Photo credit: Paige Critcher.

Villanova University’s 2023 Literary Festival will be featuring Tsering Yangzom Lama, who will read from selections of her works on Thursday, March 16, at 7 p.m. in Falvey’s Speakers’ Corner. Tsering Yangzom Lama was born in Kathmandu, Nepal, and earned an MFA in Writing from Columbia University and a BA in Creative Writing and International Relations from The University of British Columbia. She currently resides in Vancouver, Canada.

Her debut novel, We Measure The Earth With Our Bodies (Bloomsbury, 2022) is a New York Times Summer Reads Pick and a finalist for The Scotiabank Giller Prize. It is also longlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and The Toronto Book Award. She is a co-founder of Lhakar Diaries, an English-language blog for Tibetan youth in exile. Her other works have made appearances in The Globe and Mail, The Malahat Review, Grain, Kenyon Review, Vela, LaLit, and Himal Southasian. She is also a 2018 Tin House Novel Scholar.

Dig deeper and explore the links below for more on her work:

• Tsering Yangzom Lama’s official website
• Tsering Yangzom Lama’s Twitter and Instagram
• We Measure The Earth With Our Bodies (2022)
• Lhakar Diaries 
• “Q&A with Tsering Yangzom Lama” (Victoria Festival of Authors)
• “Tibetan author Tsering Yangzom Lama opens up about immigrating to Canada” (The Globe and Mail)
• “Tsering Yangzom Lama on Cultural Appreciation Versus Cultural Engagement” (Literary Hub)
• “Tibet Talks: A Reading and Conversation with Author Tsering Yangzom Lama” (International Campaign for Tibet)
• “Tsering Yangzom Lama: We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies w/ Jay Neugeboren” (Books Are Magic)

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

You’re one smart cookie!

Thanks for stopping by our midterm stress buster, Wildcats. Have a safe and relaxing spring break.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library. Photos courtesy of Ethan Shea, Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library.

By Anna Jankowski, Ethan Shea, and Annie Stockmal

Happy Thursday, Wildcats! In this episode of the Curious Cat we’re welcoming your hot takes. Is there something you hate but everyone else seems to like? Let us know in the comments, and keep reading to see how others responded!

“I hate ketchup.”

— Kayla Verga ’24

“Caffeine.”

— Nicholas Federico ’23

“Kylie Jenner.”

— Elaina Martin ’23

“I really don’t like reality TV.”

— Olivia Picca ’25

“I don’t like cheesecake at all.”

— Maria Abraham ’25

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

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

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

By Ethan Shea

Photo from garment strike in New York City, courtesy of Library of Congress (1913)

During the early twentieth century, women working in textile factories were subject to terrible working conditions and inhumane treatment by employers. In addition to grueling hours and minuscule pay, workers were often locked in the factory to prevent them from taking breaks.

Clearly, this was a health and safety violation, as was tragically made clear during the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911, an industrial disaster that killed 146 garment workers, 123 of which were women and girls.

Such poor treatment led to years of strikes within the textile industry. The photo above shows three women garment workers on strike in New York City. These protests were essential to the establishment of unions and labor rights in the U.S.

Military Mapping Maidens (3Ms) in Falvey Library

In recognition of such contributions by brave women, the month of March is dedicated to celebrating women’s history, and the 31-day celebration begins today! Considering recent challenges to women’s reproductive rights, recognizing Women’s History Month is more important than ever.

March was chosen to be Women’s History Month because it coincides with International Women’s Day on Mar. 8. At first, Women’s History Month was only a week, the first of which occurred in 1978 as a local celebration in California.

Two years later, President Jimmy Carter declared the first National Women’s History Week to be the week of March 2-8, 1980. It was not until 1987 that March was officially declared Women’s History Month. Read more here!

Here at Falvey, there are countless resources that highlight women’s achievements. For example, the recent Art of War exhibit on the first floor of Falvey featured historical artifacts showing how women took part in the Second World War. Check out this blog to learn more!

Below are some more resources for Women’s History Month you can find right here at Falvey:

• U.S. Women’s History: Untangling the Threads of Sisterhood
• Selling Women’s History: Packaging Feminism in Twentieth-Century American Popular Culture
• Black Women’s History: Theory and Practice
• Women in World History: 1450 to the Present
• Doing Women’s Film History: Reframing Cinemas, Past and Future
• Religious Women and Their History: Breaking the Silence
• Women Drummers: A History from Rock and Jazz to Blues and Country

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

By Laurie Ortiz Rivera

Falvey Library provides online access to the Times Higher Education, a website that presents a range of international higher education news, data, insights, and opportunities. It includes:

• 

  Times Higher Education logo.

  News – Award-winning journalists bring together the latest news in higher education focusing on Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, and North America.

• Data – Data editors and scientists offer fresh insights on global trends.
• Digital editions and Archive of the Times Higher Education magazine and previous issues.
• Opinion – Contributors provide insightful and provocative comments and opinions on higher education topics.

Times Higher Education is home to the World University Rankings database on global university performance. It also features an interview series titled “Talking Leadership” that includes Anton Muscatelli on social justice and Brexit, Nancy Rothwell on superstar academics, Stephen Toope on culture wars and collaboration, Suzanne Fortier on supporting refugees and addressing racism, and Mamokgethi Phakeng on culture change, among others.

It has dedicated sections for job listings, study abroad, events, and other resources. Signing up for newsletters is a great way to keep up with all the latest news and research across higher education. To ensure your access via the institutional subscription, you must register using your Villanova email address. Feel free to contact Laurie Ortiz-Rivera, Education & Counseling Subject Librarian, if you need more information.

Laurie Ortiz Rivera, PhD, is Subject Librarian for History, Art History, Education & Counseling at Falvey Library. 

Students conversing outside Connelly Center, 1990s.

Whether you’re studying or catching up with some friends, we hope you enjoy this warm February day, Wildcats! Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

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

By Anna Jankowski, Ethan Shea and Annie Stockmal

Happy Thursday, Wildcats! Welcome to another installment of the Curious Cat! This week’s question is “Who would you like to play yourself in a movie?” Your answer can be a celebrity look-alike or just someone who would capture your energy. We asked a few Falvey patrons what they think, and here are the answers we received:

“Julia Roberts.”

— Tierney Schiff ’23

“Elizabeth Olsen.”

— Bridget Caste ’23

“Miley Cyrus.”

— Caroline Kane ’23

“Emma Watson.”

— Reilly Graney ’23

“I would say Jennifer Lawrence.”

— Michelle Diamandi ’23

“Lady Gaga just because she can do everything, and I think she is one of the best performers out there.”

— Marina Passero ’23

“Selena Gomez because I really relate to her character Alex Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place.”

— Emily Weingold ’23

“Young Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap because everyone’s been saying I look like her recently.”

— Fiona Kelley ’23

“Eli Manning because I’ve been told I look a lot like him, but also Jake Gyllenhaal because he’s really intense.”

— Kevin Heist ’23

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

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

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

By Ethan Shea

As you probably know, this past Monday was President’s Day, a national holiday falling on the third Monday of February. The holiday is meant to celebrate the birthdays of both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln’s birthday falls on the twelfth of February, while Washington’s is today, Feb. 22!

To commemorate the President’s 290th birthday, this week’s Cat in the Stax blog is all about George … well, not exactly. This blog will be about famous figures who share a name with the first U.S. President.

“A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat

One George worth mentioning is French painter Georges Seurat. The next Villanova Theatre production, Sunday in the Park with George, will be a musical inspired by the painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, the most famous work by Monsieur Seurat. Created by James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim, this play will be performed at the John and Joan Mullen Center beginning on April 13. You can read our recent blog on the current production, Chrysalis, here!

Another George who cannot be ignored by any library is George Eliot. Mary Ann Evans is best known as George Eliot, a pen name Evans used to garner respect as a woman writer amidst 19th century misogyny. Some of her most famous novels, including Middlemarch, Adam Bede and The Mill on the Floss can all be found here at Falvey!

George Washington … not the aforementioned president, but George Washington Carver, is another notable George. Carver is known for his contributions to agricultural science. Having been born an enslaved Black man in 19th century America, Carver overcame unimaginable oppression to become a Professor at Tuskegee University. Check out the book George Washington Carver: In His Own Words to learn more about his life, and you can find even more resources for Black History Month here.

It’s also worth mentioning that there are more than just books here at Falvey. There are more movies than anyone could watch, and one famous George is responsible for a number of them. George Lucas, a prominent mind behind the creation of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises is a George who also made his mark. The very first Star Wars film is currently held at Falvey, so start your Star Wars journey here!

Last but not least is everyone’s favorite fictional George. That’s right, even Curious George can be found here at Falvey! Check out this book on the history and cultural implications of this beloved children’s character.

Ethan Shea is a second-year graduate student in the English Department and Graduate Assistant at Villanova University.

By Ethan Shea and Annie Stockmal

On Feb. 17, Graduate Assistants Ethan Shea and Annie Stockmal attended a performance of Villanova Theatre’s latest production, Chrysalis, and you should do the same!

The tradition of transformation narratives dates back thousands of years, most famously to Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Since then, insects and the chrysalis have been used as transformative metaphors in a diverse array of art, from Franz Kafka’s 1915 novella The Metamorphosis to Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 album To Pimp A Butterfly. Chrysalis, written by Kathryn Petersen, is a fresh take on the transformation story that will not disappoint.

The production tells the story of Maria Sybilla Merian and her daughter Dorothea. While Maria struggles as a budding scientific mind in a male-dominated field, Dorothea must come to terms with her family’s history and choose a path for her future. With aspirations of discovering something so extraordinary it demonstrates the wonders of God, Maria dreams of standing, as a “lowly woman,” before the Royal Society of London to present her research.

Here are Annie and Ethan’s unique takes on the play:

Annie: This play is a loving ode to the driven mother-rebellious daughter dynamic that is pushed to the edge by the mother’s over-ambition and discipline and the daughter’s desire to break the chain and follow her own path. In aspiring to achieve her goals, Maria inadvertently steamrolls her two daughters, the malcontent Dorothea, who begins to question the strict religious teachings that she feels have caused a rift in her family, and even the pious Johanna, who wants to branch out to non-insect-related work. It is only through a dramatic metamorphosis that Maria’s mistakes are revealed to her.

With compelling dialogue and standout performances from the entire cast, including Sydney Curran, Margo Weishar, Reagan Venturi, Taylor Molt, and Joshua Peters, Chrysalis is therapeutic art.

Ethan: The attention to detail in Chrysalis makes every moment worth your while. All aspects of the production, from set to costume design, enrich Dorothea’s transformative journey. I especially admire how smoothly the production team handles a dramatic change of setting and the script’s ability to convey a relatively complex backstory without being didactic.

At its core, Chrysalis tells the story of a family struggling to overcome their unique differences in a tumultuous and oppressive society. The production does not stray from the heart of its story, which is what makes it such a compelling production.

To learn more about the writing process behind Chrysalis, check out this virtual playbill. Fittingly, this transformation story was transformative even for its writers.

In the education guide for Chrysalis, you can find prompts useful for reflection after attendance. For example, one prompts asks, “What stage of metamorphosis do you think you are experiencing currently? How are you preparing for the next stage?”

Tickets for Chrysalis are available for purchase here. Get yours now!

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

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

Will D. Cat. Photo courtesy of Shawn Proctor, Communication & Marketing Program Manager.

Will D. Cat stopped by Falvey Library to check out the new Digital Scholarship Lab!

Located in Room 218A (second floor of Falvey), the Digital Scholarship Lab is designed to support Villanova faculty, students, and staff who are working on creating digital projects and/or are interested in learning more about digital media, digital humanities, or data-intensive research and teaching. The Lab offers an expanded range of software covering a variety of digital methods and tasks, including GIS mapping, data visualization, text analysis, multimodal publishing, and more.

The Digital Scholarship Lab also offers a digital media technology loan program, where the Villanova community can check out DSLR cameras, 360-degree cameras, and podcasting equipment from the Lab for up to 1 week, with no renewals. The Lab is open by reservation-only during the following days and times: Mondays–Tuesdays, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; Wednesday–Fridays, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

More info: https://library.villanova.edu/digital-scholarship/lab

Contact: digitalscholarship@villanova.edu