Author Archives: palquist

Boston Exhibit: Unauthorized Shakespeare

Posted in Books, Boston, Events by

To commemorate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death the Boston Public Library is holding a “season of Shakespeare” with various exhibits, classes, book discussions, lectures, film series, and more! I ran across one of the main exhibitions this past weekend. The exhibit, Shakespeare Unauthorized, “pulls back the curtain on four hundred years of adaptation, collaboration, and deception and exposes the many layers of mystery surrounding the life and work of William Shakespeare.” The exhibit was incredible, featuring most importantly rare editions of Shakespeare’s work (including a first folio!)  The exhibit is on display until March 31st, 2017.  Want to see a full listing of the exhibits and events? It’s available here. Enjoy!

 

Literary New England

Posted in Books, Travel by

I loved visiting Edith Wharton’s home, The Mount, and as promised here are some equally cool literary landmarks in my loose definition of New England. There are so many others in the Northeast and all over the country and world. Check out this list from Flavorwire.

Mark Twain’s House and Museum in Hartford, CT

Herman Melville’s grave in Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY

Emily Dickinson’s House and Museum in Amherst, MA

The Mount: Edith Wharton’s House and Museum in Lenox, MA

The Scribner Building and Charles Scribner’s Sons Building in New York, NY

H.P. Lovecraft’s Providence in Providence, RI

Walden Pond in Concord, MA

Washington Irving’s grave in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, NY

Edith Wharton’s Home: The Mount

Posted in Books, Boston, Travel by

Drove out to the Berkshires a couple weeks ago to visit The Mount! The Mount is a turn-of-the-century home, designed and built by author Edith Wharton in 1902. It’s now a National Historic Landmark and cultural center that celebrates the life and legacy of Wharton. It’s a gorgeously maintained estate and house and I learned so much that I hadn’t previously known about Wharton―particularly her humanitarian efforts during the war and her widely varied interests (the grounds, gardens, and house were all designed by her.) Stay tuned for a post about more literary trips around New England!

“Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was born into a tightly controlled society at a time when women were discouraged from achieving anything beyond a proper marriage. Wharton broke through these strictures to become one of America’s greatest writers. Author of The Age of Innocence, Ethan Frome, and The House of Mirth, she wrote over 40 books in 40 years, including authoritative works on architecture, gardens, interior design, and travel. She was the first woman awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Yale University, and a full membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters.”

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Korean Food Cooking Adventures

Posted in Books, Food by

There’s nothing I love more when the weather gets colder than sour, spicy Korean food. I’ve always been daunted by the host of unfamiliar ingredients and lack of recipe books specifically for Korean food but I really sense a change in the winds, with resources like Maangchi (both her videos and her beautiful cookbook) and Korean grocery stores popping up it’s never been easier to make Korean food at home. I thought I’d give it a try!

First things first, Maangchi—this woman is so incredibly knowledgeable and her videos on YouTube are fun. Her cookbook, published by HMH, is a great resource in combination with the videos and it’s beautifully produced. I’ve recently made two of my favorite Korean recipes, kimchi jigae (kimchi stew) and pork bulgogi (a spicy stir fried pork that I love to eat with rice and tofu.) I’ve included links to those videos and see the pics below!

Looking for advice to try it on your own? Make sure you get the right kind of kimchi. The first time I made the kimchi stew I mistakenly used fresh kimchi that I purchased at H Mart in Cambridge. It was a great stew but it lost that deep, rich, sour taste because my kimchi hadn’t been properly fermented.  Now you can buy kimchi that’s been fermented or just buy the fresh kimchi and stick it in the fridge for a week or more until it starts to smell sour. Comment with any questions!

 

 

Review: Allegheny Front by Matthew Neill Null

Posted in Books, Reviews by

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Review: Allegheny Front by Matthew Neill Null 

I have not been able to get this startling collection of short stories from Matthew Neill Null, published by the new-to-me Sarabande Press, out of my head since reading it two weeks ago. Allegheny Front is dedicated For the animals and many of the stories “pivot on fraught interactions between humans and animals” and the wilderness of rural West Virginia, where the author is from. Electric Literature posted this amazing interview with Matthew Neill Null that really enhanced my reading of the collection. You can find it here. In the interview, the author discusses how he starts his story with a specific image and you can really see these haunting images as you read each story.

“My stories are image-driven. I begin with visions that come floating up from my subconscious.  In the case of ‘Something You Can’t Live Without,’ the cave=bear’s skull imbedded in the rock, the man rubbing blood off his neck with a neck-tie, the shrieking cloud of passenger pigeons, and the twin boys holding dead foxes, one red, one gray. In ‘Mates,’ for instance, I saw the eagle nailed to the barn siding like an emblem . . .”

Boston Foodie: Best Ramen in Town

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Isn’t it beautiful? It’s the Tan Tan ramen from Ganko Ittetsu Ramen in Brookline. So, technically it’s not Boston but hey greater Boston area. Ganko Ittetsu serves Sapporo style ramen which is special because it’s made directly in the wok—giving it a deeper, richer flavor. They serve three different kinds of ramen, the Tan Tan which is a spicy sesame ramen, and a miso and a shoyu ramen. The noodles are really the star of the show, they’re chewy and fresh and unlike any other ramen noodle I’ve ever had.