Today I began a new blog, The Bearded Doctor Sports Blog, that will be devoted to posts about sports. As a result, A New Yorker in Exile will no longer include sports-related content, and the frequency of its posts will diminish, though I will still try to post on one of the blogs on a (nearly) daily basis. This frequency has lessened lately due to some traveling and move-related work I've been doing, but will go back to normal now.
I have decided to split my blogging between two fora because I find myself shying away from writing about sports on A New Yorker in Exile despite a frequent desire to do so. I worry about my audience's lack of interest in sports. My academic colleagues are frequently surprised when they find out that I am a passionate sports fan because they equate sports with the uneducated working class (i.e., they equate all sports fans with stereotypical NASCAR fans). This close-mindedness always annoys me, though it also makes me feel smug that I am not as elitist as they are. Just because an activity is enjoyed by millions does not automatically make it lowbrow, and of course the lowbrow can become highbrow, anyway (e.g., Shakespeare). As a friend of mine who likes pro wrestling says, "Whenever someone says to me, 'You know it's fake, right?', I say 'So what? So is theatre.'"
I believe that sports fandom has a place within intellectual life because it is not just about following the standings and worshipping idols, it is about the deeper issue of belonging to a cross-cultural community, which deserves rigorous contemplation. And, of course, fandom is enhanced by intellectual analysis, as the example of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) shows. The New Yorker's frequent sports articles illustrate that fandom and thinking are meant for each other. The Bearded Doctor Sports Blog tries to foster this connection.
Showing posts with label the New Yorker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the New Yorker. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Books Acquired Recently
Books Acquired Recently
Beachy, Kirsten Eve, ed. Tongue Screws and Testimonies: Poems Stories, and Essays Inspired by the Martyrs Mirror. Scottdale: Herald, 2010.
I've been meaning to buy this for a while. The Martyrs Mirror is a compilation of Anabaptist martyr stories first published in 1660. It is traditionally given as a wedding or graduation gift by Mennonites as a way of passing down Mennonite values to younger generations. I received it as a Christmas present when I was 16 and read my way through it over several years (it is 1300 folio-sized pages long). I have always been fascinated by it; I think an anthology of literature inspired by people's interactions with it is an excellent idea, and I know several of the contributors, so I am very excited to read it.
Brandt, Di. Walking to Mojacar. Winnipeg: Turnstone, 2010.
Brandt is one of my favorite poets. Her language crackles with energy, and her poems are unashamedly activist while at the same time being beautifully crafted. Unfortunately, as a Canadian, she is not well-known in the U.S., which is a failing of the American English teaching community. There is generally not an institutional space for Canadian literature to get taught in the U.S. because most departments are too small to offer courses in it (and there might not be student interest, but it is our job as teachers/critics to build this interest), and Canadian writers tend to get ignored in postcolonial literature courses. As a result, it is virtually impossible for Canadian writers to gain any traction in the U.S. unless they are lucky enough to be published in high-profile venues such as the New Yorker, as is the case with Margaret Atwood and Alice Munro.
Schakel, Peter, and Jack Ridl, eds. 250 Poems: A Portable Anthology. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009.
I ordered this as a desk copy because I will be using it in my Introduction to Literature course this coming semester. It has a nice selection of poems from the Renaissance throught the twenty-first century, a range that is difficult to find. Incidentally, Jack Ridl gave a reading at my alma mater, Goshen College, my last year there. I enjoyed his work.
Beachy, Kirsten Eve, ed. Tongue Screws and Testimonies: Poems Stories, and Essays Inspired by the Martyrs Mirror. Scottdale: Herald, 2010.
I've been meaning to buy this for a while. The Martyrs Mirror is a compilation of Anabaptist martyr stories first published in 1660. It is traditionally given as a wedding or graduation gift by Mennonites as a way of passing down Mennonite values to younger generations. I received it as a Christmas present when I was 16 and read my way through it over several years (it is 1300 folio-sized pages long). I have always been fascinated by it; I think an anthology of literature inspired by people's interactions with it is an excellent idea, and I know several of the contributors, so I am very excited to read it.
Brandt, Di. Walking to Mojacar. Winnipeg: Turnstone, 2010.
Brandt is one of my favorite poets. Her language crackles with energy, and her poems are unashamedly activist while at the same time being beautifully crafted. Unfortunately, as a Canadian, she is not well-known in the U.S., which is a failing of the American English teaching community. There is generally not an institutional space for Canadian literature to get taught in the U.S. because most departments are too small to offer courses in it (and there might not be student interest, but it is our job as teachers/critics to build this interest), and Canadian writers tend to get ignored in postcolonial literature courses. As a result, it is virtually impossible for Canadian writers to gain any traction in the U.S. unless they are lucky enough to be published in high-profile venues such as the New Yorker, as is the case with Margaret Atwood and Alice Munro.
Schakel, Peter, and Jack Ridl, eds. 250 Poems: A Portable Anthology. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009.
I ordered this as a desk copy because I will be using it in my Introduction to Literature course this coming semester. It has a nice selection of poems from the Renaissance throught the twenty-first century, a range that is difficult to find. Incidentally, Jack Ridl gave a reading at my alma mater, Goshen College, my last year there. I enjoyed his work.
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