Thursday, December 17, 2015
Jim Murphy on WFUV
Former Villanova Irish Studies Director and English professor Jim Murphy did a radio broadcast this past Sunday in NYC at WFUV (Fordham). The show is "Ceol na nGael," meaning Irish music. According to the station, it is the "most popular Irish radio program in New York." You can listen to the show here. Jim' segment runs for about fifteen minutes starting at 149.20.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Mary Kate Fields Named LinkedIn Campus Editor
Senior English major Mary Kate Fields has been selected to join LinkedIn's inaugural Campus Editor Program. As the Campus Editor at Villanova, she will be the force on the ground helping to bring dynamic student voices to LinkedIn's 400 million members. Click here to read more about LinkedIn's student publishing efforts. As Campus Editor, Mary Kate will be responsible for:
· Writing and creating content for LinkedIn’s publishing platform.
· Pitching post ideas and editing the content of her peers.
· Identifying great writers on campus and curating the best content our student body has to offer.
· Discovering promising writers and unheard student voices, and activating them to publish on LinkedIn.
· Writing and creating content for LinkedIn’s publishing platform.
· Pitching post ideas and editing the content of her peers.
· Identifying great writers on campus and curating the best content our student body has to offer.
· Discovering promising writers and unheard student voices, and activating them to publish on LinkedIn.
Friday, December 11, 2015
Jim Murphy, "A Child's Christmas in Brooklyn"
Jim Murphy's “A Child’s Christmas in Brooklyn” (below) appears in the December / January 2016 issue of Irish America. Jim directed the Irish Studies Program at Villanova University from its inception in 1979 to his retirement in 2010. The program is now one of the largest undergraduate Irish Studies programs in the U.S., with outreach to NUI Galway and to the Abbey Theatre. Jim and his wife Kath live in Villanova.
A Child’s Christmas In Brooklyn
In the Brooklyn world of my childhood, Ireland seemed especially close at Christmas. While we kids looked forward to Santa, Mom and Dad were looking back to Ireland. Cards would arrive and Mom would cherish each and every one, especially those from her sisters, my Aunts Una and Joan, who would include letters for her to linger over, her eyes growing all teary. My parents left home in the 1920s – Mom at age 16 from Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo, and Dad at 21 from Cloone, Co. Leitrim. They met in an Irish dance hall in Manhattan, courted, married, and worked hard to keep our family of five afloat. They are both long gone now, but each year at Christmas I hear their voices again.
℘℘℘
One Christmas was so much like another in those years that they now all blur into one big ball of holidays. Let me pick one sometime in the late 1940s: our apartment on Newkirk Avenue is alive with expectation because today we will bring home our tree. It’s sure to be a fine big tree because each year Dad helps Paddy Power sell trees after Sunday mass at St. Jerome’s Church on Nostrand Avenue.
“Prime location, that’s the key,” Dad says. “The subway and church are right there so there’s lots of traffic. After mass people are feeling good about things and they know you’re one of their own since you’re there at the church and Paddy is an usher. Sure you couldn’t keep the man out of church, so naturally he gets the business instead of some huckster who might not even be a Christian. There’s no flies on Paddy Power, that’s for sure. He knows where his bread is buttered and, fair play to him, he’s there all year with the ushering so why shouldn’t he pick up a few dollars when the time comes? I must say, selling trees to a crowd spilling out of church is ‘easy pickins,’ as your man would say.”
On Sundays leading up to Christmas, the streets are alive with families and trees moving in all directions. Sometimes a father would throw one up on his shoulder and march away, or maybe he’d hug the trunk of a bigger one, his kids grabbing the other end, and off they’d go. Lots of people from apartment buildings like ours have a tree so small they could tuck it under their arms and carry it home, but Dad doesn’t approve of those trees. “Dwarfs,” he says, “a poor excuse for a tree. You might as well bring home a twig or a stalk of celery.”
For us, this year’s tree is so big it has to come home by car. Paddy Power and Dad have it all roped up and hoisted up onto the roof of our old 1938 Plymouth and tied it down tight. I’m allowed to stand in the rumble seat to make sure it doesn’t move. “Jimmy, hold tight to the seat. If the tree starts to move, give me a shout.” Off we go, and I’m like a fireman on a hook and ladder or the lucky trash-man hanging on to the back of his truck. I cling to the seat with one hand and the tree with the other, but I’m able to give a quick wave to anyone who sees us go by. “You okay back there, cowboy?” shouts Dad.
When we get home, Mom and Joan have to come down to help us lug the tree up the flight of stairs to our place, apartment 2A.
“Joe, that’s an enormous tree, my God. Where in the name of God will we fit such a tree? Have you gone mad?” Mom inquires.
“‘Joe, take any tree,’ that’s what Paddy Power said to me, and so I’d say he was a shocked man to see the one we took. Isn’t that right, Jimmy? It’s one he could have sold to a bishop, but it’s here now, all ours. ‘Take any tree you want, Joe’ and so I took him at his word.” And so we huff and puff our way up the stairs. Joan and I are as happy as Larry to have such a tree.
In the days leading up to Christmas the apartment building becomes a forest of evergreen as people lean their trees on the walls outside their doors. If there’s no tree by a door, it must be the apartment of one of the Jewish families, or maybe a widow, or one of the atheists we heard about and prayed for in school, or maybe a Scrooge like Mr. Madden who lives in 3B and is always telling us kids not to play in the hallways on rainy days.
The ceilings in our apartment are high so our tree is always tall but this year’s tree is bigger than ever. Dad has to nail it down so it won’t topple over. Mom worries about the banging and the holes in the floor, but Dad says the rug will be put back down after Christmas and who’ll be the wiser.
“Joe Murphy, you’re mad about Christmas trees. Next year you’ll be drilling a hole in the ceiling.”
Dad just laughs, “A good idea, Kathleen. Maybe 2A and 3A can share a tree. We’ll just send it on up through the floor to them. We’ll be like Rockefeller Center. What do you say to that?”
We all laugh to think of the Hurcombs up in 3A watching a tree poke up into their living room as we manage to make it stand and wait for Dad to cut the ropes. When he does, the branches spread like wings to nearly fill the living room.
“A redwood couldn’t match it,” he says with a big smile, proud as a peacock.
On the Victrola, our cherished Bing Crosby’s “Merry Christmas” collection sets the tone. There are five of us and the album has five 78 rpm records so we take turns from oldest to youngest and stack up our choices on the turntable.
Dad picks “Silent Night,” then Mom takes “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” a hard choice for her since “Danny Boy” is on the flip side of that one, even though it isn’t a Christmas tune. I go for “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” instead of “Jingle Bells” on the flip side, and Joanie takes “White Christmas,” leaving my baby sister Eileen, who doesn’t know any tunes at all, with the only one left – “God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen.”
Dad says, “Let the concert begin.” “Silent Night” fills the room as the tree awaits us.
First, my baby sister Eileen is held up and we pretend she puts the star at the top of the tree. Then Dad and I begin with the lights, each of us on a chair since the tree is so high. We slowly work our way down, passing the string of lights from hand to hand. He reaches through all the wide branches to me, with my fingers searching for his on the other side of the tree.
Behind us, Mom and Joan unpack the ornaments, waiting for Dad to signal that we’re done and they can begin. Mom has two special ornaments, both from Ireland, and they are given a pride of place near the top of the tree – a crocheted star and a little cottage whose paint has chipped and dulled and whose chimney is missing. Once she has these placed on the tree, Joanie and I are free to add all the other ornaments and school cutouts wherever we wish. Then comes the finishing touch – the tinsel.
We hang a few tangled strands here and there on our own, but then we give way to Dad, as if by some unspoken signal. We don’t quite measure up when it comes to hanging tinsel.
It’s a special gift and Dad alone has it. His quiet patience, his silent introspection, humming as he works. “Take your pick,” Paddy Power had said, and Dad had taken him at his word, so it was his tree. We all do our part to decorate it, but at heart it is his tree.
He spends hours at it, a strand of tinsel at a time, absorbed in it as we all go off to whatever else calls us. But he stays there stepping back and looking at his work, correcting some of the chaos we’ve created in our clumsy tinsel efforts, a man at peace with himself.
By now, we have heard all of Bing Crosby’s Christmas songs at least twice, so our Irish records start to make their way onto the turntable, especially any one with a Christmas theme.
Because he works for Hostess Cakes and at Christmas he sells fruit cakes to one and all, Dad’s favorite is the McNulty Family singing “Miss Fogarty’s Christmas Cake.” “Give us the Murphy Family version,” says Dad, and we all sing along with the McNultys, waiting to change the last line:
There were plums and prunes and cherries,
There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon too,
There was nutmeg, cloves and berries
And a crust that was nailed down with glue.
There were caraway seeds in abundance
That would work up a fine tummy ache
It would kill a man twice after eating a slice
Of a Hostess Christmas cake.
Mom’s favorite is “Christmas in Killarney” which, like “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” makes her eyes fill up. “At home in Mayo,” she tells us, “It’s God’s truth what the song says, ‘The door is always open / The neighbors pay a call.’” Joanie and I like best when the song says, “And Santa Claus you know, of course / Is one of the boys from home.” But Dad says, “Santa’s not a Mayo man at all, he’s a likable, lovely Leitrim lad like myself.”
When we have everything all ready for the lighting, we place our manger at the base of the tree. We have Mary and Joseph, but no Baby Jesus because that’s Santa’s job when he comes on Christmas Eve. We have two shepherds but only two wise men. Dad says the third one must have followed the wrong star. “He’s like your Uncle Frank.”
Last come the animals, there’s a camel, a cow, and two sheep, all of them lying down. Mom says that’s because at home in Ireland all the animals in the fields would lie down on Christmas Eve to wait for the Baby Jesus. We have no fields or animals on Newkirk Avenue, so I picture the animals in Prospect Park Zoo. Come Christmas Eve, surely the lions and tigers and elephants and rhinos will all be lying down for the Baby Jesus.
When the stage is all set, Dad says, “Ready now? Close your eyes and count to three.” One, two, three, and we open. The tree fills the room with light, a waterfall of tinsel, and glistening ornaments. It is a Christmas tree of dreams.
“You know, Kathleen,” Dad says, “at home in Leitrim we didn’t have a tree at all. We hung some holly around the place, candles in the windows, but no tree. No room for one in small house with fifteen of us. So we settled for the holly and the ivy all over the place, just like in the tune.”
He winks at us. “No tree, but you know what, Jimmie and Joanie? Santa found us each and every year. At least we had a chimney for him. No chimney here in this apartment, but, by God, we’ll have a mighty tree for Santa when he comes.”
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| Jimmy, Eileen, and Joan with their dad, Patrick “Joe” Murphy on Christmas Day, 1948. (Photo courtesy of the author) |
A Child’s Christmas In Brooklyn
In the Brooklyn world of my childhood, Ireland seemed especially close at Christmas. While we kids looked forward to Santa, Mom and Dad were looking back to Ireland. Cards would arrive and Mom would cherish each and every one, especially those from her sisters, my Aunts Una and Joan, who would include letters for her to linger over, her eyes growing all teary. My parents left home in the 1920s – Mom at age 16 from Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo, and Dad at 21 from Cloone, Co. Leitrim. They met in an Irish dance hall in Manhattan, courted, married, and worked hard to keep our family of five afloat. They are both long gone now, but each year at Christmas I hear their voices again.
℘℘℘
One Christmas was so much like another in those years that they now all blur into one big ball of holidays. Let me pick one sometime in the late 1940s: our apartment on Newkirk Avenue is alive with expectation because today we will bring home our tree. It’s sure to be a fine big tree because each year Dad helps Paddy Power sell trees after Sunday mass at St. Jerome’s Church on Nostrand Avenue.
“Prime location, that’s the key,” Dad says. “The subway and church are right there so there’s lots of traffic. After mass people are feeling good about things and they know you’re one of their own since you’re there at the church and Paddy is an usher. Sure you couldn’t keep the man out of church, so naturally he gets the business instead of some huckster who might not even be a Christian. There’s no flies on Paddy Power, that’s for sure. He knows where his bread is buttered and, fair play to him, he’s there all year with the ushering so why shouldn’t he pick up a few dollars when the time comes? I must say, selling trees to a crowd spilling out of church is ‘easy pickins,’ as your man would say.”
On Sundays leading up to Christmas, the streets are alive with families and trees moving in all directions. Sometimes a father would throw one up on his shoulder and march away, or maybe he’d hug the trunk of a bigger one, his kids grabbing the other end, and off they’d go. Lots of people from apartment buildings like ours have a tree so small they could tuck it under their arms and carry it home, but Dad doesn’t approve of those trees. “Dwarfs,” he says, “a poor excuse for a tree. You might as well bring home a twig or a stalk of celery.”
For us, this year’s tree is so big it has to come home by car. Paddy Power and Dad have it all roped up and hoisted up onto the roof of our old 1938 Plymouth and tied it down tight. I’m allowed to stand in the rumble seat to make sure it doesn’t move. “Jimmy, hold tight to the seat. If the tree starts to move, give me a shout.” Off we go, and I’m like a fireman on a hook and ladder or the lucky trash-man hanging on to the back of his truck. I cling to the seat with one hand and the tree with the other, but I’m able to give a quick wave to anyone who sees us go by. “You okay back there, cowboy?” shouts Dad.
When we get home, Mom and Joan have to come down to help us lug the tree up the flight of stairs to our place, apartment 2A.
“Joe, that’s an enormous tree, my God. Where in the name of God will we fit such a tree? Have you gone mad?” Mom inquires.
“‘Joe, take any tree,’ that’s what Paddy Power said to me, and so I’d say he was a shocked man to see the one we took. Isn’t that right, Jimmy? It’s one he could have sold to a bishop, but it’s here now, all ours. ‘Take any tree you want, Joe’ and so I took him at his word.” And so we huff and puff our way up the stairs. Joan and I are as happy as Larry to have such a tree.
In the days leading up to Christmas the apartment building becomes a forest of evergreen as people lean their trees on the walls outside their doors. If there’s no tree by a door, it must be the apartment of one of the Jewish families, or maybe a widow, or one of the atheists we heard about and prayed for in school, or maybe a Scrooge like Mr. Madden who lives in 3B and is always telling us kids not to play in the hallways on rainy days.
The ceilings in our apartment are high so our tree is always tall but this year’s tree is bigger than ever. Dad has to nail it down so it won’t topple over. Mom worries about the banging and the holes in the floor, but Dad says the rug will be put back down after Christmas and who’ll be the wiser.
“Joe Murphy, you’re mad about Christmas trees. Next year you’ll be drilling a hole in the ceiling.”
Dad just laughs, “A good idea, Kathleen. Maybe 2A and 3A can share a tree. We’ll just send it on up through the floor to them. We’ll be like Rockefeller Center. What do you say to that?”
We all laugh to think of the Hurcombs up in 3A watching a tree poke up into their living room as we manage to make it stand and wait for Dad to cut the ropes. When he does, the branches spread like wings to nearly fill the living room.
“A redwood couldn’t match it,” he says with a big smile, proud as a peacock.
On the Victrola, our cherished Bing Crosby’s “Merry Christmas” collection sets the tone. There are five of us and the album has five 78 rpm records so we take turns from oldest to youngest and stack up our choices on the turntable.
Dad picks “Silent Night,” then Mom takes “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” a hard choice for her since “Danny Boy” is on the flip side of that one, even though it isn’t a Christmas tune. I go for “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” instead of “Jingle Bells” on the flip side, and Joanie takes “White Christmas,” leaving my baby sister Eileen, who doesn’t know any tunes at all, with the only one left – “God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen.”
Dad says, “Let the concert begin.” “Silent Night” fills the room as the tree awaits us.
First, my baby sister Eileen is held up and we pretend she puts the star at the top of the tree. Then Dad and I begin with the lights, each of us on a chair since the tree is so high. We slowly work our way down, passing the string of lights from hand to hand. He reaches through all the wide branches to me, with my fingers searching for his on the other side of the tree.
Behind us, Mom and Joan unpack the ornaments, waiting for Dad to signal that we’re done and they can begin. Mom has two special ornaments, both from Ireland, and they are given a pride of place near the top of the tree – a crocheted star and a little cottage whose paint has chipped and dulled and whose chimney is missing. Once she has these placed on the tree, Joanie and I are free to add all the other ornaments and school cutouts wherever we wish. Then comes the finishing touch – the tinsel.
We hang a few tangled strands here and there on our own, but then we give way to Dad, as if by some unspoken signal. We don’t quite measure up when it comes to hanging tinsel.
It’s a special gift and Dad alone has it. His quiet patience, his silent introspection, humming as he works. “Take your pick,” Paddy Power had said, and Dad had taken him at his word, so it was his tree. We all do our part to decorate it, but at heart it is his tree.
He spends hours at it, a strand of tinsel at a time, absorbed in it as we all go off to whatever else calls us. But he stays there stepping back and looking at his work, correcting some of the chaos we’ve created in our clumsy tinsel efforts, a man at peace with himself.
By now, we have heard all of Bing Crosby’s Christmas songs at least twice, so our Irish records start to make their way onto the turntable, especially any one with a Christmas theme.
Because he works for Hostess Cakes and at Christmas he sells fruit cakes to one and all, Dad’s favorite is the McNulty Family singing “Miss Fogarty’s Christmas Cake.” “Give us the Murphy Family version,” says Dad, and we all sing along with the McNultys, waiting to change the last line:
There were plums and prunes and cherries,
There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon too,
There was nutmeg, cloves and berries
And a crust that was nailed down with glue.
There were caraway seeds in abundance
That would work up a fine tummy ache
It would kill a man twice after eating a slice
Of a Hostess Christmas cake.
Mom’s favorite is “Christmas in Killarney” which, like “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” makes her eyes fill up. “At home in Mayo,” she tells us, “It’s God’s truth what the song says, ‘The door is always open / The neighbors pay a call.’” Joanie and I like best when the song says, “And Santa Claus you know, of course / Is one of the boys from home.” But Dad says, “Santa’s not a Mayo man at all, he’s a likable, lovely Leitrim lad like myself.”
When we have everything all ready for the lighting, we place our manger at the base of the tree. We have Mary and Joseph, but no Baby Jesus because that’s Santa’s job when he comes on Christmas Eve. We have two shepherds but only two wise men. Dad says the third one must have followed the wrong star. “He’s like your Uncle Frank.”
Last come the animals, there’s a camel, a cow, and two sheep, all of them lying down. Mom says that’s because at home in Ireland all the animals in the fields would lie down on Christmas Eve to wait for the Baby Jesus. We have no fields or animals on Newkirk Avenue, so I picture the animals in Prospect Park Zoo. Come Christmas Eve, surely the lions and tigers and elephants and rhinos will all be lying down for the Baby Jesus.
When the stage is all set, Dad says, “Ready now? Close your eyes and count to three.” One, two, three, and we open. The tree fills the room with light, a waterfall of tinsel, and glistening ornaments. It is a Christmas tree of dreams.
“You know, Kathleen,” Dad says, “at home in Leitrim we didn’t have a tree at all. We hung some holly around the place, candles in the windows, but no tree. No room for one in small house with fifteen of us. So we settled for the holly and the ivy all over the place, just like in the tune.”
He winks at us. “No tree, but you know what, Jimmie and Joanie? Santa found us each and every year. At least we had a chimney for him. No chimney here in this apartment, but, by God, we’ll have a mighty tree for Santa when he comes.”
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Villanova on Set: A Film, TV, and Entertainment Industry Immersion Program in L.A.
An information session and Q&A panel for Villanova on Set: A Film, TV, and Entertainment Industry Immersion Program in L.A. will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 4:30, in the ICE Institute's Idea Accelerator (which is on the lower level of Falvey Library).
The Villanova on Set program is designed to expose Villanova students to various facets of the Hollywood television and film industry during a six-day trip. The goal is for students to gain an understanding of the culture and geography of Los Angeles, the creative and production processes, the importance of networking, and the basics of business and media management. The second annual program will be held over spring break, from Feb. 28 to March 4, 2016, and it’s open to graduate and undergraduate students from all schools/colleges at Villanova.
The program may be of particular value to those who are interested in creative writing in relation to film, television, or other new media.
The Villanova on Set program is designed to expose Villanova students to various facets of the Hollywood television and film industry during a six-day trip. The goal is for students to gain an understanding of the culture and geography of Los Angeles, the creative and production processes, the importance of networking, and the basics of business and media management. The second annual program will be held over spring break, from Feb. 28 to March 4, 2016, and it’s open to graduate and undergraduate students from all schools/colleges at Villanova.
The program may be of particular value to those who are interested in creative writing in relation to film, television, or other new media.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Coffee and T-shirts
The first-ever English department t-shirt went on sale at the Wednesday Holiday Coffee Break. The shirts were enthusiastically donned by undergraduate, graduate students and faculty alike! Stop by the English department to purchase a shirt from one of the secretaries for just $10.00. Or pick a few up as Christmas presents for your loved ones!
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Trip to Turner Broadcasting in New York City
Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are invited to apply to attend a one-day trek to Turner Broadcasting in NYC on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. You'll spend the day networking with professionals, touring the state-of-the-art facilities, and learning all about internships and careers at Turner. To apply, please send your résumé and letter of interest to Kate Szumanski by Friday, January 15, 2016, via e-mail to kathryn.szumanski@villanova.edu. Click here for additional information.
Monday, November 30, 2015
English Department T-shirt!
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| Photo by Christie Leonard |
Sunday, November 15, 2015
James Murphy Reception
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| Jim Murphy, founder and former Director of Villanova's Irish Studies program, Kathy Murphy, and grandchildren. |
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| Michael Coady's All Souls with dedication to Jim and Kathy--one of the 300 signed, first-edition Irish poetry books Jim has donated to Falvey Library. |
Thursday, November 5, 2015
English Outdoors!
Taking advantage of the disarmingly beautiful November weather, Dr. Michael Berthold's "Ways of Reading" class met outdoors on Wednesday:
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Alice in Wonderland Events
Dr. Mary Mullen reports on the 150th anniversary of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland:
On July 4, 1862, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) told Alice Liddell and her sisters a story to entertain them as they rowed up the River Thames. Alice liked this story so much that she asked him to write it down. The result was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a book that has lived many lives in its 150 years. Even people who haven’t read the narrative are familiar with the story: Alice stumbles down a rabbit hole and encounters food and drink that make her dramatically change size, a White Rabbit who perpetually checks his watch, a Mad Hatter in the midst of a tea party, a Cheshire Cat who disappears, and many other strange creatures and curious events. It’s inspired films, art, even Beatles songs (read here) while also leading to a new category of literature: children’s literature.
This spring, Villanova’s English department will celebrate the 150th anniversary of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with a tea party (cake included). But in the Philadelphia area, the celebration has already begun. The Rosenbach has an exhibit, “Down the Rabbit Hole,” which includes public programs where you can learn more about Alice Liddell, the girl behind the story; consider illustrations of the book; or participate in a reading group (click here). Villanova English professor, Dr. Megan Quigley, was even able to see the original manuscript at the Rosenbach (see photo below). In turn, this November, the Bryn Mawr Film Institute will show four films that draw on Alice’s adventures (click here). We look forward to going down the rabbit hole with you!
On July 4, 1862, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) told Alice Liddell and her sisters a story to entertain them as they rowed up the River Thames. Alice liked this story so much that she asked him to write it down. The result was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a book that has lived many lives in its 150 years. Even people who haven’t read the narrative are familiar with the story: Alice stumbles down a rabbit hole and encounters food and drink that make her dramatically change size, a White Rabbit who perpetually checks his watch, a Mad Hatter in the midst of a tea party, a Cheshire Cat who disappears, and many other strange creatures and curious events. It’s inspired films, art, even Beatles songs (read here) while also leading to a new category of literature: children’s literature.
This spring, Villanova’s English department will celebrate the 150th anniversary of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with a tea party (cake included). But in the Philadelphia area, the celebration has already begun. The Rosenbach has an exhibit, “Down the Rabbit Hole,” which includes public programs where you can learn more about Alice Liddell, the girl behind the story; consider illustrations of the book; or participate in a reading group (click here). Villanova English professor, Dr. Megan Quigley, was even able to see the original manuscript at the Rosenbach (see photo below). In turn, this November, the Bryn Mawr Film Institute will show four films that draw on Alice’s adventures (click here). We look forward to going down the rabbit hole with you!
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| Dr. Megan Quigley and daughter Penelope at the Rosenbach (Penelope's first rare book exhibit!) |
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Dr. Alice Dailey at the Blackfriars Conference
Over the Halloween weekend, Dr. Alice Dailey attended the bi-annual Blackfriars Conference at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA, where she saw five stage productions, attended workshops and lectures, and gave a paper on theatrical representations of English war heroes titled “I See Dead People: 2 Henry IV and the Corpse of History.” On Halloween night, the ASC held a Masquerade Ball at which conference participants were dressed as Shakespeare characters. Dr. Dailey went as Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft who makes a brief appearance in Macbeth.
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| Dr. Dailey and Rene Thornton, Jr., a lead actor at the American Shakespeare Center. |
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| Dr. Dailey’s handmade Hecate props. From left to right: tongue of dog, owlet’s wing, and oil of adder. The labels are written in the Theban Alphabet, a 16th-century alphabet associated with witchcraft. |
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Villanova English Major Brian Harrington ('85)
On Oct. 22, Brian Harrington, who graduated as an English major in 1985 and was a member of the Villanova basketball team that won the NCAA title the same year, received the Rev. Kail C. Ellis, OSA, Alumni Medallion from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Mr. Harrington is Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement for the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center in Yonkers, New York, and is the founder and executive director of the each one counts foundation, the first charitable organization in the US devoted entirely to supplementing pain management therapies for children with terminal illness.
In introducing Mr. Harrington at the ceremony, Evan Radcliffe, chair of the Department of English, stated, “Mr. Harrington has said that ‘raising money for pediatric hospice care ranks right up with earning that championship ring.’ He is the founder of the each one counts foundation, which provides complementary pain management therapies to children who are terminally or chronically ill and who are receiving hospice or palliative care. To quote Mr. Harrington, ‘Every terminally ill youngster counts, and they all deserve to have their pain alleviated in the best way possible.’ Mr. Harrington’s work has several sources: his time with basketball coach Rollie Massimino, who stressed to his players the importance of ‘giving back’ and took them to visit hospitals and schools where they ‘met people who were less fortunate and, in some cases, very ill’; his own experience of almost being on Flight 93, the hijacked flight that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 11, an experience that led him to want, in his words, ‘to do something more meaningful with my life’; his seeing close friends lose their six-year-old to a terminal illness without being able to ease their child’s pain. Since 2007, each one counts has helped many many children and their families.”
Here is the full description of Mr. Harrington from the program for the ceremony:
“Brian Harrington received his BA in English the same year that he was a member of the 1985 NCAA Men’s Basketball Champion team. After graduation, Mr. Harrington spent 15 years in the sports marketing industry before entering the world of philanthropic consulting following the events of September 11, 2001. In 2007, Mr. Harrington established the Each One Counts Foundation. Each One Counts seeks to provide complementary pain management therapies to terminally or chronically ill children receiving hospice or palliative care. Since its founding, Each One Counts has funded more than 25,000 pain management sessions of massage, music, art, hydro and acutonics, as well as distributing more than $750,000 in grants to its pediatric hospice and palliative care partners. In addition to running the charity, Mr. Harrington is Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement for the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center, a 137 bed specialty pediatric facility, located in Yonkers, New York.”
In introducing Mr. Harrington at the ceremony, Evan Radcliffe, chair of the Department of English, stated, “Mr. Harrington has said that ‘raising money for pediatric hospice care ranks right up with earning that championship ring.’ He is the founder of the each one counts foundation, which provides complementary pain management therapies to children who are terminally or chronically ill and who are receiving hospice or palliative care. To quote Mr. Harrington, ‘Every terminally ill youngster counts, and they all deserve to have their pain alleviated in the best way possible.’ Mr. Harrington’s work has several sources: his time with basketball coach Rollie Massimino, who stressed to his players the importance of ‘giving back’ and took them to visit hospitals and schools where they ‘met people who were less fortunate and, in some cases, very ill’; his own experience of almost being on Flight 93, the hijacked flight that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 11, an experience that led him to want, in his words, ‘to do something more meaningful with my life’; his seeing close friends lose their six-year-old to a terminal illness without being able to ease their child’s pain. Since 2007, each one counts has helped many many children and their families.”
Here is the full description of Mr. Harrington from the program for the ceremony:
“Brian Harrington received his BA in English the same year that he was a member of the 1985 NCAA Men’s Basketball Champion team. After graduation, Mr. Harrington spent 15 years in the sports marketing industry before entering the world of philanthropic consulting following the events of September 11, 2001. In 2007, Mr. Harrington established the Each One Counts Foundation. Each One Counts seeks to provide complementary pain management therapies to terminally or chronically ill children receiving hospice or palliative care. Since its founding, Each One Counts has funded more than 25,000 pain management sessions of massage, music, art, hydro and acutonics, as well as distributing more than $750,000 in grants to its pediatric hospice and palliative care partners. In addition to running the charity, Mr. Harrington is Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement for the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center, a 137 bed specialty pediatric facility, located in Yonkers, New York.”
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| Dr. Adele Lindenmeyr (Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences), Brian Harrington, Dr. Evan Radcliffe (English department chair) |
Friday, October 30, 2015
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
GWS 5000-001: Recent Great Feminist Lit
Although not showing up yet in the Novasis Master Schedule or Schedulr, spring course GWS 5000-001, a seminar on "Recent Great Feminist Lit," would count for the English major. It’s taught by Dr. Heather Hicks, and it meets TR 2:30-3:45. One additional note: despite its number, it does not count as an English senior seminar.
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| Prof. Hicks at last week's reception |
Monday, October 26, 2015
English Fall Reception
"It had nothing to do with my major, but it had everything to do with what I learned in my major." (The words are from senior English major Amanda Eliades' presentation at the reception; Amanda was referencing a job offer she received from a financial software company.)
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| The Advisory Committee table |
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| Dr. Mary Mullen joined the English faculty this fall. |
Saturday, October 24, 2015
English Department at the Majors Fair
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| Regina Paparo and Kristina Sumfleth, two of the department's representatives at the fair |
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Humanities Day with the English Department
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| Prof. Alan Drew read from his first novel, Gardens of Water |
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| Prof. Heather Hicks, English Majors Francesca Cocchi, Kevin Madden, Christie Leonard, Prof. Jody Ross |
Poe in New Jersey
Junior English major Larry Flynn had an uncanny encounter with Edgar Allan Poe over fall break.
Writes Larry:
On my drive home for fall break, I found myself strolling through the cobblestone paths of a shopping village in New Jersey, looking at Halloween decorations at my mother’s request.
Moral of the story: mothers are convincing. Alternative interpretation: I’m a patient son.
Surrounding the brick pathways were dozens of scarecrows for a small-town scarecrow festival. Some were basic, like the upside-down scarecrow next to a keg of beer, or others just poorly constructed, like the ghastly white face and button-eyes of Progressive’s “Flo.”
Then Edgar Allan Poe struck my eye.
An eerie mask protruded from his horrifying frame, looking oddly like Frankenstein’s beast, except the raven perched on his right shoulder gave away his identity. In a way, the scarecrow is a work of art, reflecting the creepiness of Poe’s gothic poetry. At the bottom was a copy of Poe’s poem, “The Raven,” which I had just read in my junior seminar.
Even in a vacation from my English courses, I could not escape the influence of brilliant literature. Perhaps that’s the “moral of the story.”
Writes Larry:
On my drive home for fall break, I found myself strolling through the cobblestone paths of a shopping village in New Jersey, looking at Halloween decorations at my mother’s request.
Moral of the story: mothers are convincing. Alternative interpretation: I’m a patient son.
Surrounding the brick pathways were dozens of scarecrows for a small-town scarecrow festival. Some were basic, like the upside-down scarecrow next to a keg of beer, or others just poorly constructed, like the ghastly white face and button-eyes of Progressive’s “Flo.”
Then Edgar Allan Poe struck my eye.
An eerie mask protruded from his horrifying frame, looking oddly like Frankenstein’s beast, except the raven perched on his right shoulder gave away his identity. In a way, the scarecrow is a work of art, reflecting the creepiness of Poe’s gothic poetry. At the bottom was a copy of Poe’s poem, “The Raven,” which I had just read in my junior seminar.
Even in a vacation from my English courses, I could not escape the influence of brilliant literature. Perhaps that’s the “moral of the story.”
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| The New Jersey Poe scarecrow |
Monday, October 19, 2015
Marielle Alexander: English Department Offers Caulfield, Conversation, Candor
Marielle Alexander, a senior English major, reported on “Wildcat in the Rye," a recent English department event, for the Villanovan. The text of her article—and her pictures from the event—appear below. The Villanovan article can be found here.
Approximately 90 freshmen gathered to hear Villanova professor Kamran Javadizadeh and English department students read from and analyze J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye in the second floor common room of Good Counsel Hall on Oct. 7 during the department’s annual discussion of literature for first-year students.
The event, organized by Javadizadeh and ACS approved, aimed to interest students in the English major and to demonstrate the new perspectives on often familiar writing that the department provides in its many course offerings.
“The English department at Villanova sees itself as a home for students who love books—students who want to talk and write about them, who want to discover new books to read, and who want to reread familiar books in new ways,” Javadizadeh said. “I think that when we can see an old favorite (like “The Catcher in the Rye”) with new eyes, we learn just as much about ourselves as we do about the book in question. Events like Wildcat in the Rye are meant to extend those experiences of discovery—which happen all the time in English classes—into the everyday spaces of student life. If that leads curious first-year students into our classes, so much the better.”
The students in attendance relaxed in chairs, lounged on the carpeted floor, leaned against the room’s red brick walls and even perched on the balcony above. Despite the chaos and concerns of midterm week, they appeared eager to discover or, in some cases, revisit Salinger’s career-defining novel.
Held at 7 p.m., the event also provided pizza and cookies to the students.
Javadizadeh started the conversation by speaking briefly about the English department, his plan for the evening and his own reactions rereading the novel several times.
“Certain passages have stuck with me and have been important to me,” Javadizadeh said. “The words stay the same, but the reading experience is different because I’m different and reading in different settings.”
A combination of six undergraduate and graduate English students then read aloud from the novel’s evocative thirteenth chapter, in which Holden Caulfield interacts with a prostitute in unforeseen ways.
Following the reading, English majors formed and led small discussion groups to examine specific themes, characterizations and concepts presented in the chapter.
Freshman biology major Sophia Hernandez, who has never read The Catcher in the Rye, appreciated that the event included those with no prior knowledge of the novel in these groups.
“If I had read the book, I would have been able to offer more insight,” Hernandez said. “But Professor Javadizadeh gave an excellent summary, and the chapter we read was intriguing. I’m actually going to buy the book because it’s very interesting, and I definitely would come to an event like this again. I’m glad it’s open to students from all majors.”
The English students leading the discussion groups described similarly positive experiences.
“I got a lot of participation from non-English majors, and it was very valuable,” graduate student Laura Tscherry said. “I’m glad so many non-English majors came to the event.”
Wildcat in the Rye is one of several English department events throughout the year open to both majors and non-majors. The department will host its semiannual pre-registration reception on Friday, Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. in the Speakers’ Corner of Falvey Memorial Library. The event will provide information about the department and its spring course offerings and will offer lunch as well as a raffle of literary items.
Approximately 90 freshmen gathered to hear Villanova professor Kamran Javadizadeh and English department students read from and analyze J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye in the second floor common room of Good Counsel Hall on Oct. 7 during the department’s annual discussion of literature for first-year students.
The event, organized by Javadizadeh and ACS approved, aimed to interest students in the English major and to demonstrate the new perspectives on often familiar writing that the department provides in its many course offerings.
“The English department at Villanova sees itself as a home for students who love books—students who want to talk and write about them, who want to discover new books to read, and who want to reread familiar books in new ways,” Javadizadeh said. “I think that when we can see an old favorite (like “The Catcher in the Rye”) with new eyes, we learn just as much about ourselves as we do about the book in question. Events like Wildcat in the Rye are meant to extend those experiences of discovery—which happen all the time in English classes—into the everyday spaces of student life. If that leads curious first-year students into our classes, so much the better.”
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| Professor Javadizadeh with English students James Butler, Rachel Panny and Clare Yoder. |
Held at 7 p.m., the event also provided pizza and cookies to the students.
Javadizadeh started the conversation by speaking briefly about the English department, his plan for the evening and his own reactions rereading the novel several times.
“Certain passages have stuck with me and have been important to me,” Javadizadeh said. “The words stay the same, but the reading experience is different because I’m different and reading in different settings.”
A combination of six undergraduate and graduate English students then read aloud from the novel’s evocative thirteenth chapter, in which Holden Caulfield interacts with a prostitute in unforeseen ways.
Following the reading, English majors formed and led small discussion groups to examine specific themes, characterizations and concepts presented in the chapter.
Freshman biology major Sophia Hernandez, who has never read The Catcher in the Rye, appreciated that the event included those with no prior knowledge of the novel in these groups.
“If I had read the book, I would have been able to offer more insight,” Hernandez said. “But Professor Javadizadeh gave an excellent summary, and the chapter we read was intriguing. I’m actually going to buy the book because it’s very interesting, and I definitely would come to an event like this again. I’m glad it’s open to students from all majors.”
The English students leading the discussion groups described similarly positive experiences.
“I got a lot of participation from non-English majors, and it was very valuable,” graduate student Laura Tscherry said. “I’m glad so many non-English majors came to the event.”
Wildcat in the Rye is one of several English department events throughout the year open to both majors and non-majors. The department will host its semiannual pre-registration reception on Friday, Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. in the Speakers’ Corner of Falvey Memorial Library. The event will provide information about the department and its spring course offerings and will offer lunch as well as a raffle of literary items.
Prof. Cathy Staples' poem in Poetry magazine
Prof. Cathy Staples has a poem, “Vert,” in the October 2015 Poetry magazine. Click here for the magazine's table of contents and a link to the poem.
Colin Keane and Teeth People
Since its formation in 2014, Teeth People has released three self-recorded records and performed at a variety of venues in the New York metropolitan area. Says the band, Colin's "focus on poetry and the band's ever-evolving rhythmic orchestra promise to deliver Teeth People's best and fourth self-recorded album, Let's Go, in November." Click here for more information.
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| Colin Keane and Wyatt Bertz |
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| Teeth People |
Saturday, October 17, 2015
2016 Keystone Summer Internship Program
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is now accepting applications from any student who is interested in the 2016 Keystone Summer Internship Program. Please visit the organization's website here and follow these steps:
1. Click to the top right hand side and click “about”
2. Scroll down and click on “join”
3. At the middle of the page click on “internships”
4. Click on “Keystone Summer Internships”
5. Towards the right you will see a link to “Keystone Internship Application”
Please fill out the application and other paperwork required. Students can email the application to
ra-phmcinterns@pa.gov or mail it to:
Internship Programs
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
300 North Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120-0024
The website says that “typically interns work Monday through Friday, 7.5 hours per day,” but there are circumstances in which it could be fewer total hours, though never below 20 hours per week.
Remember that to receive credit for an internship, you must apply at our Internship Office.
1. Click to the top right hand side and click “about”
2. Scroll down and click on “join”
3. At the middle of the page click on “internships”
4. Click on “Keystone Summer Internships”
5. Towards the right you will see a link to “Keystone Internship Application”
Please fill out the application and other paperwork required. Students can email the application to
ra-phmcinterns@pa.gov or mail it to:
Internship Programs
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
300 North Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120-0024
The website says that “typically interns work Monday through Friday, 7.5 hours per day,” but there are circumstances in which it could be fewer total hours, though never below 20 hours per week.
Remember that to receive credit for an internship, you must apply at our Internship Office.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Polis
Polis, the literary magazine on campus, is seeking submissions from students of poetry, short fiction, etc., for its fall publication.
Here's more information from Lucy Finnegan, the magazine's current editor-in-chief:
Are you a writer? What about a photographer? Or maybe both? Share your art with the Villanova community! Participate in this year’s Polis Literary Magazine’s Art Contest. We accept photographs, poems, short fiction, etc. Winners of the best submitted photograph and written work will receive a $25 prize. Please email all submissions to polislitmag@gmail.com by Friday, October 23rd, at 5:00 P.M. Any photographs should be submitted in .tiff format. Should you have any further questions, please contact Lucy Finnegan at lfinneg1@villanova.edu.
Here's more information from Lucy Finnegan, the magazine's current editor-in-chief:
Are you a writer? What about a photographer? Or maybe both? Share your art with the Villanova community! Participate in this year’s Polis Literary Magazine’s Art Contest. We accept photographs, poems, short fiction, etc. Winners of the best submitted photograph and written work will receive a $25 prize. Please email all submissions to polislitmag@gmail.com by Friday, October 23rd, at 5:00 P.M. Any photographs should be submitted in .tiff format. Should you have any further questions, please contact Lucy Finnegan at lfinneg1@villanova.edu.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
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