By Guest Columnist Sophia Basaldua-Sun Today I’m thrilled to be publishing my review of Every Day I Write the Book by scholar and creative writer Amitava Kumar. Everyday I Write the Book is a text about academic writing for academic writers, which isn’t to say you need to be an academic writer to read theContinue reading “Writing Book as Writing Mentor: Reviewing “Every Day I Write the Book” by Amitava Kumar”
Yearly Archives: 2021
Picture of Erika’s (Most Camera-Loving) Cat
For anyone who has been reading Erika’s gorgeous, soul-searching articles of late and wondering: where does she find the balance between inner fire and inner calm that would allow her to write like that, we trust this picture raises far more questions than it will ever answer.
Midweek Teaser, June 6 2021
What a week it’s been here in the Boiler Room. And if you’re listening to our podcast, you’re extra lucky, because you get a double dose. (If you’re not already listening, fix that. We’re available all over the podcast universe, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding us on your favorite platform, plus there areContinue reading “Midweek Teaser, June 6 2021”
#ActLoveGive-A Request from Erika
by Erika Grumet This weekend will mark the fifth anniversary of the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, an unimaginable and heartbreaking tragedy targeting our LGBTQ+ family, and in particular BIPOC members of our LGBTQ+ family. We’ll bring you a longer piece about that over the weekend, but I have a request this week,Continue reading “#ActLoveGive-A Request from Erika”
That’s it. I’m done with Stradivarius Violins
By Adam Katz I have had an odd thought rattling around in the can about Stradivarius violins. I’ve never been a violinist; I don’t remember doing more than picking up with their permission a friend’s violin (or maybe it was a viola) and trying it with the bow. I probably made a sound like aContinue reading “That’s it. I’m done with Stradivarius Violins”
Andrew’s Big Think #2:
“I Don’t Have to Wait for you to Give me the Key.” By Andrew Rimby I spoke those words when working through my writer’s block during a Zoom writing session a few weeks ago. When I said this, Tiffany Sowa (fellow contributor) looked at me and said “Andrew, that’s it. That’s where your writer’s blockContinue reading “Andrew’s Big Think #2:”
(Podcast Epiode)Pride 2021: Queerness and Allyship-An Ivory Tower Boiler Room Round Table Part I
(Erika, writing on behalf of the Ivory Tower Boiler Room team,) One of my favorite parts of being part of the Ivory Tower team is getting to sit around with my friends and have the kind of deep, intense conversations like the ones that happen in the middle of the night at summer camp, orContinue reading “(Podcast Epiode)Pride 2021: Queerness and Allyship-An Ivory Tower Boiler Room Round Table Part I”
The AIDS Epidemic: Fortieth Anniversary: A Personal History
By Erika Grumet Forty years ago today, the first reports of the “pneumonia” that we would eventually know was AIDS broke. As the most senior member of the Ivory Tower Boiler Room team, and the one with the most experience in HIV and AIDS related topics, (and the one who brought it up during planningContinue reading “The AIDS Epidemic: Fortieth Anniversary: A Personal History”
Podcast Preview: Queerness and Allyship
Hello, lovelies! We wanted to remind you to tune in with us tomorrow night for a stroll through some of the issues crowding our heads this week. One of the more intriguing ones is the recent prohibition of uniformed police from Pride parades. Another is the introduction of the phrase “Rainbow Capitalism” into our collectiveContinue reading “Podcast Preview: Queerness and Allyship”
A Mother’s Pride
By Tiffany Sowa I’ve been thinking a lot about my mother over the Memorial Day weekend, because it’s the first time since her passing that I didn’t go home to put flowers on her grave, and I was feeling awfully bad about that. She never missed a cemetery-decorating holiday, and often wept quietly over herContinue reading “A Mother’s Pride”