The OWU English Department Blog
Over the past several months, we have all become very familiar with sharp winds, gray skies, and rainy days here at Ohio Wesleyan. Starved of the sun and stuck indoors, we live our lives under harsh, white fluorescent lights.
These conditions have a significant impact on many people’s health. Research shows that the winter season increases stress and anxiety and decreases energy and motivation.…
We all know the authors of our favorite novels, but do you know the writers of your favorite video games? Though not often acknowledged as a form of literary narrative like creative writing, filmmaking, playwriting and journalism, gameplay is still a form of storytelling. If done well, through thoughtfully-crafted game mechanics, fully fleshed characters and an engaging plot, a game can be just as immersive as a book, film or play of the same type.…
Do you remember the childhood thrill of opening the mailbox to find the latest issue of your favorite magazine? Can you recall the anticipation you felt while quickly leafing through its glossy pages, impatiently scanning the stories, games, and craft ideas? Popular children’s magazines such as National Geographic Kids, Sports Illustrated Kids, American Girl Doll, or Highlights for Children often come to many of our minds when we recall our childhoods.…
The power of personal narratives is no small matter, as they can serve a wide variety of purposes. On one hand, they can encourage and inspire others to think differently or work towards their own personal goals. On the other hand, they could act as an outlet to explore and discuss pressing societal issues.…
Local libraries offer our communities a range of services. Parents can bring their children to storytime. Teenagers can take part in book clubs and enjoy quiet study rooms. And there are staff who can help with anything from getting a library card to assistance with technology and even taxes. But did you know you can help with events the libraries put on?…
Each slot of thought reeks of rot,
My brain of bounded books.
They cordoned off my turquoise veins
But down my brow still looks
On students hiding from the rain,
On squirrels traversing concrete plains.
And as a hen her heavy wings
Protects her smallest young,
So too I my concrete shade
Provide to children flung
Outside my lettered marrow,
Beyond my buzzing thoughts.…
The Vatican Library, located inside the Vatican Palace in Rome, Italy, is among the oldest libraries in the world. In fact, it’s so old that its history is divided into five periods: the Pre-Lateran, Lateran, Avignon, Pre-Vatican, and Vatican period. All of the periods span over nearly 600 years. When the Vatican Library first opened in 1448, it held over 3,500 works of literature, which made it the most extensive library in the Western world to date. …
When you picture a library in your mind, what is the first thing you see? It might be rows and rows of books, comfy chairs to curl up in, or amazing architecture. The beautiful thing about libraries is that wherever they are in the world or whenever they were constructed, each has a story to tell, whether through the books they house or the artwork within their walls.…