Our podcast episodes will now premiere on Mondays at 5pm. We’re taking a break from the Big Think this week, but it will be back next Monday. Look out for some exciting Banned Books Week content on our blog page and on twitter @ivoryboilerroom. Listen to the Episode Dr. Nevradakis’ interview acts as a sortContinue reading “(Season 5, Ep. 5) Peculiar Affairs in Academia with Dr. Michael Nevradakis”
Author Archives: arimby47
Andrew’s Big Think #4
What is the Passion that Fuels the Ivory Tower Boiler Room? Enter Plato! By Andrew Rimby “I propose that each of us should make the finest speech he can in praise of Love, and then pass the topic on to the one on his right.” from Plato’s Symposium (translated by Christopher Gill) “I propose thatContinue reading “Andrew’s Big Think #4”
The Spirit of Edith Wharton on Long Island (or, how Edith Wharton almost stopped me from spreading salacious gossip)
by Andrew Rimby It was around 11:40am when I attempted to reopen my laptop so I could login to the Zoom that would open up the portal for me to discuss Walt Whitman’s influence on Edith Wharton’s poetics. But, the dreaded phrase “Working on Updates” popped up on my computer and the percentage slowly increasedContinue reading “The Spirit of Edith Wharton on Long Island (or, how Edith Wharton almost stopped me from spreading salacious gossip)”
Andrew’s Big Think #3
Andrew Tries to Figure Out His Identity as a Public Scholar By Andrew Rimby It’s been difficult trying to figure out how to begin my reflection on this month’s Big Think theme: Education and Public Scholarship. The reason? Because so many of my projects are categorized as public scholarship, but when I begin dissecting thisContinue reading “Andrew’s Big Think #3”
(Andrew’s Bookshelf 7/18): Tonys 2021: Will the Artists take Center-Stage?
Andrew Reads (and Laughs along with) New York Times Theater Critic Jesse Green For this Sunday’s bookshelf feature, I want to discuss my reading of Jesse Green’s “A Chance to Fix the Tonys, and So Many Things to Fix” (released on June 2nd as a Critic’s Notebook feature). I’m still trying to feel my feetContinue reading “(Andrew’s Bookshelf 7/18): Tonys 2021: Will the Artists take Center-Stage?”
Andrew’s Big Think #2, Part 2: “I am not the boy next door”
Reflecting on the end of Pride 2021 By Andrew Rimby In the first part of my Pride month Big Think, I ended with a desire to ponder why Whitman’s “Song of Myself” spoke to my queerness so profoundly, and why it spurred the question “who is picking this text up and finding themselves reflected back?”Continue reading “Andrew’s Big Think #2, Part 2: “I am not the boy next door””
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:”
Some Perennial Favorites
By Andrew Rimby “We Two Boys Together Clinging” WE two boys together clinging, One the other never leaving, Up and down the roads going, North and South excursions making, Power enjoying, elbows stretching, fingers clutching, Arm’d and fearless, eating, drinking, sleeping, loving, No law less than ourselves owning, sailing, soldiering, thieving, threatening, Misers, menials, priestsContinue reading “Some Perennial Favorites”
Happy 202nd Birthday, Walt Whitman
By Andrew Rimby The Ivory Tower Boiler Room is full of Whitmanic energy as we celebrate Whitman’s 202nd birthday on May 31st! As I (Andrew) am writing this, I’m currently visiting my family in South Jersey and am about 15 minutes away from Whitman’s family tomb in Harleigh Cemetery (in Camden, see below). While IContinue reading “Happy 202nd Birthday, Walt Whitman”
Checking in on Andrew’s Dissertation
By Andrew Rimby Just before he takes a few well deserved days off, Andrew gives us a peek into what’s been going on with his research… This week, I reached a homoerotic creative “threshold of revelation” (that phrase is borrowed from Angels in America) when adding a few paragraphs to my Whitman dissertation chapter. IContinue reading “Checking in on Andrew’s Dissertation”