swarthmorealumni

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We grieve the loss of poet and Nobel Peace Laureate Seamus Heaney, who received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Swarthmore College in 1994. 

Seamus Heaney reads “Deor,” an Anglo-Saxon Poem of Exile and Longing. (read the full text)

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From indiewire:

CJ Thomason stars in the film as Jake Tilton, who acquires a mystical monkey's paw talisman that grants whomever holds it three wishes, and finds his world turned upside down after his first two wishes result in the resurrection of his malevolent coworker, Tony Cobb (Stephen Lang).  Cobb tries to pressure Jake into using the final wish to reunite Cobb with his son, his intimidation escalating into murder. Michelle Pierce, Tauvia Dawn, Corbin Bleu and Charles S. Dutton co-star.

"The Monkey's Paw" will debut on demand on October 8th as well as in select theaters before making its television premiere on Chiller in January.

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On this day in 2010, Jonathan Franzen was the first author to appear on the cover of Time magazine since Stephen King in 2000.

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Jonathan Franzen’s The Twenty-Seventh City celebrates silver anniversary.

The new edition that will be released in November, features a futuristic cover design by Marc Yankus and an introduction by Philip Weinstein, professor of English at Swarthmore College.

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An espalier ginkgo at swarthmore college.

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#Swarthmore’s so pretty  #vscocam #nature #summer (at Swarthmore Amphitheatre)

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Book trailer for The Preservationist by Justin Kramon '02

From Indiebound:

To Sam Blount, meeting Julia is the best thing that has ever happened to him.

Working at the local college and unsuccessful in his previous relationships, he'd been feeling troubled about his approaching fortieth birthday, "a great beast of a birthday," as he sees it, but being with Julia makes him feel young and hopeful. Julia Stilwell, a freshman trying to come to terms with a recent tragedy that has stripped her of her greatest talent, is flattered by Sam's attention. But their relationship is tested by a shy young man with a secret, Marcus Broley, who is also infatuated with Julia.

Told in alternating points of view, The Preservationist is the riveting tale of Julia and Sam's relationship, which begins to unravel as the threat of violence approaches and Julia becomes less and less sure whom she can trust.

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MyTheresa.com TV presents a short film by photographer/filmmaker Simon Cave, inspired by the Altuzarra Fall/Winter 2013 Collection

From Vogue:

"The collection was really about going back to very strong, clean, severe lines and silhouettes that are key to the DNA of Altuzarra," he said. "In creating a black and white video with Simon Cave, it really was about the focus on these lines as well as the contrast of materials - leather, poly leather, furs and sheer crepe."

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Yarn A film by Stella Kyriakopoulos '05 fall 2008

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Those Ones that Ain't Afraid Watercolor, 2013 Jenny Laden

Philadelphia-based artist Jenny Laden has created a watercolor portrait series of Martha Graham Cracker, the drag queen alter-ego of Dito van Reigersberg '94.

According to Phillymag, Laden was immediately drawn to Martha Graham Cracker's "vivacity and one-of-a-kind stage presence":

Laden says she saw Martha perform earlier this year and knew the tall, hairy queen would be a perfect subject for her work, which she describes as dealing with femininity, beauty, glamour and sexuality. ”I loved her hairiness, and her character — so dirty and sweet and hilarious, but really, really smart too.”

For more of the Martha series, check out Jenny's website.

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Tapioca Song Jenny Yang '00

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From our vaults…Marshall Curry (Street Fight, Racing Dreams, If a Tree Falls) talks about some of the challenges of being a documentary filmmaker.

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SwatSEED (Summer Educational eProject Development) is a joint collaboration between ITS and the Swarthmore Libraries, encouraging innovation by the College's instructional staff.  The most important criterion for a successful project is that it should enhance teaching or facilitate undergraduate research.

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Shakespeare in Clark Park (@shakespeareincp) returns July 24 with “The Tempest" (written for @WestPhillyLocal)

Stranded on an island with daughter Miranda for over a decade, Prospero, the overthrown Duke of Milan, ensorcels a wild storm to maroon a passing ship carrying passengers returning from a royal wedding.

It’s a prophetic tempest with a purpose–with the use of illusion, manipulation, and supernatural wildlings, Prospero plans to expose his brother Antonio as abject for supplanting his post, setting in motion the fantastical emprise of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.”

Come Wednesday, July 24, the late 17th century play will be the subject ofShakespeare in Clark Park‘s (SCP) latest production when it returns to  “The Bowl” at Clark Park for its eighth summer season. SCP’s “The Tempest” will be directed by Adrienne Mackey, Swim Pony Performing Arts artistic director and adjunct Theatre professor at Drexel University, and designed by veteran SCP thespian Bradley Wrenn (also Mackey’s husband). Performances of “The Tempest,” held for free at 43rd Street and Chester Avenue, will start at 7 p.m. and run through Sunday, July 28…

Read more of my West Philly Local piece here.

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Swarthmore College

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Inside the Rare Book Room's book art collection with curator Anne Garrison.

The task of defining book art or artists’ books is tricky, because their individual forms are each the product of the creator’s whimsy. Book artist Angela Lorenz describes them as works of contemporary art whose creation involves a number of processes. In its final form, each work usually presents a multilevel, multimedia object, access to which often requires a certain amount of effort from the “reader”—such as opening a box, undoing a fastener, or retrieving a page or note from a paper pocket. Sometimes, a text might be camouflaged by its intermingling with a completely different text.

Read the full article here.