Rachel on Ron (video)

The other night we celebrated Ron Silliman's big book, The Alphabet. Rachel Blau DuPlessis couldn't be there and so she sent greetings from afar. You can watching a video of Rachel's hello to Ron (it's really a review of the book) by clicking here.

Food Magazine and Blog

Check out Penn Appetit, Penn's premiere food magazine and blog. Founded by Penn junior Emma Morgenstern after her inspiring experience in Thomas Devaney's food writing class, this great Writers House-supported publication consistently produces excellent writing, paired with mouth-watering design. Editors and writers can be found in the Writers House in any given week, developing business plans, reviewing and editing submissions, and working on layout ideas. The blog is updated daily, sometimes more often. Check back often!

family memoir - audio & video available

The other night Lisa New read from her family memoir, and it was a reunion--for Lisa taught at Penn for many years, and many friends and family were in attendance. Her new book is called Jacob's Cane: One Family's Journey from the Four Lands of Lithuania to the Ports of Baltimore and London, A Memoir in Five Generations, and will be published in the fall 2009 by Basic Books. Our web calendar entry for this event includes links to audio-only and video recordings.

we've discovered dystopia

Yes, deep in the archives, old audio recordings were discovered...of the radio program called "Dystopia." Here's what Dystopia's creators wrote about it: "Dystopia is a show whose goal is to bring local music to the radio and at the same time teach students how to organize and record a radio show." We've digitized and linked to the web all 7 Dystopia shows, and every segment of every show is available as a free mp3 download. Listen & enjoy!

Terry B. Heled Travel Grant

On February 2, we celebrated the first ever recipient of the Terry B. Heled Travel and Research Grant. The Heled Travel Grant -- established by Mali Heled Kinberg (C'95) as a way of memorializing her mother, Terry B. Heled, and of honoring the students of her alma mater -- enables a student to travel for the purpose of conducting the research that will lead to a significant writing project. This year's winner, Alicia Puglionesi, spent the duration of her award interviewing WWII veterans and documentarians in her pursuit of a story on the "ghost army" of WWII, a unique camouflage unit whose main weapons were props, sound effects, and "crafty," homemade deception tools. Her piece "We are Ghosts: The Art of Deception in the Theater of War" represents a fine bit of writing; it's layered, detailed, historically deep, and formally challenging.