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Reflecting on Jane Austen, 250 years after her birth
Jane Austen book by Robert Miles and Mansfield Park by Jane Austen.

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Reflecting on Jane Austen, 250 years after her birth

English professors Michael Gamer and Barri Joyce Gold have been teaching courses specifically dedicated to Jane Austen for years. They spoke with Penn Today about their approach to teaching her novels, how they challenge common readings and myths, and what makes Austen’s work so enduring—and adaptable to the screen—more than two centuries later.

3 min. read

Reading young adult literature with young adults
Three students working on a project in a classroom.

Image: Steve Bining

Reading young adult literature with young adults

Penn GSE students in Jen McLaughlin Cahill’s course on YA literature, media, and culture welcomed ninth-grade students from Science Leadership Academy at Beeber into their classroom.

From Penn GSE

2 min. read

An ‘archival discovery’ about a 17th-century Shakespeare Folio
a burned Shakespeare Folio in a glass box

A the remains of a burned Shakespeare Folio in a sealed glass case is part of the Penn Libraries collection. 

(Image: Courtesy of the Penn Libraries)

An ‘archival discovery’ about a 17th-century Shakespeare Folio

In the Penn Libraries is a sealed glass box containing the charred pages of a 17th-century Folio, a collection of plays by William Shakespeare. An archival discovery by Penn faculty proves that it is from the Third Folio, not the First as it was previously identified.

Louisa Shepard

3 min. read

Patti Smith as a Kelly Writers House Fellow
Patti Smith and Al Filreis at microphones.

Smith and Filreis held a public discussion, filled with her stories and readings of her works, on the morning of Feb. 25.

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Patti Smith as a Kelly Writers House Fellow

Singer, songwriter, poet, author, and musician Patti Smith was in residence at the Kelly Writers House for two days, telling stories about the people in her life throughout the decades, reading passages from her books, and performing her songs.

Louisa Shepard

Edible Books at the Kelly Writers House
Seven people around a table with cake during the Edible Books event.

The 14th-annual Edible Books party at the Kelly Writers House featured 30-some creations based on literature titles, often involving puns.

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Edible Books at the Kelly Writers House

The annual Edible Books contest at the Kelly Writers House features food creations inspired by books, often involving puns based on the titles. In this 14th year, 30-some entries were admired and (mostly) eaten.

Louisa Shepard

Libraries exhibition explores the movement of books
a hand on a hand-made book with moveable parts

Various types of books were created for the exhibition that visitors can touch, including one of wood inspired by medieval illuminated manuscripts.

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Libraries exhibition explores the movement of books

A new exhibit at the Penn Libraries explores the myriad ways books move—as physical objects in different formats, and across space and time—featuring 24 items from the collection, a video wall displaying 26 additional items, and interactive models.

Louisa Shepard

The English major’s cheerleader and champion
Jennifer Egan standing in front of class gesturing with one hand and holding papers in the other

Egan first taught literature at Penn in the spring of 2019, but she restructured the course and wrote new lectures for this year’s class.

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The English major’s cheerleader and champion

Bestselling author Jennifer Egan taught an undergraduate literature course in the spring as an English Department artist in residence in the School of Arts & Sciences. A 1985 Penn graduate, she is a passionate advocate for the English major, the humanities, and a liberal arts education.

Louisa Shepard