Alexa, Compose Me a Song
So far, machines are not very good at creating original art, such as pop tunes and short stories. Could it be they’re missing something uniquely human?
Department of English
Ready Student One
English class gets an update with a new kind of “text”
The Wife’s Tale
In her new book, Aida Edemariam shares stories of her grandmother, who survived violence at home – and civil war
At Home in the World
Noor Naga’s work, including her award-winning poem, explores the question of belonging
Allies in Her Corner
U of T faculty and staff had this alum’s back, which enabled her to thrive
The Beauty of Language
Reading Canadian fiction and poetry helps us understand our own experience and that of others
The English of a Millennium Ago
Now at “H,” the Dictionary of Old English aims to define every word from the language’s earliest days
Without a Trace
Rebecca Rosenblum's new novel highlights how a victim’s voice gets lost in tragedy
Literary Detective
Phyllis Grosskurth was one of Canada’s best biographers, and one of University College’s first female English professors
The Enduring Relevance of the Humanities
They open our minds to the world – and the possibilities – around us
Toronto’s Beating Heart
With the Toronto Poetry Map, a U of T English professor and Toronto Public Library unveil a whole new way to view the city
Before Science, There Was… Literature?
Not so long ago, theories about the natural world were often put forth in poems and plays
Canada’s Next Top Author
How a creative-writing program that admits just seven students a year is cultivating the country’s next generation of literary giants
Looking for Bears in High Park
In her new novel, Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer reimagines a strange episode from Ontario’s past
Spectacular
Claire Battershill's new short story collection, Circus, explores the extraordinary
The Play’s the Thing
A PhD student hopes video will spice up Shakespeare for high school readers
In Memoriam: Ernest Sirluck
Renowned Milton scholar spearheaded plan to build Robarts Library
Of Mules and Men
Laura Clarke’s poetry wins her the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award
Literary Songbird
Katherine Larson infuses her study of English with a passion for music to find new meaning in literature
Family History Sleuth
As a genealogical researcher, Kristina Bedford’s work runs the gamut from interpreting 11th-century documents to locating family gravestones
The Single Life
Is ‘one’ really the loneliest number?
Words, by the Numbers
What can a computer reveal about a work of fiction? Plenty, it seems
Literature Junkie
From street art to hip hop, Nick Mount connects English lit to pop culture
At a Loss for Words
Did Alzheimer’s kill crime novelist Agatha Christie?
Poetic Justice
A.F. Moritz takes home the Griffin Prize for The Sentinel
An Animated History
Read about the creators of Superman, Betty Boop, Popeye and other animated characters at rarebit.org
The Memory Keeper
Mingjin Lu is finding connections between early Chinese and Western thought
Life Before Shakespeare
Records of Early English Drama marks milestone at U of T
Making Literary Noise
Award-winning author Rosemary Sullivan to head up master's program in creative writing
A Hero in Her Own Right
Jamaican-born nurse tended to wounded soldiers during the Crimean War
New York Stories
Many early Canadian writers migrated to the U.S.
Analyzing Freud and African Literature
Applying key concepts of Western psychoanalysis to the prose and journalism of Africa
Dramatic Findings
Theatre historians are gathering new information about early British entertainment