Marvelously Medieval: How the "Dark Ages" Shed Light on Our Time

What do you think of when you hear the term “medieval”? Do you think of the Dark Ages? Do you think of witchcraft and knights riding horses? Do you think of Chaucer? What about those old and haunted cathedrals with their stained-glass windows? Perhaps you think about the language and what funny accents and vocabulary they had back then. Whatever it is you think of, medieval studies is alive and well in the modern day. Every writer, architect, linguist—you name it—has drawn some inspiration from medieval studies. <more>

Wit(h)ness: A Writing Major's Experience

This past fall, the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for African American Poetry and Poetics (CAAPP) hosted Wit(h)ness, a week full of literary and arts events, both remote and in-person, relating to Black intimacy.

The second event, with filmmaker Naima Ramos-Chapman and and vocalist/performance artist Helga Davis, was in person, and the crowd of students and community members that gathered under the Schenley Plaza Tent was a reminder of the intimacy we’d been unable to experience for the past two years due to COVID-19. It was strangely nostalgic to see such a large group of people collected in one space, for one purpose. Professor and Toi Derricotte Chair Dawn Lundy Martin, who directs CAAPP, took the stage to introduce Davis, while also providing some insight into the possibilities of Black intimacy. Emphasizing the importance of community, collaboration, and imagination, Martin ended with a simple statement, “Being with can be revolutionary,” before passing the mic to Davis. <More>

Issue 23

Fall / Winter 2021

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526: Notes From The Chair

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Faculty, Staff, and Grad Students: Send Us Your News!

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Teaching and Learning Remotely: Taking Stock

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