At Flavorwire, Lilit Marcus explains why she only read books by women in 2013: I’m a writer. When my book, Save the Assistants, came out in 2011, all I wanted was for other people to read it. So it seemed only logical to repay the favor. Most of my favorite writers – Iris Murdoch, Willa Cather,… Continue reading Books by women I’ve read in 2013
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11 Things I love about Scandal
This weekend, I re-watched some episodes of Scandal with a visiting friend who is halfway through Season 2. I binge-watched the first two seasons on Netflix last month, and for weeks I suspected everyone around me of bluffing and conspiring. It is a delicious show, smart but easy to eat up. There are so many things I love about… Continue reading 11 Things I love about Scandal
A few notes on academic book titles
For first-time authors: name your dissertation something plain and boring if you're planning to turn it into a book. A book and a dissertation should not share a title, so if you've got a good one, save it for later! Your "good" title, by the way, should contain information about the book's topic. That may… Continue reading A few notes on academic book titles
How Not To Be: Publicity
I've been a high school teacher and a tour guide for drunken out-of-towners; I've provided customer service to angry, entitled museum members. I've dealt with some tough customers, in other words. Yet I'm continually surprised at some of the rude and ungenerous replies that scholars and authors return to my department's marketing efforts. The worst… Continue reading How Not To Be: Publicity
Words and Pain: two poems by Miroslav Holub
This post is modified from the original on Peachleaves. When I was teaching an introductory literature course organized around the concepts of comedy and tragedy, one of my toughest sells was that it is possible--desirable, sometimes--to take apart a joke to see what makes it funny. Thinking critically about humor really brought home the overarching… Continue reading Words and Pain: two poems by Miroslav Holub
11 Things I love about Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23
On the surface--starting with its inauspicious title--Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23 is a sitcom I should hate. The entire premise is that the titular "B," Chloe, has no respect for boundaries: she attempts to swindle her roommate June, lies to June and everyone else repeatedly, interrupts June's privacy while keeping herself inaccessible, and… Continue reading 11 Things I love about Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23
Sara Davis 