Recently in my course “African American Childhoods” we’ve been reading literature ranging from pre- Harlem Renaissance to earlier work on the black existence in the Jim-Crow South. In Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk my class has been working on this essential idea of “double consciousness.” Inevitably, it wasn’t until I was sitting inContinue reading “W.E.B. DuBois Double Consciousness and Brittany Howard’s One Drop of Three-Fifths”
Author Archives: ellakotsen
Intro to My Own Analysis on William H Whyte’s The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces in Princeton, New Jersey
My college friend had to watch this absolutely stunning 80s film for her cities class and as I viewed these nostalgic and sterile clips I found a complete connection to my own viewership in my hometown of Princeton, NJ. All though there are a lot of public small spaces in Princeton similar to the onesContinue reading “Intro to My Own Analysis on William H Whyte’s The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces in Princeton, New Jersey”
Swan’s Island
One of my favorite movies of all time undoubtedly has to be Moonrise Kingdom by Wes Anderson. It’s the kind of movie where no matter how many times I drink in its scenes soaked in a yellow tint of childhood nostalgia and accompanied by a soundtrack you absorbed from your grandma’s record player- no matterContinue reading “Swan’s Island”
Midwestern Marx Publication: Delimited Spaces in Marxist Revolutions
Delimited Spaces in Marxist Revolutions. By: Ella Kotsen A piece I wrote for Midwestern Marx was recently just published. I would love if my readers here at SDS went and checked it out.
My Home
I’ve written fairly extensively on this idea of “home”. Between my reflection on voluntary and involuntary spaces in Laura Ingalls Wilder books, my take on houselessness during the covid19 pandemic in a response to an article published by N+1 “No Shelter”, in my own novel’s premise is an examination of the feeling of belonging, and myContinue reading “My Home”
Doomed Love for Queer Youth
(or mostly) Having a crush in high school is already hard enough. Add a layer of compulsive heterosexuality and a drop for one’s inability to safely be out and a perfect creation of doomed queer relationships arises from the ashes. This is the hardest and most vulnerable piece I’ve written for my blog, so bearContinue reading “Doomed Love for Queer Youth”
Miss Rumphius and Reflecting on the Violence and Romanticization of Childhood Stories and Memories
I’ve had the privilege of academically diving into the idea of recognizing the violence in so many of our most beloved childhood stories at Bryn Mawr College. In some of my English classes, we’ve analyzed the works of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Lucy Maud Montgomery, all three Brontë sisters. Now outside of my usual academic setting,Continue reading “Miss Rumphius and Reflecting on the Violence and Romanticization of Childhood Stories and Memories”
Writing (His)Stories as They Happen
In the same way that we see history as the study of the past, I sometimes wonder about the ability to tell stories without later reflection. If we can think so intensely and fondly of memory does that mean that in the moment, while the action was taking place, an equal relationship occurred? Or perhapsContinue reading “Writing (His)Stories as They Happen”
The Lighthouse Guided Me to Shore: My Adventure Coming to Bass Harbor, Maine
The day after I finished finals I had a dream about a lighthouse. When I woke up, having nothing immediate to do for the first time in forever, I decided to look up some lighthouses on the east coast. Maine in particular always struck my fancy, as my Mom is from a tiny island offContinue reading “The Lighthouse Guided Me to Shore: My Adventure Coming to Bass Harbor, Maine”
A Tide of Rainbow Rolls In: NYC Pride 2021
I was skeptical of this whole “going to Pride” thing. As an out lesbian, who, usually identifies as female and loves an androgynous presentation (but) despises the idea of identifying anywhere close to maleness (I guess lets to just say I’m an androgynous woman who uses she/they pronouns)… Anyway, I’ve always been a little bitContinue reading “A Tide of Rainbow Rolls In: NYC Pride 2021”
