2017 Projects
Houghton Library Undergraduate/
SHARP Fellows
Mario Menendez ’18
English concentrator Mario took his interest in William Henry Ireland, infamous forger of Shakespeare, to Houghton and experienced the collections in all their glorious wonder. Mario delved deep into the archives to look at journals of W.H. Ireland himself and was inspired to write his forgery of a forgery in the style of 18th century prose. Not only did Mario impress us all with his command of literary style, but he also seamlessly incorporated knowledge mined from the manuscripts and presented his research in a novel way.
Hear Mario talk more about interesting pieces from the archive that inspired him!
Jensen Davis ’20
Pursuing a joint-concentration in History and Women and Gender Studies, Jensen researched the history of the psychedelic movement at Harvard. She examined many overlooked aspects of the collection, including diary entries and the eclectic collages of Professor Timothy Leary of Harvard acclaim. The Ludlow-Santo Domingo collection, which was exhibited in Houghton’s Edison-Newman room this past fall, offered many interesting pieces. Following her summer of research, Jensen also gave a talk in October about the collection.
Hear Jensen talk more about interesting pieces from the archive that inspired her!
Tawanda Mulalu ’20
Joint-concentrator in Philosophy and Physics Tawanda
Hear Tawanda talk more about interesting pieces from the archive that inspired him!
Houghton Library Undergraduate/Book Arts
Fellows at Bow & Arrow Press
Untitled Chapbook by Leon Pan ’18
Leon is an English concentrator who explored the themes of immigration, corporal agency, and cultural identity using the archives for the oral traditions of British and American poets for references. At the Bow & Arrow Press, Leon printed a poetry chapbook of original poems that express the impact of the collection on himself. Find his chapbook in the Houghton Library collection (call number to come!)!
Hear Leon talk more about interesting pieces from the archive that inspired him!
Publishing and Visual Language in Science by Allison Law ’20
Organismic and Evolutionary Biology concentrator Allison researched the intersection between art and science through the lens of scientific publication history. She is fascinated not only by science itself, but also by the way it has been presented to the world through the ages. Houghton kept her busy with its extensive scientific collection, from early modern Christian creationist texts and several editions of Charles Lyell’s Principles of Geology to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Allison printed her own scientific publication at the Bow & Arrow Press, a work of both rigorous academic research and visual creativity.
(call number to come!)
Hear Allison talk more about interesting pieces from the archive that inspired her!
75th Anniversary Fellow
Bookmoss by Devon Guinn ’17
Recent graduate Devon Guinn ‘17 served as Houghton Library’s second 75th Anniversary Fellow. The 75th Anniversary Fellowship, held during Houghton’s anniversary year, funded undergraduate projects that engaged with Houghton collections to promote and open up the library to wider audiences, particularly for Harvard’s undergraduate community. Bookmoss (click here to explore!), is an online interactive fiction game set in Houghton Library. Devon seamlessly integrated Houghton and its collections into his game, giving his readers a sneak peak into the library and the fantastical worlds with its books, manuscripts, and other objects. Bookmoss escapes the conventions of a classic guide. Besides its organic approach to exploration—instead of exhausting its readers, it lets them choose their own paths through the story and, thus, the library—it is a whimsical narrative, a tour not only of Houghton but of many of the stories it holds.
Hear Devon talk more about interesting pieces from the archive that inspired him!