The four works described below, all written by Black Philadelphia women, appear in my new anthology, “A Black Philadelphia Reader: African American Writings about the City of Brotherly Love.” I’m a professor…
Tag: Books
Journalism has become ground zero for the vocation crisis
This year has been a grim one for journalism, with layoffs at the Los Angeles Times, Time magazine, NBC News, Forbes, National Geographic, Business Insider and Sports Illustrated. Further cuts loom in…
‘Born in the USA’ turns 40 − and still remains one of Bruce Springsteen’s most misunderstood songs
Elton John, Adele and R.E.M. did it. So did Rihanna and the Rolling Stones. If Donald Trump tried to use her music, Taylor Swift would likely do it, too. Many musicians have…
Palestinian writers have long explored the horrors of amputation
Words fail as 2,000-pound bombs shred lives and limbs. The sheer number of children killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza is devastating – at least 13,000 children in the first six months…
Gen Zers and millennials are still big fans of books – even if they don’t call themselves ‘readers’
CC BY-ND. Identifying with an activity is different from actually doing it. For example, 49% of Americans play video games, but only 10% identify as gamers. According to a recent survey we…
The luck of the puck in the Stanley Cup – why chance plays such a big role in hockey
The NHL playoffs are almost like a second season – two months of bruising, relentless play, as the top teams compete for the chance to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup. The 16 hockey…
Why luck plays such a big role in hockey
The NHL playoffs are almost like a second season – two months of bruising, relentless play, as the top teams compete for the chance to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup. The 16 hockey…
What’s behind the astonishing rise in LGBTQ+ romance literature?
CC BY-SA A major transformation is underway in Romancelandia. Once upon a time, romance novels from major U.S. publishers featured only heterosexual couples. Today, the five biggest publishers regularly release same-sex love…
Gen Z and millennials have an unlikely love affair with their local libraries
CC BY-ND A phone fixation may seem at odds with an attraction to books. But the latter may offer a much-needed reprieve from the former. In our recent study of American Gen…
Not all political comedy is equal – how comics can either depress turnout or activate voters in 2024
Biden is old. Trump has weird hair. Biden mangles the English language. Trump barely seems to understand it. There’s no question that it is easy to make fun of the two top…