Fight Stupidity; Keep Reading: A Dispatch from the Internationale Jugendbibliothek

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Since the first of September I have been at the Internationale Jugendbibliothek (IJB) in Munich, Germany. Why? As part of a larger cross-cultural study of diversity in children’s literature, I’m exploring how multiculturalism functions in Germany, via German picture books — chosen in part because they pose the smallest barrier to my limited (but improving!) … Continue reading Fight Stupidity; Keep Reading: A Dispatch from the Internationale Jugendbibliothek

Office Space: Carol Russell

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Office Space is a recurring feature that gives us an inside look into faculty workspaces. Carol Russell, term instructor and professional advisor, has her office in ECS 023. She has been at K-State since 2000.   This pen and ink drawing was done by my student, Catt Barnes, as a final project in my course … Continue reading Office Space: Carol Russell

Alumni Spotlight: Kylie Kinley

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I have two English degrees – a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in creative writing and a Master’s degree in creative writing and children’s literature from Kansas State. I was attracted to English programs because you can’t major in “storytelling.” Humans have been telling stories for thousands of years. We use stories to … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Kylie Kinley

Grad Student Spotlight: Maddie Pospisil

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I’m leading a bit of a double life these days. I am, of course, reading literature—poetry, fiction, and, this semester, a ton of theory (thanks Dr. González). But I’m also working on a collection of poems for my master's project, which has lately meant learning as much as I can about particle physics. I just … Continue reading Grad Student Spotlight: Maddie Pospisil

Undergrad Student Spotlight: Desiree Schippers

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As a student of English and Gerontology, I find myself constantly explaining and justifying my course of study to others. These subjects aren’t normally associated with each other and rarely overlap. I’m interested in how aging and older adults are portrayed in film and television. To put it simply, I tell people that I am … Continue reading Undergrad Student Spotlight: Desiree Schippers

Books to Energize and Inspire

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Some days, it’s hard not to feel disheartened at the events taking place around us. The news this past week has been especially distressing, from the synagogue shootings to the bomb parcel deliveries targeting a series of high profile public figures. What follows are book recommendations to provide hope in difficult times— books which energize … Continue reading Books to Energize and Inspire

Speak, Materialities: When Book Objects Themselves Have Power of Memory

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“Mnemosyne, one must admit, has shown herself to be a very careless girl.” Vladimir Nabokov, Speak, Memory July 2017. During a research trip to special collections at the University of Edinburgh (thank you, Bibliographic Society of America!), I came across a small miracle: an extraordinary little book arrived when I asked to see The Indian Primer, … Continue reading Speak, Materialities: When Book Objects Themselves Have Power of Memory

The Great American Read: Jane Austen

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“It is a truth universally acknowledged”: so begins Jane Austen’s most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice, recently voted the fourth most popular in PBS’s The Great American Read. Composed in the soporific Hampshire hamlet of Steventon during the years 179–, submitted and, with no little astonishment to the author, rejected under the title First Impressions, … Continue reading The Great American Read: Jane Austen

Grad Student Spotlight: Cailin Roles

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  The autumn before I started grad school, I read Margaret Atwood's The Edible Woman. I wasn't sure how to feel about the end of the novel, in which the protagonist bakes and eats a cake that looks like herself, so I searched databases to find what critics were saying. As I quickly realized, very few people have … Continue reading Grad Student Spotlight: Cailin Roles