Are you taking classes this summer? The Summer Tales Books Club operates as a non-credit course in Canvas. Started first in the summer of 2020 in response to the changed learning environment, this fun summer program continues to promise short mental breaks from coursework through a fool-proof method of distraction: reading short stories and poems and … Read More
If you’re already someone who reads for pleasure, you know what that pleasure is like; if you’re not, then you’ll have to trust us that it’s a lot of fun to read when you don’t have to worry about a quiz or a paper. If picking up a work of literature can feel like wandering … Read More
Celebrating Poetry Month in April 2021 inspired us at Books We Read to develop a new library guide called Books We Read: Poetry. The guide offers suggested poems as well as secondary readings to deepen enjoyment and understanding of poetry. We understand that reading poetry might look like a challenge. Many people think they don’t … Read More
I don’t usually “get” poetry. I secretly scoffed at my friends in undergrad who called themselves poets. The Poetry Club seemed like a contest to out-pretentious and out-angst one another. As a reader, I usually prefer prose. It makes sense; I don’t usually have to guess at anyone’s meaning. But poetry is a different beast … Read More
Looking to get into poetry but not sure where to start? We’ve got some ideas, cross-posted here from our upcoming LibGuide called Books We Read: Poetry. Take a look at the LibGuide for even more suggestions and resources! Poets to start with: Billy Collins is the first poet I recommend to people who think they don’t … Read More
Our advanced graphic design workshop “Graphic Design is my Passion – The Sequel” was a big success on Friday, April 23, 2021. Thank you all for attending and creating some inspiring images. For those who missed it, here is a recap. Before Julie Rossano’s short Canva refresher, it was inevitable to start the session with … Read More
As part of our ongoing series for National Poetry Month, we’re pleased to feature new Chang Library Graduate Assistant Alissa Renales’ remembrance of the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, held annually in New Jersey! For more information on the Dodge Foundation and the festival, which is running virtually now through May 2nd, see here. Alissa … Read More
April is National Poetry Month. In 2021, more than at any time in recent memory, poetry has become a national focus here in the United States. Reciting her own poem, The Hill We Climb, twenty-two year-old Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet ever, seems to have illuminated the narrow path to poetry again in January. … Read More
During the month of April, Poetry Month, we at Books We Read shouldn’t abandon our main focus: science. After all, Chang is a science library! Here comes the missing post about the intersections of poetry and science. Run a search in QuickSearch or Google the topic, whichever you wish, and you will be surprised. So … Read More
It’s actually not that hard: find one and start reading! OK, that was a little glib––when we talk about how to read a poem, we’re talking about how to process a poem as we read it. Often people worry that they’re missing something when they read a poem, some decoder ring that would help them … Read More