Creative Writing
Medieval songs reflect humor in amorous courtships, Stanford scholar finds
Through a new translation of medieval songs, Stanford German studies Professor Kathryn Starkey reveals an unconventional take on romance.
Medieval courtship brings to mind images of chivalrous knights worshipping fair damsels, expressing their love for their ladies in refined and poetic language. But courtship did not play out this way for all medieval knights. Neidhart von Reuental (1190-1237), a medieval German poet, composed songs about a fictional knight whose amorous pursuits were often obstructed…
Read MoreStudent Arts Grants: A Year in Photos 2015-16
From calypso to classical opera, from adaptations of classic texts to original, student-written theater, this year’s Student Arts Grants supported creative diversity across Stanford campus. This year’s grantees included the recipients of the inaugural Creative Spaces grants which provide support specifically for the costs associated with performing in some of Stanford’s most popular venues (such as the Bing Studio…
Read More Stanford’s Poetry Out Loud competition showcased a diversity of forms and delivery
Stanford’s fifth annual Poetry Out Loud competition showcased poetry’s incredible diversity of forms in spoken delivery. Last month, 10 student performers took center stage at the Stanford Humanities Center to demonstrate how poetry voices feelings and experiences both marginalized and central to the heart of human life. The participants included graduate and undergraduate students from…
Read More Stanford Students win Creative Program Writing prizes
There is nothing quite like finding your voice as a writer. And getting noticed along the way can help, too. That’s what happened May 26 at the Creative Writing Program’s 2016 Undergraduate Prize Reading, where 14 student winners read from their works in front of faculty, friends and family. In addition to long-standing prizes in…
Read More Film director Werner Herzog visits Stanford to talk about literary classic on peregrine falcons
The legendary film director will discuss J.A. Baker's book "The Peregrine" with Robert Harrison, a Stanford professor of Italian literature, at the Feb. 2 Another Look book club event.
J.A. Baker wrote The Peregrine at a precarious moment in environmental history: By the 1960s, the falcons had almost vanished entirely from the English countryside, thanks to aggressive use of pesticides. Baker’s response, an ecstatic panegyric to peregrines, stunned critics with its originality, power and beauty. The little-known 1967 masterpiece will be the subject of…
Read More Adam Johnson wins National Book Award
Stanford English professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Adam Johnson earns a 2015 National Book Award for Fortune Smiles, a collection of short stories.
Adam Johnson, a professor of English at Stanford and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, has received the 2015 National Book Award for fiction for his short story collection, “Fortune Smiles.” Winners of the award, which recognizes the best American literature, were announced on Wednesday at the 66th National Book Awards Benefit in New York City. The award,…
Read More Dry-5: Stories from the California Drought
Stanford alums create a performance piece on the California drought.Two Stanford alums and an undergraduate walk into a bar… Actually, they aren’t in a bar; they are on stage putting on a show about the California drought. So no drinks, but there is plenty of talk of being parched. The alumnae are MARI AMEND and DORIA CHARLSON, both of the Class of ’13, who…
Read More Award-winning authors discuss writing about war at Stanford Live event
This year marks both the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War and the 14th year that U.S. troops have been engaged in conflict since 9/11. How have American writers portrayed the face of battle? What lessons have they learned from their writings about how humans remember or forget the past, and how…
Read MoreSpark! Grants: A Year in Photos 2014-15
From a rock band record release to Steve Reich, from Much Ado About Nothing to original, student-written musical theater, this year’s Spark! grant supported creative diversity across Stanford campus. These student groups, individuals, undergraduates, and graduates enliven the campus with their artistic endeavors. 2014-2015 Projects: SImps Workshops The Long Way Around The Benevolent Institution Proof…
Read MoreCongratulations 2014-15 graduates!
Go forward and remember the words of your Baccalaureate speaker and civil rights leader Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. who said that the world was calling out for you to realize your talents – not just for your own gain – but also to lift up those in whose shoes, but for the grace of God,…
Read More Latin American authors reshaping world literature, Stanford literary scholar says
Héctor Hoyos' research goes beyond famed writers to uncover a whole generation of Latin American authors who are contributing novel perspectives on the evolving landscape of global culture.In recent years, the late Chilean novelist Roberto Bolaño has become the most famous figure on the Latin American literary scene. No doubt, Bolaño’s groundbreaking novels, such as Los detectives salvajes (The Savage Detectives) and 2666, have moved legions of readers. “In many circles, Bolaño has come to represent the entirety of contemporary Latin American…
Read More Stanford Repertory Theater explores the ethics of science with Brecht’s Life of Galileo
Do scientists have an ethical responsibility to serve the greater good? Stanford students, professors and professional actors present Bertolt Brecht's masterful exploration of the roles of commerce, politics and religion in shaping the future of scientific research.German playwright Bertolt Brecht is considered to be one of the most influential figures in 20th-century theatre. Like so many of Brecht’s plays, the themes in Life of Galileo resonate decades after it was written. The story centers on the great Italian scientist and natural philosopher Galileo Galilei, during the period when the Roman Catholic…
Read More Stanford students celebrate release of graphic novel American Heathen
The graphic novel, which Stanford students researched, wrote and illustrated, focuses on the life and times of a Chinese American man who dedicated much of his life to improving the lives of Chinese immigrants in 19th-century America.At a recent book launch on campus, six young Stanford artists sat at a long table in the Terrace Room of Margaret Jacks Hall with copies of American Heathen, the graphic novel they had written and illustrated, propped up in front of them. The event marked the highly anticipated culmination of a two-quarter English course…
Read More Stanford literary scholar: White whales and the ‘Melville Effect’
With a resurgence of Melville-themed art across the multimedia landscape, Stanford Humanities Center Fellow Joseph Boone says the legendary writer has become a 21st-century muse for artists – including Boone himself.As the author of syllabus staples like Billy Budd, Herman Melville has been a fixture of American letters over the past century. But this hasn’t always been the case. During his lifetime, readers knew Melville for his adventure stories like Typee and Omoo, but the works we know him for today –especially Moby-Dick – sold…
Read More Unexpected intersections
These collaborations blur traditional boundaries and open new avenues for discovery and expression.Far-flung collaborations flourish at Stanford: Physicists create dance performances, biologists and musicians expand our understanding of epilepsy, and engineers speed environmental research. This interdisciplinary environment springs from having strong science and humanities departments adjacent to a thriving arts district and is aided by research institutes that cross school and department lines. These collaborations blur traditional…
Read MoreChoices!
It’s May at Stanford and that of course means – an exciting smorgasbord of arts activities. Every weekend is packed with an abundance of arts options. Make some difficult choices – or attend them all! Here is just a sampling of what each weekend brings: May 1-3: Musical Happy Hour with Fleet Street and Chanticleer…
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