In honor of Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month, Hispanic/Latine Ministry in the Office for Mission and Ministry will be hosting a special event on Tuesday, October 3, on the “History of Puerto Ricans in Philadelphia.”

In his book, Before the Wave: Puerto Ricans in Philadelphia, 1910-1945, Dr. Vázquez-Hernández recounts the genesis of the Puerto Rican community in Philadelphia during the interwar years (1917–1945). It connects the origins of this community to the mass migration of the post-WW II years when Puerto Ricans consolidated their presence in Philadelphia (1945–1985). This study compares the experiences of Puerto Ricans with that of the Italians, the Polish, and African Americans in Philadelphia during the early twentieth century. The scholarship on Puerto Ricans outside of New York has been, by and large, limited to the postwar period and a closer examination of the interwar years provides us a more complete picture of how the postwar migrants were established and developed over a much longer period than previously believed. Until now, there has been no comprehensive examination of this early diaspora in Philadelphia and this book rectifies this scholarly deficiency.

Program Schedule:

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.: Los Bomberos De La Calle, Plena Comparsa Group will lead a percussion and dance procession from the Riley Ellipse to the John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts

6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.: Lecture by Dr. Vázquez-Hernández, author of Before the Wave: Puerto Ricans in Philadelphia, 1910-1945, followed by a panel discussion with Johnny Irizarry and Carmen Febo-San Miguel, former Executive Directors of Taller Puertorriqueño and moderated by the current Executive Director, Nasheli Ortiz González in the Topper Theatre

7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.: Reception and Art Exhibit by Johnny Irizarry in the Lobby of the Mullen Center

Link for ticket information: https://forms.office.com/r/kjHg9pByVt

This event is co-sponsored by the Office of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, St. Thomas of Villanova Center for the Common Good, Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest, Department of Spanish, Latin American Studies Program, Falvey Library, Department of English, Center for Peace and Justice Education, and Alumni Relations.

Attention all graphic novel and comic book fans! You are cordially invited to join us for our inaugural event celebrating comics, graphic novels, and sequential art on Wednesday, Sept. 27, from 6-7 p.m. at Villanova University’s Falvey Library. The event will feature professional cartoonist Brad Guigar and will be held in Speakers’ Corner on the Library’s first floor.

In 2000, webcomics grew out of dissatisfaction with gatekeepers (publishers and syndicates) and led to a new generation of creator-entrepreneurs who taught themselves about art AND business — and are currently finding a financially stable career in a climate in which “published” artists are struggling. What used to be known as “vanity press” is now offering a superior outcome for many creative professionals. Furthermore, it opened the door for marginalized voices that had previously been ignored by corporate gatekeepers.

Brad Guigar is considered by many to be an independent comics pioneer, having published his daily comic strips and other comics on the Web for over 20 years. His most well-known comic, “Evil Inc.,” is about supervillains who realized that most of their evil schemes could be enacted legally if they formed a corporation.

He has published over two dozen collections of his comics, and he is the author of three books on the subject of cartooning. The Everything Cartooning Book is an all-ages cartooning tutorial. Both How To Make Webcomics and The Webcomics Handbook break down the business of self-publishing comics using social media and crowdfunding strategies.

Guigar has been nominated for the Eisner Award in comics, as well as the ’Ringo Award and the NCS Silver Rueben. He co-hosts a weekly podcast, ComicLab, which has been described as “Car Talk for cartoons,” which will be entering its seventh year in January. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and two sons.

This event, co-sponsored by Falvey Library, the Idea Lab, Department of English, Creative Writing Program, Department of Communication, and the Writing Center, is free and open to all! Light refreshments will be served. Join us!

Erin Palmer, Resource Management and Description Coordinator.

Erin Palmer joined Resource Management & Description (RM&D) as Resource Management and Description Coordinator. RM&D “builds and cultivates collections through acquisitions, licensing, description, discovery, and access to resources for Villanova scholars and community.” Describing her role, Palmer enjoys the variety of her work. “No two days are the same,” she reflects. “I’m part of a great team of three coordinators working in RM&D. My tasks range from ordering materials, processing invoices, cataloging new items, training student workers, and working with our incredible team on collaborative projects to better serve the patrons of Falvey.”

Palmer joins the Falvey Library staff after completing her master’s degree in library science from Clarion University. “With Villanova’s stellar reputation, applying here was a no-brainer! I saw the description for this position and thought it was an excellent opportunity to continue my learning in the field with hands-on experiences – something I have done and continue to do every day.” Originally from Central NJ, she has always considered PA a second home. She earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Kutztown University. “From many camping trips growing up to my time in undergrad at Kutztown University I’ve always felt at home in the Keystone state. I ended up in the library field by way of a secondary education bachelor’s degree. While a bit different, my love for reading and research is a common presence between the two fields.”

An avid reader, Palmer read 89 books last year. “I also enjoy cooking and food in general! I spend many days off trying new restaurants with my boyfriend, two sisters, and friends.” Her reading recommendations for Falvey patrons: “For general fiction I recommend anything by Jennifer Weiner (I just recently finished Mrs. Everything) because I love the way she creates such complex characters. For fantasy I suggest the duology For the Wolf and For the Throne by Hannah Whitten, a fresh take on Little Red Riding Hood. For rom-com, I adore everything by Emily Henry and Christina Lauren. And I’d say for a thriller: All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda.”

Palmer’s office is located on the second floor of Falvey Library. Email erin.palmer@villanova.edu; 610-519-7966. She encourages the Villanova community to reach out to the RM&D team. “We’re always happy to answer questions or to point anyone in the right direction!”

Hi, I’m Rebecca Amrick, Falvey’s newest Cat in the Stax! I’ll be writing 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!

Picture by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash.com

Break out your sweatshirts and pumpkin recipes because fall is finally here! The first day of fall is this Saturday, Sept. 23. This colorful season is marked by changing leaves, cooler temperatures, and the sun setting before 6pm. Yet it is the Autumnal Equinox that officially marks the arrival of fall. This year, the equinox will occur on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 2:50am EST in the Northern Hemisphere.

But what is the Autumnal Equinox? An equinox is an astronomical event when the Sun crosses the “celestial equator.” The celestial equator is not Earth’s equator but rather an imaginary extension of Earth’s equator into space. The equinox occurs when the Sun’s center crosses this line.

Fun Fact: Day and night are almost equal in length on the Autumnal Equinox! Equinox comes from the Latin words aequus and nox which mean “equal” and “night” respectively.

Below are poetry collections about Fall to get you ready for the season:

Autumn. A Poem. by James Thompson

Autumn Harvest: Selected Poems by Stanley B. Frost

Autumn: Twenty Poems by Guillaume Apollinaire

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

Over the course of the fall semester, I’ll be highlighting books from Falvey Library’s Distinctive Collections featuring the work of French illustrator Gustave Doré. This is in conjunction with the new exhibit Divine Inspiration: Revealing the Sacred in Biblical Texts and Imagery, now on display on the first floor of Falvey Library. Doré created over 200 biblical illustrations for an edition of the Bible published in 1866, and a case in the exhibit is dedicated to his work, as well as being included on the exhibit poster.

For this first entry in the series, we’re focusing on illustrations Doré created prior to his biblical illustrations with Doré Fairy Tales (formally titled “Popular Fairy Tales”), a 32-page volume that collects four stories, published in 1888. An author is not credited for the text, but Doré’s illustrations most likely derived from illustrations he created for Charles Perrault’s fairy tales, around 1862.

Illustration for ‘Little Red Riding-Hood’

An artistic prodigy and enormously prolific, Doré earned acclaim for his book and newspaper illustrations while striving for acceptance in the traditional French art establishment. The majority of his illustrations were produced through wood engraving, a process where an image is carved into a block of wood by carving away the negative space of the image. Ink can then be rolled onto the carved surface and subsequently printed, though often metals plates were created from the blocks by means of electrotyping or stereotyping, allowing the images to be used in industrial printing, and for wider dissemination of the illustrations [1].

Doré was able to utilize the engraving medium to add a staggering level of detail to his illustrations, with expressive costuming, characters and locales. The illustrations have a strong grounding in realistic environments, but still leave room for the strange and fantastic, as seen in the illustrations for The Seven-League Boots. But these qualities are also due to the engravers who collaborated with Doré, as they were the ones who carved the woodblocks based on Doré’s drawings, thus bringing his visions to life. Doré often drew directly onto the woodblocks prior to carving, so not much evidence remains of his preparatory drawings prior to an engravers’ tools [1].

Illustration for ‘The Seven-League Boots’

Illustration for ‘Blue-Beard’

Illustration for ‘The Seven-League Boots’

Engraver’s signature for ‘Blue-Beard’

In many cases, the engraver’s signature would be included on the illustrations along with Doré’s, as can be seen in the bottom left corner of a Blue-Beard illustration. However, for many of the illustrations in this particular edition, Doré’s signature is the only one that is prominent. This could be due to the way the illustrations were formatted for this particular edition, or how the printing plates were disseminated to the publisher.

One final aspect I’ll note is the paper used for this edition. The paper has a significant texture or “tooth” to it that is detectable when reading, and brings a unique character to the illustrations. But it also creates an uneven surface for the ink to rest upon, which may account for spots where it appears the ink has been rubbed away. This is a reminder that every variable in printing will impact a book and its contents, and will be a factor in its preservation.

Detail for illustration from ‘Blue-Beard’

Doré Fairy Tales may be viewed in Falvey Library’s Rare Book Room by appointment. Internet Archive includes a number of editions with Doré fairy tale illustrations, and you can learn more about the importance of engraving to Doré’s process by visiting The History of Art.

References
[1] Schaefer, Sarah C., ‘The Good News’, Gustave Doré and the Modern Biblical Imagination (New York, 2021; online edn, Oxford Academic, 18 Nov. 2021), https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190075811.003.0003

Mike Sgier is a Distinctive Collections Coordinator at Falvey Library.

Please join us for readings from three acclaimed Irish poets, Jane Clarke, Katie Donovan, and Catherine Phil MacCarthy on Monday, Sept. 25, from 5-6:30 p.m. in Falvey Library’s Speakers’ Corner. This event, titled “Wonders and Realities: Three Irish Poets on Sustainability,” will explore how poetry helps us fine-tune our senses and pay attention to the wonders and realities of our threatened world.

Dig deeper and explore the links below for more information on the featured poets.

Jane Clarke grew up in County Roscommon, Ireland. She is the author of three poetry collections: The River, When the Tree Falls, and A Change in the Air. The latter is shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection 2023. When the Tree Falls was shortlisted for the Pigott Prize 2020, the Irish Times Poetry Now Award 2020, and the Farmgate Café National Poetry Award in 2020.

• The River (Clarke, 2015)
• When the Tree Falls (2019)
• A Change in the Air (2023)
• Jane Clarke website
• Jane Clarke reads and introduces twelve poems from When the Tree Falls (Bloodaxe Books)
• Three poems by Jane Clarke (And Other Poems)
• Conversation with Jane Clarke (Rattle Poetry)
• Interview with poet Jane Clarke (Writing.ie)
• NYU DC Salon Series: A Conversation with Jane Clarke

Katie Donovan was born near Camolin in County Wexford, Ireland and earned degrees from Trinity College Dublin as well as the University of California at Berkeley. Her five books of poetry have all been published by Bloodaxe Books. Her most recent, Off-Duty appeared in September 2016. It was shortlisted for the Irish Times/Poetry Now Prize in 2017. She is the 2017 recipient of the O’Shaughnessy Award for Irish Poetry.

• Entering the Mare (Donovan, 1997)
• Watermelon Man (Donovan, 1999)
• Day of the Dead (Donovan, 2002)
• Rootling (Donovan, 2010)
• Off Duty (Donovan, 2016)
• Katie Donovan website
• Expert workshop: Katie Donovan and how family inspires creativity (Irish Family History Centre)
• Writer’s Block with Katie Donovan (The Gloss)
• Poems from Off Duty by Katie Donovan (Poethead by Chris Murray)
• In conversation with Katie Donovan (The Attic Sessions)
• Katie Donovan reads from Rootling (Bloodaxe Books)

Catherine Phil MacCarthy was born in County Limerick, Ireland. The author of five poetry collections, she studied at University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin, and Central School of Speech and Drama, London. She is the 2014 winner of the O’Shaughnessy Award for Irish Poetry. The Arts Council, An Comhairle Ealaíon, have awarded her a Bursary in Literature towards each of her 2013 and 2020 poetry collections.

• How High the Moon (MacCarthy, 1991)
• This Hour of the Tide (MacCarthy, 1994)
• The Blue Globe (MacCarthy, 1998)
• One Room An Everywhere (MacCarthy, 2003)
• Suntrap (MacCarthy, 2007)
• The Invisible Threshold (MacCarthy, 2012)
• Daughters of the House (MacCarthy, 2019)
• Catherine Phil MacCarthy website
• “Limbo,” read by Catherine Phil MacCarthy (UCD Library Special Collections)
• Interview with Catherine Phil MacCarthy (Island’s Edge)

This ACS-approved event, co-sponsored by the Center for Irish Studies, Falvey Library, and Global Interdisciplinary Studies, is free and open to the public.

Julia Wagner ‘26 CLAS is a Communication major from New Hampshire (Go Patriots!). She works as a Communication & Marketing Student Assistant at Falvey Library. Links provided by Kallie Stahl, Communication & Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library. 

Nancy Foasberg, Scholarly Communication Librarian.

Nancy Foasberg recently joined Research Services and Scholarly Engagement (RSSE) as the Scholarly Communication Librarian. RSSE works to “support research, teaching, and learning at Villanova University; enabling the discovery of, access to, and stewardship of a vast array of scholarly resources.”

“I’ve been doing scholarly communication work as part of my job for quite some time, but it was one of many responsibilities for me, so I was very pleased to have the opportunity to focus on it exclusively,” Foasberg shared of her new role. “Villanova seems like an exciting place to be! I also love this area – the natural beauty of the forests and the hills – and have many friends and family members nearby.”

Growing up in Gold Country (“Nevada County, home of the Empire Mines and the famous Malakoff Diggins!”), Foasberg earned her bachelor’s degree in english and spanish, and master’s degree in english from California State University, Chico. “I wrote my master’s thesis on Coleridge’s enigmatic, unfinished poem Christabel.” She earned her master’s degree in library science from Drexel University. “Once I graduated [from Drexel], I got a job at Queens College, CUNY, as the subject librarian for English and a few other subjects, which I enjoyed very much, but I gradually moved toward scholarly communication as I became convinced of the urgency of supporting open access.”

Foasberg is looking forward to supporting scholarly communication at Villanova University. “I plan to do a lot of outreach and education around scholarly communication issues including open access, authors’ rights, establishing a scholarly profile, choosing a publisher, and more.”

She will also be working to further develop the library’s scholarly communication initiatives including the Scholarship Open Access Reserve (SOAR) Fund. “SOAR can help you pay fees associated with open access publishing. I dream of one day establishing an institutional repository to support self-archiving. I am also very interested in pursuing some of the many other strategies by which libraries can support open access.”

In her free time, Foasberg enjoys playing board games. “I’ve been playing Eurogames since around 2004, but more recently have also come to appreciate more story-driven campaign-style games, since they play well with two players in quarantine conditions. I’ve enjoyed all three Pandemic Legacy games (yes, I decided to play Pandemic during a pandemic!), Gloomhaven, and most of all, Sleeping Gods, with its beautiful artwork, complicated world, and the ability to play on an atlas.  Having taken up competitive games again, though, I have really been enjoying Woodcraft, by Vladimir Suchy, who may well be my favorite of all game designers.”

Her reading recommendations for Falvey staff: “Right now, I’m in the middle of two series. The first is Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch series; so far, I’ve only read the first book, Ancillary Justice, which is incredible. It’s a story about a sentient spaceship, but it’s also a brilliant examination of identity and imperialism, set in an absolutely fascinating world (or set of worlds). It’s astonishing in all the ways that the best science fiction is, and I’m eager to read the other books in this series. I’m also re-reading Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea series, a classic which I revisit quite often.”

She is looking forward to getting to know the community and encourages faculty, students, and staff to reach out. “I’m happy to be here, and I’m available to answer questions about copyright, publishing, and related subjects.” Foasberg’s office (218C) is on the second floor of Falvey Library.

Email nancy.foasberg@villanova.edu; 610-519-5075.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

In Little Women, Louisa May Alcott wrote, “Watch and pray, dear, never get tired of trying, and never think it is impossible to conquer your fault.”

In life, there is a lot of trying, and only a fraction of that trying ends up succeeding. It’s one of the few universal experiences of being human. In college, especially, trying at everything can become quite tiresome.

But to grow tired of trying is to never experience growth and to never succeed, and 0ftentimes, the things that are tiring are worth trying for. Remember, it is always possible to grow and get better, no matter the task. Perseverance rarely goes unrewarded.

THIS WEEK AT FALVEY

Monday, September 18

Mindfulness Monday | 1-1:30 p.m. | Health Services Building 200 | Virtual Option | ACS-Approved | Free & Open to Villanova Students, Faculty, & Staff

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

Tuesday, September 19

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

Wednesday, September 20

Fall 2023 Falvey Forum Workshop: Gale Digital Scholar Lab-a-Text Analysis Platform | 12-1 p.m. | Virtual | ACS-Approved | Free & Open to the Public | Register Here

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

Philosophy and Film Series on “Creativity and Madness”: Ed Harris’ Pollock (2000) | 5:30 p.m. | Room 415 | ACS-Approved | Free & Open to Villanova Community | Light Refreshments Served

Thursday, September 21

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

Sunday, September 24

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

HOLIDAYS THIS WEEK

Photo by Daniel J. Schwarz on Unsplash

If you’re a bookworm, today, Sept. 18, is Read an eBook Day, and luckily, Falvey’s vast collection of online books is at your disposal. Need a snack to go with your ebook? Today is also Rice Krispies Treats Day. If you don’t have any of these delicious marshmallow-y treats on-hand, the ones in Falvey’s Holy Grounds are amazing.

What’s the perfect way to end the last day of summer? An ice cream cone, of course. National Ice Cream Cone Day is this Friday, Sept. 22. If you want to get a taste of autumn, I highly recommend the pumpkin ice cream from Trader Joe’s (or Longacre’s Modern Dairy if you’re ever up in the Barto area).

Although it’s been fall for Dunkin’ and Starbucks lovers for weeks, Saturday, Sept. 23 is the Fall Equinox, the first official day of fall. Although we don’t have the perfect fall weather yet, hopefully it’ll be time to bring out your sweaters, flannels, and boots soon.

Need a self-care day? Innergize Day, a day dedicated to recharging your inner battery, is this Sunday, Sept. 24. Even if you only have a few hours, take some time to tend to your inner needs and enjoy some rest and relaxation.

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

Tomorrow is 1842 Day, and Falvey invites alumni, students, faculty, staff, as well as friends, family, and supporters to join the fun by supporting the Library!

We will be celebrating on our social channels and in-person on the first floor of Falvey, so stop by! You might even win a prize!

Located at the heart of main campus, Falvey Library is the interdisciplinary academic center of the Villanova University community. Students, faculty, and staff visit Falvey over half a million times each year. Whether to discuss research with a librarian, attend a book talk with an accomplished author, or find a quiet place to write or study, a visit to the Library is an essential part of a student’s life at Villanova.

Gifts to the Library on 1842 Day over the past six years have helped enhance and impact many areas of the Library, and students and faculty benefit for generations to come. Past donations were used to purchase public health materials and preservation supplies for rare materials.

“Falvey Library connects so many aspects of Villanova’s past and present,” says Millicent Gaskell, University Librarian. “It is an intellectual hub on campus for students from every college. It is where treasures from the University’s history and collective memories are stored and preserved. And with the support from 1842 donors, we will continue to elevate our services and programs.”

Make your gift now!

Anne Morgan, Metadata Librarian.

Anne Morgan, Metadata Librarian, joined Resource Management & Description (RM&D). RM&D “builds and cultivates collections through acquisitions, licensing, description, discovery, and access to resources for Villanova scholars and community.”

“I will mostly be creating and editing metadata for library materials,” Morgan shares of her new role. “For example, I will be creating metadata for print books and eBooks—generally speaking, making sure that useful information about the books (title, author, etc.) is available for library users, and that the books can be physically located or accessed online.” Having done research with materials from the Digital Library’s Catholica collection, Morgan recalled her prior experience with Falvey Library when applying for the role.

Originally from St. Louis, MO, Morgan received a bachelor’s degree in history from Truman State University in Kirksville, MO, and a master’s degree in information studies from the University of Texas at Austin. In her free time she enjoys going to concerts. “I like listening to metal and industrial music.” She is also learning German. Her reading recommendations for Falvey patrons: I and Thou by Martin Buber. “I learned that Martin Luther King, Jr. referenced this book in his Letter from Birmingham Jail.”

Morgan’s office is located on the second floor of Falvey Library.

Email a.morgan@villanova.edu; 610-519-7821.