Midweek Teaser: Lev Raphael Shares his Wisdom on Writing, Judaism, Sex, and More…

While we can’t take too much time away from bringing you all of the content we want to, we’re going to take a minute and breathe and exchange a few pats on the back and hugs after our first live event(s)–our open mic poetry event both online (via Zoom) and in-person at Words Matter BookstoreContinue reading “Midweek Teaser: Lev Raphael Shares his Wisdom on Writing, Judaism, Sex, and More…”

Erika’s Big Think #3: “I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind, got my paper and I was free.”

I don’t usually think of myself as a teacher. I love teaching, but I also knew there was no way I could handle classroom politics, and so, in spite of encouragement from my parents to consider teaching as a career, I went in a different direction with my undergraduate and graduate degrees. What I ended upContinue reading “Erika’s Big Think #3: “I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind, got my paper and I was free.””

(Podcast Release) “Lev Raphael: On Being (and Not Being) a Queer Jewish Writer, Part 1”

Listeners, you are in for a treat. Not only is Lev Raphael the well-known author of lots of books from many different genres (particularly a series about queer sleuths solving crimes at universities) he is also among his interviewers’ favorite writers. We have talked before on the blog about how his work was formative inContinue reading “(Podcast Release) “Lev Raphael: On Being (and Not Being) a Queer Jewish Writer, Part 1””

Podcast Preview

The Boiler Room may be a great place for us to hang out, but it’s not a good place for us to celebrate our first birthday. For that, we’re going out into the world. Our podcast is turning one, and we hope you’ll join us to celebrate on August 3 at an open mic poetryContinue reading “Podcast Preview”

Poems by Terri Muuss

Content Warning: Sexual Assault, Gaslighting We in the Ivory Tower Boiler Room try to maintain a sense of positivity. That’s not to say we keep things light. But when we talk about something like sexual violence, we try to focus, not on the abuser or assaulter but on the survivor; on what they do toContinue reading “Poems by Terri Muuss”

(Podcast Release) Dr. Helana Darwin’s #MeTooPhD Part 2

Content Warning: Sexual Abuse, Grooming, Gaslighting. This week, the second episode of Dr. Helana Darwin’s #MeToo PhD story drops. For those who did not catch the first episode, our guest, Dr. Helana Darwin–author, mother, award-winning scholar, qualitative research specialist–has entrusted us with her story of abuse at the hands of her own dissertation advisor. AsContinue reading “(Podcast Release) Dr. Helana Darwin’s #MeTooPhD Part 2”

Midweek Teaser

Things Some Writers Never Imagine The Boiler Room is awash in excitement right now as we get ready to celebrate a whole year of podcasting with an open mic night at Words Matter Bookstore. Even Andrew did not imagine, when he and Adam started meeting to talk and write, what the Ivory Tower Boiler RoomContinue reading “Midweek Teaser”

Healing from Trauma: The Poetry of Terri Muuss

Terri Muuss is a practicing social worker, as well as a poet, director, and much else besides. Muuss’s social work blends with her avocation for poetry and theater; both deal extensively with healing from trauma. Given that yesterday (7/14/21) we dropped a new interview on our podcast dealing with the same subject, we thought thatContinue reading “Healing from Trauma: The Poetry of Terri Muuss”

Finding Myself on the Shelf: Uncovering My Own Identity through Queer Literature

By Erika Grumet “We dance around in a ring and suppose But the Secret sits in the middle and knows” -Robert Frost No one knows what you’re thinking when you’re wandering the library shelves. For me, they were a safe space when I had the kind of questions that no one could answer for me…evenContinue reading “Finding Myself on the Shelf: Uncovering My Own Identity through Queer Literature”

Podcast Preview: July Roundtable

Friday is here, and there’s a lot going on for us here in the Ivory Tower Boiler Room. Our most pressing and exciting piece of news is that we have a sponsor (you might have heard us mention as much one or two… hundred times in the last week). The sponsor is Words Matter, whichContinue reading “Podcast Preview: July Roundtable”