Original creation for Epic Threads 2, 2026 by Kate Cofell, Classical Studies, UW
Prose, poetry, and painting from around the world, besides engaging reviews of Nolan’s Odyssey published in Epic Threads 2
For our launch of Epic Threads in fall 2025, we were driven by the vision that engagement with the ancient world should not be confined to the genre of the academic essay but also include storytelling and other forms of artistic expressions – which might themselves inspire conversation, creative thinking, and community. Our dedicated team consisted of Mary Harper (Political Sciences & Classical Studies) and Madelynne Parish (Astrophysics & Classical Studies), both undergraduate students at the time we began our work, supported academically by Dr. Altay Coşkun (Classical Studies) and technically by Priscilla Carmini (Digital Repositories Librarian).
A year later, we coopted Kate Cofell (Classical Studies), one of our student authors who has now also gifted our online journal with new original illustrations. For our second issue, we have received submissions from four continents, which constitute a remarkable collection of diverse forms and voices: short stories, poetry, and visual art draw their audiences deep into the worlds of the ancient Greeks, Romans, or Medieval societies, and so does the new review section.
While the invitation to publish creative work is one from student editors to student authors, we extended the scope for our special review contest that called for critical and engaging discussion of Christopher Nolan’s much anticipated blockbuster The Odyssey, released on 7 July 2026 in the movie theatres around the globe. The thirteen reviews now published in Epic Threads 2 feature perspectives that range from 1st-year undergraduate students to full professors, with a diverse range of subtle observations and personal judgments.
The postscript to Coşkun’s review suggests that “We Classicists are well advised to remember that we are privileged curators of the ancient Greek and Roman tradition, which enables – and obliges – us to help the wider public with its understanding, appreciation, and inspiration, whenever this help is welcomed. We are not the owners of ancient literature or history. ... Everyone who so chooses is entitled to a share of it. Welcome to Epic Threads!”