The University of Cincinnati Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room announce the next roster of poets for Poetry Stacked. Scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 4:30pm in the John Miller Burnam Classics Library, 417 Blegen Library Building, this special edition of Poetry Stacked will feature two poets who will read their original work plus guests from the UC Department of Classics who will read poetry in the original Greek accompanied by an original verse translation of the same poem. The readers are:
Anna Conser, PhD, assistant professor in the UC Classics Department. Her current research seeks to reconstruct and interpret the melodic design of ancient Greek songs, based on the intonation of pitch accents in the lyrics. This work draws on her practical experience as a director, composer and choreographer for productions of ancient drama performed in the original ancient Greek.
Cason Willman, second-year graduate student in the Department of Classics at UC specializing in Greek and Latin Poetry. Cason was drawn to the discipline principally by the poetic beauty of Vergil, Homer, Catullus and many others. Cason earned his undergraduate degree at Case Western Reserve University, during which time he served as vice president of the local revived chapter of Eta Sigma Phi (ΗΣΦ), a position that included organizing Composition Nights in which poets could share their works written in Ancient Greek or Latin. Cason is also an amateur poet in his own right, composing original poetry in English, Ancient Greek and Latin.
Holly Brians Ragusa, writes, speaks and advocates. She authored the true crime survival memoir Met the End, Dying to Know Myself In Time and poetry collections Inverse and Tilt a World. Founder of the Regional Literary Arts organization, Lit Cincy, Holly also serves as president for Ohio Poetry Association and holds leadership roles on other nonprofit boards. Community builder, researcher and storyteller, she is author and strategist for the Riverwalk Cincy App and the accredited Freedom Journey App for Underground Railroad Sites and content along the Southern Ohio River border. A contributor to Psychology Today, The Cincinnati Enquirer and USA Today, Holly champions literary endeavors, dignity, human rights and survivorship and is entrenched in the community.
Eros Livieratos is a Greek-Belizean writer & artist whose work focuses on the intersection of identity, aesthetics and capital in the Anthropocene. Eros has published poetry, fiction, non-fiction, comics, photography and film score work. He can usually be found making harsh noise & screaming in your local basement.
A single part of a symphony can open the door to a world of story-telling. As the CCM Philharmonia presents the music of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 on October 16, 2026, the CCM Library shares the story of the violin I part held in the Theodore Spiering Collection.
The Albino Gorno Memorial / CCM Library Special Collections holds a collection of annotated sheet music that belonged to Theodore Spiering (1871-1925), an American violinist, conductor, and teacher. Spiering studied violin with Henry Schradieck at the College of Music of Cincinnati in the 1880s before moving to Berlin to study with Joseph Joachim. Spiering later performed as concertmaster for the New York Philharmonic under Gustav Mahler from 1909 to 1911 and conducted the final seventeen concerts of 1911 during Mahler’s illness. On January 17 and 20, 1911, the New York Philharmonic performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with Spiering as concertmaster and conducted by Mahler. A highlight of the Theodore Spiering Collection is the violin I part of the symphony, bearing edits and paste-overs of performance markings and notation. While the violin part in the Spiering Collection was evidently not used in the 1911 performances, the background of the marked-up sheet music illuminates a rich snapshot of the symphony’s editorial and performance history.
Page 1 of the Spiering violin I part of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, digitized on JSTOR. Theodore Spiering Collection, Albino Gorno Memorial College-Conservatory of Music Library Special Collections, University of Cincinnati. https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.42074264
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) began composing his fourth symphony in 1899 and completed it during the winter of 1900/1901, though he continued to refine the orchestration of the piece over the next several years. Mahler sent his score of the symphony to the publisher and requested a proof to use during a reading rehearsal with the Vienna Philharmonic in October, as he wanted to hear what it sounded like before it was published. It is not clear if the publishing house also provided proofs of the parts—it is possible the musicians performed from manuscript parts when the symphony was premiered in Munich by the Kaim Orchestra on November 25, 1901. The first edition was engraved and printed by Josef Eberle and published by Ludwig Doblinger in Vienna in December 1901.
Mahler made further edits over the next few years, adding corrections to conducting scores for performances given by Willem Mengelberg in Amsterdam in 1904 and by Richard Wickenhauser in Graz in 1905. In 1910, Mahler transferred publication rights to Universal Edition and sent to the publisher a galley proof with numerous revisions. After Mahler conducted the piece with the New York Philharmonic in January 1911, he sent his final corrections to Universal Edition.
Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 premiered in New York on November 6, 1904, performed by the New York Symphony conducted by Walter Damrosch. Beginning in 1907, Mahler traveled between the U.S. and Europe, spending time in New York each season conducting with the Metropolitan Opera, New York Symphony Orchestra, and New York Philharmonic. Mahler conducted his Symphony No. 4 with the New York Philharmonic in January of 1911, a significant occasion of the composer interpreting his own work with the ensemble.
Timeline of Mahler’s publishing and performance activities surrounding Symphony No. 4, 1900-1911Program of the January 1911 New York Philharmonic performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, conducted by Mahler, with Theodore Spiering as concertmaster. Program ID: 1263. New York Philharmonic Shelby White and Leon Levy Digital Archives. https://archives.nyphil.org/asset-management/2TTUGPT6VOQA?WS=2TTURYF6K50F
For the January 1911 performances, the New York Philharmonic used the 1901 Doblinger first edition orchestral parts, which had been marked up with Mahler’s revisions by Viennese copyist Johann Forstik. Theodore Spiering performed as concertmaster during these January 1911 performances—the violin I part held in the CCM Library Special Collections is also the Doblinger first edition and was also marked up by Forstik, though it evidently does not belong to the New York Philharmonic set of parts. The violin part of the New York Philharmonic set bears annotations not present in the CCM Library Spiering part, including bowings, dynamics, notation edits, and rehearsal letters in blue, red, and graphite pencil. Shortly after the January 1911 New York performances, Mahler fell ill. Spiering took over as conductor of the New York Philharmonic while Mahler traveled back to Vienna, where he died on May 18, 1911.
The Mahler Symphony No. 4 violin I part from the Theodore Spiering Collection has been digitized by the UC Libraries Digital Initiatives Team. It is accessible on JSTOR, along with many other pieces from the Theodore Spiering Collection. Materials in the Theodore Spiering Collection were donated by Lenore Spiering, Theodore Spiering’s daughter.
Landing page of the Theodore Spiering Collection on JSTOR, digitized by the University of Cincinnati Libraries Digital Initiatives Team. https://www.jstor.org/site/uc/spiering
As you explore the revisions and paste-overs, you can compare to a digitized score of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 from the NY Philharmonic Archives, which shows more clearly what was in the score prior to the changes. Image 7 is the cover page of the Doblinger first edition with a note indicating red corrections after Mahler and green corrections after later Universal Edition revisions. You will see significant changes right from the beginning: the Spiering part has a paste-over of “Bedächtig” (deliberately) at m. 1, which is covering the original marking of “Heiter, Bedächtig” (cheerful, deliberately). Imagine the different interpretive ways the music would feel and sound as you explore the revisions!
Top: Score of 1901 Doblinger edition with inked revisions. Mahler, Gustav – SYMPHONY NO. 4 IN G MAJOR – Score. Library ID: 2175. New York Philharmonic Shelby White and Leon Levy Digital Archives. https://archives.nyphil.org/asset-management/2TTUGPYF7IT6?WS=2TTURYFJ1D6S Bottom: Spiering violin I part of Doblinger edition with pasted-over revision. Theodore Spiering Collection, Albino Gorno Memorial College-Conservatory of Music Library Special Collections, University of Cincinnati. https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.42074264
Gustav Mahler, Symphonie Nr. 4 für Sopran-Solo und Orchester, ed. Christian Rudolf Riedel (Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel, 2019).
“Theodore Spiering,” promotional booklet, Theodore Spiering Collection, Albino Gorno Memorial College-Conservatory of Music Library Special Collections, University of Cincinnati.
“Theodore Spiering, Composer, Is Dead,” New York Times, 14 August 1925, p. 13. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times.
James L. Zychowicz, Mahler’s Fourth Symphony (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000).
Read Source, to learn about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the newsletter! To mark the occasion, Source underwent a design refresh to both the graphics and website to herald the publication into the next quarter century.
In this issue of Source, Liz Kiscaden, dean and university librarian, welcomes everyone back to the start of the academic year, while a photo slide show features early outreach activities welcoming Bearcats to campus. And don’t miss a list of Fall Events taking place throughout UC Libraries. The Source @ 25! article talks about some of the changes at UC Libraries documented by Source, and an interview with the Preservation Lab’s Jessica Ebert marks her upcoming 20th anniversary at UC Libraries. A new exhibit on display in the Archives and Rare Books Library explores Cincinnati’s growth and transit transformation from its founding in 1788 to the present day, and the CEAS Library launches a wellness collection. And for those who can’t travel to campus, UC Libraries digital collections are now available via Preservica for viewing online.
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. Happy reading.
At the next event, scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 4:30pm, three poets will read their original work:
Kevin Oberlin is the author of two chapbooks: Steamboat Alley (2022) and Spotlit Girl (2008). His poems have appeared in neat journals like Pilgrimage,Thimble and Dunes Review, as well as in the anthologies Tributaria: Poetry, Prose, and Art Inspired by Tributaries of the Ohio Watershed and Wayfinding: Poetry Celebrating America’s Parks and Public Lands. He is Professor of English at UC Blue Ash College and lives in Moscow, Ohio.
Matt Farley is a poet, educator and warehouse worker living in Southwest Ohio. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Miami University and teaches composition there. His recent work explores labor, class, place and the strange systems and intimacies of working life. He is active in Greater Cincinnati’s literary and community arts scene through readings, workshops, storytelling, and community-based projects. His current poetry project documents life on the warehouse floor.
Leila Chatti is a Tunisian-American poet and author of Wildness Before Something Sublime (Copper Canyon Press, 2025)and Deluge (Copper Canyon Press, 2020), winner of the 2021 Levis Reading Prize, the 2021 Luschei Prize for African Poetry and longlisted for the 2021 PEN Open Book Award, as well as four chapbooks. Her honors include multiple Pushcart Prizes, grants from the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and Cleveland State University, where she was the inaugural Anisfield-Wolf Fellow in Publishing and Writing. Her poems appear in TheNew York Times Magazine, The Nation, The Atlantic, POETRY and elsewhere.
Exhibits highlight the services, collections, places and people of UC Libraries. The newest exhibits on display in the Walter C. Langsam Library showcase chemistry caricatures and open access.
Caricatures in Chemistry: By William B. Jensen
On display on the 5th floor lobby of the library, this exhibit features original, hand-drawn caricatures by Dr. William B. Jensen (1948-2024), Ralph E. Oesper Professor of the History of Chemistry at the University of Cincinnati and curator of the Oesper Collections from 1986 until his passing.
The exhibit was curated by Mark Chalmers, science and engineering librarian and Oesper curator, and was designed by Ashleigh Stout, UC Libraries communication design co-op student.
Available online via JSTOR, the 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. The humor and whimsy captured in the caricatures invite viewers to look a little closer and discover the stories behind the faces.
At the exhibit there are handouts featuring three of the chemists.
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.
Two exhibits on display on the 4th and 5th floor lobbies of the Walter C. Langsam Library feature the work of Cincinnati’s Foodshed: An Art Atlas, a visually stunning and thought-provoking exploration through the past, present and future of the Cincinnati Tristate region’s food economy. The exhibit features timelines and storymaps to celebrate the people, innovations and businesses that have shaped the local food movement.
Food mapping is one way to analyze data and share stories of how the physical environment intersects with the lived experience of food access. The exhibit displays maps created in partnership with neighborhood associations and by walking the area.
The exhibit promotes the availability of UC Libraries Research & Data Services – informationists and librarians that can assist researchers in managing and preserving research data, finding and acquiring external data, and in utilizing GIS techniques and software. People wanting to create their own map or work with spatial data and need assistance, can work with GIS research consultants available to help.
A bibliography of related UC Libraries resources is available for takeout at the exhibit for people who want to learn more about the topics covered in the exhibit.
Cincinnati’s Foodshed: An Art Atlas was written by Alan Wight, PhD. The exhibit was curated by Alan Wight and Amy Koshoffer, assistant director of RDS. It was designed by Reece Guthier, communication design co-op student.
The Langsam exhibits correspond with a similar exhibit on display in the Karl J. Schlachter and Robert A. Deshon Library for Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP). Cincinnati’s Foodshed: Art, Ecology and Community features a selection of works from the book. The exhibit is on display at the entrance to the library.
At the next event, scheduled for Wednesday, April 8 at 4:30pm, Amy Lemmon, UC alumna along with five undergraduate student poets: Madison Crock, Grace Harsh, Nate Murphy, Iris Rokvić and Madeline Schrand.
Amy Lemmon is the author of the poetry collections Saint Nobody (Red Hen Press) and The Miracles (C&R Press) and coauthor, with Denise Duhamel, of the chapbooks ABBA: The Poems (Coconut Books) and Enjoy Hot or Iced: Poems in Conversation and a Conversation (Slapering Hol Press, 2011). Her poems and essays have appeared in The Best American Poetry, Rolling Stone,Prairie Schooner, The Hopkins Review, The Cincinnati Review, The Journal, Marginalia, and many other magazines and anthologies. Recipient of fellowships from the Constance Saltonstall Foundation, Sewanee Writers’ Workshop, and Antioch Writers’ Workshop, Amy is Professor of English at the Fashion Institute of Technology-SUNY, where she teaches writing, literature, and creativity studies. She has performed her poetry widely including the KGB Bar-Lit series, the Montevallo Literary Festival, and the New York Public Library. She lives in Astoria, Queens.
At the next event, scheduled for Wednesday, March 11 at 4pm, three poets will read their original work:
Dr. Taylor Byas, Ph.D. is a Black Chicago native currently living in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her debut full-length, I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times from Soft Skull Press, won the 2023 Maya Angelou Book Award, the 2023 Chicago Review of Books Award in Poetry and the 2024 Ohioana Book Award in Poetry. Her second full-length, Resting Bitch Face (2025), was a September pick for Roxane Gay’s Audacious Book Club. She is represented by Noah Grey Rosenzweig at Triangle House Literary.
Jim Palmarini has been facilitating and participating in public poetry readings for more than 40 years. He currently hosts the Word of Mouth Cincinnati series, now in its 12th year, at Over the Rhine’s MOTR Pub. His work has appeared in numerous journals, online and in print, including Shellys, ClayDrum, Jawbone and For a Better World. His narrative poem, “Welcome to the Reading”, was included in the Fall, 2023 edition of The Cincinnati Review.
Luca Campagnoli is a fourth-year fiction writer and poet majoring in creative writing at the University of Cincinnati. His work is forthcoming or has appeared in Solid State, Mr. Bull and Short Vine Journal. He serves as president of the university’s Writer’s Circle and Poetry Collective. He also works at Household Books, an independent bookstore in Cincinnati.
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.
