recent alumni have won a Thouron Award to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom. Each scholarship winner receives tuition for as long as two years, as well as travel and living stipends, to earn a graduate degree.
    Archive of pioneering author and artist comes to Penn Libraries
    Ashley Bryan gestures with his hands open at a library at an elementary school reading his books to children seated on the ground.

    Archive of pioneering author and artist comes to Penn Libraries

    The collection of Ashley Bryan’s work includes thousands of pieces of art, correspondence, photos, manuscripts, and books. A small exhibition of his collection is now on display at the Libraries, and a major symposium and exhibition are expected in 2022.
    Author Carmen Maria Machado and her ‘Dream House’
    Author Carmen Machado sitting on a sofa by a window and the cover of her memoir In the Dream House with an illustration of a house with a person looking out

    Carmen Machado, writer in residence at Penn, has written a new memoir, “In the Dream House.” 

    Author Carmen Maria Machado and her ‘Dream House’

    Carmen Maria Machado, who teaches speculative fiction as a writer in residence in the Creative Writing Program, has received extraordinary attention for her new memoir, “In the Dream House,” using multiple genres to describe an abusive relationship.
    Penn senior Srinivas Mandyam awarded Churchill Scholarship
    Student leaning on railing on staircase.

    Senior Srinivas Mandyam has been awarded a Churchill Scholarship for a year of graduate research study at University of Cambridge. 

    Penn senior Srinivas Mandyam awarded Churchill Scholarship

    Mandyam will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in physics, mathematics, and biophysics, along with a master’s in physics; the scholarship awards him a year of graduate research study in physics at the University of Cambridge.
    ‘Possibility mentoring’ helps Philadelphia middle schoolers plan for their futures
    gse student mentoring at a table with college pennants behind Mentor Alexander Blanchett, in the GSE counseling program, talks to the eighth graders in his group about their interest in a career in sports and how they might achieve their goals.

    ‘Possibility mentoring’ helps Philadelphia middle schoolers plan for their futures

    Now in two Philadelphia public schools, master’s students at the Graduate School of Education are focused on helping the young teens imagine and take steps to realize their futures, while gaining real-world experience in education.
    A day in shining armor
    students gathered around a table looking at armor

    A day in shining armor

    Grad students get a close-up view of artwork and materials from museum collections—including a 500-year-old painting and two sets of armor from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
    ‘May the force be with you’ and other fan fiction favorites
    An array of plastic Star Wars figurines

    ‘May the force be with you’ and other fan fiction favorites

    Researchers have created a unique digital humanities tool to analyze the most popular phrases and character connections in fan fiction based on blockbuster film series, starting with “Star Wars,” “Lord of the Rings,” and “Harry Potter.”
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