QUOTE OF THE WEEK

In his sonnet “On the Grasshopper and Cricket,” John Keats wrote, “The poetry of earth is never dead.”

Happy Monday, Wildcats! I hope you’re all enjoying the break! The weather might not be the ideal spring weather many of us are longing for, but I hope you were still able to breathe some fresh air, soak in some vitamin D, and enjoy the weekend.

And just think, it might be cool and rainy now, but in a few short weeks, all the flowers will bloom and everything will come alive once again. So, be grateful for the rain and the poetry it’s writing.

THIS WEEK AT FALVEY

Tuesday, April 2

Center for Speaking and Presentation/The Learners’ Studio | 4-9 p.m. | Room 301 | Free

Wednesday, April 3

Center for Speaking and Presentation/The Learners’ Studio | 4-9 p.m. | Room 301 | Free

2024 Literary Fest Event: Carolyn Forché | 7 p.m. | Driscoll Hall Auditorium | ACS-Approved | Free & Open to the Public

Thursday, April 4

Center for Speaking and Presentation/The Learners’ Studio | 12-9 p.m. | Room 301 | Free

Sunday, April 7

Center for Speaking and Presentation/The Learners’ Studio | 3-9 p.m. | Room 301 | Free

HOLIDAYS THIS WEEK

Photo by Niklas Hamann on Unsplash

If you want to get some fresh air and take a break, Wednesday, Apr. 3 is National Walking Day. Walking is not only a great and relatively low-impact activity, but it’s also great for your mental health. So, whether you prefer to get your steps in on a treadmill or in the outdoors, you can celebrate by taking a walk. Even a short 15-minute walk could help you clear your head and feel refreshed.

If you want to partake in some more self-care, National Self-Care Day is this Friday, Apr. 5. Whether your best self-care takes the form of getting some extra hours of sleep, spending some quality time with a friend, going to the gym, or watching a comfort movie, Friday is a great opportunity to give yourself the TLC you deserve.

Friday is also National Dandelion Day. These little yellow flowers might be considered stubborn weeds to some, but they do remind us that springtime weather is right around the corner. If you’re longing for sunny days and warm weather right now, just look for the dandelions blooming.

Annie Stockmal is a second-year graduate student in the Communication Department and Graduate Assistant in Falvey Library.

“We are not alone: Jesus, the Living One, is with us, forever. Let the Church and the world rejoice, for today our hopes no longer come up against the wall of death, for the Lord has built us a bridge to life. Yes, brothers and sisters, at Easter the destiny of the world was changed, and on this day, which also coincides with the most probable date of Christ’s resurrection, we can rejoice to celebrate, by pure grace, the most important and beautiful day of history.”
-Pope Francis

As Falvey’s Cat in the Stax, Rebecca writes articles covering a broad range of topics, from academics to hobbies to random events. All the while highlighting how Falvey Library can enhance your Villanova experience!

Happy Wednesday, Wildcats! Today marks the beginning of Easter Break at Villanova. Enjoy the long weekend and use these days off to rest, relax, and recharge because once we come back, we’ll be in the final stretch of the semester. Read a book, watch a movie, binge watch that Netflix series you’ve had your eye on, or just catch up on some much-needed sleep. Here’s a list of fun and uplifting movies to watch if you’re looking for a way to pass the time:

Movie Poster from IMDb

Mamma Mia!

Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried star in this 2008 musical featuring a free-spirited hotelier in Greece and her young daughter Sophie. As she prepares to get married, Sophie invited three of her mom’s past lovers to the island in the hopes of finding her father and having him walk her down the aisle. This film is available at Falvey through their DVD Collection and is also currently streaming on Netflix.

Movie Poster from IMDb

A League of Their Own

Based on a true story, this movie tells the story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which formed during World War II after all the male baseball players went off to war. Tom Hanks stars as a washed-up baseball player who is enlisted to coach one of the new All-Girls Teams. Falvey has this film on DVD, but you can also watch it on Hulu and Peacock.

Movie Poster from IMDb

Big Fish

This film directed by Tim Burton is based on the 1998 novel about a dying father and his son. Edward Bloom’s fantastical tales have always put distance between him and his son Will, who now wants to make an effort to understand his father better. You can watch this movie through Falvey’s streaming service.

Movie Poster from IMDb

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

This movie follows its titular character and his friends on their many adventures after they skip school one day, available at Falvey on DVD.

Rebecca Amrick is a first year graduate student in the English Department and a Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library.

Image courtesy of A.J. Balinski, ’26 CLAS.

Falvey Library Service Hours: Easter 2024

Tuesday, March 26: 8 a.m.—12 a.m. (book stacks close at 11:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, March 27: 8 a.m.—10 p.m. (book stacks close at 9:30 p.m.)

Thursday, March 28—Sunday, March 31: Service desk and book stacks closed.

Monday, April 1: 2 p.m.—12 a.m. (book stacks close at 11:30 p.m.)

Villanova students, faculty, and staff may enter the Library building 24/7 with a valid Wildcard. Library services are available to the University community during posted service hours. Electronic collections (articles, e-books, and more!) are accessible through the Library’s website 24/7. For a full listing of service hours, visit the Library website.

Blessings to you and your families for your Easter, Passover, and Ramadan celebrations.

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

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

In The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin wrote, “The imagination has no limits. The physical world does. The work exists in both.”

Happy Monday, Wildcats! Easter break is right around the corner, making it the perfect time to take some time for yourself and refresh your mind. We’re at that point in the semester when burnout is setting in, with workloads increasing and papers and exams starting to pile up.

To put forth your best work and to end the semester feeling proud of yourself, take some time to prioritize self-care and doing things that make you happy over break. Then, come back refreshed with an imagination ready to take on the rest of the semester and make your wildest ideas a reality.

THIS WEEK AT FALVEY

Monday, March 25

Mindfulness Monday | 1-1:30 p.m. | Multifaith Prayer Room, St. Rita’s Hall | Virtual Option | ACS-Approved | Free & Open to Villanova Students, Faculty, & Staff

Center for Speaking and Presentation/The Learners’ Studio | 4-9 p.m. | Room 301 | Free

Tuesday, March 26

Center for Speaking and Presentation/The Learners’ Studio | 4-9 p.m. | Room 301 | Free

HOLIDAYS THIS WEEK

For any breakfast food fans, Monday, Mar. 25, is International Waffle Day. Waffles are an easily customizable breakfast food option with a host of different toppings and additions to chose from—strawberries and a little whipped cream is my personal favorite. If you’re in the mood for a sweet treat, pull out your waffle maker or head to a local diner and enjoy some waffles.

Photo by Toni Reed on Unsplash

Tuesday, Mar. 26 is Solitude Day. School might still be in session, but it’s still a good time to fit some me-time into your schedule. Whether it’s reading a good book, taking a therapeutic walk, or cooking your favorite meal, you can celebrate the day by making some time for yourself.

As the break might have clued you in, Easter is this Sunday, Mar. 31. It might be a Catholic holiday, but I think it’s also just a great excuse to spend some time with your family and to eat some of your favorite candy. Personally, my favorite candy to enjoy on Easter are Robin Eggs, which are basically Whoppers covered in a pastel-colored candy coating. Enjoy your break!

Annie Stockmal is a second-year graduate student in the Communication Department and Graduate Assistant in Falvey Library.

Photo courtesy of A.J. Balinski, ’26 CLAS.

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” ― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

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

Happy Friday, Wildcats! Falvey Library is delivering you another semester of Weekend Recs, a blog dedicated to filling you in on what to read, listen to, and watch over the weekend. Annie, a graduate assistant from the Communication department, scours the internet, peruses the news, and digs through book stacks to find new, relevant, and thought-provoking content that will challenge you and prepare you for the upcoming week. A disclaimer that this column is intended for reflection and entertainment (not for academic research, for example), and infuses scholarly content as possible.

Photo by Tim Wildsmith on Unsplash

It’s Shakespeare Week, a week dedicated to celebrating and engaging with the works of playwright and poet William Shakespeare. Of course,  Shakespeare’s famed works live on as people continue to read, perform, and analyze them over 400 years after his death, but they have also inspired a plethora of adaptations and retellings that have been modernized for new audiences today to enjoy.

Just recently, Much Ado About Nothing received a retelling in the 2023 rom-com Anyone But You, starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell. Even the now iconic The Lion King is an adaptation of Hamlet. So, in celebrating of Shakespeare Week, here are some modern adaptations and retellings (and some might even surprise you).

If you have 5 minutes…and want to test your Shakespeare knowledge, take this quick quiz, released in celebration of the recent 400-year anniversary of the First Folio, a historic collection of Shakespeare’s works that might have otherwise been lost to history.

If you have 19 minutes…and like Youtube video essays, watch this video discussing how the 1990s and 2000s trend of Shakespeare retellings re-popularized Shakespeare among young people.

Bonus: For a more scholarly take, read this ebook on marketing “The Bard” to Hollywood during the same era.

If you have 37 minutes…and like feminist analyses, watch this video essay on how 10 Things I Hate About You and She’s the Man represent feminism and gender.

Bonus: To see an academic’s take on this subject, read this essay from Borrowers and Lenders: The Journal of Shakespeare and Appropriation.

Photo by malavika on Unsplash

If you have 1 hour and 37 minutes…and want to feel a little nostalgic, watch 10 Things I Hate About You, available in Falvey’s DVD Collection. This beloved late 90s rom-com starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger is actually a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew.

If you have 1 hour and 45 minutes…and like Shakespeare’s comedies, watch She’s the Man, available to stream for free on Pluto. If you’ve read or seen Twelfth Night, you might not be surprised that She’s the Man is an updated (and somehow even more outlandish) retelling.

Bonus: if you want to watch an adaptation more faithful to the source material, watch 1996’s Twelfth Night, available to stream online through Falvey.

If you have 1 hour and 51 minutes…and prefer Shakespeare’s tragedies, watch Hamlet, the 2000s modernized retelling starring Ethan Hawke set in New York City, available to stream online through Falvey.

If you have 2 hours and 41 minutes…and are a fan of David Tennant, watch him and Catherine Tate star in a filmed production of Much Ado About Nothing, available to stream online through Falvey. It might technically be more of a theatrical production rather than an adaptation, but it stars two recognizable film actors, so I’m including it.

Bonus: If you want to check out any more filmed theatrical productions of works by playwrights like Shakespeare and beyond, browse our Digital Theatre+ subscription library.

If you have 6 hours…and like Shakespeare’s dramedy The Tempest, read Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood. Yes, the Margaret Atwood wrote a Shakespeare adaptation in 2016. Not a traditional retelling, Atwood weaves the Shakespeare’s original work into the plot, following actor Felix as he seeks revenge for having his theatrical dreams crushed.

Annie Stockmal is a second-year graduate student in the Communication Department and Graduate Assistant in Falvey Library.

Happy Thursday, Wildcats! This week, the Curious Cat team asked students, “Are you an early bird or a night owl?”

“Early Bird”
-Jafet A. Beltran ’25 COE

“early bird”
-Hannah Slattery ’25 COE

“Early Riser”
-Nicholas Grieco ’26 CLAS

Rebecca Amrick is a first-year graduate student in the English Department and a Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library.

Julia Wagner ’26 CLAS is a second-year Economics major and student worker at Falvey Library.

Upcoming deadline alert, faculty and students!

Each academic year, the Library welcomes nominations from faculty across campus in order to highlight the undergraduate research at Villanova. Here are the 2019 winners, known as Falvey Scholars, who presented their work at a celebration event and were featured in the Library’s publication Mosaic.

Nominations for the 2024 Falvey Scholars Awards deadline Sunday, March 24.