I was an English major at Michigan State University in 1993 and I had been reading and researching 17th century Welsh poet Katherine Philips at the Library of Congress, the British Library, the Bodleian Library, the National Library of Wales and the University of Wales. Her genre was female romantic friendship poetry and I wasContinueContinue reading “10: Made Ill by Poetry”
Tag Archives: Wales
9: Poetry, Mothers, and Priories
(The building on the left is the original monastery and the building on the right is the add-on hospital.) So, this non-Catholic girl goes to the Anglican nation of Great Britain to study a 17th century poet and got tripped up on the lingering Catholic vocabulary. I had been seeking poet Katherine Philips at theContinueContinue reading “9: Poetry, Mothers, and Priories”
8: Choosing dissertations over meals at the University of Wales
I was at the University of Wales and a very kind Welshwoman librarian had just brought a dissertation out of storage that I desperately wanted a copy of. I asked her where the photocopier was in the library. “Photocopier?” she asked doubtfully. The dissertation sat on the book truck between us. “Yes.” “We don’t haveContinueContinue reading “8: Choosing dissertations over meals at the University of Wales”
5: Walking in the footsteps of vacationing Romanovs: The National Library of Wales Part One
When I had finished everything I could do at the British library, it was time to move into Philips’s own backyard: Wales. I took the bus to “Aber” as it is affectionately known: Aberystwyth. It’s a good-ish long train and then bus journey from London through trees that completely cover tiny country roads. At theContinueContinue reading “5: Walking in the footsteps of vacationing Romanovs: The National Library of Wales Part One”
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