Tagged Literature
Let Culinary Explorations of Literature Nourish You with Book Feast!
Have you ever thought about why we use the same vocabulary to describe consuming food and consuming knowledge? How we’re hungry for the truth, devour a good book, and digest information? Intellectual nourishment has been so…
Story Search from Special Collections: An Interview by Hannah Cho
Hannah Cho is a University of Pennsylvania Work-Study student from Davis, CA. During the Fall semester, she studied, recorded, and edited the Story Search podcasts remotely from South Korea. I’ve always been more of a talker…
Healing Verse Philly: a Project from the Poet Laureate
Through the challenges of 2020, one of the abiding sources of relief for many of us has been poetry. More people than ever are looking to the written word for strength, wisdom, and comfort. Even before the pandemic struck, Trapeta B.…
Monday Poets Turns 25! View Ephemera from Over the Years
The Literature Department at Parkway Central Library is celebrating the 25th year of our flagship program, Monday Poets ! Over the years, the department has hosted poets from all over the country, and has always made it their mission to…
In Appreciation of Octavia Butler
That’s all anybody can do right now. Live. Hold out. Survive. I don’t know whether good times are coming back again. But I know that won’t matter if we don’t survive these times. ― Octavia E. Butler, Parable of…
If You Liked Jane Eyre...
...then why not check out these digital titles from the Free Library, specially curated for fans of this beloved English novel? On this day in 1816, Charlotte Brontë was born in Thornton, England. The third of six children, she and…
Spotlight on Special Collections: When Dickens Met Poe
This blog post is in honor of Charles Dickens' birthday. The prolific Victorian author of "epic stories" like Oliver Twist and David Copperfield , was born on Portsea Island off England's south-central…
Mark Gatiss Visits The Rosenbach to Film New Dracula Documentary
The Rosenbach was delighted to have writer, actor, and director Mark Gatiss visit in June to shoot scenes for his In Search of Dracula documentary, which was just released on the BBC. Along with Stephen Moffat , Gatiss created a new…
Hands-On History Wraps Up 2019 With Charles Dickens... and Introduces a New Line-Up For 2020
What do Charles Dickens, cuneiform tablets, and James Bond have in common? The answer is Hands-on History at the Free Library, which wraps up its inaugural year with a holiday program on Saturday, December 14 at 2:00 p.m.,…
Happy Birthday to Kurt Vonnegut (and Kilgore Trout?)
Yes, I am one of those: I keep a list of books saved in my phone—books that I will eventually read once I reach that magical point of life when I stop desiring new books and therefore stop adding to the dang list—and…
Song-Poems Concert Series Returns to Literature Deparment This Fall
The 'Song-Poems' concert series , which debuted in the Spring of 2019, is finishing up this calendar year with three special events. The concert series invites Philadelphia-based musicians to come into the library and utilize…
Happy Birthday, F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald would be 123 years old today, if human beings commonly lived to this age and had he not been a self-destructive parvenu , much like his most famous character. In fact, F. Scott Fitzgerald only lived 44…
Remembering Toni Morrison, 1931–2019
When I first read The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison , at 15 years old, I knew it would haunt me. The story fed my soul—I was shocked at its lovely, yet stinging taste, but realized I had always been craving it. Never had my struggle…
George Orwell in Context
Talking animals, pigs rising to power, a full-fledged government on a farm, and a revolution against an alcoholic farmer serve as the backdrop of George Orwell’s 1945 novel Animal Farm . Confused? Trust me, there’s…
ReJoyce! Bloomsday Returns to The Rosenbach
The Rosenbach 's annual Bloomsday festivities will be held on Sunday, June 16, falling on Father’s Day this year! What is Bloomsday? Bloomsday is an annual event where the world celebrates Leopold Bloom’s…
We Celebrate Him: Walt Whitman at 200
I celebrate myself — When lilacs last — I contain multitudes — O Captain! my Captain! What other U.S. poet’s work can be recognized by so few words—and by so many people—as that of the self-proclaimed…
The Mystery of Missing Persons
Many things go missing – overdue books, keys, socks in the dryer – but none of those can compare with the gravity of when a person simply disappears. Approximately 90,000 people are missing at this very moment in the United…
Book Donation to Recognize and Celebrate Polish Literature
The Free Library was fortunate to recently receive a donation of books by Polish authors that were translated into English, along with books in Polish for both adults and children. The books were donated by the Polish Book Institute , a…
Immersive Multimedia Experience Breathes New Life into the Frankenstein Mythos
Even if you’ve never read Mary Shelley ’s groundbreaking novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus , you’ve certainly heard of the stiched-together monster the teenage mother invented during a drizzly 1816 summer…
Break Out Your Garlic Necklaces and Wooden Stakes for Bram Stoker's Bday!
by Michelle Sheffer Today marks Irish writer Bram Stoker ’s 171st birthday. Author of Dracula —the inspiration for many a nightmare and pop-culture meme over the past two centuries—Stoker compiled and wrote his iconic…
VIRTUAL - Natalie Diaz | Postcolonial Love Poem with Denice Frohman
REGISTER HERE Natalie Diaz is the author of When My Brother Was an Aztec , an “ambitious . . . beautiful” ( New York Times ) American Book Award–winning poetry collection that ruminates on her sibling’s drug…
VIRTUAL - Phillip Lopate | The Golden Age of the American Essay: 1945-1970
REGISTER HERE In conversation with novelist, screenwriter, and creative writing teacher Max Apple Phillip Lopate’s “observant, elegiac, and far-reaching” ( New York Times ) essay collections include Bachelorhood ,…
Virtual - Blake Bailey | Philip Roth: The Biography
REGISTER HERE In conversation with Don Winslow, New York Times bestselling author of The Border , The Force , The Cartel, Power of the Dog , Savages, and Broken , his new collection of six short novels. Blake…
Making Her Mark Spotlight: Poetry and Movement Building | Digital Readings
Live readings of historical and contemporary poetry that center movement building. Movements to expand voting rights have always used spoken word and poetry as modes of expression and connection. Join staff from the Free Library's…
VIRTUAL - Quiara Alegría Hudes | My Broken Language
REGISTER HERE Quiara Alegría Hudes won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play Water by the Spoonful , a story of “shimmering, sustaining warmth” ( New York Times ) that follows an Iraq War veteran…
VIRTUAL - Viet Thanh Nguyen | The Committed
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE In conversation with Alexander Chee, author of Edinburgh , The Queen of the Night , and How To Write An Autobiographical Novel , and associate professor of English and Creative Writing at Dartmouth College Viet…
Monday Poets| Maya Pindyck and Julia Kolchinksy Dasbach
Join us for an evening of contemporary poetry from two poets we are excited to introduce to you through the Monday Poets series which began 26 years ago in the Literature Department. This event is free but please…
VIRTUAL - Hala Alyan | The Arsonists’ City
REGISTER HERE In conversation with Alix Gerz, Vice President of Communications, Free Library of Philadelphia Hala Alyan’s novel Salt Houses , a “heart-wrenching, lyrical and timely” ( Dallas Morning News )…
Care Crisis: A Time Capsule of Art & Curating During a Pandemic
Enforced social isolation resulting from the pandemic threatens to leave local seniors more disconnected than ever before. To help combat the potential stress of this isolation, Parkway Central Library’s Senior Services and…
Care Crisis: A Time Capsule of Art & Curating During a Pandemic
Enforced social isolation resulting from the pandemic threatens to leave local seniors more disconnected than ever before. To help combat the potential stress of this isolation, Parkway Central Library’s Senior Services and…
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.
NewsBank Hot Topics
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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…
Duke Classics Ebooks and Audiobooks
A collection of over 4,000 classic titles for adults, teens, and children. Always available for individual or group access.
Books & Authors *
Discover fiction and non-fiction books that match your interests! Books and Authors (powered by Gale's popular What Do I Read Next? series) is for readers from every level of reading proficiency and enables users to explore the endless…
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 18,000 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…
Melissa Broder | Milk Fed
In conversation with Nomi Eve, author of Henna House and The Family Orchard , Director of the Creative Writing MFA program, Drexel University. Melissa Broder is the author of The Pisces , a darkly erotic yet tender tale of academia,…
Nadia Owusu | Aftershocks: A Memoir
In conversation with writer and librarian Maisy Card, author of These Ghosts Are Family Nadia Owusu won a 2019 Whiting Award for her work on Aftershocks . “A memoir that broods on lost identity and statelessness” ( Elle ), this debut…
Salamishah Tillet | In Search of The Color Purple: The Story of an American Masterpiece
In conversation with Errin Haines, founding member and editor at large at The 19th, a new, nonprofit newsroom focused on the intersection of women, politics and policy. Salamishah Tillet is the author of Sites of Slavery , an…
VIRTUAL - Sadeqa Johnson | Yellow Wife
In conversation with Jennifer Weiner, bestselling author of numerous books including In Her Shoes and most recently Big Summer Yellow Wife tells the harrowing story of an enslaved woman forced to barter love and freedom while living in…
George Saunders | A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Masterclass on Writing, Reading, and Life
In conversation with Daniel Torday , Director of Creative Writing at Bryn Mawr College, author of The Last Flight of Poxl West, Boomer1, and The Sensualist , and two-time winner of the National Jewish Book Award. “One of the most…
Jerald Walker | How to Make a Slave and Other Essays
In conversation with author, essayist, and radio host Solomon Jones. Jerald Walker ’s recent How to Make a Slave and Other Essays was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award. A “restless, brilliant” collection that “can alight on a…
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o | The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi
In conversation with Ketu H. Katrak, Professor in the Department of Drama at the University of California, Irvine, and author of the forthcoming book Jay Pather, Performance, and Spatial Politics in South Africa Acclaimed Kenyan scholar…
Eddie Glaude, Jr. | Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own
In converation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition The chair of the Department of African American Studies and the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Princeton University, Eddie S. Glaude…
Karen Russell | Sleep Donation with Charles Yu | Interior Chinatown
Karen Russell ’s debut novel, Swamplandia! , the tale of a family’s run-down alligator-themed Everglades amusement park, was a New York Times Best Book of the Year, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and a nominee for the Orange Prize. Her…
Jess Walter | The Cold Millions
Jess Walter’s six acclaimed novels include the #1 New York Times bestseller The Beautiful Ruins , the National Book Award finalist The Zero , and Citizen Vince , winner of the Edgar Award. A former print journalist, he was a…
Issac J. Bailey | Why Didn't We Riot: A Black Man in Trumpland
In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award-winning broadcaster and journalist “A painful indictment of American inhumanity woven with threads of grace and love” ( Guardian ) Issac J. Bailey ’s memoir My Brother Moochie offered a raw,…
Nicole Krauss | To Be a Man: Stories
In conversation with Nomi Eve, author of Henna House and The Family Orchard , Director of the Creative Writing MFA program, Drexel University. “One of America’s most important novelists and an international literary sensation” ( New…
Ayad Akhtar | Homeland Elegies
In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award-winning broadcaster and journalist Acclaimed for exploring complicated sociopolitical aspects of identity within the Muslim American experience, Ayad Akhtar won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for…
Barbara Kingsolver | How to Fly (In Ten Thousand Easy Lessons)
A “gifted magician of words” ( Time ), Barbara Kingsolver is the author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Poisonwood Bible , a postcolonial epic about an evangelical American family’s undoing in the Congo. She is the author of several…
Nikki Giovanni | Make Me Rain
One of America’s most celebrated poets, the “outspoken, prolific, energetic” ( New York Times ) Nikki Giovanni is the author of numerous collections of poetry including Acolytes ; Black Feeling, Black Talk, Black Judgment ; and …
Roddy Doyle | Love
In conversation with Liz Moore , best selling author of Long Bright River Lauded for his “marvelous” and “bloody brilliant” ( Toronto Star ) works of fiction, prolific novelist, dramatist, children’s author, and screenwriter Roddy…
Imani Perry In Conversation with Kiese Laymon: On the Uprising since George Floyd's Murder and Black Struggles for Freedom in the United States
Imani Perry is the Hughes-Rogers Professor of African American Studies and faculty associate in the Program in Law and Public Affairs and Gender and Sexuality Studies at Princeton. She is the author of six books, most recently the…
Lauren Francis-Sharma | Book of the Little Axe
In conversation with Erica Armstrong Dunbar , award-winning author of Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge and She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman. Lauren…
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio | The Undocumented Americans
In conversation with Andrea González-Ramírez, Senior Writer at GEN and an Ida B. Wells fellow at Type Investigations. Read Ms. González-Ramírez's interview with Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. Originally from Ecuador, Karla Cornejo…
Seanan McGuire | Middlegame and Imaginary Numbers
One of contemporary sci-fi/fantasy’s most popular writers, Seanan McGuire won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards for the Wayward Children series of books. Also the author of, among other books, the October Day series and the InCryptid…
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