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Peek at the Week: March 18

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

In Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins wrote, “What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again.”

Happy Monday, Wildcats! Tomorrow officially marks the first day of spring. Spring is a time of hope and rebirth. It’s a time to come alive again after a bleak winter.

With daylight savings giving us a little more sunshine in our day and the start of spring, things are starting to look a little brighter. I hope you’re all able to enjoy a little more time outside in the sun in the coming weeks—even if the Pennsylvania weather is fickle.


THIS WEEK AT FALVEY

Monday, March 18

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 19

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

Wednesday, March 20

But Is It Fair Use? A Copyright Discussion and Q&A (Virtual Workshop) | 12-1 p.m. | Virtual | Free & Open to Villanova Students | Register Here

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

Thursday, March 21

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

Sunday, March 24

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


HOLIDAYS THIS WEEK

Photo by Mak on Unsplash

Today, Mar. 18, marks the beginning of Shakespeare Week, a week dedicated to celebrating and examining the famed playwright and author William Shakespeare. With works like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth, if you want to celebrate this week, you can browse Falvey’s collection of Shakespearean works here.

For anyone with a sweet tooth, tomorrow, Mar. 19, is National Chocolate Caramel Day. If you’re a fan of this classic flavor combination, your options to celebrate are practically endless—Ghiradelli Milk Chocolate Caramel Squares, Rolos, and Milk Duds, to name just a few.

To all the astrology believers, Astrology Day is this Wednesday, Mar. 20. Personally, while I’m not a steadfast believer, I do think that astrology is sometimes right on the money and overall harmlessly fun. So, whether you like to read your horoscope, look at your friend’s birth charts, or guess people’s sun signs, Wednesday is your excuse to enjoy astrology. You can also browse Falvey’s collection of astrology books, articles, and other resources here.

Fittingly during the first week of spring, Thursday, Mar. 21, is National Flower Day. Although flowers are just starting to bloom, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate. If you have a green thumb and some outdoor space, plant your favorite flowers (bonus points if they’re native plants). If you want to share your appreciation to someone special in your life, gift them a bouquet of flowers. If you want to read some floral literature, check out former GA Ethan’s May Flowers blog.


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


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Foto Friday: Bloom


Photo (and chalkboard art) courtesy of Kallie Stahl ’17 MA Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library.

 

 


 


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Cat in the Stax: May Flowers

By Ethan Shea

"Pexels Flower Photo"

Photo from pexels.com by Dominika Roseclay

The saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers,” but it’s May and things are still looking pretty damp. Regardless of the weather, this month is sure to bring lots of natural floral decor.

Our campus is looking green, and flowers have already bloomed, but with the help of Falvey, you can enjoy May’s flowers from the comfort of your home.

Flowers have inspired all sorts of literature, prose and poetry alike, for millennia. They’re usually symbolic of broader themes of texts, such as new life, purity, passion, beauty, and love.

Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway begins with the line: “Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.” Here, flowers can be read as traditional symbols of femininity, but they also represent the beauty that can be found in everyday life. Because this entire novel takes place over the course of just one day, finding beauty in the little things is critical to the story.

"Lotus Flower"

Lotus Flower photo from pexels.com by Guryan

In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dreamfloral imagery is found throughout the play. One passage reads: “I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, / Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, / Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, / With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.” The magic in this play repeatedly appears alongside the budding natural world.

Some poetic works worth checking out that concern flowers are “The Breath of a Rose” by Langston Hughes, “Roses Only” from Marianne Moore’s poetry book Observationsand Charles Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Malwhich translates to The Flowers of Evil.

Lastly, Homer’s epic Odyssey has a section based on flowers. Book Nine describes Odysseus and his crew landing on the island of the Lotus Eaters, who live lackadaisically eating the fruit of lotus flowers. Those who eat the lotus crave nothing more than to relax on the island, delaying their return home. A homeric parallel to this section of the Odyssey can be found in episode five of James Joyce’s Ulysses as well.


Headshot of Ethan SheaEthan Shea is a second-year graduate student in the English Department and Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library.


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Last Modified: May 3, 2023

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