Author Archives: Melissa Cox Norris

Join us Nov. 19 for an afternoon of poetry at the next Poetry Stacked event

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The University of Cincinnati Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room announce the next roster of poets for Poetry Stacked, a semi-regular poetry reading series held in the 6th floor east stacks of the Walter C. Langsam Library.

At the next event, scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 4:30pm, three poets will read their original work:



Kim Jacobs-Beck is the author of Luminaries and a chapbook, Torch. Her poems can be seen in Museum of Americana, Great Lakes Review, West Trestle Review, Nixes Mate, Gyroscope, SWWIM, and Apple Valley Review, among other journals. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Milk & Cake Press. Kim is professor of English at UC Clermont College.

Matt Hart is the author of 12 books of poetry, including most recently FALLING FINE: Selected & New Poems. His poems, reviews and essays have appeared or are forthcoming in numerous print and online journals, including American Poetry Review, Big Bell, The Kenyon Review and Poetry, among others. From 1993-2019, he was a co-founder and the editor-in-chief of Forklift, Ohio: A Journal of Poetry, Cooking, & Light Industrial Safety. Currently, he lives in Cincinnati where he plays in the post-punk/indie rock band NEVERNEW and edits, solders, and publishes the poetry journal SOLID STATE.

Bella Gordo is a creative writing student at UC, where she is an intern for Short Vine Literary Journal and the vice president of Cincinnati Poetry Collective. She edits the zine Cincinnati Girlfriend with her roommate in hopes to spread awareness of the revolutionary potential of bug life in the Queen City. 

In addition to reading their poetry, each poet will speak briefly on their experience as an editor.

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New online collection features caricatures of notable scientists

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When William B. Jensen (1948-2024), the Ralph E. Oesper Professor of the History of Chemistry at the University of Cincinnati from 1986-2024, was a student at the University of Madison-Wisconsin taking the History of Chemistry class, he sketched caricatures of the chemists he was learning about. While Aaron Ihde lectured, Jensen would select a chemist and caricature them based on the portraits found in Ihde’s textbook, “The Development of Modern Chemistry” (1964).

Line drawing caricature of Friedrich Wilhelm Ostwald balancing on a delta G-shaped teeter-totter while the sun rises above the mountaintops behind.
Friedrich Wilhelm Ostwald, Baltic German chemist and philosopher. Caricature by Dr. William Jensen, Courtesy Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati Libraries.

Now available online via JSTOR, the UC Libraries online collection contains the 33 original, hand-drawn caricatures of notable chemists and physicists Jensen penned between 1970 and 1974. They are held by the Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry. The collection was scanned and digitized by the UC Libraries Digital Initiatives Team.

Line drawing caricature of Alfred Werner standing in the middle of a giant three-dimensional chemical structure.
Swiss chemist Alfred Werner. Caricature by Dr. William Jensen, Courtesy Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati Libraries.

Throughout the years, Jensen would submit the caricatures to appear in scientific journals and publications, and reported that there was interest in reproducing them on t-shirts, coffee mugs and even an album cover. Jensen eventually published the caricatures in a 2010 booklet, “Chymists: That strange class of of mortals: Caricatures of famous chemists with a few physicists and biologists,” which was recently published digitally.

Upon Jensen’s death in 2024, the collection was acquired by the Oesper Collection in April 2025.

Line drawing caricature of Albert Einstein wearing a sweater that says "E=mc(2)" on the front
Albert Einstein. Caricature by Dr. William Jensen, Courtesy Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati Libraries.

The Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry is a nationally recognized collection of scientific artifacts, books, journals, photos and prints related to the history of chemistry. They are a joint venture of the University of Cincinnati Libraries and the UC Department of Chemistry. They were founded in 1986 by William B. Jensen.

Check out two new exhibits on display in Langsam Library

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Two new exhibits have been installed in the Walter C. Langsam Library.

On display on the 4th floor lobby, Bronson v. Board of Education: Cincinnati Desegregation Efforts in the 1960s and 1970s chronicles the work of project archivist Julianna Witt as she completed the archival processing of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s, Bronson v. Board of Education of the City of Cincinnati records. This collection contains material related to the class-action lawsuit Bronson v. Board from 1974-1984 and consists of legal documents created for court submission and records that originated from the Cincinnati Board of Education. The collection itself, housed in the Archives and Rare Books (ARB) Library, provides a detailed history of race relations in Cincinnati. A finding aid is available for more information.

Last November, the University of Cincinnati Libraries announced the award of an Archives Grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to ARB.

bronson v board of education: Cincinnati desegration efforts in the 1960s and 1970s

On display on the 5th floor lobby is an exhibit promoting The Libraries of UC. The exhibit includes images and descriptions of each of the nine University of Cincinnati Libraries, along with the fan-favorite Triceracopter. A map of the libraries is available for take away at the exhibit.

the libraries of UC. come learn about all nine of our amazing libraries and their spaces

Both exhibits were designed by UC Libraries design co-op student Ashleigh Stout.

Poetry Stacked presents the workshop: Masques & Personas, Thursday, Oct. 30

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Join Poetry Stacked for the fall workshop: Masques & Personas, led by Kristyn Garza, Poetry Stacked alumna and PhD student in poetry at the University of Cincinnati. 

Thursday, Oct. 30, 6:30pm ~ Elliston Poetry Room, 646 Langsam Library

Learn about persona poetry over spooky snacks. Come in a costume and compete to win fun prizes!

poetry stacked workshop flyer

A semi-regular poetry reading series held in the 6th floor east stacks of the Walter C. Langsam Library, the mission of Poetry Stacked is to celebrate poetry and raise awareness of the collections of both UC Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room.

Announcing the Esports Zone @ Langsam

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Available now on the 4th floor of the Walter C. Langsam Library, the Esports Zone @ Langsam includes five computer stations with pre-installed, free-to-play video games. Stations are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Log in with UC credentials to access the full game collection.

esports zone @ langsam

Join us for the Indie VR Games Showcase

Monday, October 27, 2025 ~ 12:30-4pm ~ Esports Zone @ Langsam and Langsam 410

Presented by the UC Game Lab, in collaboration with UC Libraries, and in honor of the new Esports Zone @ Langsam and activities of the Immersive Learning and Emerging Technologies group, the UC Game Lab will showcase some recent and classic indie VR games, with an eye for innovative titles that spark the imagination. Come play or watch others play, and learn more about these new technologies.

Pharmacy Education in the Queen City: Cecil Striker Annual Lecture

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The Henry R. Winkler Center for the Health Professions and the Cecil Striker Society present the Annual Cecil Striker Lecture.

cecil striker lecture

The lecture, “Pharmacy Education in the Queen City: 1850-2025” presented by Dennis B. Worthen, PhD, is in celebration of the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy’s 175th anniversary.

Tuesday, Oct. 14, 5-7pm
Kowalewski Hall Auditorium, room 140

The event is open to all. RSVP by Sept. 30. Can’t attend in person? The lecture will be streamed live via Zoom.

After the event, visit the University of Cincinnati Pharmacy Education exhibit in the Stanley J. Lucas, MD, Board Room in the UC Medical Sciences Building. The exhibit will feature images and artifacts held by the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions. The exhibit will feature biographical information about Dr. Dennis B. Worthen, an 1815 downtown Cincinnati map, the Cincinnati College of Pharmacy Charter and various buildings, the Queen City College of Pharmacy, Cincinnati College of Pharmacy Students, the esteemed Dr. Joseph Kowalewski and information about the College of Pharmacy Cosmetic Science program. The images will be accompanied by pharmaceutical artifacts.

Originally formed in 1976, the Cecil Striker Society for the History of Medicine was called the Medical History Society. One month after its first meeting Dr. Striker died, prompting members to rename the organization the Cecil Striker Society. Its purpose was straightforward: to promote and perpetuate an interest in the history of medicine and all related disciplines in the health care field.

Continued support of the Winkler Center

Dennis B. and Patricia L. Worthen have generously funded an annual travel grant/scholarship (award not to exceed $5000 per year) to underwrite the expenses related to visiting and researching materials held at the University of Cincinnati’s Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions. Located within the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library, the Center is home to over 100 archival collections including those from physicians, scientists, inventors, nurses, pharmacists and artists. Also included are histories of Cincinnati hospitals, the development of medical equipment and/or now-standard protocols, as well as letters and drawings from the Civil War.

The grant will be made to individuals whose permanent address is more than 150 miles from the University.  Applicants who are graduate students, non-tenured faculty and/or independent scholars will be given first consideration.

All travel grants require a scholarly product such as a manuscript or a presentation.

Grants will be administered by a Grant Committee comprised of the Director of the Health Sciences Library, the Archivist/Curator of the Winkler Center and the donors or their proxy.

The 2025/26 call for applications will take place in the fall. Stay tuned!

Read Source, the online newsletter, to learn about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries.

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source

Read Source, the online newsletter, to learn about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries.

In this issue of Source, Liz Kiscaden, dean and university librarian, welcomes Bearcats to campus and we highlight what we did over the summer. We announce a new digital collection, The Daniel S. Young Archives of Medical Illustrations, as well as a collaboration to digitize rare manuscripts. We invite readers to the upcoming Cecil Striker Annual Lecture, “Pharmacy Education in the Queen City,” and to learn more about other Library Events. Chris Platts, assistant professor of art history and frequent collaborator with the Libraries, talks about some of his projects and research interests. And Katie Foran-Mulcahy writes about efforts to re-make the MakerLab in the CECH Library.

Read these articles, as well as past issues, on the website. To receive Source via e-mail, contact melissa.norris@uc.edu to be added to the mailing list.

Langsam exhibit celebrates the past, present and future of the Arlitt Center

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picture from the arlitt exhibit

For 100 years, the Arlitt Center has been a cornerstone of early childhood education, founded as one of the nation’s first laboratory preschools and continuously championing the rights and potential of young children. The center was founded by Ada Hart Arlitt, PhD, University of Cincinnati faculty member and a prominent figure in early childhood psychology and the child study movement.

An exhibit on display on the fourth floor of the Walter C. Langsam Library celebrates the past, present and future of the Arlitt Center. Included in the exhibit are images from the Archives and Rare Books Library and a bibliography of published works by Ada Hart Arlitt.

picture from the arlitt exhibit

The Archives and Rare Books Library holds the Ada Hart Arlitt Papers, containing correspondence related to her professional activities as a faculty member in the Department of Child Care and Training at UC, as well as her involvement with the National Congress of Parents and Teachers. A finding aid about the collection is available.

The exhibit was a collaboration between with Arlitt Center and UC Libraries. Reece Guthier, communication design co-op student, designed the exhibit.

Join us Oct. 1 for Poetry Stacked + open mic!

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The University of Cincinnati Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room announce the next roster of poets for Poetry Stacked. At the event, scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 5pm in the Student Wellness Center located at 480 Steger Student Life Center, three poets will read their original work:

poets Rebecca Lindenberg, Marcus Donaldson and Jo Wallace
  • Rebecca Lindenberg is the author of three books of poems: Love, an Index, The Logan Notebooks, and most recently, Our Splendid Failure to Do the Impossible. She’s the recipient of an NEA literature grant, an Amy Lowell poetry fellowship, an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award, a Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg prize, and has been a fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. She’s a member of the poetry faculty here at the University of Cincinnati where she also serves as Poetry Editor for the Cincinnati Review.  
  • Marcus Donaldson is a writer with a lot of questions. Their work has appeared in The Burr Magazine, The Cincinnati Review’s miCRo Series, and is forthcoming in Oxeye Reader. Marcus lives with their family in Cincinnati, Ohio, and teaches American literature at a local high school.
  • Jo Wallace is a poet from Indiana. She received an MFA from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and she is the editor of Bad Lineage. Her poems appear in Conjunctions, Image, Seneca Review, New American Writing, the Minnesota Review and other places.
student wellness center logo

This special session of Poetry Stacked is a collaboration with UC’s Student Wellness Center and will focus on mental health. It will include an open mic after the initial reading. Those in the UC community interested in reading their original poetry, can sign up to share a 2-3 minute performance of poetry they’ve written about their mental health journey.

The evening will conclude with a reception open to all in attendance.

A semi-regular poetry reading series, the mission of Poetry Stacked is to celebrate poetry and raise awareness of the collections of both UC Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room.

Each reading engages audiences via exposure to contemporary poetry and increases appreciation for both the talents of UC and community poets, as well as for poetry itself. Poetry Stacked is free and open to all to attend. Following each reading, guests are invited to tour the Elliston Poetry Room.

Can’t make it to Poetry Stacks in person? It will be live streamed via the Elliston Poetry Room’s Instagram.