Author: Sparrow

  • the words "Signum Collaboratory" and a logo stylized multi-storey building hopefully full of books!

    A Slow and Secret Poison

    Come read Christopher Lyon’s A Slow and Secret Poison: The Fall of the Roman Republic 146-31 BC, which is Volume I of Legends and Legacies: A History of Europe from the Fall of the Roman Republic to the Fourth Crusade in Seven Volumes.  “A Slow and Secret Poison is the story of the dramatic collapse…


  • Annual Fundraising Campaign, 2025

    All events will be streamed live on Signum University YouTube and Twitch channels. Signum University’s Annual Fundraising Campaign 2025:“Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost” Launch: Thursday 10/30, 9:00 PM Eastern Welcome to the 2025 Annual Fundraising Campaign with giveaways and an entertaining session of “Chance Meetings: A Randomized Literary Discussion” with Corey. LotRO Marathon:…


  • a squirrel on a maple branch

    Pure Delight with Ginger and Pesky

    By Verlyn Flieger Can two cats, a squirrel, a rat, and a tree nourish a flourishing friendship? In Verlyn Flieger’s Ginger and Pesky they can! This collection of short stories, with delightful artwork provided by Jenny Gosselin, explores the companionship and conversations among these unlikely friends, who offer many surprising insights into the deeper realities…


  • A Monarch butterfly resting on the ground.

    Ovid’s Metamorphoses in the Collaboratory

    Lauren Allen’s Ovid’s Metamorphoses: A Student Edition is now starting to appear in the Collaboratory Circulation Library. This will be a long-term project perfect for anyone who wants to take Latin study to the next level. Lauren guides readers through the Latin text, assisting with vocabulary and grammar but allowing readers to read and translate…


  • A gravel path leading through a deciduous woods.

    Searching for Support: Graduate Students & Mental Health

    By Michael Astle A 2022 paper on university students’ use of mental health services analysed 44 studies across 8 countries on 6 continents, yet only 1 of those studies even considered graduate students. While mental health services for undergraduates have significantly improved in recent years, my efforts to find any university with information specifically for…


  • A painting of a crow on a branch in a shady woods.

    New Serial Release from Verlyn Flieger!

    Verlyn Flieger has a new novel in the Collaboratory Circulation Library with the first several chapters available.  Chancer and the Orphan Child: A girl who doesn’t know her name and speaks only in jump-rope rhymes…  A young man washed up from apparently nowhere with no past…  An Inn with more than a hint of magic… …


  • A black graduate cap sitting on top of a red, gold, and black compass.

    Signum Tutorials are OPEN!

    From help with a paper to a mentor’s expertise directing your independent research to a writing coach giving you feedback on your novel, the day has come. Our Tutors have been signing up enthusiastically — so how do you get matched with the right ones?


  • a piece of sky circled by vines with the bottom frame being a naked sword with a young woman facing the sky

    Answering Lucy’s Mythmoot Questions

    By Michael Raymond Astle Once upon a time, not so long ago, Sam was walking the hallowed halls of Signum University when he spied young Lucy. Knowing it was her first year, he thought he’d go chat with her. “Hey Lucy,” said Sam. “Hi,” Lucy replied. “Are you going to Mythmoot this year?” he asked.…


  • A man of European descent is smiling at us and at the sunny summer day around him. His grey beard might suggest a calm and wise demeanor, but those eye-crinkles are all mischief, waiting to drop double and triple entendres on the unwary.

    A Fragmentary Mosaic

    New in the Collaboratory Ordinary people facing an extraordinarily complex world. Christopher Bartlett‘s collection of short stories pull individual lives into focus during times of trouble and triumph. He will add one story each month until the collection is complete — choose this project room with your Collaboratory subscription to read his work and then…


  • Twelve full moons in a teal-ombre sky full of handwritten words.

    Year of the Novel

    Is this the year for your novel? In the Creative Writing sector of SPACE, we conceive of our written work developmentally: Welcome to Launching Your Seedling Story, a series of three modules designed to support writers in the seedling stage of creating a novel. In June, it’s Character and Voice with Christopher Bartlett — click…