by Ami Irmen A year ago, I was sitting at my computer, much like I am now – hot cup of tea, sleeping cat, music playing in the background. Quite possibly the same exact record. Back then, I was writing up a review for Asking for It, as well as an interview with the author, Kate Harding. At UntitledTown that April, I also had the chance to meet Kate Harding and listen to her read from and discuss this very… [Read More]
Category » The Book that Changed Your Life
Roxane Gay and the Art of Being Difficult
By Kathleen Lacey Each semester, in an early discussion about understanding gender as a social construction, I ask my introductory Women’s and Gender Studies students what traits or behaviors are stereotypically associated with women and girls. Inevitably, a young woman (and it is always a woman) will speak about the expectation to “be nice,” to avoid being “rude” lest we hurt someone’s feelings, often at the expense of our own comfort or well-being. Should we assert the right to our… [Read More]
The Art of Making Art Happen— An Interview with Ellen Rosewall
by Audrey Schultz When I started college, I knew exactly what I wanted to major in: English. However, I needed something else to go along with it, and that wasn’t something I had thought about very much. My advisor suggested that I try Arts Management, describing it as “the business of the arts.” I had never heard of the field of Arts Management before, but it sounded intriguing and useful. So, I decided to try it out. I fell in… [Read More]
Reading Hillary Jordan’s MUDBOUND— Can We Ever Overcome Racial Hatred?
by Lori Helke Hillary Jordan’s novel Mudbound captured my attention in a way that is hard to describe. It was painful. The characters are real and intense. There is love, longing, friendship, and an agonizing look at racism in 1940’s Mississippi. As is my preference, I like to watch the movie adaptation of a novel before I begin to read it, which is what I did with Mudbound. After watching the critically acclaimed movie, I knew the book was going… [Read More]
Hillary Jordan’s MUDBOUND: Dreaming in brown, and the brutality of rural life
by Nichole Rued I grew up in rural Wisconsin surrounded by farms. My grandfather was a butcher. My classes went to farms on field trips. I helped raise chickens. When I hear the word “farm,” a very specific image comes to mind: Barns. Red wheelbarrows (shout out to William Carlos Williams!). Butchering chickens. Mostly, I think of red. But I also think of dairy cows, corn mazes, the pastoral. In the novel, Mudbound, Hillary Jordan sets a multiple-perspective story rife… [Read More]