Is Google Making Us Shallow? Reflections on Nicholas Carr and the Value of Deep Reading
This past week in class, I revisited Nicholas Carr’s now-famous 2008 essay, Is Google Making Us Stupid?, alongside portions of his follow-up book The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing … Continue reading
Redesigning the Essay in an A.I. World
Last week, I considered the future of the university lecture in an A.I. world. This week, I continue those sets of questions to focus on the essay. The essay has … Continue reading
Is A.I. the Death of the Lecture—or Its Salvation?
In the age of generative A.I., the traditional college lecture faces a dramatic crossroads. Once a cornerstone of higher education, the lecture now stands accused of being outdated, passive, and … Continue reading
Can A.I. Create Art? Our Struggle With the Machine in the Studio
This past semester in my “Digital Textuality” course, I posed a deceptively simple question: Can A.I. be an artist? Several students, working independently, centered their final projects on that very … Continue reading
Haiku Fun, Part 2
After the warm response to my first collection of haikus, I’m excited to share a second set that continues to explore moments of stillness, surprise, and quiet reflection. These short … Continue reading
The Artworks I Think About: Edward Wadsworth’s Vorticist Study (1914)
This is the start of a new series of blog posts where I explore artworks that have stayed with me over time. These pieces, whether encountered in person, through textbooks, … Continue reading
Celebrating Władysław Reymont’s The Peasants and Its Cinematic Adaptation: Join the Conversation
Baltimore film enthusiasts and literature lovers alike are invited to an engaging and thought-provoking event celebrating Władysław Reymont‘’s Nobel Prize-winning novel The Peasants and its stunning modern adaptation. This Saturday, … Continue reading
Dan Waber’s Strings: A Pioneering Work of Digital Poetry
While preparing for my digital textuality lectures this semester, I stumbled across a series of video recordings from 2010–2012—artifacts of an earlier era of electronic literature. Many of the works … Continue reading
Haiku Fun
Haiku is a timeless form of poetry that captures fleeting moments with precision and simplicity. Originating in Japan, haiku traditionally follows a 5-7-5 syllable structure and often reflects nature, the … Continue reading
The American Civil War and December: How Literature Captured the War’s End and Christmas
The American Civil War (1861–1865) was a pivotal moment in U.S. history, a conflict that altered the nation’s landscape, both geographically and socially. The war left deep scars on the … Continue reading
The Legacy of Charles Dickens: How His Stories Inspired American Holiday Traditions
Charles Dickens, one of the most beloved and influential authors of the 19th century, has left an indelible mark on Christmas celebrations, particularly in the United States. While Dickens’ stories … Continue reading
An Introduction to Polish Poetry
Polish poetry holds a unique and powerful place in the global literary canon. Rooted in a history marked by upheaval, resilience, and an enduring search for identity, Polish poets have … Continue reading
An Introduction to Polish Novels: A Literary Journey
Recommending books is one of the most joyful yet challenging parts of being a professor, publisher, or avid reader. Whenever someone asks, “What should I read next?” my mind floods … Continue reading
Gratitude, Resilience, and the Strength of Community in The Peasant Trilogy
As we gather this Thanksgiving weekend to reflect on gratitude, resilience, and the bonds that sustain us, it’s a meaningful time to explore literature that celebrates these themes. In the … Continue reading
Celebrating 235 Years of James Fenimore Cooper: The Father of American Romanticism
Today marks the 235th anniversary of the birth of James Fenimore Cooper, one of the earliest and most influential voices in American literature. Born on September 15, 1824, Cooper is … Continue reading
Dodge’s Literary Museum
Welcome back to Book by Book! In Series Two, we dive into my teaching collection—a curated glimpse into my personal library of historical treasures. Discover rare books, vintage newspapers, and … Continue reading
“Little Pieces for Little Speakers”: A Schoolbook for Recitation
Here is the next installment in my Book by Book: The Teaching Collection Series. This week’s installment looks at Little Pieces for Little Speakers: A Collection of Poetry Designed to … Continue reading
“This is the Sort of Book We Like”: An AI Reading
As I have already begun to publish videos from Series Two of the Book by Book project, it is time to close Series One. In all, there are eight videos … Continue reading
Polish Literature as World Literature: Now in Paperback
They say things come in three’s … so who am I to argue? As I reflect on the past three years of work, there is one other major highlight. In … Continue reading
Where the Angels Lived: Coming Soon from Calypso Editions
I am pleased to announce the next title to be released from Calypso Editions: Margaret McMullan’s Where the Angels Lived. Margaret also published the novel Aftermath Lounge (2015) with Calypso. … Continue reading
Bob Brown Bubbles
As I begin to consider the next phrase of Roving Eye Press, I have been researching more of Bob Brown‘s poetry, including a lot of poems not included in some … Continue reading
Lest We Forget! A Poem
LEST WE FORGET! The World is Round and Very Wet! By Bob Brown Pilsener beer from a tall frosted glass at Luchow’s … Continue reading
America’s First Polish Immigrants: Another Look at Jamestown
Continuing this thread on Jamestown, at the end of class I offered an example of brainstorming research topics. The example I used built from our reading of John Smith’s General … Continue reading
The “Other” Residents of Jamestown
In the last post, I noted two trends in my American History survey classes: (1) Students arrive to the class unaware of what was once popular narratives in the story … Continue reading
Teaching Jamestown, Virginia … Again and Again
One of the ongoing challenges in teaching a survey class in American history is making decisions on what to cover in the limited amount of time 14 weeks and 3 … Continue reading
Required Readings Visualized: Early American Word Clouds
In the previous post, I shared a list of free, online word cloud generators. In this post, I offer a couple of examples of word clouds put to use! This … Continue reading
Free Books, Open Libraries: 15 Resources for Everyone
Many of my upper-division courses focus on the same general set of questions: How does digital media disrupt “conventional” structures? Structures here range from thought processes and reading and researching … Continue reading
James Rivington, American Printer
James Rivington (1724-1802) was an English-born printer/publisher and journalist in New York City during the American Revolution. Prior to the revolution, he was one of the most popular and widely … Continue reading
Reading by Design … The Great Gatsby
Next semester, I’m teaching another class related to book history and publishing. This course will examine the history and evolution of book design and, specifically, cover art. The question that … Continue reading
Three Poems by Olga Cabral
Electronic Tape Found in a Bottle If this small human testament completes its odyssey clears the curtains of fiery meteors crosses the rages of magnetic storms rides free of hydrogen … Continue reading
Spotlight: Olga Cabral
As fate would have it, as I take a brief hiatus from working on the next project with Roving Eye Press, last week, while shuffling through an old used book … Continue reading
Empire State by Olga Cabral
Empire State I am a prisoner of bones of keyrings habits teeth and hair I am a tenant of torn skies I am a runner in the air of escalators … Continue reading
Accidental Diarist: A Review
The Accidental Diarist: A History of the Daily Planner in America By Molly A. McCarthy. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013. 302 pp., HC $90 Pb $30) http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/A/bo15357320.html … Continue reading
Writing with Scissors: A Review
Writing with Scissors: American Scrapbooks from the Civil War to the Harlem Renaissance By Ellen Gruber Garvey. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. 320 pp. 62 ill. HC $115, Pb … Continue reading
LIVE: Textshop 4 … From Digital to Print
I am happy to announce the release of Textshop Experiments’ Volume 4: From Digital to Print. Contents 100 Questions About Writing And The Future by Jimmy Butts Printed Animals by … Continue reading
The Schoolmaster, Translated
Last week, I noted that I would return to completing my translation of selected poems by Marcel Lecomte. To slowly return to this project and to offer another preview of … Continue reading
Classic Comics Covers
For those who know me and my work, it’s no secret that I am interested the relationships between texts and images. So much so that I’ve straddled the line between … Continue reading
16 Weeks with Bob Dylan
Colleges are like old-age homes; except for the fact that more people die in colleges. For me, the environment to write the song is extremely important. The environment has to … Continue reading
An Exercise in Creative-Critical Thinking
The Paltry Nude Starts on a Spring Voyage Wallace Stevens (1919) But not on a shell, she starts, Archaic, for the sea. But on the first-found weed She scuds the … Continue reading
Bob Brown’s Houdini
I’m happy to announce the publication of the latest title from Roving Eye Press: Houdini. The title is number 5 for Bob Brown’s revamped mobile small press. Originally published in … Continue reading
Beyond Criticism 2017
One of my latest projects this year has been the book series Beyond Criticism published by Bloomsbury. It’s been a busy year here with six books already published and many … Continue reading
Winter 2017-18 at Calypso
My Mother, Resurrected Fabián Casas, Trans. Adriana Scopino Poetry · English · Translation · Bilingual · Spanish 2017 $15.00 Acclaim for My Mother, Resurrected This remarkable translation of Fabián Casas’ poems by Adriana Scopino takes … Continue reading
A Tribute to the John Trumbulls
This semester, I again find myself teaching two surveys on early America (situated in both English and History Departments). Each semester, I try to mix up the program and reading … Continue reading
Francis Hopkinson’s Ode to the Fourth of July 1788
This summer, I was awarded a fellowship and small stipend to continue my work on American printing history. The goal was two engage in a reenactment or historical performance / … Continue reading
Sleep Habits & Literary Production
Sleep deprivation is a major problem these days, leading to a host of physical and emotional problems. It has been the focus of many studies in recent decades, and, just … Continue reading
Quotes from John Adams
This week in my early America class, we reviewed the presidency of John Adams. As fate would have it, our session happened to land on Adams’ birthday. Part of this … Continue reading
Ian McKellen, Teacher: A Note on Teaching Gesture
In the last few years, I’ve noticed a major shift in my research and in my methods of teaching: a focus on performance. Part of my thinking is a turn … Continue reading
The Best Covers of Bob Dylan Songs
Well, I’m officially halfway through my course on Bob Dylan, and a clear, singular reading of Bob Dylan, the artist, is seemingly further away than ever. But perhaps this is … Continue reading
What a Twit!
twit, n.1 Pronunciation: Brit. /twɪt/ U.S. /twɪt/ Forms: Also 15 twyte. Frequency (in current use): Etymology: < twit v. 1. a. An act of twitting; a (light) censure or reproach; … Continue reading
Sounding Out Supplements: Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan’s Influences, Inspirations & Impersonations I’ve been so invested in the History of Paper class, it recently occurred to me that there have been no posts here on another … Continue reading
Digital Exhibition: Mill Girls
During the Fall 2015 semester, I helped Dr. Lindsay DiCuirci teach a graduate seminar entitled “Women and American Periodicals” at UMBC. The course highlighted some of the United States’ most … Continue reading
Multi-modal Pedagogy & Word Cloud Silhouettes
For the past four years, I have tried to incorporate a digital or multi-modal project in every course I teach. Since not all students are English or History majors, my … Continue reading
Lullaby for a Hanged Man
JUST RELEASED: The latest title from Calypso Editions… Lullaby for a Hanged Man Fiction · English · by Hubert Klimko-Dobrzaniecki · Translated by Julia and Peter Sherwood · 86 pages Lullaby for … Continue reading
The Projector 
You must be logged in to post a comment.