The YAWP: Villanova's Graduate English Program Blog

Dr. Ormsby-Lennon wanted to share this fun  article , which collects 20 terrible book covers for classic novels. Enjoy!

Congratulations, newly minted M.A. students!

Falvey Library’s recent rediscovery of a collection of dime novels, reprint libraries and other late-19th century popular materials has sparked new interest at the library, and they want to share this exciting moment with everyone. To do so, Falvey is hosting a popular culture conference on June 10 called Paper for the People. The first in a series of popular cultural conferences entitled VuPop, this year’s conference is broadly construed so presentations about the history of story papers, newspapers, or early popular mass literature are all welcome. Michael Foight, one of Falvey's Special Collections Librarians, especially invites English Graduate students to attend the event and even consider presenting. Click here  to visit the VuPop website.

On May 14th Joe Lucia, the head of Falvey Library, is hosting a day of conversation about future directions for the library as a key component of the academic environment. The theme of the day is "Library Transformation and Academic Life in the Digital World" and will include various speakers addressing the topic. While everyone is invited to attend this event as audience members, Lucia is also looking for speakers to give "lightning talks" on what they believe a library should be (and/or what Falvey Library should become), and he would love for a graduate student or two to volunteer. Dr. Hicks will be one of the faculty speakers, and she would be happy to hear your thoughts about Falvey, which might help to shape her comments. As a kickoff in the morning, the university will formally receive the 2013 Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Award for Excellence . Fr. Peter will be on hand to accept the award from ACRL President Steven Bell. At the...

The students of Shakespeare in Performance (HON 5753) invite you to our free public performances of The Merchant of Venice on May 2 and 3. After a semester-long literary and dramatic exploration of Shakespeare's play, led by Dr. Alice Dailey (English) and Dr. Shawn Kairschner (Theatre), the honors students are pleased to present an hour-and-twenty-minute production that features the work of eleven student actors, original music, and a post-show talk by the cast. Click here to read the production flyer.

The Graduate Liberal Studies lecture series begins on Tuesday, April 16th with a multidisciplinary panel discussion on the theme "Community and Identity." The panel is comprised of the following faculty members: Valentina DeNardis (Classical Studies) Crystal Lucky (Africana Studies) Paul Rosier (History) Fayette Veverka (Theology) Click here to see the official event poster.

The Philosophy Department has just announced their lineup for their annual conference! The conference is free and open to the public, and will be taking place April 12th and April 13th in the Villanova Room of the Connelly Center. Click here to learn more .They are asking that you indicate whether you plan to attend to help them manage attendance.

Presenters, faculty, and friends gathered after another successful Elizabeth Cady Stanton conference to hear testimonials from alumni and a senior Gender and Women's Studies major - and to applaud some well-deserving essay winners!

Poet Diane Gilliam Fisher, PhD, will be on campus tomorrow,  Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 7:00 p.m., to give a reading at Falvey Library as part of the 15th Annual Villanova Literary Festival . Dr. Fisher’s most recent book,  Kettle Bottom , tells the story of the West Virginia coal mine wars of 1920-1921 through the individual perspectives and voice of characters affected by those events. The reading is the second in this year’s Literary Festival, sponsored by the Department of English. Along with Dr. Fisher, the festival will bring major writers from all over the country to Villanova’s campus, including Junot Díaz , a recent recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction . Keep an eye on the Department of English blog and homepage for future announcements regarding festival events. This event will be held in the Speakers’ Corner of the Library , and will be followed by a book sale and signing. Click here to read more about Dr. Fisher and the upcoming event. Graphic ...

Don't be surprised if you see a new face in the library this semester. Alexander (Alex) Williams, a Drexel University iSchool graduate student, is serving a six-month internship with Falvey's  Academic Integration and Information and Research Assistance teams. Alex is an alum of our Graduate English Program, earning his degree with us in 2011. Now, he is focusing on information services although he is also interested in competitive intelligence. He expects to graduate from Drexel in 2013. Alex earned his bachelor’s degree in English literature and religious studies from Stonehill College , Easton, Mass. While a student at Stonehill, Alex worked as a circulation aide in the library, an early indication of his future interests. Click here to read more of Alex's story.