Category: Literature

Experiencing Creole: PCAS/ACAS Day Three

Our third day in New Orleans offered a unique look at the melting pot of Creole culture. Creole, as the name suggests, grew from the city’s status as a global port, blending the best parts of nearly every nation and state, including customs, traditions, and ideas. Today, we took a deeper look at that concept, experiencing the city’s cultural blend with the rest of the world.

History at the National World War II Museum

Written by Robin Houghton

We started our Saturday by taking a taxi to the National World War II Museum, the largest of its kind in the United States. Spanning seven acres, the museum is so expansive that it offers two-day passes to see everything.

Our visit began in the Pacific Theatre, since we were less familiar with that side of the war. Given less attention both during the war and in teaching about it afterward, there was a lot we learned about this area for the first time.

The museum was jam-packed with artifacts, most frequently artillery and an impressive collection of uniforms. We especially found the nurse’s uniforms fascinating!

One thing we found interesting was the Allied strategy of island hopping. After landing in Guadalcanal, the Allied powers devised a strategy to continue advancing in the Pacific by “hopping” over heavily fortified islands — isolating Japanese-occupied islands and moving closer to Japan. This strategy was crucial to the Allied powers’ victory in the Pacific.

Near the end, we found ourselves in a replica of the room Anne Frank and her family stayed in while in hiding. Being able to immerse ourselves in the life of the Franks allowed us to experience the routine they had during their time in hiding.

Although we did not spend the two days needed to explore the museum in its entirety, the National World War II Museum gave us plenty to learn, and even more to be excited for if we come back to New Orleans!

A Look into Society and Film

Written by Ruthie Passmore

Our last session of the weekend was a deep dive into film and how it reflects society. First hearing from Chair Daniel S. Traber about Trainspotting, then Kathleen Hardesty about Social Services as the Villain, and lastly from our very own Professor Mike Yawn, speaking about The Manchurian Candidate.

Daniel Traber opened by evaluating Trainspotting through a lens that captured addiction through layers. He reflected on the film’s portrayal of addiction through a combination of surrealism and realism. This helps contribute to a more overarching theme of addiction, the main character’s drug addiction allowing audiences to draw parallels to alcoholism, nicotine addiction, gambling addiction, interpersonal dependency, and consumerism.

Following Traber’s research on addiction, Kathleen Hardesty presented on the portrayal of social workers in film. She began by studying adoption in film, noting that the language surrounding adoption in these works is usually negative. She observed multiple different children’s films that portray social work in a negative light: Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Despicable Me (2010), Lilo & Stitch (2002), and The Willoughbys (2020). In most of these movies, social workers are being painted as the “bad guys.” Hardesty argues that children’s movies play an important role in the narrative of social work and adoption, and that finding more positive ways to refer to social workers in media may reduce stigmas and biases surrounding adoption and social work.

We might be biased, but saving the best for last, we got to hear from Professor Yawn, who gave a reflection on free will in The Manchurian Candidate. He mentioned the Oresteia Trilogy, arguing that there is a narrative structure similarity between the 1962 film and the Greek tragedy. Justifying this argument requires examining how Orestes, in the Oresteia Trilogy, and Raymond Shaw, in The Manchurian Candidate, both face moral dilemmas that force them to choose between family loyalty and moral responsibility. Like Orestes, who must choose between protecting his mother and avenging his father, Raymon struggles between loyalty to his mother and carrying out her orders to kill for her personal vendetta. Together, these works help display the complex relationship between The Manchurian Candidate and free will.

It was a striking ending to a very insightful conference. The LEAP students all agreed that this session was our favorite.

Blending India and Louisiana at Saffron Nola

Written by Ruthie Passmore

We ended the day by indulging in delicious Indian cuisine at Saffron Nola in uptown, near the Garden District. We started with appetizers: garlic and truffle tandoori naan, breads and spreads, and tandoori squash, which our waiter recommended. We all thoroughly enjoyed the starters, describing them as rich and savory, with a perfect balance of spices.

While waiting for our entrees, we had the delight of speaking with Chef Arvinder Vilkhu, who couldn’t have been kinder. He even shared how his son wrote the business plan for Saffron. After chatting with him about the restaurant and its delicious food, he was nice enough to allow us to take a photo with him.

As for our entrees, we ordered four distinct large plates and two small plates. Allie chose the Duck Confit Masala, Isis opted for the Chicken Biryani, and Robin selected the Pork Vindaloo. Meanwhile, Professor Yawn enjoyed the Curried Seafood Gumbo, Stephanie went with the Homestyle Seafood Bisque, and I tried the Grilled Pepper Steak. I would describe my steak as being juicy, tender, and all-around delectable, especially being soaked in the coconut white Malabar sauce, but every dish was spectacular.

For dessert, we got to try five different dishes: English Bread Pudding, Kiss From a Rose, It’s Not Even Your Birthday Cake, Ginger Creme Brulee, and the Peach Seasonal Ice Cream. Robin and I were particularly fond of the Peach Ice Cream. The flavor was perfectly balanced, subtle and delicate, rather than overwhelming. It was topped with peach chutney, which added a savory and tangy depth to the taste. Others enjoyed the Kiss From a Rose, which included ice cream, vermicelli, rose, and pistachios, describing it as floral, in a good way, but sweet at the same time.

This was the perfect way to wrap up the day. It was such a pleasure to hear from the Chef and gain a little insight into how he started the restaurant and his background. His personal touch and willingness to share a little bit about his story with us made it even more worthwhile.

Conclusion

Throughout our stay, we had the opportunity to learn not only from the conference speakers, but also from the city itself. New Orleans has a way of bringing together different histories, cultures, traditions, and ideas, creating something that feels entirely its own. Our last full day was a fitting reflection of that spirit, leaving us with plenty of new memories, new ideas, and a deeper appreciation for the city and the people who make it what it is.

LEAPing into New Orleans Culture and Cuisine: PCAS/ACAS Conference Day Two

Exploring the Southern Gothic

Written by Ruthie Passmore

We started off the second day strong by attending our first session, which was about Southern Gothic Transformations and Reimaginings; the conversation was led by Chair Stephanie Graves, who was accompanied by Rachel Pittman, Anne Bertram, and Jennie Lightweis-Goff. We got to hear about Appalachian Gothic Cinema, Southern Gothic within social media, a piece discussing the film adaptation of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and research discussing the differences between the three adaptations of Cape Fear.

First, Rachel Pittman presented her paper, “Deep in the Bone,” which explores Gothic themes in Appalachian literature and highlights the region’s historical economic lag. From her findings, I interpreted Appalachia in literature as fundamentally isolated and decaying, a key part of the Southern Gothic. I found it very interesting how literature seems to interact with the culture and folklore of a place with such a rich history.

Anne Bertram then discussed the impact of the Southern Gothic on popular culture. By sharing various TikTok videos, Bertram demonstrated how the genre is depicted online, highlighting artist Ethel Cain and the film Sinners as key reasons why it keeps growing. Additionally, she emphasized the irony that the vast majority of people interested in Southern Gothic online are young, teenage females from Russia, though the genre emphasizes its location in the South United States as a defining feature.

Moving forward, we heard from Jennie Lightweis-Goff, who covered John Berendt’s novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. She noted that the story takes place in Savannah, Georgia, where the main character Jim Williams kills Danny Hansford. Since this novel is based on a true story, it led her to discuss modern true crime, claiming that much of today’s true crime coverage is fraudulent, and that true crime capitalizes on tragedy itself, turning real loss into a profitable trend.

Finally, Chair Stephanie Graves shed light on the three different adaptations of Cape Fear, first examining the 1962 version, moving on to 1991, and lastly the new series that came out in 2026. Across all three iterations, one thing remains constant: Max Cady remains the antagonist. She went on to explain that the differences among the three alter the central Gothic relationship. For instance, in the 1991 movie, Bowden represents Cady as his criminal defense attorney, unlike in the 1962 film, where he is not his attorney. This complicates the conflict in the story, giving Cady a motive for his crime, because in this adaptation, Bowden suppresses evidence that would have been able to lessen Cady’s sentence.

Though I was previously unfamiliar with these works, it was a wonderful opportunity to gain new insights, and I thoroughly enjoyed attending!

Sports & Video Games

Written by Robin Houghton

Isis and I decided to sit in on the panel discussing Games, Fans, and Fandoms for our conference session. Led by chair Vlada Botoric, all three panelists discussed the use of media, mostly video games, in fostering community and culture.

Vlada Botoric began with his presentation on LEGO fan cultures and the concept of peripheral fandom, a term he defined as a subordinated fan community experience, where members are deprived of access to their objects of fandom.
Botoric explained that although material conditions and accessibility of LEGO products affected creativity, across cultures such as Japan and Mexico, they still managed to create unique cultural expressions with LEGO products.

Next, Cheryl Briggs presented on digital communities, particularly through the VR exercise game Supernatural. Supernatural is unique from most exercise media as its VR platform allows the user’s body to produce the experience, rather than simply being a passive participant. The formatting creates a workout experience that turns exercise into play — but it was its multiplayer feature that turned Supernatural into a way to develop community. Briggs detailed how scheduling routines with people through Supernatural also turned the platform into a community of friends that also helped keep her and thousands of users motivated to continue exercising.

Finally, Dr. Tom Attah presented on how culture, particularly of the American South, can be depicted through video games. Using the game South of Midnight, Dr. Attah discussed how, compared to most media, video games turn a cultural witness into a performer of the culture, using the characters as functions to tell a story. Players gain agency when experiencing the cultures represented that could be otherwise inaccessible without the means to travel to those locations. Attah concluded that video games should be treated as a form of cultural expression similar to music or literature. With more and more people regularly playing video games, the cultural impact of the games people consume can no longer be ignored.

We found the session to be an enlightening discussion on the connection between community, video games, and fandom that left us more curious about the ways we connect with individuals and cultures through technology.

Lunch at Cafe Reconcile & Hansen’s Sno-Bliz

Written by Allie Plunk

Following the morning’s sessions, we had time for a little fun and food! We had initially planned to eat at Cafe Reconcile, a restaurant known for its community outreach and internship programs for disadvantaged youth. Facing an hour-long wait, we decided to eat dessert first, and headed to Hansen’s Sno-Bliz!

Hansen’s Sno-Bliz was unlike any snow cone shop we’d been to. The ice that made up the core of the “snow-bliz” was soft and fluffy, almost the texture of ice cream. The flavor choices were unique too, offering selections that ranged from cardamom and ginger cayenne to cream of chocolate and coffee.

We all tried different combinations of flavors, though our favorite was probably Stephanie’s ginger and cardamom snowbliz, topped with condensed milk. Some other delicious combinations were strawberry and chocolate cream, banana and chocolate cream, and cardamom and chocolate cream with ice cream.

After dessert, we headed back to Cafe Reconcile for lunch, where we enjoyed a variety of dishes! I had the Reconcile Cheeseburger, which featured a massive onion ring atop a classic cheeseburger. A few other favorites were the fried chicken, the red beans and rice, and the portobello po’boy.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience and a delicious lunch that allowed us to try new things, as well as twists on familiar favorites.

Experiencing Culture at the New Orleans Museum of Art

Written by Isis Hollis

Following our delicious lunch, we had the opportunity to visit the New Orleans Museum of Art. We were able to explore some of the major forms of art LEAP typically sees, such as impressionism, expressionism, and modernism, in addition to some of Louisiana’s characteristic folk art!

With three floors to explore, we started on the second with Professor Yawn as our guide. Something we don’t see often in the museums we visit is decorative art. Many people know this as Tiffany lamps or floral vases, but we were able to see this in various forms. The Eames chair, most popularly known for its modern look, is one of the many decorative art pieces we saw. One of my favorite decorative art pieces was a Tiffany vase adorned with intricate flowers. It caught my attention specifically for its variety of colors in the glass and its unique shape. Another notable piece was an intricate stair railing by Louis Sullivan, who’s credited with designing the first-ever skyscraper!

Another highlight from the second level was impressionist art. Many of us particularly like the impressionist style and the range of moods that it can encompass. My favorite piece, In the Garden, Giverny by Frederick C. Frieseke, is an American impressionist piece depicting a woman walking through a garden with flowers and a wall of greenery behind her. One of my favorite features was the cool-toned colors and pops of white throughout the painting.

On that same floor were pieces by Jackson Pollock, Picasso, and Monet.

What was perhaps our favorite exhibit was a life-sized cabin titled America, by Will Ryman. Created entirely out of symbols of American industrialization, such as iPhones, bullets, lightbulbs, and even chains, it proved to be an incredibly thought provoking piece that asked us to reflect on the impacts that rapid industrial growth have had on America.

After our guided exploration, we got to view the other parts of the museum on our own! Allie, Ruthie, and I looked at the Asian art, including Japanese, Indian, and Chinese pieces. Allie and I liked many of the Japanese pieces, specifically the Byobu art. Byobu pieces are traditional Japanese folding screens, often painted with intricate landscapes, portraits, or animals.

Overall, the museum strengthened connections between the artists we’ve seen before and gave us a better look into art throughout different times in different parts of the world.

Press Street Train Stop and Heard Dat Kitchen

Written by Allie Plunk

As a conclusion to our busy day, we ordered delicious meals from New Orleans hidden gem Heard Dat Kitchen! While our food was being prepared, we paid a visit to the Press Street Railroad Yards, the site of the train stop made famous withthe arrest of Homer Plessy. This culminated in the court case Plessy v. Ferguson, which established the “separate but equal” ruling that was later overturned by Brown v. Board of Education, 1954. There was a beautiful mural in honor of the amazing steps towards civil equality that have been made over the years, featuring figures like Ruby Bridges.

After our train “pit” stop, we headed over to Heard Dat Kitchen, eager to eat. Sitting outside at tables while we enjoyed our food provided a New Orleans atmosphere that paired well with our meals.

Some of our dinnertime favorites were the creamy Superdome, a blackened fish dish with mashed potatoes and lobster sauce, and the Heard Dat Pasta, a crawfish pasta topped with fried shrimp and green onions.

Following our deliciously seasoned meals, we enjoyed bread pudding, many of us trying it for the first time! The delicious, nutty dessert was well-liked by all the LEAP students and provided an excellent close to an excellent day.

Conclusion

Our second day in New Orleans gave us the opportunity to experience the city from several different perspectives. From exploring Southern Gothic literature and the cultural communities surrounding video games to enjoying New Orleans cuisine and examining art from around the world, we continued to discover how culture can be expressed through many different forms. Each experience gave us something new to consider and helped us better understand the history and creativity of the city around us. After such a busy and exciting day, we are all looking forward to seeing what our next day in NOLA brings!

Presentations, Popular Culture, and Pavlova: PCAS/ACAS Day One

Presenting at PCAS

Written by Allie Plunk

Our first day in New Orleans began late, but with plenty of excitement! I was going to present my paper, Modernism in Billy Collins‘ Poem “Forgetfulness,” at the PCAS/ACAS conference.

As soon as we arrived at the Conference Hotel, I checked in and found the room in which I would present. While waiting for my session to start, fellow presenter Richard Vela introduced himself. He was very friendly and said he was excited to present. A former professor at the University of North Carolina–Pembroke, he was sharing his research on Hispanic poet Julia Alvarez. Though we were supposed to have a third presenter, it ultimately ended up being just the two of us.

Professor Vela acted as Chair for the room, introducing our topics as well as the overall theme of the session: “Poetry and Postmodernisms.” His presentation was first, and his insight into Julia Alvarez was intriguing! I had never read any of her work, but his presentation was well thought out and ended up tying neatly into mine, as we both addressed Postmodern poets and the intersection of memory and identity.

Though there were some technical difficulties that resulted in me being unable to display my slides, I did my best to read my paper as interactively as possible. The lack of slides definitely threw me off, but I was delighted to hear afterward that no one could tell I was bothered!

Following my presentation, we had a brief Q&A, during which we were able to discuss some key features that might not have made their way into our presentations, such as more of the key factors of postmodernism and how they likely affected Alvarez’s work, and the presence of mythology in Collins’ poem.

Overall, it was an incredibly impactful experience, and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to present at my very first academic conference. It was a wonderful opportunity to share my research, meet another scholar, and experience what presenting at an academic conference is actually like. I hope it will be the first of many.

(Professor’s Note: Allie did a wonderful job. Following the session, an attendee came up to me and said, “She has a great future!”)

Exploring Southern Culture at PCAS/ACAS

Written by Ruthie Passmore

After the first session, we moved on to a session discussing Southern Gothic, a theme much covered during this conference. This particular session covered folklore, masculinity, and southern decline, led by Chair Grace Becker, and included presentations by Lauren Butte and Kerbie Addis. All three speakers explored how the region’s anxieties refuse to stay buried, shifting from the monstrous myths of local cryptids to the slow violence of environmental and psychological decay.

Grace Becker opened the floor by interpreting William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury. She gave a depiction of how the novel captures misogyny and toxic masculinity through Jason’s actions in the story, focusing on the femininity and repressed sexuality seen in characters like Caddy and Quentin. I found it interesting to see how these ideas could be explored through the relationships between the characters and the expectations placed on them.

Lauren Butte then began talking about the “Alabama White Thang,” explicating the folklore in a way that was very comprehensible. She explained that sightings began in the early 1900s, with the most recent being August 2026. Being described as anywhere from seven to eight feet tall, white, cat-like, and elusive, the “White Thang” certainly sounded like an intriguing beast. Her presentation showed how folklore can continue to exist and evolve even as the culture surrounding it changes.

Kerbie Addis proceeded to give a brief analysis of literature, cinema, and digital media, exploring Jesmyn Ward’s acclaimed novel Salvage the Bones, the movie Beasts of Southern Wild, and the video game Norco. She focused on the environmental aspects in the Southern Gothic and how this is transcribed across different media platforms. I especially liked seeing how the same concerns can be expressed through different forms of storytelling, rather than being limited to traditional literature.

Shifting to the last session of our day, we got to hear about Vampire Literatures as Decolonizing Practice from three professors from Louisiana State University of New Orleans. The chair and one of the presenters was Lisa Verner, along with colleagues Robin Werner and Elizabeth Lewis, who deconstructed three different texts in an analysis of minority representation in vampire literature.

Robin Werner started by discussing Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and I liked how she focused on the idea of identity in the book. Elizabeth Lewis then talked about The Black Vampyre and shared how her students reacted to it. Lisa Verner wrapped things up by looking at Indigenous literature through Stephen Graham Jones’s The Buffalo Hunter Hunter.

Ultimately, the speakers all shared a common goal: presenting their research, asking for feedback, and ensuring that the books they teach leave a lasting impression on their students. Even though the presentations covered very different subjects, each one demonstrated how literature and other forms of storytelling can be used to examine larger cultural anxieties and give readers new ways of understanding them.

Creole Delights at Arnaud’s

Written by Robin Houghton

Feeling pretty hungry after a busy day at the conference, we visited Arnaud’s, which specializes in Louisiana Creole cuisine. We started boldly with Oysters Arnaud, a collection of baked Oysters: Bienville, Kathryn, Ohan, Rockefeller, and Suzette, as well as Escargots en Casserole—baked snails with a flaky pastry top. The escargot’s earthy taste received mixed reviews; however, the oysters were agreed to be one of the best dishes of the night.

To experience Creole cuisine in its brevity, we chose a wide variety of entrees: a fittingly-shaped Crabmeat Karen, flavorful Chicken and Andouille Gumbo, and a delicious bowl of Turtle Soup. We all loved Arnaud’s savory Crab Cakes, as well as the Shrimp Creole. We even had the opportunity to try Frog Legs Provençale!

For dessert, we had the Chantilly Pavlova, Baked Alaska, and a New Orleans staple: Bananas Foster. The latter two desserts — which were served flamed — were a highlight of our meal. Arnaud’s was a wonderful introduction to Louisiana Creole, and we left full and happy, a satisfying conclusion to our day.

Conclusion

Our first day at PCAS/ACAS was a busy one, but it was also an incredibly rewarding experience. From presenting our own research to listening to scholars discuss poetry, Southern Gothic literature, folklore, and decolonization, we were able to see just how many different perspectives can come together at an academic conference. Beyond the presentations themselves, getting to experience New Orleans added another layer to the day. Between the conference sessions and our exploration of New Orleans, our first day at PCAS/ACAS was a great beginning to what would become an unforgettable conference experience.

LEAP Fall Retreat: The Girl on the Train

Written by: Isis Hollis

During our retreat in Houston, LEAP students and alums visited the Alley  Theatre once again to watch a performance of The Girl on the Train! Based on the bestselling novel by Paula Hawkins and the Dreamworks film adaptation, the play proved to be another memorable addition to LEAP’s theatrical experiences.

The Girl on the Train follows Rachel Watson (Elizabeth Bunch), an alcoholic whose life has begun to unravel following her divorce. One morning, Rachel receives a visit from Detective Gaskill (David Rainey), who informs her that a woman named Megan Hipwell (Emily Neves) has gone missing. Rachel immediately becomes invested in finding her. Although she has never met Megan, Rachel used to see her and her husband from the train each morning and imagine that they lived a perfect, happy life. With Megan now missing, that illusion is shattered, and Rachel becomes determined to uncover what really happened. The list of suspects is long: from a therapist, Dr. Kamal Abdic (Christopher Salazar), to Rachel’s ex-husband Tom Watson (Chris Hutchison) and his new wife, Anna (Michelle Elaine), to Megan’s husband, Scott (Dylan Godwin–an SHSU Alum), to even Rachel herself.

The story takes us through an exciting series of twists and turns, leaving many of us surprised when the mystery finally came to a close. Kayla and Tania were particularly surprised by the ending, while others, like Britlynn, managed to figure out the twist early. Afterward, we had a great discussion about our reactions to the play, and many of us agreed that it had earned a place among our favorite Alley Theatre productions.

The British accents of the characters also caught some of us off guard, especially those who had previously watched Misery at the Alley. Elizabeth Bunch and Chris Hutchison, who played Annie Wilkes and Paul Sheldon in that production, returned as Rachel and Tom. Many of us find the husband-and-wife duo particularly fascinating to watch because they seem to have a knack for playing characters who either despise each other or are completely obsessed with one another—and sometimes both! Their dynamic creates an interesting on-stage chemistry that made their performances especially memorable.

My favorite aspect of the play was the set. I really enjoyed the way that the stage had been designed to move; parts of the stage raising and lowering to reveal or conceal furniture that changed the scenery. They also utilized a catwalk-like structure above the stage to demonstrate the terrace of Megan’s home, which allowed Rachel’s memories to be displayed over the action of scene below. One of Olivia’s favorite parts was how they portrayed the moving train, through lights and set. Towards the end of the play, the technical team even utilized projection to create train tracks that ran across the stage.

Overall, the combination of story, acting, and creative set design made The Girl on the Train a great watch. We are all looking forward to our next opportunity to experience another Alley Theatre production together!

Many thanks to alums who joined us: Ademide Adedokun, Justin and Chelsea Beiser, and Quinn Kobrin–and to Ademide’s friend, Andrea Alexander.

Number One Fans: Misery at the Alley Theatre

Written by: Allie Plunk

On the first day of our LEAP Retreat, LEAP students travelled to the Alley Theatre for a performance of Stephen King’s Misery. To make this event even more memorable, we were joined by several alumni which gave us a group of 19 people!

​The story follows author Paul Sheldon (Chris Hutchinson), who has finally written what he thinks will be his masterpiece when he gets into a car accident that shatters his legs. He is rescued by his self-professed “number one fan,” a woman by the name of Annie Wilkes (Elizabeth Bunch). At first, she acts normal enough, but things very quickly take a turn for the worst. Married in real life, the actors gave a wonderful performance, leaving us wondering how they manage to create such believable characters while still going home together each night. Having just seen the movie a few weeks before, it was very interesting to see the difference in the details and presentation of the story as it was adapted for the stage.

​One of the most striking elements of the play was the set. Split into three distinct parts, the set rotated on a turntable to create a seamless transition between the room where Paul is held captive, the rest of the house, and outside. We were all astonished by the level of detail that went into the set, from the numerous images of Paul Sheldon, to the inclusion of a working staircase. Another practical piece of the performance that we enjoyed were the special effects. We had a good time figuring out how they incorporated stage blood and prosthetics to enhance the gorier elements of the story.

​Having finally finished the Misery trifecta– the novel, movie, and play– I found the differences between the three mediums incredibly striking. The novel contained much more prosaic passages, as well as backstory and lengthened character development, especially for Annie Wilkes, than either the movie or play. The movie, however, shifted and condensed elements of the novel, such as the addiction that Paul develops to the pain medication Annie provides him and his reliance on imagination to endure his captivity, while adding in the perspective of the town Sheriff that is investigating his disappearance. The play retains many of these elements, several lines of dialogue taken directly from the movie, though Annie’s characterization relies on much more of the actor’s discretion, removing much of her backstory entirely. Despite these differences, each preserves the core of the story: the dangerous, disruptive nature of obsession.

​Overall, Misery proved to be a fascinating example of how a story can evolve across different mediums while retaining its central themes. Both entertaining and thought-provoking, it was a memorable highlight of our retreat and gave us a deeper appreciation for the art of adaptation.

Discovering the Dizzying Magic of “Vertigo” at Houston’s River Oaks Theatre

By Brian Aldaco

In classic LEAP fashion current students and LEAP alumni joined forces in Houston for a viewing of one of Hollywood’s most celebrated films, Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. The screening is part of The Summer of Hitchcock, a joint literary venture between Brazos Bookstore and River Oaks Theatre.

As part of this summer project, Houston-area Hitchcock fans are invited to read “The Lady Vanishes,” “Vertigo,” and “Psycho,” and watch the film adaptations directed by the Master of Suspense at the newly re-opened River Oaks Theatre.

With its glistening art deco marquee, this 1939 theatre is nestled on West Grey St. in one of the most emblematic Houston neighborhoods, for which the theatre is named. Following a post-pandemic closure of the theatre, which many Houston area cinephiles feared would be permanent (this writer included), the theater finally re-opened last October. While it retained its screening of classic, contemporary, and independent movies, the interior has been renovated to adapt to the new movie-goer expectations, while also offering seat-side meal service.


For most of the group members that joined us at the showing, it was our first time watching this adaptation of Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac’s French novel “D’entre les morts” (“Among the Dead”). Released in 1958, Vertigo follows a mysterious investigation led by a recently retired San Francisco detective. Tasked by an old college friend to follow his wife who is feared to be obsessively replicating the actions of a mysterious ancestor, the former detective, played by Jimmy Stewart, along with the equally intrigued audience, tour the city of San Francisco while trailing the college friend’s wife, played by Kim Novak.

The film has been widely praised, and in fact, was ranked as the greatest film of all time in a 2012 poll of international film critics (it “slipped” to #2 in 2022). Nonetheless, the craftsmanship managed to impress and surprise. In Hitchcockian fashion, the narrative is told through expertly orchestrated POV and over-the-shoulder shots, evoking a sense of voyeurism of which the movie’s protagonist extensively takes part in throughout his investigation.

The film showcases the costume design of Hollywood legend Edith Head, which complements the equally impressive cinematography of Robert Burkes, whose striking use of color film stock (and color theory), impressive panoramas of San Francisco and San Francisco Bay, and a subjective camera contribute to the film’s beauty and psychological themes.

Such cinematic feats are perhaps most famously illustrated by the “Vertigo Zoom,” engineered by second-unit cameraman Irmin Roberts. Ask by Hitchcock to create a visual metaphor for the protagonist’s vertigo, Roberts used a subjective camera (from Stewart’s perspective) and dollied the camera toward the ground level of a staircase while simultaneously zooming the lens out (or away) from the ground level.

This effect has since been used in countless films, most famously in “Jaws,” “Goodfellas,” and “The Lord of the Rings.”

Vertigo, as with many of Hitchcock’s works, is a testament to the range of emotions that can be transmitted to an audience through stellar acting, a vivid imagination, and plethoric cinematic techniques implemented by an auteur director with a clear vision.

The whole experience reminds the viewer that this piece of cinematic literature deserves contemplation in a proper movie theatre. In the Houston of 2025, Star-Cinema-Grill owned or not, it’s difficult to think of a better site than River Oaks Theatre, and even more difficult to think of a better group of people with whom to see it.

Faith and Childhood in the 20th Century: Insights from Stephen Harrigan

Stephen Harrigan, best-selling novelist and non-fiction author, is a veteran of book-talks. As such, he was able to manage a less-than-smooth moderated discussion of “Sorrowful Mysteries: The Shepherd Children of Fatima and the Fate of the Twentieth Century,” while still providing humor, interesting anecdotes, and his usual graciousness to a full house at First Light Books.

This audience included some impromptu stop-ins by authors Bret Anthony Johnston and Elizabeth Crook, as well as the moderator Sarah Bird, herself a novelist. Following a brief introduction….

…Bird described Harrigan as a “famously moral person,” before asking “an unfair, unanswerable question: ‘on balance, has Catholicism been good or bad for humanity?'”

Harrigan did an admirable job answering the unanswerable. While noting the good and the bad–emphasizing there was a lot of both–he indicated that asking what things would be without religion is something like asking what life would be without the weather. It’s just a part of humanity, even if a person is, like Harrigan, a non-believer.

The strongest parts of the discussion involved Harrigan describing his Catholic upbringing, while drawing parallels to the three Portuguese children who believed they saw the Virgin Mary in Fatima in 1917. Harrigan emphasized how young the children were (they were 7, 9, and 10), noting that they were at impressionable ages.

He tied that to his youth, when he was regularly instructed to “duck and cover” underneath desks, armed with the illusion that such actions could save his life in the event of a nuclear war. Of course, this fear of the apocalypse alternated with soothing lessons of the Virgin Mary’s powers and beneficence. It could be, Harrigan implied, a confusing time.

Mixed in were some discussions that were less relevant to the book. Bird asked not once but twice about the Catholic Church’s “shift to the right,” and she brought her confirmation dress to the event, and she hung it from a speaker at the front of the room.

This prompted an audience member to ask, during the Q & A, whether Ms. Bird “wore underwear with her confirmation dress,” surely one of the stranger questions Harrigan has heard at one of his book discussions.

On this question, Harrigan prudently remained silent. On others, he deftly responded by offering interesting anecdotes, exploring big topics, and mixing the personal with the universal in a manner that is as appealing in person as it is in his writing.