Hey, Wildcats,

In recent weeks most of us have revisited the uncomfortable FOMO (the fear of missing out), of seeing the taken-for-granted suddenly become absent, realizing the preciousness of “the normal.”

In no way does this downplay the much greater worries and pains that surround this crisis – and these are very real things that will affect millions of human beings in ways we would hope not to imagine. Yet, the small losses, notably those connections between people in lively, real, and present conversations leave a palpable absence in our lives.

Catching up on a Canceled Lit Fest Event

When I looked through library events that had to be canceled this semester, I am reminded that there were numerous small things that we missed out on. On March 24, Bryan Washington’s Literary Festival book reading and discussion on his new novel, Memorial, would have taken place in Speakers’ Corner. Although I was unfamiliar with Washington’s work prior to writing this blog post, a deeper dive through his essays available online as well as his previous book talks, showed me what we are all missing out on.

For this week’s Remote Discoveries blog, I will provide some links to Bryan Washington’s work and talks. To preface these links, Washington’s work does contain explicit content and he does not shy away from the expletive-prone speech of everyday conversation, nor does he shy away from topics that make some uncomfortable.

That being said, I believe that many people would thoroughly enjoy Washington’s work, regardless of whether it was encountered on-campus or discovered remotely.

Some of Bryan Washington’s Work

One of Washington’s first essays, View From the Football Field; or, What Happens When the Game is Over, presents a poignant description of playing football, and all the (un)importance it has on communities, friendships, family, and race. Writing on his personal experience playing football in a Texas suburb, Washington shows how the game harbored various meanings, and what it stood to mean for people in different times of their lives.

In our own library stacks, we have Washington’s first book, Lot, a New York Times Critics’ Top Book of 2019. The book is a coming of age story for a boy in Houston, and his experiences of his neighborhood, family, friends, and own sexuality. I will certainly be getting a copy of this book once some of the strain is taken off Amazon.

Finally, here is a YouTube link to his book talk about “Lot” in 2019 at the coffee shop, Politics and Prose in Washington D.C.. Hearing Washington speak about the influences of his life and work is interesting, and it is wonderful to hear the work read in his own voice with enthralling delivery.

Nate Gosweiler is a graduate assistant for Falvey Memorial Library and a graduate student in the Communication department. This week he will be catching up on some leisure reading in order to avoid necessary reading. That certainly won’t be regretted later…

Hello, Wildcats,

I hope those reading this are healthy, safe, and have found some sense of relief. I can only imagine the concern and uncertainty you may be feeling at this moment. I myself have been coming to terms with how my daily life will change during these trying times. Moreover, I know many of you are going through the difficult transition of attending college from places you never expected when you “went away to college.”

Yet, there is still much going on through Falvey Memorial Library. This ongoing “Remote Discoveries” blog will highlight some of the ongoing resources and events continuing through this transition. Although the recent closure of Villanova’s campus means the Library is physically closed, remote resources and virtual events are still going on.

Falvey Memorial Library, and the wonderful creators and thinkers that we support, are committed to continuing their efforts as we transition to virtual platforms. Even though we are not at Falvey, we are still connected as a community.

The GlobalSmackdown Zooms Forward

Tim Horner’s, DPhil, GlobalSmackDown recently made the transition to a virtual format through Zoom, condensing the 23-minute presentation to a fleet 11 and a half minutes. The Smackdown’s move from IRL to online ensures that we can all stay up to date on global issues. For those unfamiliar with Dr. Horner’s work, you can find a collection of his abbreviated presentations on the Falvey Memorial Library YouTube channel.

The new Global(Half)SmackDown will be available each Monday in virtual format. Click here (this will direct your browser to a Villanova.zoom.us page) to view the G(H)SD from March 16 regarding the protests in Mexico on International Women’s Day. You can find future G(H)SDs posted here on the Library blog, as well as on our social media channels: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The Importance of the GlobalSmackDown

“We are seeing the lines between domestic policy and foreign policy disappearing, I think COVID-19 could be a way showing people how interconnected local ‘American’ issues are with global ones,” Dr. Horner says.

At this time, news may seem overwhelming. Many localities and communities in the US are being affected in some way by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the entire Villanova campus and community. With so much changing so quickly at home, developments across the global may seem inconsequential. Yet it is important to remember that the injustices and conflicts across the globe will not cease because of COVID-19; if anything, they will continue at a higher register.

I spoke with Dr. Horner over the phone to discuss the GlobalSmackDown and what it means during this distressing moment. A portion of his response is quoted below.

“I think it’s important for people to not just live life thinking solely of COVID-19. These things that are happening around the world are still happening. My hope, the silver lining in all of this, is that Americans realize how interconnected we are, that this virus has transgressed all our efforts to make us feel that we are in an American bubble.

“If there is a tipping point in this, and if there is something that it can change in us, COVID-19 may be that one thing that went under the radar and served as a wake-up call to a generation. That we are globalized, and we are not isolated. That could be an amazing turnaround if that happens, that in this distressing moment we realized how connected we are.”

Nate Gosweiler is a graduate assistant for Falvey Memorial Library and a graduate student in the Communication department. He is currently suffocating under the growing weight of his newly-created twitter feed. It. Never. Stops…!