By Kelly Keene I didn't know anything about this book before I picked it up. I think somebody had given it to me as a gift, so I chose it to read simply because it found its way onto my shelf. This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub was also sitting on my desk once when … Continue reading “This Time Tomorrow” by Emma Straub Book review
Author: Kelly Keene
Erasure
By Kelly Keene We are confident, so sure of our time, the period. Like a hubristic Grecian who never imagined their marble statue cracking off at the most vulnerable bits- In this certainty we etch and sketch dripping ink into the thirsty pages of permanence and hoping the feathers of ourselves will last. But they … Continue reading Erasure
Book Review of “Yellowface” by R. F. Kuang
Reviewer: Kelly Keene Synopsis: Kuang's Yellowface is a narrative that uses the unreliable narrator to jump into the logic of someone who might appropriate another author's work. June Hayward watches as her "friend" (although object of obsession, or envy might be more appropriate) dies from eating too many pancakes while intoxicated. Athena Lui is a … Continue reading Book Review of “Yellowface” by R. F. Kuang
Don’t Stop for Death; An Analysis of Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop For Death”
by Kelly Keene The one certainty we know in life is that at some point, it ends. This is a scary thought for many. Even billionaires, with all the wealth and power they possess, cannot thwart death itself. Emily Dickinson, in her poem Because I Could Not Stop For Death paints an image of Death … Continue reading Don’t Stop for Death; An Analysis of Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop For Death”
Mask Up!; An Analysis of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask”
Written by Kelly Keene Public scorn and ridicule can be brutal. Subtle microaggressions might also feel like daggers if you don’t fit in, or are a part of a marginalized group. When we marginalize people, sometimes they adapt by pretending to fit in. Sometimes, that is easier than standing up to the violence of prejudice. … Continue reading Mask Up!; An Analysis of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask”
Light’s Dance at Dawn; An Analysis of Alvin Feinman’s Poem “November Sunday Morning”
by Kelly Keene I stayed late at work last week, and it felt like such a grind. Especially now, that the days get darker sooner. My reward was the magnificent November sunset. I got to witness its fiery oranges and pinks it all the way home. Light takes on a life of its own this … Continue reading Light’s Dance at Dawn; An Analysis of Alvin Feinman’s Poem “November Sunday Morning”
A Reckoning of Memory; An Analysis of Indran Amirthanayagam’s “The City, with Elephants”
by Kelly Keene Elephants have incredible memories. They form tight-knit communities, and are even known to mourn their dead, and remember them seasons after they’ve passed. In Indran Amirthanayagam’s poem The City, with Elephants, he uses the image of “the elephants of reckoning” to describe a city with a disconnect between its working and privileged … Continue reading A Reckoning of Memory; An Analysis of Indran Amirthanayagam’s “The City, with Elephants”
A Guiding Star: An Analysis of “To a Star Seen at Twilight” by John Rollin Ridge
By Kelly Keene To a Star Seen at Twilight by John Rollin Ridge is a poem about inspiration. The speaker, a solitary observer, pauses to look at the first star to appear as night begins to fall. Twilight, the last vestige of light before the total dark, blocks out all stars except for the brightest … Continue reading A Guiding Star: An Analysis of “To a Star Seen at Twilight” by John Rollin Ridge
Dear Captain Carter
What would have happened if Lydia Bennet kept in touch with one of her earlier interests, Captain Carter? Today, in my AP English Literature and Composition class, we wrapped up Volume 1 of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Students discussed which characters they liked or didn't like, and we had a quick write that challenged … Continue reading Dear Captain Carter
Kelly Keene 