It's vacation season here in Southwestern Ontario. even though COVID-19 has restricted travel, I know several people taking the time to visit cottages or go camping. Perhaps you need something to read or watch on your vacation (or staycation)? Then check out these links! During the pandemic, many of our "At Home with Arendt" posts have focused on solidarity. Find some of my recent work in the links below (and of course, previous blog posts here). New article: Virus Interruptus The first is … [Read more...]
How book bingo changed my life
I might be slightly hyperbolic in asserting that book bingo changed my life. But it did reorient me in ways I didn't expect. The 2019 book bingo challenge Inspired by the Kitchener Public Library's book bingo in the summer of 2018, I decided to create a bingo card for my workplace. The challenge would run for the entire calendar year. Each colleague's leisure reading interests would be represented by at least one square on the bingo card. You'll notice that a few squares correspond to … [Read more...]
Even more sabbatical downtime
My final few weeks in New York were frantic. I submitted a paper for review, began to think about Winter syllabi, and finished (mostly) the massive pile of books I had checked out from the library. But, I managed to have some downtime too. Challenging borders I attended a few events at Where No Wall Remains, the 2019 biennial Live Arts Bard festival at the Fisher Center for the Arts. I like the intellectual grounding of the festival. Artists submit items for inclusion in the festival syllabus, … [Read more...]
More sabbatical downtime
Over a cozy dinner at Lucoli Pizza in Red Hook, my former colleague Amy remarked that if she were ever alone in a new city, she might need to bring me along. What a compliment! Even without a car during my sabbatical, I manage to get around. Of course, dinner and drinks with some colleagues from my Hood College days, passing through the area on their sabbatical, was a highlight! Blithewood Garden In late September I toured the traditional walled Italiante garden of the historic … [Read more...]
Sabbatical downtime
"Downtime" happens in role-playing games when a party finishes an adventure and needs to rest and stock up before heading out again. Sabbatical is like that too! I am spending my fall term as a Visiting Scholar at the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College, in New York's Hudson Valley. Intellectually, it's been great. But so has my downtime! Here's a little of what I have been up to during my September Saturdays. My Instagram stories are also a good way to keep … [Read more...]