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Reading recommendations from Penn experts for LGBT History Month
Various book covers of queer texts.

From left to right, clockwise: “After Sappho,” by Selby Wynn Schwartz and published by W.W. Norton; “City of Sisterly and Brotherly Loves,” by Marc Stein and published by Temple University Press; “Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand,” by Samuel R. Delany and published by Wesleyan University Press; “Just Above My Head,” by James Baldwin and published by Dial Press.

(Image: Various publishers)

Reading recommendations from Penn experts for LGBT History Month

The LGBT Center, Penn Libraries, and others put forward their literary picks for LGBT History Month.
The Iliad: How modern readers get this epic wrong
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.

Marking a monumental death
A person is shown holding a photo of Mahsa Amini, a woman who was killed in police custody in Iran in 2022.

A portrait of Mahsa Amini held during a rally Oct. 1, 2022 calling for regime change in Iran following the death of Amini, who died after being arrested in Tehran by Iran’s morality police.

(Image: AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

  • Q&A

    • Marking a monumental death

    In honor of the first anniversary of the killing of Mahsa (Jîna) Amini in Iran and the subsequent outpouring of protest, Penn will host a two-day conference on violence against women.

    Kristen de Groot

    Out this week: Emily Wilson’s ‘The Iliad’
    Emily Wilson, wearing glasses and a Greek necklace, smiles.

    Emily Wilson, a professor of classical studies, recently translated “The Iliad,” which publishes Sept. 26.

    (Image: Daniel McGarrity)

    Out this week: Emily Wilson’s ‘The Iliad’

    After years in the making, Wilson’s translation of “The Iliad” will release on Sept. 26.
    Warriors who seek immortal fame and find it, in epic poetry 
    The New York Times

    Warriors who seek immortal fame and find it, in epic poetry 

    A book review of the School of Arts & Sciences’ Emily Wilson’s translation of the “Iliad” says she brings Homer’s great war story to rousing new life.

    What’s the world’s oldest language?
    Scientific American

    What’s the world’s oldest language?

    Deven Patel of the School of Arts & Sciences believes that Sanskrit is the oldest continuous language tradition, which means that it’s still producing literature and being spoken.

    Cultures of the book
    four students standing next to table looking at printed materials with professor

    In the course Cultures of the Book taught by Whitney Trettien (center), assistant professor of English, students study materials in the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books & Manuscripts in the Penn Libraries. 

    nocred

    Cultures of the book

    In the Cultures of the Book course taught by Whitney Trettien, assistant professor of English, students “adopt a book” they select from the Penn Libraries collection, and their research projects are published on an academic website. 
    Who, What, Why: Patrick Carland-Echavarria and queer Americans in post-war Japan
    Man with red curly hair and glasses looks into the camera, which is giving a half-moon glow on the lower right side of the image.

    Patrick Carland-Echavarria, an East Asian Languages and Civilizations Ph.D. candidate, says his research is all about readjusting the lenses of history. 

    nocred

  • Who, What, Why

    • Who, What, Why: Patrick Carland-Echavarria and queer Americans in post-war Japan

    Ph.D. candidate Patrick Carland-Echavarria’s research looks at postwar Japanese queer cultures, translation, art, and literature and at how American gay men found refuge there during the Cold War and beyond.

    Kristen de Groot

    ‘Be Holding’ dives into Black genius and joy
    Philadelphia Sunday Sun

    ‘Be Holding’ dives into Black genius and joy

    “Be Holding,” a poetry performance that seeks to heal grieving Black families, was directed by Brooke O’Harra and composed by Tyshawn Sorey, both of the School of Arts & Sciences.