4/11
Louisa Shepard
Senior News Officer
lshepard@upenn.edu
English
Author Celeste Ng and the questions that drive her
Author Celeste Ng and the questions that drive her
At the annual Yoonmee Chang Memorial Lecture, author Celeste Ng spoke about her writing process, the model minority stereotype, and the role of legacy, art, and belonging in her work.
A humanities pathway to pre-med
A humanities pathway to pre-med
Pre-med students majoring in English, theatre, history, and other humanities fields find satisfaction in tapping into multiple interests—and see benefits for a career in medicine.
Open expression and the role of universities
Open expression and the role of universities
The second installment of the School of Arts & Sciences’ new dialogue series featured a discussion about the current state of discourse around universities.
The power of chick lit
The power of chick lit
Meghan Hall, lecturer and associate director for graduate studies in the Department of English, talks about what gives the popular literary genre its staying power.
‘Ladysitting’ on stage
‘Ladysitting’ on stage
The new play “Ladysitting” at the Arden Theatre Co. is by Penn English faculty and alumna Lorene Cary, based on her memoir about caring for her grandmother in the last of her 101 years.
A ‘celebrity translator’ takes center stage
A ‘celebrity translator’ takes center stage
Emily Wilson, professor of classical studies, is renowned for her English translations of Homer’s ancient Greek epic poems, first “The Odyssey” and now the “The Iliad.”
Exploring Jane Austen and Taylor Swift
Exploring Jane Austen and Taylor Swift
In a first-year English seminar taught by Melissa Jensen in the School of Arts & Sciences, students focus on the teenaged writing by now-famous authors, musicians, and artists, including Jane Austen and Taylor Swift.
‘Bartok’s Monster’ challenges conventions of theater
‘Bartok’s Monster’ challenges conventions of theater
In “Bartok’s Monster,” an interdisciplinary collaboration, Daedalus Quartet will perform Bartok’s String Quartet No. 3 and other string pieces mixed with acting, choreography, and an array of striking visuals.
Through first-year seminar, a glimpse of Black queer traditions
Through first-year seminar, a glimpse of Black queer traditions
Dagmawi Woubshet, an associate professor of English, led a new first-year seminar in the fall that explores Black queer media and its intersection with history and politics.
‘PoemTalk’ podcast at 200 episodes
‘PoemTalk’ podcast at 200 episodes
The 200th episode of the pioneering poetry podcast “PoemTalk” was recorded at the Kelly Writers House last week, 16 years after the first. Founder Al Filreis (left) of the School of Arts & Sciences is the creator and host of the discussion-based monthly podcast that features a “close, but not too close” reading of a poem.
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In the News
Chronicle of Higher Education
The best scholarly books of 2023
Jed Esty of the School of Arts & Sciences is lauded for his 2022 book, “The Future of Decline,” which compares the current decline of U.S. power to the dissolution of the British empire.
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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 Washington Post
To his final days, my father always knew how to pull off the landing
In an Op-Ed, Paul Hendrickson of the School of Arts & Sciences reflects on his father’s legacy as a pilot and their complex relationship.
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Philadelphia Magazine
Why are 30,000 people studying poetry online with this guy?
Al Filreis of the School of Arts & Sciences is spotlighted for his popular online course on modern poetry.
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Financial Times
American mockery of Britain masks a deeper insecurity
Jed Esty of the School of Arts & Sciences says that Americans use Britain as a metaphor, a cultural projection of American anxiety.
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ABC Australia
The new Bridgerton prequel is ‘fiction inspired by fact’. So who was the real Queen Charlotte?
Ania Loomba of the School of Arts & Sciences says that a person historically described as a Moor or “blackamoor” wasn’t necessarily Black.
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