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Literature

An intimate conversation with a famed Israeli author
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.

Students speak with Judith Katzir (right), a famous Israeli writer known for works like “Closing the Sea” and “Tzilla,” after her talk in College Hall. (Image: Michele Berger) 

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.

Michele W. Berger

Collection of premier proverb scholar opens at UVM
The Washington Post

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
Philadelphia Inquirer

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
Smithsonian Magazine

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.”

‘Ladysitting’
Professor standing in front of a blackboard.

Lorene Cary, a senior lecturer in creative writing, has written a memoir about caring for her grandmother in her final year, “Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century.” (Photo: Eric Sucar) 

‘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.

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.
Four Penn faculty receive Guggenheim fellowships
Jed Esty, Carmen Maria Machado, Adriana Petryna, and Michelle Lopez

Four Penn faculty were named 2019 Guggenheim Fellows. Clockwise from left: Jed Esty for literary criticism, Carmen Maria Machado for fiction, Adriana Petryna for anthropology and cultural studies, and Michelle Lopez for fine arts. 

Four Penn faculty receive Guggenheim fellowships