Penn Press Log

Medieval Monday: Five Myths about Medieval Women and Power

08/27/2012

The Middle Ages isn’t generally thought of as a period friendly to women at all, much less to powerful ones. Still, we’re all familiar with a handful of medieval and early modern women who had extraordinary influence: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabella of Castile, Elizabeth I of England. The subject of my book, Berenguela of Castile, is one of their lesser-known peers. But the focus on women like Berenguela as “exceptions to the rule” has the strange effect of reinforcing old myths about medieval women.

An English Major in the Workforce

08/24/2012

There is one question that is the bane of every hopeful English major’s existence: What are you going to do with that degree? It is not a question at all really, but rather a warning in disguise presuming we will all waste away in a life long attempt to write the next great American novel.

A Publishing Internship Packing List

08/16/2012

Before I began my internship, I hadn’t considered the extremely obvious fact that a lot of paper gets passed around in a press (blame my place in the digital generation). However, even as my fingers have become increasingly shredded, I’ve come to appreciate traditionally printed work more and more.