*must, ipso facto, half not-bee. Minoan bee-goddess Melissa/Mellona, Wikimedia Commons If you have studied much Egyptian, Greek, or Roman literature, you've probably noticed that the ancient Mediterranean folks loved bees. Like, really loved bees. The earliest evidence of apiculture (bee-keeping) comes from ancient Egypt, circa 2500 BCE, where honey was produced at temples and the... Continue Reading →
Pardon my French, but what a shit storm of a week it's been. The spread and severity of COVID-19 has taken many of us, as individuals and as institutions, by surprise. Here in the Heartland, far from the coasts where infection rates are higher, we thought we'd be insulated for a while. Spoiler alert: we... Continue Reading →
My cohort rejoiced last Spring when all three of us passed our PhD comprehensive exams. We were ABD! We were finally free to read only what we wanted to read! But that joy quickly turned to melancholy as the Fall semester plodded on and we saw each other less and less, each of us immersed... Continue Reading →
If you translate and/or teach ancient literature and/or create original artwork, I have news for you! Here at the University of Iowa, my friend Adrienne Rose has spearheaded the creation of a new journal devoted to literary translations of ancient texts: Ancient Exchanges. Each issue will feature side-by-side English translations and translator's notes, as well... Continue Reading →
It's that time of year again: along with all the delights of holiday treats and festive music and tacky sweaters come awkward conversations with your family and friends who don't know how to ask you how your graduate program is going, but still feel obligated to do so. In an ideal world, Uncle Tim will... Continue Reading →
"Three to five weeks" - originally published 4/13/2011 It is all too easy for graduate students to reach a financial breaking point. No matter our field, we are all overworked and underpaid, even those of us who are lucky enough to be funded with assistantships and covered by university health insurance (thanks, union!). Focusing on... Continue Reading →
It is a truth generally acknowledged that English, as a second language, is both easy and impossible. The simplistic structure and minimal inflection of English make it easy to string together basic sentences without much training or practice. But English is also a mish-mash of different language families, which makes for frequent confusion for learners... Continue Reading →
Sir Edward Poynter, 1907. Lesbia and her Sparrow. Wikimedia Commons. It’s probably about time we talked about who Medea palatina is and why I named this blog for her. Medea palatina is an insulting nickname hurled by Cicero at one of the most fascinating, enigmatic, and notorious women of Roman history, Clodia Metelli, in a... Continue Reading →
It's not easy, but it is possible.
I took a poetry course my freshman year in college that had a profound impact on the way I interact with the written word and with the world around me. Every Fall since that course, as I walk through piles of freshly fallen leaves, I recite Gerard Manley Hopkins in my head; I think of... Continue Reading →
Medea Palatina 