“Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself.” Potter Stewart, Associate Justice, US Supreme Court By Erika Grumet The only book my parents ever took away from me was Catcher in the Rye. There are a lot of reasons someone might want to take that book away from a child, but none of thoseContinue reading “What it Means to Ban a Book”
Tag Archives: Writing
Podcast Preview
Friday is here once again. To our readers and listeners who celebrated Rosh Hashanah this week, we wish you L’Shanah Tovah–a sweet new year. Tomorrow’s podcast is one that any teacher, writer or editor will want to listen to… whether you’re a “teacher” in the traditional sense or not. Andrew sits down with editors ofContinue reading “Podcast Preview”
Midweek Teaser: “Teaching and Writing to Transgress: Behind the Scenes of Academic Editing”
How fitting that today is International Literacy Day, as we tease this Saturday’s podcast episode, “Teaching and Writing to Transgress: Behind the Scenes of Academic Editing.” This episode speaks to Ivory Tower Boiler Room’s own Public Humanities mission which is to provide accessible literary and artistic content to the public. There is also plenty toContinue reading “Midweek Teaser: “Teaching and Writing to Transgress: Behind the Scenes of Academic Editing” “
Back to the Big Think
This week’s Big Think is a bit of a special edition. This month’s theme is Back to the Books, and we wanted to celebrate (in slightly punny fashion) by going back to our favorite passages from our previous Big Thinks about reading and about books in general. Of course, if you find one of theContinue reading “Back to the Big Think”
Introducing our Weekly Featured Author
All of us in the Ivory Tower Boiler Room are very proud and excited to share with you a new page on our website: each week we will be featuring the work of a new writer, starting with Judy Russ. You can find her work here And if you would like to submit your workContinue reading “Introducing our Weekly Featured Author”
Erika’s Big Think #4: Dismantling Writer’s Block with Friends
By Erika Grumet My younger kid has always been a big fan of Snoopy. When she was six months old, my sister gave her a stuffed Snoopy puppet, who became known as Puppy, and became her lovie. Puppy is Real to us, just like the Velveteen Rabbit is Real to his boy. Asking Puppy toContinue reading “Erika’s Big Think #4: Dismantling Writer’s Block with Friends”
A Guest Blog-Post from Lev Raphael
Why I Write Queer Crime Fiction You can catch the third episode of Lev’s interview on the podcast this weekend. In the mean time, here is a delightful little essay he wrote about how he became a writer of queer mystery stories. (Originally published on June 5, 2021 by Lev Raphael on his blog) I never setContinue reading “A Guest Blog-Post from Lev Raphael”
Wednesday Teaser: Interview with Lev Raphael, Part 3
“Let your home be a meeting place for the sages”-Pirkei Avot 1:4 Once again, we bring you the wisdom of our friend Lev Raphael for part three of the incredible conversation between him, Erika, and Andrew. On his third visit with us, we hope he’s found a comfortable chair, and that the abundant throw pillowsContinue reading “Wednesday Teaser: Interview with Lev Raphael, Part 3”
Adam’s Big Think #4: I’d Rather be Editing
By Adam Katz Last month, the theme for our Big Think was education and scholarship. This month, we’re narrowing our focus to the ways in which our time in the Ivory Tower Boiler Room has helped us discover for ourselves what it means to be a teacher, a scholar, a public intellectual. Enjoy! * WhenContinue reading “Adam’s Big Think #4: I’d Rather be Editing”
(Podcast Release) How to Write a Sex Scene? A Conversation with Lev Raphael (Part 2)
Welcome to part 2 of our 3 part series with Lev Raphael. Andrew and Erika were thrilled that Lev spent so much time with them, and he is now an official member of The Ivory Tower Boiler Room (check out his guest blog post)! In this episode, Erika asks Lev for writing tips on howContinue reading “(Podcast Release) How to Write a Sex Scene? A Conversation with Lev Raphael (Part 2)”