Who's the professor in your neighborhood? It might be Cora Fox.

By Mary Beth Hollmann —  November 26, 2024

The Literature Program Area held their second “Professor in Your Neighborhood” event on Friday, November 15 at the Phoenix Public Library.

Professor Cora Fox, associate professor of English literature and Mary Beth Hollmann, program manager in the literature area, presented “Leviathans, Titans, and Beasts, Oh My!” — a trivia game — for the students in the Phoenix Public Library Teen Program.  

The teens chose and named their teams, "The Goddesses," "The Gorgons," and "The Cyclops Toes," respectively, and worked together to come up with answers to images and text given by Fox. For example, Fox presented an image of Hercules, the Bernini Apollo and Daphne, and text from Shakespeare’s Hamlet referring to Hecuba.  

Teens were treated to a display of mythological books and adaptations found in the library, as well as a booklist for future reading.  

Although the Gorgons won the event (and bragging rights!), all the teams received ASU swag and either Ovid’s "Metamorphoses," or Homer’s "The Odyssey" to begin or continue their journey into the world of mythology.

The ASU “Professor in Your Neighborhood” event brings literature faculty to the community to engage with subjects of interest. At our first event, Professor Melissa Free presented on “The Female Action Hero” at the Tempe Library, prior to their FanCon event. The literature area holds these events at least once a semester.