Tagged Literature

Literature Meets Music with Shakespeare Is for Everyone

William Shakespeare is a towering figure in English literature, but his contributions were not limited to written work; he also had a major influence on classical music. A new webinar from the Free Library’s Literature Department…

The Year of James Baldwin: Kick-Off Event and Programming

Join the Education, Philosophy, and Religion Department on Saturday, February 17 at 11 a.m. for Inaugurating the Year of James Baldwin: God’s Revolutionary Voice . The event will take place in the Skyline Room on the Fourth…

Virtual Monday Poets - Now in its 28th season!

Monday Poets is one of the longest continuously running programs at the Free Library, currently in its 28th season. Join us for a very special virtual event on Monday, December 19 at 6:30 p.m. with Philadelphia Poet Laureate Airea D.…

Explore Creative Careers with Field Teen Center!

Throughout the month of July, Field Teen Center recorded interviews with a voice actor, four game designers, and a comic book writer. If you’re interested in creative jobs or if you just want to learn more about how your favorite…

Bloomsday is back!

The Rosenbach's annual Bloomsday festival is BACK on Delancey Place after a two-year hiatus. Join the celebration on Thursday, June 16 anytime between 11:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. What  is  Bloomsday? Bloomsday is the day…

Dracula at 125

Written by Edward P. On May 26, 1897, visitors to bookshops in London found a new book, for just six shillings, published by Constable and Co., bound in a lurid yellow cloth cover with blood red letters announcing its strange…

Rosemary for Shakespeare

Written by Isabel S. April 23 marks the day that we traditionally celebrate William Shakespeare’s birth and deathday, though neither of those occasions are confirmed to have actually been on the 23rd. Shakespeare was baptized on…

The lyrical speaker: Finding your own voice through poetry!

“La poesía es un espacio de libertad/ Poetry is a space of freedom”. Carlos José Pérez Sámano, Mexican poet and writer Poetry explores the language and its limitations. It’s a way to get…

Newspapers: A Guide Into the Past

Many of us may get our news from online sources these days—social media feeds provide a constant source of information about everything from policy proposals, the weather, celebrity news, and more, as the events unfold in…

A Continued Discussion on the Topics of Surrealism and Gender

Written by Lewis Shaw, who conducted extensive research in the Art Department as part of a Friends Select School Senior Internship Project. The following is a continuation of a previous blog post on the topics of Surrealism and Gender.…

Celebrating Jacqueline Woodson

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Jacqueline Woodson grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and Brooklyn, New York, graduating from college with a B.A. in English. She is the author of dozens of award-winning books for young adults, middle…

Surrealism and Gender

Written by Lewis Shaw, who conducted extensive research in the Art Department as part of a Friends Select School Senior Internship Project. During the extended fever dream which we all refer to as COVID quarantine, I picked up a love of…

Create Something New During National Sewing Month

September is National Sewing Month and a great opportunity to create something new this year for everyone on your D.I.Y gift-giving list. Both the Art and Literature and Science and Wellness departments at Parkway Central Library have…

¡Celebremos la Fiesta del Libro en Español!

The love for the Spanish language and culture can transcend frontiers! The stories, poems and illustrations of the books can reflect personal narratives that touch our collective unconsciousness. A team of talented community…

Uncovering the Real James Bond in the Rare Book Department

From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, the intrepid agent of the British Secret Intelligence Service—James Bond, designated Agent 007—has epitomized masculine cool. Everyone knows how he likes his vodka martinis. Everyone knows…

Celebrating Pakistan's Independence Day with Music, Film, and Literature!

Jashn-e-Azadi Mubarak! Happy Independence Day! This past Saturday, August 14, was Pakistan’s Independence Day. Formed in 1947, Pakistan celebrated 74 years of its independence and freedom from British colonialism and the formation…

Summer Reading with Dena!

Yes, it’s that time of the year again, to head to the beach (or a heavily air conditioned reading nook) and dive into some fun reading! Here are some new and newish books that are perfect for giving yourself a mental vacation:…

Central Senior Services Joins Moore College of Art to Fight Social Isolation During Pandemic

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has studied the impact of loneliness and social isolation on American seniors and the results are deeply disturbing. Extensive studies of the subject reveal that social isolation of…

10 Great Reads from the Holmesburg Library Book Club

Since 2019, the Holmesburg Library's Book Club has met biweekly to discuss great modern literature, nineteenth-century classics, and historical nonfiction, to name just a few genres. Not even the pandemic could stop the book club…

Creative Writing: Discovering Your Inner Voice

I always wanted to explore creative writing! It’s fascinating to understand what tools and mechanisms writers use to craft a story or a poem. Creating with words is an amazing and fun experience! The pandemic gave me the…

Frida Kahlo: Her Typewriter and Life

Visit the Literature Department on the 2nd floor of Parkway Central to type on the same model typewriter artist and cultural icon Frida Kahlo used, an L.C. Smith. Read and borrow books of her letters and journals. Then explore…

Reels of Time: Literature’s Microfilm Collection

  Visit the Literature Department's new exhibition to learn more about our microfilm collection! Microfilm preserves fragile documents such as rare books, newspapers and other periodicals by using micro-photography to reduce an…

Treasures from the Literature Vault

Do you love old books? Then join us for Treasures from the Vault– a casual, hands-on book club program spotlighting items from the Literature vault! The vault, home to our closed reference collections, is a treasure trove of…

Novels In Progress

Molly’s Books & Records in partnership with the Literature Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia presents a salon-style reading and conversation featuring the work of writers deep in the process of a long…

How Close Is Too Close? The Ethical Challenges of Making Documentaries About Living People

This is the Golden Age of personal documentaries. Forced out of Hollywood by the high cost of fictional studio films, a record number of women are devoting their lives to producing films about the challenges confronting real people…

Treasures from the Literature Vault

Do you love old books? Then join us for Treasures from the Vault– a casual, hands-on book club program spotlighting items from the Literature vault! The vault, home to our closed reference collections, is a treasure trove of…

Our America Now: A Conversation with Roxane Gay

Join New York Times bestselling author and columnist Roxane Gay in conversation with Dr. Marquita Williams, psychologist, Interim Commissioner of DBHIDS, and Lov'n My Curves CEO. They’ll talk about Roxane’s bestselling…

Poetry in Translation

Take pleasure in reading poets from other languages and cultures.

Poetry - Novels in Verse

Poetry with special appeal for tweens and teens.

Poetry - Great Contemporary Poetry

Selections from the Literature Department.

PressReader including the Economist Magazine

Access more than 6,300+ newspapers from the US and around the world in 60 languages from 120 countries in image view including the Guardian, Daily Mail, Der Tagesspiegel, Libération, China Daily, and La Razon. List to the articles in…

NewsBank Hot Topics

Trending news and hot topics for your next assignment! Hot topics covers Current Events, Business & Economics, Civics, Government, & Politics, Social Issues, Science, Technology & Health, Sports, Arts & Literature, and People in the News.

LitFinder

Discover literature content from more than 150,000 full-text poems, 840,000 poem citations and excerpts, 7,100 full-text short stories and novels, 3,800 full-text essays published in the 16th-20th centuries, 2,400 full-text speeches, and…

Literature Criticism Online

This extensive compilation of literary commentary represents a range of modern and historical views on authors and their works across regions, eras, and genres. Covers Children’s, Classical, Contemporary, Drama, Poetry, Shakespearean,…

Gale OneFile | High School Edition (formerly InfoTrac Student Edition) *

High school students will have access to age-appropriate content from magazines, journals, newspapers, reference books, and engaging multi-media covering a wide range of subjects, from science, history, and literature to political…

Gale Literary Sources (formerly Artemis)

Cross-search all of Gale’s literature databases from a single digital space to find biographies, primary sources, contextual reference, and criticism. Includes Dictionary of Literary Biography, Something About the Author, LitFinder,…

Gale in Context | Middle School (formerly Research in Context) *

Discover reliable and trusted information on a variety of topics to support middle school student research for government, U.S and world history, geography, literature, sciences, and social issues. Research In Context offers…

Gale in Context | Elementary (formerly Kids InfoBits) *

Elementary students in kindergarten through grade five will find age-appropriate content covering a broad range of educational topics such as animals, arts, geography, health, literature, people, social studies, technology, etc. Kids…

America's Historical Imprints

Explore the nation’s past in unprecedented ways. Includes books, pamphlets, broadsides and other scarce printed material, centuries of American history, literature, culture, and daily life, and extensive indexing and full bibliographic…

Academic OneFile

More than 20,000 peer-reviewed journals and more than 9,200 in full text Full text of The Economist ranging from 1988 to the present, with no embargo Full text of The New York Times from 1985 to present, updated daily Full text of The…

Claire Messud | This Strange Eventful History: A Novel

In conversation with Laura McGrath, Assistant Professor of English at Temple University “Among our greatest contemporary writers” ( The Miami Herald ),  Claire Messud  is the author of  The Emperor’s Children , a cutting portrait of…

Colm Tóibín | Long Island: A Novel

“His generation’s most gifted writer of love’s complicated, contradictory power” (Los Angeles Times) ,  Colm Tóibín  is the author of an impressive list of novels, short stories, essays, plays, poetry, and criticism. His novels  The…

Lydia Millet | We Loved it All: A Memory of Life

Praised for her “darkly funny and painfully sharp” ( Los Angeles Times ) fiction, Lydia Millet is the author of the novel  A Children’s Bible , shortlisted for the National Book Award and a  New York Times  Top 10 book of 2020; the…

Julia Alvarez | The Cemetery of Untold Stories: A Novel

Barbara Gohn Day Memorial Lecture In conversation with Rebeca L. Hey-Colón, Professor of Latinx Studies, Temple University Awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Obama in 2013, poet, essayist, and fiction writer Julia Alvarez…

Sloane Crosley | Grief is for People

“A fountain of observations” ( The Boston Globe ),  Sloane Crosley  is the author of three  New York Times  bestselling essay collections,  How Did You Get This Number, Look Alive Out There, and  I Was Told There’d Be Cake , which was a…

Hanif Abdurraqib | There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension

In conversation with Airea Dee Matthews Hanif Abdurraqib  is the author of  A Little Devil in America , a sweeping look at Black music, art, and culture that won the Carnegie Medal and the Gordon Burns Prize and was a finalist for the…

Jenny Jackson | Pineapple Street: A Novel

In conversation with Lexy Bloom “A delicious new Gilded Age family drama—almost a satire—set in the leafy enclaves of Brooklyn Heights” ( Vogue ), Jenny Jackson’s  Pineapple Street  tells the story of three women navigating the shoals…

Nam Le | 36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem

In conversation with Airea Dee Matthews Referred to by Nick Cave as “exquisitely crafted fire bombs of incandescent rage,”  Nam Le ’s  36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem  is a debut collection of verse that both honors and shatters…

Morgan Parker | You Get What You Pay For: Essays

In conversation with Shantrelle Lewis Morgan Parker  won the National Book Critics Circle Award for  Magical Negro , a poetry collection that ponders the nuances of Black American womanhood. She is also the author of the young adult…

Xochitl Gonzalez | Anita de Monte Laughs Last: A Novel

“Packed with richly imagined characters and vivacious prose” ( Esquire ),  Xochitl Gonzalez ’s debut novel  Olga Dies Dreaming tells a tale of family secrets, Latinx politics in a gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood, and romance set…

Tommy Orange | Wandering Stars: A Novel

In conversation with Tailinh Agoyo Tommy Orange  is the author of  There There , a novel of “pure soaring beauty” ( The New York Times ) that tells the story of 12 interconnected Native Americans living in Oakland, California. A…

Marcus Anthony Hunter | Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation

In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6abc Action News morning edition. Co-promoted by the American Constitution Society The Scott Waugh Endowed Chair in the Social Sciences Division, Professor of Sociology & African American…

Maura Cheeks | Acts of Forgiveness: A Novel

In conversation with Zoe Sivak Maura Cheeks  is the author of  Acts of Forgiveness , a debut novel that imagines a contemporary moment in which our government has approved reparations for Black Americans—but only if they can prove they…

Phillip B. Williams | Ours: A Novel

In conversation with Airea D. Matthews Phillip B. Williams  is the author of two acclaimed poetry collections,  Thief in the Interior , which won the Kate Tufts Discovery Award and a Lambda Literary Award; and  Mutiny , which was a…

Calvin Trillin | The Lede: Dispatches from a Life in the Press

In conversation with Bill Marimow “Perhaps the finest reporter in America” ( The Miami Herald ),  Calvin Trillin  has written more than 400 nonfiction and comic articles for  The New Yorker  since 1963. His book include  U.S. Journal …

Grace Lin | Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite American Chinese Foods

In conversation with Ellen Yin A  New York Times  bestselling children’s author and illustrator,  Grace Lin  earned the Newbery Honor for  Where the Mountain Meets the Moon , the Theodor Geisel Honor for  Ling and Ting , and the…

Paul Lynch | Prophet Song: A Novel

In conversation with novelist and musician Wesley Stace  Paul Lynch  won the 2023 Booker Prize for  Prophet Song , a “brilliant, haunting” and “crucial book for our current times ( The Guardian ) that tells the dystopian but plausible…

Kiley Reid | Come and Get It

In conversation with Niela Orr A “hilarious, uncomfortable and compulsively readable story about race and class” ( TIME ),  Kiley Reid ’s novel  Such a Fun Age  tells the story of a young Black babysitter and her well-intentioned but…

Susan Muaddi Darraj | Behind You Is the Sea: A Novel

Susan Muaddi Darraj  won the 2016 American Book Award, the 2016 Arab American Book Award, and was a finalist for the Palestine Book Award for  A Curious Land , a collection of linked stories that follows the denizens of a Palestinian…

Sigrid Nunez | The Vulnerables: A Novel with Henry Hoke | Open Throat: A Novel

Sigrid Nunez won the 2018 National Book Award for The Friend , a “beautiful” novel “crammed with a world of insight into death, grief, art, and love” ( The Wall Street Journal ) in which a woman is forced to adopt her deceased best…