From the 1923 film, Love, Life and Laughter

How “Talkies” Disrupted Movies for Deaf People

The years of silent films are sometimes described as a "golden era" in the cultural history of the American Deaf community.
A poster for the 175th Anniversary of Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861)

Ukraine’s National Poet

Perhaps no other bard has captured the sentiments of Ukraine and its emigrants as fully as Taras Shevchenko.
From the cover of The Angolite, Volume 25 & 26

Reconciling with Violence through Poetry

A poem in The Angolite reconciles with the lethal violence of prison through creative expression.
Edna St. Vincent Millay, 1913

13 Ways of Looking at Edna St. Vincent Millay

Poet, lover, outspoken political activist. Vincent, in all her complicated glory.
Dance marathon, April 20, 1923

Dance Marathons

In the early twentieth century, dance marathons were an entire industry—and a surprisingly hazardous business.
From the cover of Issues in the Indiana Women’s Prison

Injustice at the Indiana Women’s Prison

Medical neglect, food injustice, and mental health woes serve as the creative inspiration for poetry. Plus, how many days of work does it take to buy a bra?
The cover of issue 4 of Adventures in Poetry

Adventures in Poetry

Published in the East Village from 1968 to 1975, Adventures in Poetry features poems by New York School poets Anne Waldman, Frank O’Hara, John Ashbery, Allen Ginsberg, Bernadette Mayer, and more.
A spread of contraband from Dixon Digest, Volume 18, Issue 2

My Name is Meth

Drugs, drug-themed poetry, and more drugs in the American Prison Newspapers collection.
Jackie Ormes

The Groundbreaking Work of Jackie Ormes

The first Black woman to have a regularly published comic strip, Ormes gave form to the political and social concerns of Black Americans.
Lesya Ukrainka circa 1896

Lesya Ukrainka: Ukraine’s Beloved Writer and Activist

“Lesya Ukrainka” was a carefully considered pseudonym for a writer who left behind a legacy of poems, plays, essays and activism for the Ukrainian language.