Image courtesy of GLAAD.

Today, March 31, is International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) which honors the trans community and celebrates transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming people. While TDOV is a day to celebrate the lives and contributions of trans people, we must also bring attention to the poverty, discrimination, and violence the community faces.

“In 2023, over 400 anti-LGBTQ bills have been filed so far, with over half specifically targeting trans people, particularly youth. Both 2021 and 2022 saw a massive increase in anti-trans legislation. This anti-trans hypervisibility harms all trans people who are being demonized and scapegoated by politicians and in many media outlets” (GLAAD).

Villanova supports diversity, equity, and inclusion. Learn more about the University’s commitment and efforts to embrace and expand diversity in our community.

Learn more about TDOV on the Human Rights Campaign website.

We encourage the Villanova community to increase awareness about related topics, needs, and challenges the trans community faces. Explore trans and queer resources available to the Villanova community here. No list of this nature could ever be comprehensive, but we hope these titles will serve as a starting point.

For more transgender literature available at Falvey Library visit the links below or browse the Library’s catalog.

• Stone Butch Blues by Jess Goldberg (2003)
• Yes, You Are Trans Enough: My Transition From Self-Loathing to Self-Love by Mia Violet (2018) *eBook
• Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Trans (But Were Afraid to Ask) by Brynn Tannehill (2019) *eBook
• Uncomfortable Labels: My Life As a Gay Autistic Trans Woman (Laura Kate Dale, 2019) *eBook
• Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity by Julia Serano (2016)
• The Membranes by Chi Ta-Wei (1995)
• Trans by Juliet Jacques (2015)
• Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community by Laura Erickson-Schroth (2014)
• Trans: Gender and Race in an Age of Unsettled Identities by Rogers Brubaker (2016) *eBook
• Trans by Hilda Raz (2001) *eBook
• Trans Poems by Hilda Raz (2021) *eBook
• Trans*: A Quick and Quirky Account of Gender Variability by Judith, Halberstam (2018) *eBook
• Trans Power: Own Your Gender by Juno Roche (2020) *eBook
• Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink or Blue by Leslie Feinberg (1998)
• Trans Love: An Anthology of Transgender and Non-binary Voices by Freiya Benson (2019) *eBook

Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library (1968 Belle Air, p. 137).

Spring is finally here! Warm weather and rainy days are on the way. Don’t forget your umbrellas, Wildcats!

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication & Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library. 

By Julia Wagner

Villanova University’s 2023 Literary Festival will be featuring poet Donika Kelly, author of The Renunciations (Graywolf) and Bestiary (Graywolf), for a reading and talk on Thursday, March 30, at 7 p.m. in Falvey Library’s Speakers’ Corner. Kelly was born in Los Angeles, Calif., and earned an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin and a PhD in English from Vanderbilt University. She currently resides in Iowa City with her wife.

The Renunciations is a winner of the Anisfield-Wolf book award in poetry, and Bestiary is a winner of the 2015 Cave Canem Poetry Prize, the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Poetry, and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. Kelly’s poems have been published in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The Paris Review. She is a Cave Canem graduate fellow and member of the collective Poets at the End of the World. She has also received a Lannan Residency Fellowship and a summer workshop fellowship from the Fine Arts Work Center. Her work has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Publishing Triangle Awards, the Lambda Literary Awards, and longlisted for the National Book Award.

This ACS-approved event—co-sponsored by the English Department, the Creative Writing Program, the Honors Program, Africana Studies, Global Interdisciplinary Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, the Center for Irish Studies, and Falvey Library—is free and open to the public.

Dig deeper and explore the links below for more on Kelly’s work:

• Kelly’s official website
• Kelly’s Twitter
• The Renunciations (2021)
• Bestiary (2016)
• More Poems by Kelly (Poetry Foundation)
• Self-Portrait With Father (New York Times)
• From the Catalogue of Cruelty (The New Yorker)
• Sixteen Center (The New Yorker)
• Calling: Marfa (The Atlantic)
• An Interview with Donika Kelly (West Branch)

Julia Wagner ‘26 CLAS is a Communication major from New Hampshire (Go Patriots!). She works as a Communication & Marketing Assistant at Falvey Library.

“I am personally so excited that The Renunciations is part of my Moderns curriculum, and I can’t wait to hear Kelly speak!”

Good luck to the (#4) Villanova Women’s Basketball team as they take on the (#9) University of Miami today at 2:30 p.m. Tune into ESPN to watch! #MarchMadness #LetsMarchNova #Sweet16 #FotoFriday

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication & Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library. Photos by Joanne Quinn, Director of Communication & Marketing at Falvey Library.

“A few years ago, before COVID-19 and before she retired, I bumped into Robbie and her family at a local ice cream parlor; it was so nice to see her smiling and surrounded by grandchildren. That is how I will remember her.” -Luisa Cywinski, Director of Access Services.

The campus community and Falvey Library are saddened to hear the news of the passing of former library staff member Roberta (Robbie) Rosci on March 7, 2023. She was 68. A resident of Drexel Hill, Pa., Rosci joined Villanova University in 1997. She retired in October 2020, after almost 23 years of service to Falvey Library. David Burke, Metadata Librarian, expressed his gratitude working alongside Rosci in Resource Management & Description. “I admired how she persevered in coming in to work no matter how sick she got (she had Multiple Sclerosis for at least the last 10 years while working at Falvey) and still preserved a friendly, good-natured demeanor.”

Rosci’s “greatest joy in life was being a mother and a grandmother.” Regina Duffy, Communication & Marketing Program Manager, fondly remembers the joy Rosci displayed whenever she spoke of her family and her late husband Michael (Mike) Rosci, Sr. “Robbie was a warm and welcoming presence at Falvey Library. I always enjoyed seeing her at our staff events and chatting about her grandchildren. Talking about them lit up her entire face—she was so proud to be their grandmother. Robbie will be greatly missed by all.”

Her colleague Laura Hutelmyer, former Acquisitions & Electronic Resources Coordinator, expressed her gratitude in working alongside Rosci. “Robbie’s job was to catalog books, but as many books evolved to an online format, Robbie was asked to take on special assignments that required training and perseverance. She always accepted these challenges and worked hard. Even as COVID-19 sent us all to work from home, Robbie attended every morning meeting via cell phone and participated fully, in spite of physical limitations, as part of the team. Robbie was devoted to Falvey Library and, for 23 years, continued a Rosci family Villanova tradition that began with her husband Mike. She was a kind co-worker and a good friend to many in the library.”

Margaret Duffy, Director of Finance & Administration, will remember Rosci for her kindheartedness and friendly smile. “Her family was everything to her…she was always so proud of her boys. As Robbie’s health declined, her husband Mike faithfully brought her to and from work every day, making sure she was settled at her desk, which is where she wanted to be. Robbie was determined to remain active and engaged in work at Falvey Library as long as she was able. I enjoyed sharing our conversations about grandchildren and seeing her at the year-end picnic at the preschool our grandchildren attended together. Robbie was a good friend and colleague at Falvey and will be greatly missed.”

Contributions in Rosci’s memory can be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. View her full obituary here. Robbie will be greatly missed at the Library and throughout the Villanova community.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library.

“Every day I would wave to Robbie and her husband Mike as they left Falvey Library. My desk is near a large window and I always looked forward to our brief exchange. They were both kind and generous people.”

Photo courtesy of Isabel Choi.

Your ten-year-old sibling might ask you one morning, “So, what exactly do you do at school?” What if you study thermomechanical and electromagnetic properties of ceramic composites at high temperatures or smooth orthogonal decompositions? What would you say? How would you say it? This is the question graduate students competing in Three Minute Thesis (3MT) are forced to wonder and answer. At Villanova University’s 3MT competition, graduate students had to answer the question, “What do you do?” in three minutes or less. 

Held in The John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Feb. 24, 13 finalists (master’s and doctoral students at Villanova) presented their research to members of the audience in front of a large slideshow presentation. The stage was setup so that audience members were able to see the three-minute timer. Similar to that of a game show, audience members watched the timer tick down to minutes and then to mere seconds. After each presentation, numerous judges (Villanova faculty) would give feedback before going on to the next contestant.

Towards the end of the event, audience members were able to vote for a “people’s choice” award while the judges calculated the first and second place winners. Before the winners were announced, audience members were able to hear a couple personal comments from the contestants themselves–their process, struggles, and aspirations.

Eliana Uriona took first place for her presentation “Optimizing Biochar Conditions for Heavy Metal Immobilization in Contaminated Soils.” Uriona also earned the people’s choice award. Grace Sutoris, won second place for her presentation “Using Machine Learning to Detect Underlying Heartbeat During CPR.”

Representing Villanova University, Uriona will compete at the Northeast Regional 3MT Competition on Friday, April 28. The virtual competition will be hosted by the University of New Hampshire. Watch Villanova’s 2023 3MT competition here. Be sure to check out Falvey’s blog next year for 2024 3MT announcements.

Isabel Choi ’26, is Communication & Marketing Assistant at Falvey Library.

“Attending the competition definitely inspired me…to see dedicated graduate students present their studies….perhaps graduate research is something I should consider pursuing too!”

Welcome back to Flip or Flick! This edition will tackle Patricia Highsmith’s 1995 classic psychological thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley. The narrative follows the iconic character Tom Ripley through his adventures to Italy. Ripley is off to meet the wealthy Dickie Greenleaf and his travel companion Marge Duval. Tom has been hired by Dickie’s father to convince him to come back to America to run the family business. His time in Europe suddenly takes a turn as murder, theft, and a thick web of deceit ensue. The novel is written entirely from Tom’s point of view and readers are able to see his psychological unraveling as the events go on. It is difficult not to root for Tom as all of the interactions in the story are from his lens.

I’d compare the storyline to Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby as both include luxurious accommodations, an unreliable narrator, and a main character with dreams of mythic proportions. I loved analyzing the twists and turns in the novel and trying to evaluate what my perception of Ripley said about my own sense of self. The 1999 film adaptation stars Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow. It is extremely visually appealing with gorgeous actors and a picturesque setting. There are several characters added to the film that completely change some of the story arc and ultimately the conclusion. Dickie and Tom’s motivations are characterized a bit differently but the central themes of the story remain true to the original.

So, flip or flick? FLIP!

I loved both, but the book is a classic for a reason. Highsmith’s prose gives us intimate access to Ripley’s inner monologue that is difficult to replicate in cinema. To me, Ripley’s inner thoughts are what make this narrative so special from others in the same genre. I adored the movie and I highly recommend consuming both if you have time! Watching these extremely talented actors in their prime portray complex characters is definitely a special treat. The story has been adapted in several different ways throughout the years, most recently with a new limited series adaptation starring Fleabag’s Andrew Scott coming soon to Netflix. Falvey Library has the critically acclaimed French adaptation from René Clément available to stream for free which includes breathtaking visual scenes that give new life to the story.

Anna Jankowski ’23 CLAS is a Senior Communication Major from just outside Baltimore who ​​works as a Communication & Marketing Assistant in Falvey.

Falvey patrons, overnight system maintenance may affect library services, such as Pick Up & Go, on Friday, March 17. We apologize for the inconvenience. Questions? Please email circ@villanova.edu.

Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

Good luck to the (#4) Villanova Women’s Basketball team as they take on (#13) Cleveland State in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament! Tipoff is Saturday, March 18, at 5 p.m. in the Finneran Pavilion. Get your tickets here! Watch on ESPNU. #MarchMadness #LetsMarchNova #TBT

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library. Whiteboard art by Joanne Quinn, Director of Communication & Marketing at Falvey Library.

Photo courtesy of Isabel Choi.

To celebrate the kick-off of the 25th annual Literary Festival at Villanova, I attended the Charles A. Heimbold Jr. Chair of Irish Studies Mary O’Donoghue’s poetry reading. The event began with a couple speeches of appreciation from Jennifer A. Joyce, PhD, Associate Director, Center for Irish Studies; Villanova University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD; and Geraldine Byrne Naso, Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, who personally congratulated O’Donoghue on her new post. 

O’Donoghue’s reading invited people to sit and listen. The slightly warm yet cozy atmosphere of the President’s Lounge truly made the poetry reading seem like a personal performance. As an English major myself, I had high hopes for this event, and I was not disappointed. O’Donoghue’s poetry is deeply artistic and emotion-packed. She read a total of three poems, but one struck me most. Her villanelle, “My Daughter in Winter Costume,” inspired by the sculpture, Daughter in Winter Costume (1922) by John Storrs, uses biting language to give the stoic sculpture a personal dimension. In the formulaic villanelle style, the poem continually repeats the same lines, yet O’Donoghue delivered a different mood each time. 

The event concluded with a Q&A session with O’Donoghue who explained a bit of her writing process and struggles as a poet. Overall, the kick-off was enriching and a delightful way to spend my evening. Be sure to join us for the next Literary Festival event on Thursday, March 16, at 7 p.m. in Falvey Library’s Speakers’ Corner featuring a reading and talk by Tsering Yangzom Lama. 

Isabel Choi ’26 is a Communication & Marketing Assistant at Falvey Library.