Category Archives: Chapter 4

The story of stolpersteine lives on

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

Last week I finally got to writing a blog post I got the idea for back in January from a series of e-mails I exchanged with my archaeology professor Dr. David Gradwohl.  The post looked at the ongoing story about … Continue reading →

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Remembering Anne Frank – How her story lives on long after her death

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

It was 75 years ago this summer that a young Jewish girl named Anne Frank started keeping a diary in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.  During the course of her diary, the teen ager would be forced into hiding in a … Continue reading →

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Amazing Exhibit on Publishing, Luther & Reformation at Minneapolis Institute of Art

Posted on January 10, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

Over Christmas break I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Martin Luther: Art and the Reformation exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art that is showing through January 15th.  While much of the focus of the exhibit is, unsurprisingly, … Continue reading →

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Thinking about W. H. Auden on a morning in early winter

Posted on December 15, 2016 by Ralph Hanson

I have been on sabbatical this semester after stepping down as the department chair and becoming a regular professor.  I’ve been working on a variety of projects this fall – finishing up work on ancillaries for the Sixth Edition of … Continue reading →

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Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Ralph Hanson

What word will the Washington Post use in a story but not in a headline? When Rosie O’Donnell called presidential candidate Donald Trump an “orange anus,” the Washington Post used the word in the story, but called it a “body … Continue reading →

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Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

What’s wrong with a Bloomingdale’s ad that suggests you secretly spike your date’s drink? ‘Cause date rape is always in style, Bloomies… (To be fair, after they got ripped on social media, the store apologized. How do you make money … Continue reading →

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Sex and the News

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

Over the last several weeks sex has been finding its way into the news in a variety of ways.  Here’s a quick summary of a couple of these stories: Duke students object to having Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel  Fun Home on … Continue reading →

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Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Ralph Hanson

What would the Jerk Store say to the Oxford English Dictionary? Quite a bit, actually.  The OED gives us the history of the Jerk Store and other Seinfeld references. What should you watch when you’re done with A Charlie Brown Christmas? … Continue reading →

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When Words Matter

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Ralph Hanson

The words we use matter intensely.  Sometimes they tell others a lot about who we are.  Sometimes when we use the wrong words we hurt people we hadn’t intended to.  And sometimes we don’t have any idea what the actual … Continue reading →

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Advice to Writers

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Ralph Hanson

Ten suggestions for better writing from famous writers:

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