Literature

J.C. Cloutier standing in front of a picture of Batman.

English professor J.C. Cloutier’s latest book sheds new light on African American literature

Like a literary detective, English prof Jean-Christophe Cloutier sifts through library archives searching for material written by African American authors that is often hidden, uncatalogued, misfiled, or forgotten.

French playwright Molière did indeed write his own masterpieces, computer science suggests

Joan DeJean of the School of Arts and Sciences said the 17th-century French playwright Molière has a uniquely identifiable authorial voice.

Two people facing each other, one whose back is to the camera. The other is holding a water bottle and a folded up piece of paper. They are in a crowded room.

An intimate conversation with a famed Israeli author

Speaking to a packed room, Judith Katzir shared her thoughts about the global literature scene, plus the backstories to some of her best-known—and extremely personal—works.

Collection of premier proverb scholar opens at UVM

Dan Ben-Amos of the School of Arts and Sciences said Wolfgang Mieder of the University of Vermont is “one of the greatest proverb scholars of all times and the greatest of our generation.”

Toni Morrison, renowned writer, Nobel laureate and Princeton University professor, dies at 88

Herman Beavers of the School of Arts and Sciences memorializes the late Toni Morrison. “She taught us how not to be guided by the white gaze. She made it okay for us to really think about how we see the world and really be central in it,” Beavers said. “She showed us that we didn’t need white people to explain what our lives meant or even acknowledge it. We could do it ourselves.”

Toni Morrison, ‘Beloved’ author who cataloged the African-American experience, dies at 88

Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw of the School of Arts and Sciences spoke about the late Toni Morrison’s best-known novel, “Beloved,” which demonstrates “the ways that the scars of American slavery … are borne not just on their immediate descendants and survivors but into the present day.”

The Summer Reading List: Book recommendations from Penn faculty and staff

Professor standing in front of a blackboard.

Q&A

‘Ladysitting’

A new memoir by Lorene Cary, “Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century,” describes the year she spent caring for her grandmother in her home.

Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

May 15, 2019

A conversation with Ebony Elizabeth Thomas

Thomas explains the origins of her interest in children’s literature and young adult fiction, as well as what to expect from her new book, ‘The Dark Fantastic.’

Ebony standing along Locust Walk — Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, associate professor of literacy, culture, and international education in the Graduate School of Education.

Welcome to the “office hours” of Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, associate professor of literacy, culture, and international education in the Graduate School of Education.

Here, in the latest episode of the “Office Hours” podcast series produced by Penn Today, which explores the minds of the University’s academic talents in a more unbuttoned and freewheeling setting outside of the lecture hall, Thomas discusses growing up with limited children’s literature options, where young adult and children’s lit is going today, why she still hasn’t watched “The Wire,” and what she thinks is an overrated virtue.