Monday 04 November 2024 I would never teach Elena Kostyuchenko’s (2023) I Love Russia: Reporting from a Lost Country not because it’s a poorly written book. The book is one of the best nonfiction/journalism books I have come across. I refuse to teach it because it’s too well written. The writing is relentless and merciless; […]
Monday 28 October 2024 On Sunday 27 October 2024, I lit a Yahrzeit candle, or Jewish memorial candle for Steve. Yesterday was the first time I ever lit a yahrzeit candle for Steve, let alone for anyone else. Frankly, I didn’t know if I was performing the ceremony correctly; after all, I’m not Jewish. I
A Yahrzeit Candle for Steve Ressler Read More »
Thursday 24 October 24, 2024 Dear Student: Your request for additional literary books and/or movies about World War II and the Holocaust both pleased and frightened me. I interpreted your question for more literature from this era as an optimistic and reassuring evaluation of my teaching about war and genocide studies. However, I was scared
Paliwoda’s World War II And Holocaust Reading And Viewing List Read More »
Monday 14 October 2024 “…. It had taken me seventeen years after her murder to figure out why Politkovskaya matters… when I brought her back to my classrooms in Spring 2023… and now eighteen years, standing in this Fall 2024 classroom, I now understand her significance completely… and precisely right now after staring at this
My Russia File: Why Anna Politkovskaya Still Matters, Part Two Read More »
Monday 07 October 2024 This time last year, I was planning to blog about Anna Politkovskaya. My intention was to inaugurate the release of my blogsite with a big, important—at least to me—written piece. In vain, I was trying to finish constructing the website, aiming for an unreasonable and rushed release. It didn’t happen. The
My Russia File: Why Anna Politkovskaya Still Matters, Part One Read More »
Monday 30 September 2024 “Why should I care about other people’s suffering… ones that I don’t even know? Why?” My student’s question astounded me; for a moment, I didn’t know how to respond. What do you say to such a withering, even cynical question like that one? Did the student see me as a “bleeding
“Professor, Why Should I Care About Other People’s Suffering…?” Read More »
Monday 23 September 2024 Last week after posting my Iceland itinerary, I realized that on 15 September 2023 I was in the process of constructing my website: www.danielpaliwoda.com. On that date, I had uploaded six blogs; however, the other pages on my site were still under construction. I had no prior experience building a
Revisiting This Time Last Year Read More »
Monday 16 September 2024 For those readers who are curious about or interested in using my Iceland itinerary, I have provided below a detailed daily account of activities. I have provided addresses; however, you should bear in mind that address name spellings may vary, depending upon the device you use. For example, if you rent
My Traveler’s Notebook: My Iceland 7-Day Itinerary Read More »
Monday 09 September 2024 My biggest takeaway from my recent, first time-ever Iceland trip is: one week isn’t enough. I was content not driving the entire Ring Road… for the most part. I saw and experienced what my family and I had planned to do. We needed to leave off several other “to die for”
My Traveler’s Notebook: The Icelandic Sagas Read More »
Monday 02 September 2024 Even as an amateur photographer, I’m self-critical of my creative work. Not only do I question whether what I create is any good, I treat photography as seriously as my written work. When I write, I nitpick over a word or phrase to capture precisely my thoughts or moods; similarly, I
My Traveler’s Notebook: The Photographer’s Dilemma Read More »