“A Certain Woman,” or A Renaissance Poetry Standoff

Your husband flees to another country after Mary Tudor becomes Queen of England. When he goes, he tells another man to “look after” you. Thirty years later, you have a Renaissance poetry stand-off with the man in Queen Elizabeth I’s court and you win. The nature of the 16th century court can get very confusing …

Hedgerow Theatre Brings Interactive Theatre to the Rosenbach

Hedgerow Theatre’s Radio Mysteries will invite audiences of the Rosenbach to experience storytelling in a variety of ways. In addition to live performances of classic radio mystery episodes, this performance will also feature an original piece called “Life in Sonderville”, written by former Hedgerow Fellow Mark Swift. “Life in Sonderville” is a project that hopes to achieve …

2 Questions with 3 Local Mystery Authors

On July 19, we’ll host three mystery writers who live in the Philadelphia area for a panel discussion of their craft.  Merry Jones is the author of the popular Philadelphia-based Zoe Hayes mysteries, including The Nanny Murders, The River Killings, The Deadly Neighbors, and The Borrowed and Blue Murders. Her most recent book is Child’s Play. Jon McGoran is the author of eight …

2017 Bloomsday Essay Contest Graduate Student Winner: “‘Greeker than the Greeks'”

The first annual Bloomsday Essay Contest invited graduate and undergraduate students in the tri-state area to submit their best essays on Ulysses or another Joyce text. The winners were announced during the Bloomsday celebration on June 16, 2017. The 2017 Bloomsday Essay Contest award for an outstanding paper written by a graduate student was presented …

2017 Bloomsday Essay Contest Undergraduate Student Winner: “Consumption of the Intimate”

The first annual Bloomsday Essay Contest invited graduate and undergraduate students in the tri-state area to submit their best essays on Ulysses or another Joyce text. The winners were announced during the Bloomsday celebration on June 16, 2017. The 2017 award for an outstanding paper written by an undergraduate student was presented to Katie Paulson …

Everything you need to know about Bloomsday

What is Bloomsday? June 16 is the day the world celebrates James Joyce and his literary masterpiece, Ulysses. The celebration is called “Bloomsday” after one of the main characters, Leopold Bloom. As the residence of the complete manuscript of Ulysses, the Rosenbach has celebrated Bloomsday for more than 20 years. The main event features readings from Ulysses, …

James Joyce and his feline friends

With June 16 merely days away, we’re getting serious about Bloomsday here at the Rosenbach. Certainly more serious than Ulysses: this novel may contain passages of great beauty, but it also contains moments of great silliness. Consider “Calypso,” the fourth chapter and the reader’s first introduction to Leopold Bloom. “Calypso” features many of the themes and literary techniques that established …

The Many Bans of Ulysses

Joyceans and longtime Rosenbach friends are well-acquainted with the history of how James Joyce’s Ulysses ran afoul of the Comstock Law, which prohibited use of the postal service to mail “obscene” literature among other things. The magazine The Little Review, which published the first chapters of Ulysses serially up until the “Nausicaa” episode in 1921, was brought …