4/16
Louisa Shepard
Senior News Officer
lshepard@upenn.edu
Literature
Reconsiderations of past, present, and future in a new environmental humanities book
Reconsiderations of past, present, and future in a new environmental humanities book
Featuring contributions from scholars representing a range of disciplines, ‘Timescales: Thinking Across Ecological Temporalities,’ is an outgrowth of the Penn Program for Environmental Humanities.
‘A Revolution in Rhyme’
‘A Revolution in Rhyme’
While building the Persian language and studies program at Penn, Fatemeh Shams draws from the millennium-old Persian literary tradition to write a new book about poetry and politics in modern Iran. She will embark on her next book project during an upcoming fellowship in Berlin.
Husnaa Haajarah Hashim sees poetry as transformative
Husnaa Haajarah Hashim sees poetry as transformative
As poetry is in the national spotlight following the Biden inauguration, junior Husnaa Haajarah Hashim, a Philadelphia Youth Poet Laureate, reflects on her writing and scholarship.
‘Alone Again in Fukushima’
‘Alone Again in Fukushima’
On the 10th anniversary of the triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear facility destruction, a film and discussion hosted by the Center for East Asian Studies looked at the calamity’s reverberations.
Amateur music-making in the early republic
Amateur music-making in the early republic
Glenda Goodman, an assistant professor of music, explores how hand-copying musical compositions and amateur performance shaped identity and ideas in the post-Revolutionary War period.
Historian Mia Bay on ‘Traveling Black’
Historian Mia Bay on ‘Traveling Black’
The professor of history’s new book explores the intertwined history of travel segregation and African American struggles for freedom of movement.
Maritza Moulite reminds us that the present is past
Maritza Moulite reminds us that the present is past
Penn GSE doctoral student Moulite’s second Young Adult novel “One of the Good Ones” has published to rave reviews.
Engaging in the election
Engaging in the election
In a collaborative English course taught by Lorene Cary in the fall, students shared their experiences with civic engagement by writing for publication, partnering with nonprofits like Vote That Jawn to share non-partisan information with other young first-time voters.
Libraries scour the stacks for copyright free content
Libraries scour the stacks for copyright free content
Known as the Deep Backfile project, a team of Penn Libraries staff has been analyzing an accumulated history of periodicals in the collection to determine which are no longer restricted by copyright, making them available for free and unrestricted use.
Professors on the importance of integrating the arts into life and work
Professors on the importance of integrating the arts into life and work
While there are some challenges, universities provide an environment for faculty to pursue both their artistic creativity and academic scholarship, said Penn professors in a Homecoming discussion led by Al Filreis of the Kelly Writers House.
Media Contact
In the News
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 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.
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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.
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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.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
The life and work of acclaimed Black children’s author and illustrator Ashley Bryan is honored in a new Penn exhibit
Lynne Farrington of the Kislack Center comments on a new Penn Libraries exhibit celebrating the late Black children’s author and illustrator Ashley Bryan.
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The New York Review of Books
Trees in themselves
“Elderflora: A Modern History of Ancient Trees,” a new book by Jared Farmer of the School of Arts & Sciences, is reviewed.
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