I’ve been thinking a lot about Ernst Cassirer lately, ever since I stumbled upon his book “The Myth of the State” in my freshman year philosophy class. At first, I was drawn to his critiques of fascist ideology and his…
Dorothy Parker. Her name has been etched into my mind for years, but it wasn’t until I stumbled upon her poetry in college that I truly started to understand why she fascinates me. It’s not just the wit and sarcasm…
I’ve been reading Zadie Smith’s work for years, but it wasn’t until I stumbled upon her essay “Fences and Neighbours” that I started to feel a sense of unease. It’s not that I disagree with her arguments – on the…
I’ve been obsessed with Denis Diderot for months now, ever since I stumbled upon a worn copy of his Encyclopédie at my local used bookstore. There’s something about the way he wrote that resonates with me – it’s like he’s…
Rachel Blau DuPlessis. Her name has been circling my mind for weeks, ever since I stumbled upon her work while researching the feminist avant-garde movement of the 1960s and ’70s. As I delved deeper into her writing, I found myself…
I’ve been reading W.B. Yeats for what feels like an eternity, but it’s really only been a few months since I stumbled upon his poetry in a used bookstore. There was something about the way his words seemed to dance…
Hannah Hoch’s collage work makes me think of the cluttered state of my own mind. I’m a writer, and writing is how I untangle thoughts that feel stuck together like torn fragments of paper. Hoch’s collages are like that too…
Georgia O’Keeffe has been on my mind a lot lately, ever since I stumbled upon her work while browsing through an art book in my college dorm’s library. Her paintings of enlarged flowers and landscapes seemed to leap off the…
Walter Benjamin has been on my mind for months now, ever since I stumbled upon his writings on art and history while researching for a paper on modernity. At first, I was drawn to the way he effortlessly weaves together…
Katherine Mansfield’s life has been a constant companion of mine since college, when I devoured her short stories like they were oxygen. There was something about the way she captured the intricacies of human relationships, the quiet desperation of modern…
I’ve always been fascinated by the contradictions of Albert Einstein’s life. On one hand, he was a brilliant physicist who revolutionized our understanding of space and time. His theories changed the way we think about the universe, and his legacy…
James Weldon Johnson has been on my mind a lot lately, and I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s because I recently graduated from college with a degree in English, and his name kept popping up in my coursework. Or…
I’ll be honest, I stumbled upon Hildegard of Bingen by chance, while browsing through a used bookstore. Her name jumped off the page, and I had to look her up. At first, I was drawn to her as a trailblazer…
Seamus Heaney’s words have a way of creeping into my mind when I’m sitting at my desk, staring at the blank page in front of me. As a writer, I’ve always found solace in his poetry – its rhythms and…
I’ll be honest, Antonio Gramsci’s name has been floating around my consciousness for years, but it wasn’t until I stumbled upon his concept of “hegemony” that I felt a genuine spark of interest. Maybe it was the way he described…
Claude Monet’s paintings have been on my mind a lot lately, ever since I spent an entire morning at the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, staring at his Impression, Sunrise (1872). There was something about the way the light danced…
I’ve always been fascinated by Mary Shelley, but it’s not just her life story that draws me in – although the idea of writing a novel at 18 while traveling with your soon-to-be-ex-fiancé is enough to make anyone feel inadequate.…
Cesare Pavese’s words have a way of getting under my skin. I’ve spent countless hours poring over his essays, translations, and poetry, and yet, every time I revisit them, I feel like I’m uncovering something new – or rather, something…
I keep coming back to Lise Meitner, the Austrian physicist who fled her homeland during WWII only to play a crucial role in discovering nuclear fission. Her name is etched in my mind alongside those of Marie Curie and Rosalind…
I’ll never forget the day I stumbled upon Jorge Luis Borges’ short story “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius.” It was as if I had stepped into a labyrinth and couldn’t find my way out. The more I read, the more questions…
