Not many readers have heard of Gladys Schmitt outside of Pittsburgh. For that matter, not many readers have heard of Gladys Schmitt inside Pittsburgh.
Read More
Of Werewolves and Walleye: Why Kid Rock Belongs in the American Horror Canon
“All Summer Long” is a story that—on the surface—appears to be nothing more than the tale of summer revelers in Northern Michigan, but the incredibly clever Kid Rock masterfully weaves a darker, more sinister story in the background.
Read More
Idyll Generations: Sifting Through My Grandmother’s Bookshelves
I spent my winter break surrounded by stories both spoken and concrete. Over the past few months, my grandmother has been sifting through and donating objects around her ranch to make more space. After decluttering cabinets with my mother and unearthing old records with my uncle, she invited me to help her with the bookshelves. We spent a few days sorting through the bookshelves in her storeroom, then her hallway, then her bedroom, then her living room. To my excitement, Tennyson greeted us on three separate shelves like three chance encounters with a childhood friend.
Read More
Slow Your Roll: A Reader’s Quest to Appreciate the Plotless Novel Using Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea
One hundred pages of an old man who sits in a little boat in the sea, trying to catch one fish. That’s it, that’s the plot!
Read More
“I Write Plays”: Walking Through The Terrence McNally Exhibit at the Harry Ransom Center
I sign my name in the guestbook of the Harry Ransom Center when I visit the Terrence McNally exhibit for the second time. Alongside the academics and the Northerners and the enthusiasts, “UT Student” is a nondescript designation. If a stack of brochures had been available, I might’ve picked one up, slipped it into my notebook, and kept it in the same way I keep playbills. This little waiting room—his little waiting room, he might correct with mock seriousness—has a theatre’s pre-show silence, as well as the headshot of the balding playwright who has written the show. He is eighty years old, the display tells me. I give the old man an impressed nod, and I turn the corner into the larger exhibit. There are no curtains hanging here, but somehow I expect to hear their heavy fabric drawing back. Maybe there are pulleys squeaking as they reveal the unlit stage.
Read More
Why Diversifying Your Bookshelf for Black History Month Isn’t Enough
Written by Selome Hailu It’s become standard practice to celebrate Black History Month by sharing favorites written by black authors. Libraries host storytimes with black children on the pages; bookstores create display tables of Hurston, Baldwin, and Hughes. New works by prolific black writers are often slated for February, such as Toni Morrison’s newest essay collection…
Read More
Three Literary Power Couples that Enamored the World with their Romance and Writings
Honestly, there is nothing better than two awesome creative spirits joining forces and elevating each other to new levels. This holds especially true in the literary world. While many romanticize the tortured writer, sitting in the lonely dark with nothing but their typewriter, we need not look far to see proof that creativity feeds creativity.
Read More