KT Lowe

KT Lowe

It’s National Poetry Month? Nonsense!

It’s National Poetry Month? Nonsense!

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’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves,      And the mome raths outgrabe. “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll   While many of us associate poetry with big words, flowery images and rhyme, there has always been a nonsense streak as well. The above poem, possibly Lewis Carroll’s most famous poem, is one of the best known examples of nonsense poetry. Yet nonsense poems, and Carroll’s in particular, often carry significant political undertones. For example, in Carroll’s “The Hunting of the Snark”, he tackles vivisection and the role of anthrocentrist activities in scientific pursuit. Jabberwocky itself may be a commentary on the notion of “meaning” – that is, according to … Continued
A Modern Prometheus

A Modern Prometheus

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On January 15, 1818, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley published her first book. Subtitled “A Modern Prometheus,” this book began as part of a storytelling contest among herself, her then-boyfriend Percy Bysshe Shelley, their host Lord Byron and Byron’s physician, John Polidori. In Geneva, Switzerland, on a particularly dreary summer night, the four precocious thinkers and authors began to compose ghost stories. Percy Shelley wrote about an incident from his childhood. Rumor has it that Byron’s work was about a vampire. But the other two people in this group, neither of them accomplished authors in 1816, launched the modern horror tale with their works: John Polidori’s The Vampyre, and Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein. At the IU East Campus library, we are putting … Continued
Upcoming Discussion: Politics of Monuments and Memory After Charlottesville

Upcoming Discussion: Politics of Monuments and Memory After Charlottesville

, , , Library Resources, outreach, Programs
Professors Kristoffer Rees, Chera LaForge and E. Scott Lee will lead a roundtable discussion on Confederate monuments on Thursday, February 22nd at Morrisson-Reeves Library. The event starts at 6:30 PM and is free and open to the public. Dr. Rees earned his Ph. D in Political Science and Central Eurasian Studies, while Dr. LaForge’s research focuses on the understanding of historical figures in contemporary political contexts and Dr. Lee’s interests hone in on collaborative decision and policy making, especially for intractable public problems Dr. Rees, whose academic research normally focuses on the former Soviet Union, saw distinct connections between the use of memorials in both the US and in Central Asia. These parallels led him to put together this program. … Continued
The magic of Roald Dahl

The magic of Roald Dahl

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Cardiff (Wales) born author Roald Dahl, is considered one of the most beloved authors of the last century. With characters such as Matilda Wormwood, the Grand High Witch, the BFG and Willy Wonka, Dahl’s work has captured the inner desires, fears and identities of children of all ages since the early 1960’s. Even though he died in 1990, his books remain immensely popular – roughly ten million copies of his books are sold each year. Roald Dahl did not begin life as a writer, nor did it seem a likely career for him. When he graduated from secondary school, he became an employee of Shell Oil and was stationed in Kenya. But shortly after World War II broke out, he … Continued
So what, exactly, is print culture?

So what, exactly, is print culture?

, , books, Library Resources
Who needs print anymore? Many people read the news on their phones, check out audiobooks from libraries, send emails and texts to their friends and loved ones, even post a virtual diary of their own lives on their social media accounts. Yet print has held on for dear life: From 2013 to 2016, the latest year for which figures are available, sales of print books have steadily increased at an average of 3.9%. Over 674 million books were sold in 2016 alone. With all those readers comes certain expectations of print. (Including, but not limited to, the ability to turn books around, which is not a new decorating trend.) (Pictured: Not a new decorating trend.) Books do not merely convey … Continued