Universal Languages</h1> <article> <h1>Universal Languages</h1> <p>eburnett — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 20:06:20 +0000</p> <span>Universal Languages</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-07-06T16:06:20-04:00" title="Thursday, July 6, 2023 - 16:06">Thu, 07/06/2023 - 16:06</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Kenji Anderson grew up around native Japanese speakers. His mother is Japanese, and when his family visited his grandparents in Japan, he would pick up words and phrases along the way. But it was his Japanese classes at 91ֱ�� that expanded his knowledge and fueled his passion for the country’s language and culture.</p> <p>As a <a href="https://piaweb.princeton.edu/">Princeton in Asia</a> teaching fellow, Anderson looks forward to strengthening his language skills and immersing himself in the local community of Yakage, a town in the Okayama prefecture, which will be his home base for at least the next year. As a fellow, Anderson, who departed for Japan on June 19, teaches English in local preschools and provides administrative support to the Yakage Town Hall.</p> <p>“One of the really great things about Princeton in Asia is the focus on community,” he says: “Both the community of the other fellows, but in particular, the community that you’re entering into, because we have specific roles and specific jobs cut out for us in the community.”</p> <p>Anderson, a 2022 91ֱ�� grad who studied <a href="/node/3441">English</a> and <a href="/node/24141">piano performance</a>, also pursued his interest in <a href="/node/388191">Japanese culture and language</a> through his classes and social ties on campus. He credits an East Asian studies course on fantasy in Japanese literature and movies for sparking his interest in the subject.</p> <p>“I’ve always been really interested in living in Japan,” he says. “Over my time at 91ֱ��, my general interest in Japan became combined with my interest in English and literature.”</p> <p>Anderson also took several Japanese language courses. “It was a cool way to really work on a skill that I grew up around. It was also great to have the language-learning process <em>defamiliarized</em> to me.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Kenji Anderson came to 91ֱ�� to study English and piano—and left with a deepened love of Japan.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2023-07-13T12:00:00Z">Thu, 07/13/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Brittany Moseley</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2357">Double Degree Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2391">Languages & Literatures</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=29541">Piano</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25336">East Asian Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/keyboard-studies" hreflang="und">Keyboard Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/east-asian-studies" hreflang="und">East Asian Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">In addition to his studies toward a double degree, Kenji Anderson fueled his fascination for Japanese culture through 91ֱ�� courses and social events.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">courtesy of Kenji Anderson</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-flex-content field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden vertical-spacing--basic field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-32097" class="paragraph paragraph--type--pb-el-bq paragraph--view-mode--default"> <blockquote class="blockquote--quotemark" data-text-color-red data-text-size-giant> <p>91ֱ��’s <a href="/node/24686">Double Degree Program</a> was definitely what drew me in. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to study in the college coming in, so I landed on the English major, which was also one of the best gifts of 91ֱ��.”</p> </blockquote> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-27745" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-copy paragraph--view-mode--default o-flex--basic-copy basic-copy"> <p>Anderson grew up in “a pretty musical household” in Emporia, Kansas. He began taking piano lessons at an early age and went on to learn the violin. For a while, he considered life as an opera singer. When it came time to apply for college, he was interested in studying at a conservatory, but also wanted to attend a school that was academically strong. For him, 91ֱ�� was the perfect fit.</p> <p>“91ֱ��’s <a href="/node/24686">Double Degree Program</a> was definitely what drew me in,” he says. “I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to study in the college coming in, so I landed on the English major, which was also one of the best gifts of 91ֱ��.”</p> <p>Anderson sees a connection between his chosen majors. Without even realizing it, he invokes musical references when talking about his English major (“Texts are a great instrument for learning about life generally,” he says at one point). He even conjoined them for his English honors thesis: a musical literary analysis on opera, which focused on the art form’s text.</p> <p>Outside of his coursework, Anderson was involved with the Japanese Student Association, which celebrates traditional and contemporary Japanese culture through events held throughout the school year. Early on, he also worked with Ballet 91ֱ�� in a musical capacity and contributed to the student newspaper the <em>91ֱ�� Review</em> as well as the student-run literary publication <em>Wilder Voice</em>.</p> <p>Anderson admits that 91ֱ��’s close-knit campus community—roughly 2,900 students pursuing studies across the college and conservatory—was a surprise at first. In time, that very dynamic became a highlight of his experience here. “By the end, it’s really nice, because you can’t get too wrapped up in your own world,” he says. “You run into people so you’re pulled back into the community. That’s a really valuable experience I had at 91ֱ��.”</p> <hr> <p><em>Founded in 1898 and affiliated with Princeton University, Princeton in Asia is dedicated to promoting appreciation and cross-cultural understanding between the U.S. and Asia.</em></p> </div> </div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Richard Powers to Deliver Commencement Address to Class of 2023</h1> <p>eburnett — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 16:49:25 +0000</p> <span>Richard Powers to Deliver Commencement Address to Class of 2023</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-04-17T12:49:25-04:00" title="Monday, April 17, 2023 - 12:49">Mon, 04/17/2023 - 12:49</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Richard Powers, author of 13 novels, polymath, and celebrated tree whisperer, will deliver the keynote address for 91ֱ��’s Commencement ceremony honoring the Class of 2023 on Monday, May 22.</p> <p>Powers’ compelling, genre-busting writings on environmentalism, music, diversity, and the implications of technological innovation have received praise and recognition from readers and reviewers alike.</p> <p>His novel <em>The Echo Maker</em> won the National Book Award in 2006. Powers is the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius Grant” and the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for <em>The Overstory</em>—“the best novel ever written about trees, and really, just one of the best novels, period,” in the words of author Ann Patchett.</p> <p>“Trees used to talk to people all the time,” Powers wrote in <em>The Overstory</em>. “Sane people used to hear them.”</p> <p>Fans of the cerebral bestseller, an epic spanning generations that challenges the primacy of humans in life and literature, include Barack Obama. “It changed how I thought about the earth and our place in it,” the former President told the <em>New York Times</em>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.richardpowers.net/category/novel/">Powers’ work</a> makes him an especially apt choice to address 91ֱ��’s 2023 graduating class, says <a href="/node/365211">Valerie Hotchkiss</a>, the Azariah S. Root Director of Libraries and professor of English and book studies at 91ֱ��. “The themes he deals with are so central to values that 91ֱ�� holds—namely, the conundrum of living responsibly in the modern world and the importance of the humanities and humanity in our struggle to do so.”</p> <p>Like so many 91ֱ�� alumni, Powers has many talents. An accomplished student of vocal music, he trained in the cello and also plays guitar, clarinet, and saxophone.</p> <p>Powers was born in Evanston, Illinois. A voracious reader—he devoured Darwin’s <em>The Voyage of the Beagle</em> in fourth grade—he believed he was “destined to become a scientist.”</p> <p>He enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study physics, but a charismatic teacher convinced him that literature was “the perfect place for someone who wanted the aerial view,” Powers has said. He switched his major to English and earned two degrees in the subject.</p> <p>He quit his day job as a computer programmer to write his first novel, <em>Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance</em>. “I thought, <em>I’m going to put everything that I know in this book, because I’m never going to get another shot at this,</em>” Powers has said. “Afterwards, I figured I’d have to go back and do jobs that people are willing to pay for.” The critical reception persuaded him he could make a living as a writer.</p> <p>Powers joins a list of notable authors to visit campus as 91ֱ�� Commencement speakers, among them Robert Frost (1937), Alex Haley (1976), Maya Angelou (1983), and David Sedaris (2018). He will also be awarded an honorary doctor of humanities degree.</p> <p>The address will be <a href="/commencement">livestreamed</a> as part of Commencement weekend festivities.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Prolific, Pulitzer Prize-winning author celebrated for his thoughtful explorations of humanity’s place in the world.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2023-04-17T12:00:00Z">Mon, 04/17/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Office of Communications</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3152">Commencement</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2366">Guest Artists & Speakers</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25316">Comparative Literature</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25326">Creative Writing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/valerie-hotchkiss" hreflang="und">Valerie Hotchkiss</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/comparative-literature" hreflang="und">Comparative Literature</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/creative-writing" hreflang="und">Creative Writing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">courtesy of Richard Powers</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Arman Luczkow Receives Fulbright to Taiwan</h1> <p>anagy — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 20:06:14 +0000</p> <span>Arman Luczkow Receives Fulbright to Taiwan</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-06-03T16:06:14-04:00" title="Friday, June 3, 2022 - 16:06">Fri, 06/03/2022 - 16:06</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Spring graduate Arman Luczkow will combine his interests in teaching and East Asian culture with a desire to improve his knowledge of Mandarin as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Taiwan. </p> <p>Luczkow will be placed in the school system in Chiayi, Taiwan, beginning this August. He plans to spend his Fulbright year exploring as much of Taiwan as possible and learning from his students. </p> <p>A <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/politics">politics</a> and <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english">English</a> major with an <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/east-asian-studies">East Asian studies</a> minor and <a href="/international-affairs">international studies</a> concentration, Luczkow studied Mandarin at 91ֱ�� for one year, and he hopes to develop his language skills further in Taiwan. </p> <p>“My time at 91ֱ�� has always encouraged me to try many different things, and I can truly say I’ve been a part of all of the groups and projects that I have wanted to,” says Luczkow, who is a resident of Hastings on Hudson, New York. “In Taiwan, I’m hoping to embrace this same 91ֱ�� mentality of not shying away from new experiences, even if that can be a little uncomfortable at first.”</p> <p>In the summer before his sophomore year, Luczkow studied away at the National University of Singapore with a scholarship from the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There, he took courses on public health in Asia and economic development in East Asia. </p> <p>“My mother grew up in Singapore and my grandfather still lives there, so I stayed with him. After that trip and the courses I took there, I knew I wanted to live and learn in Asia again after graduation.”</p> <p>At 91ֱ��, Luczkow has been engaged in a variety of leadership and service roles: as a member of 91ֱ�� Student Senate, he was chair of student life, health and wellness, and disability equity working groups; he was a member of the Student Finance Committee; he was founder and co-chair of the Multiracial Students Association; he served as president and vice president of the 91ֱ�� College Fencing Team and led a fencing <a href="https://oberlinexco.org/">ExCo</a> for five semesters. He also held positions with the <em>91ֱ�� Review</em> student newspaper for two years.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-left"> <figcaption>Luczkow was a teaching assistant for Professor of Writing and Communication Laurie McMillin. Photo by Tanya Rosen-Jones '97</figcaption> </figure> <p>In the classroom, Luczkow was a politics research assistant to Assistant Professor of Politics and comparative American studies <a href="/jenny-garcia">Jenny Garcia</a>, and he worked in the Writing and Speaking Center as a Course Writing Associate and Speaking Associate. In the 2019-2020 academic year, he was selected to the <a href="/career/set/obs">Ashby Business Scholars</a> cohort. </p> <p>Through all of these experiences, Luczkow says he has learned how to work in a community: “listening, sharing ideas, and valuing varied positionalities. I think these skills will be especially valuable.”</p> <p>Luczkow’s current post-graduate goals include law school or pursuing a master’s in international studies from an institution in Taiwan or China. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Luczkow has studied English, East Asian studies and international studies at 91ֱ��.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2022-06-07T12:00:00Z">Tue, 06/07/2022 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2363">Academics & Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2391">Languages & Literatures</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2377">Arts & Humanities</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25451">Writing and Communication</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=245971">International Affairs</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25416">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25336">East Asian Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/laurie-mcmillin" hreflang="und">Laurie Hovell McMillin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/jenny-garcia" hreflang="und">Jenny Garcia</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/politics" hreflang="und">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/east-asian-studies" hreflang="und">East Asian Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Arman Luczkow is a 2022 Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Taiwan.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tanya Rosen-Jones '97</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>From Preschool to Star Wars</h1> <p>eburnett — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 17:25:04 +0000</p> <span>From Preschool to Star Wars</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-06-17T13:25:04-04:00" title="Thursday, June 17, 2021 - 13:25">Thu, 06/17/2021 - 13:25</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>There’s more than one way to be a singer, and nobody knows it better than <a href="https://www.adriana-manfredi.com/">Adriana Manfredi ’01</a>. A mezzo-soprano and music educator who sings with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the Los Angeles Opera Chorus, Manfredi has used the skills she learned at 91ֱ�� to create a unique career that marries her interests in performance and teaching.</p> <p>“91ֱ�� was my dream school. It truly was,” Manfredi says. “I started as a pianist, and my mom put me in musical theater because I was a shy kid. I came in as a double-degree transfer student—so I was there for four years and walked out with two degrees.”</p> <p>Originally from the Los Angeles area, Manfredi majored in English and music education, with a voice concentration. “91ֱ�� was the best-quality school I could find where I could do both. The quality of conservatory classes is very <em>academic</em> in what they ask you to do, and write, and think, and how to make connections. They’re really asking you to put together big ideas; it’s not just about creating great performers. It all works together.”</p> <p>During her final year at 91ֱ��, Manfredi wrote an interdisciplinary thesis on choral settings of Song of Songs, a section of the Old Testament that centers on two lovers. She is quick to note how the project influenced the work she does today with the Master Chorale.</p> <p>“Researching and writing my thesis really informed how I think about being a singer,” she says. “Now I'm able to really analyze the text of an art song or aria: how the text informs the harmonies, how deeply the composer is thinking about the partnership, how to find out the story of the work. The piece informs itself. I find that when I go into new musical projects, it’s really exciting to just dig deep in talking about this poetry. I use my English degree all the time, working with text. As singers, we have to!”</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>courtesy Adriana Manfredi</figcaption> </figure> <p>After graduating, Manfredi moved back to Southern California, where her work has included a 12-year tenure as a vocal arts instructor at the Orange County School of the Arts, cofounding an early childhood music collective, and performing with the L.A. Master Chorale and Opera Chorus.</p> <p>The welcome surprise? The Obies she finds along the way.</p> <p>“Really, Obies maintain friendships our whole lives from that time at 91ֱ��. I made friends with Stefan Grube ’03. He went to both 91ֱ�� High School and 91ֱ�� College, ended up coming out to L.A. for the movie industry, and 10 or 15 years later, he’s working for J.J. Abrams, got to work on <em>The Force Awakens</em>, had a cameo, and then he got to edit <em>Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker</em>. Now he and his wife are godparents to my oldest son, Gio.</p> <p>“When Stefan edited <em>Rise of Skywalker</em>, I was singing on episodes eight and nine with the L.A. Master Chorale. It was the last thing John Williams conducted before he retired, so at the last session they had champagne, a big celebration for him. Stefan was in the booth with J.J. Abrams, and he knew I was going to be there, so we both came out at break and were looking at each other like <em>Whoa</em>. There were no pictures, but we were just like…<em>Pretty cool</em>.”</p> <p>Manfredi’s other credits as a session singer—a singer hired specifically for recording sessions—include the films <em>Frozen</em>, <em>Minions</em>, and <em>Big Hero 6</em>.</p> <p>In February 2020, mere weeks before COVID-19 shut down the world, Manfredi and the L.A. Master Chorale took part in the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s sessions for the recording <em>Complete Symphonies of Charles Ives</em>. It went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance, and Manfredi can be heard on the first and fourth movements of Ives’ Fourth Symphony.</p> <p>"Being a part of the Ives recording was such a thrill,” she says today. “The chorus part comes right at the end of the last movement, just a simple hymn tune, but of course it is what was so dear to Ives. So it’s a special moment to be included."</p> <p>When the pandemic hit, Manfredi and the chorale were in Auckland, New Zealand, at the Auckland Arts Festival, for the Peter Sellars production of Orlando di Lasso’s <em>Lagrime di San Pietro</em>. The work narrates the seven stages of grief St. Peter experienced after disavowing Jesus before his crucifixion. Originally created in 2016, the production has since toured the world, including performances at the Salzburg Festival in Austria, Festival Internacional Cervantino in Guanajuato, Mexico, and the Barbican Centre in London.</p> <p>“The piece is about the expressions of this incredibly human moment, and it’s what Peter does so well—bringing out the humanity of the text. It’s really a hybrid form: It’s very operatic, but we’re singing Renaissance tone. We’re all trained opera singers, but we all have to be versatile singers. What’s super-exciting is that the staging is so physical. We’re rolling on the ground, we’re throwing ourselves on the ground, running all over the place. It’s very extreme, physically; I ended up going back to train in dance just to keep being nimble. We all reinvigorated our physical routines.</p> <p>“It was a huge challenge, but we’re so excited to get back to it!”</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Adriana Manfredi teaches a Music Play session with son Octavio. (photo courtesy of Adriana Manfredi)</figcaption> </figure> <p>These days, Manfredi is focused on <a href="https://linktr.ee/inspiredmusicplay">Inspired Music Play</a>, an early childhood music education collective she cofounded with Kate Richards Geller, a music therapist and vocal improviser. The group promotes music education for the “little-littles,” as Manfredi calls them—children ages 6 and under.</p> <p>“Any kid who studies an instrument, you bet they had musical experiences when they were 0 to 6. It doesn’t just start when you go to first grade. It’s also that play and interactive element, rather than just<em> Oh, we play the classical music station in the background</em>. That’s stage one. It’s more <em>Hey, we’re going to improv warm-ups!</em> To just have that vocabulary. That play vocabulary, that improv vocabulary. And then the movement vocabulary. It’s all related to brain function, but it also lays the foundation for wherever they’re going to go in their artistic lives, and just their lives to begin with.”</p> <p>This understanding of music as a lifelong pursuit shapes Manfredi’s advice for young singers.</p> <p>“Know that your musicality is for your whole life, and you’re just beginning on your path,” she says. “Don’t talk yourself out of anything. If you feel moved to do something, there’s going to be a path for you. And there will be connections back to your 91ֱ�� experience that you won’t even see until decades down the road, or when you become a parent, or when you get a really cool job and you see another Obie there.</p> <p>“The 91ֱ�� experience is not finite at all. It’s planting seeds for the rest of your life.”</p> <p><em>Charlotte Maskelony graduated from 91ֱ�� Conservatory in spring 2021 with a degree in vocal performance. As a student, she wrote for the Office of Conservatory Communications.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Versatile singer and educator Adriana Manfredi ’01 stretches the bounds of her music career.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-06-17T12:00:00Z">Thu, 06/17/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Charlotte Maskelony '21</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2357">Double Degree Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2974">Conservatory Alumni</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35596">Voice</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=32971">Opera Theater</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/pace" hreflang="und">Pedagogy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">courtesy Adriana Manfredi</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>A Career in the Creative Side of Journalism</h1> <p>ygay — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 16:37:13 +0000</p> <span>A Career in the Creative Side of Journalism</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-03-04T11:37:13-05:00" title="Thursday, March 4, 2021 - 11:37">Thu, 03/04/2021 - 11:37</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Goode, a native of San Fernando Valley in California, majored in English and minored in art history. She was awarded high honors in English and was a <a href="/financial-aid/basics/scholarships-offered" target="_blank">John F. 91ֱ�� Scholar</a>. For the past two years she has worked in New York as assistant to the creative director for <i>Vanity Fair</i>, a monthly magazine that features popular culture, fashion, and current affairs.</p> <p>Read more about Goode in this After 91ֱ�� Q&A.</p> <hr> <p><strong>What were your internships or projects during winter term?</strong> I had several internships over winter term. I worked for the Laura Dail Literary Agency and <em>POV | American Documentary</em>, and completed the <a href="https://amam.oberlin.edu/learn/oberlin-college-students/student-docent-program" target="_blank">Student Docent Program</a> at the Allen Memorial Art Museum. </p> <p><strong>Did you have mentors at 91ֱ��?</strong> [Visiting Donald R. Longman Emerita Professor of English] <a href="/sandy-zagarell" target="_blank">Sandy Zagarell</a> was my advisor and an incredible mentor to me. I am so indebted to her for the support she gave me as both a student and a human being. In addition to helping me become a better reader, writer, and thinker, she looked out for me and helped me through many trips and falls of my college career. I will always be grateful to Sandy for her endless patience, guidance, and for helping me shape my senior thesis, something I’m still really proud of. </p> <p><strong>What does your job entail?</strong> As the assistant to the creative director, I help everyone in the art department—creative director, design director, and art directors—with both administrative and creative tasks. Generally, I spend my days working on editorial layouts, commissioning and art directing illustrators for columns, and designing Instagram stories for <em>Vanity Fair</em>’s feed. I’ve also had the opportunity to contribute to some really special photoshoots and issues, such as our Hollywood 2020 portfolio and our September 2020 issue, which was guest-edited by [<em>New York Times</em> best-selling author] Ta-Nehisi Coates. A dream came true last year when a concept I pitched—a photo portfolio of TikTok stars who were breaking into the mainstream—was developed and produced. I also write about podcasts for VF.com when I have time.</p> <p><strong>Have you experienced any challenges at <em>Vanity Fair</em> that you would like to share?</strong> I don’t have formal training in graphic design. I’ve been designing as a hobby since I was in high school, and worked as a student graphic designer at 91ֱ��—my former boss, Emily Crawford ’92, is actually my colleague at VF, now—I’m completely self-taught. On the one hand, I feel lucky to have gotten a design job without a BFA, but sometimes my lack of a formal foundation can feel frustrating. </p> <p><strong>Has the pandemic greatly affected how you do your job?</strong> Yes. Creating a print magazine is such an incredibly collaborative and hands-on process; it was difficult to adjust to doing everything over Slack, and still feels difficult sometimes, even though we transitioned to [working from home] almost a full year ago. I really miss the camaraderie of the office. It feels like creative ideas spring up way more naturally when you’re talking and pitching things to people in person, as opposed to over Zoom. </p> <p><strong>What are your long-term career goals?</strong> To be completely honest, I’m still figuring that out. At this point, as long as I’m able to make a living in a creative field, I would consider that a success. </p> <p><strong>Any advice for students who wish to seek a job in the creative side of journalism?</strong> I am very open about the fact that I got this job through the Columbia Publishing Course, a six-week professional development program offered every summer through Columbia University. I attended the course in 2018 and although it didn’t happen immediately, it led me to my current position. I would encourage students to look into similar programs and also take advantage of resources like Study Hall, a social network for freelancers that offers tons of advice on pitching, leads on jobs, and more. Also, talk to me. I’m happy to help in whatever way I can.</p> <p><br> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-03-04T12:00:00Z">Thu, 03/04/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Justine Goode ’16 has always wanted to work at a print magazine in either a design or an editorial capacity. Today, the former editor of the <em>Grape</em>, 91ֱ��'s alternative student newspaper, is fulfilling both career goals at <em>Vanity Fair</em>.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2360">After 91ֱ��</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2389">Young Alumni</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25301">Art History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=181496">Journalism</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/art-history" hreflang="und">Art History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/journalism" hreflang="und">Journalism</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Justine Goode '16 stands in front of the Hudson River. Vanity Fair is published in New York, the United Kingdom, Italy, Mexico, Spain, and France.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Justine Goode '16</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Pens and Needles</h1> <p>ygay — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 14:20:58 +0000</p> <span>Pens and Needles</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-12-07T09:20:58-05:00" title="Monday, December 7, 2020 - 09:20">Mon, 12/07/2020 - 09:20</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Inside the King Building seminar classroom earlier this semester, <a href="/danielle-skeehan" target="_blank">Skeehan</a>’s students took long white feathers, removed plumage, and snipped nibs to fashion quill pens. On another day, embroidery hoops and colored floss were used for needlepoint projects. </p> <p>Critical making labs that bring reading material to life has always been essential to how Skeehan’s Early American Media course theorizes cultures and traditions. This course explores the complex relationships among gender, race, and media in the Americas before 1865. Class discussions center on how early Americans conceived of race and gender; how race and gender structured one’s relationship to various kinds of media; and what genres and media people of different backgrounds used to record their lives and why.</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Critical Making needlepoint lab. Photo credit: Danielle Skeehan</figcaption> </figure> <p>Labs also introduced students to faculty, spaces, and opportunities across campus. This semester, weekly visitors from the college‘s Special Collections, Letterpress Studio, Print Lab, and Allen Memorial Art Museum have all shared their expertise and presented visual aids. </p> <p>’’This class required us to think deeply about how much more energy was required when creating media in Early America,’’ explains Lena Golia ’23. ‘‘To be able to hold a handcrafted watch band made out of human hair from the 1800s made me recognize how deeply personal the things we were reading about were.</p> <p>‘‘When we were actually tasked with recreating and experimenting with different forms of media, such as embroidery or quill making, it helped me gain a deeper level of understanding,’’ she says. ‘‘I found the quill making lab especially interesting because along with learning the process of creating our own pen, we also learned that many writers made their own ink. Because of this, we were able to use ink made specifically following the recipes of certain historical authors such as Jane Austen.”</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>A student refers to a handmade journal. Photo credit: Danielle Skeehan</figcaption> </figure> <p>Ezra Loeb ’20, a comparative American studies major with minors in anthropology, linguistics, and gender, sexuality, and feminist studies, found the weekly guest visits equally essential to the learning process. </p> <p>"It was simultaneously fascinating and haunting to see a death mask in person rather than printed; the degree of separation between us and the deceased person was dramatically less than just viewing a photograph since the mask was actually cast on the corpse itself,” says Loeb. ‘‘That lab really drove home the point about how various media work differently to produce distinct forms of connection between people, depending on its structure and use.’’</p> <p>With class attendance optional this semester due to the pandemic, and with all students taking classes over Zoom for the later part of the semester, Skeehan's labs served an additional purpose. </p> <p>‘‘I wanted to create a space where students could engage in tactile and hands-on learning experiences,’’ she says. ‘‘We all now know the reality that is Zoom fatigue. Privileging the material over the digital world created an environment that helped combat that fatigue as well as the sense of distance from the material culture and tactile media traditions we have been studying.”</p> <p><a class="view-more" href="https://flic.kr/s/aHsmSdUVM5" target="_blank">View more Critical Making Lab photos from the class on 91ֱ��’s Flickr page</a>.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-12-07T12:00:00Z">Mon, 12/07/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Students in Associate Professor Danielle Skeehan’s Early American Media and Identity course aren’t just bringing laptops and books to class. Required materials include Band-Aids, scissors, needle threaders, and kitchen sponges.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2377">Arts & Humanities</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25311">Comparative American Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25361">Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/danielle-skeehan" hreflang="und">Danielle Skeehan</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/comparative-american-studies" hreflang="und">Comparative American Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/gsfs" hreflang="und">Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Students write with quill pens in a critical maker lab.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Danielle Skeehan</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>This Week in Photos: Beautiful Artistry</h1> <p>ygay — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 17:13:17 +0000</p> <span>This Week in Photos: Beautiful Artistry</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-11-19T12:13:17-05:00" title="Thursday, November 19, 2020 - 12:13">Thu, 11/19/2020 - 12:13</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In this week’s photo series, a half-time show awaits at <a href="/baron-art-gallery" target="_blank">Baron Gallery</a>, quill pens are brought into the 21st century, the virtual world of the Allen Memorial Art Museum beckons, faculty give a recital in Warner Concert Hall, the best seat in the house at Finney Chapel awaits for an evening honors piano recital, and tranquility is found at a newly installed pond in downtown 91ֱ��. </p> <hr> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Students in Professor <a href="/danielle-skeehan" target="_blank">Danielle Skeehan</a>’s Early American Media and Identity course made quill pens and learned how to use them during one of the class’s critical making labs. Photo credit: Danielle Skeehan</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Ready to visit the Allen Memorial Art Museum? Just <a href="https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=sm6LYvahtka" target="_blank">click</a>. This augmented reality places visitors among the building’s many holdings. Photo credit: Courtesy Office of Communications</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Brahms, Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 6 is performed by <a href="/sibbi-bernhardsson" target="_blank">Sibbi Bernhardsson '95</a>, violin; <a href="/kirsten-docter" target="_blank">Kirsten Docter '92</a>, viola; <a href="/dmitry-kouzov" target="_blank">Dmitry Kouzov</a>, cello; and <a href="/angela-cheng" target="_blank">Angela Cheng</a>, piano in Warner Concert Hall. Photo credit: Jack Lichtenstein ’23</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Senior <a href="/innovation-and-impact/participants/liam-kaplan" target="_blank">Liam Kaplan</a>’s honors recital in Finney Chapel features J.S. Bach Goldberg Variations, BWV 988. Photo credit: Jack Lichtenstein ’23</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>A recently installed pond adds tranquility to the areas between the Hotel at 91ֱ�� and the <a href="/irene-and-alan-wurtzel-theater" target="_blank">Irene and Alan Wurtzel Theater</a>. Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>This Week in Photos is a selection of images and is not meant to represent a weekly timeline. Images highlight campus, community, people, and events related to 91ֱ�� College.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-11-19T12:00:00Z">Thu, 11/19/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A display of artwork by Studio Art seniors is shown to President Carmen Twillie Ambar. Her walk through Robert D. Baron ’64 Art Gallery was accented by sculptures and vibrant multimedia pieces. This visit is just one of the images featured in this week’s photo series.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2378">Allen Memorial Art Museum</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2548">Concerts and Recitals</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25311">Comparative American Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/danielle-skeehan" hreflang="und">Danielle Skeehan</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/sibbi-bernhardsson" hreflang="und">Sibbi Bernhardsson</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/angela-cheng" hreflang="und">Angela Cheng</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/kirsten-docter" hreflang="und">Kirsten Docter</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/dmitry-kouzov" hreflang="und">Dmitry Kouzov</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/comparative-american-studies" hreflang="und">Comparative American Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Associate Professor Julia Christensen takes President Carmen Twillie Ambar on a tour of the Half-Time Senior Studio Art exhibit at the Baron Gallery.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Winter Term: The Art of the Artist Book</h1> <p>ygay — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 19:38:07 +0000</p> <span>Winter Term: The Art of the Artist Book</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-09-15T15:38:07-04:00" title="Tuesday, September 15, 2020 - 15:38">Tue, 09/15/2020 - 15:38</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In one of Romanelli’s favorite artist books, author Geo Rutherford spent more than a year collecting plastic and trash that was littered on the shores of Lake Michigan. The result was a collection of 10 books—boxes filled with vials of the organized trash into colors and categories. Some vials had dead butterflies, some had broken glass, and others had a nerf gun bullet. ’’You can’t see that, or interact with that, with a traditional paper book,’’ says Romanelli. Some things need to be shown and not told in the world of authorship.’</p> <p>In her own attempt to create an interactive artist book, Romanelli, an English and creative writing major, says she learned how difficult and rewarding the process can be.</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Pages from Marie Romanelli’s art book. Courtesy of Romanelli ’21</figcaption> </figure> <p>The book was constructed with repurposed materials, including an old jewelry box that was used as the base for the entire structure. Passages from Romanelli’s poem <em>To Mother Nature, so that I May See Her and Feel Whole Again</em>, are fixed to feathers, a bird and wasp nest, and on the back of a paper sunflower. The interactive experience begins after the book’s instructions are read. </p> <p>’‘I wanted the reader to experience the healing process of the narrative,’’ explains Romanelli. ‘‘As you read, you deconstruct the body, finding stanzas on each removable object like a wasp nest for guilt. The poem is to Mother Nature, so at the end, a portrait of her is revealed and the narrator is no longer burdened with nature but embraces it. You get to play with the poem, read it the right way or backward.’’</p> <p>Romanelli found inspiration for her project from Maryann Riker‘s artist book, <em>Women Work</em>. The book, shaped in the form of a small cottage-style house, uses a mixture of mid-century advertisement, small scale furniture, and condensed text to ask: did domestic technology really provide housewives with more leisure time or had the standards of domestic cleanliness risen, requiring more time to achieve their goals? The interactiveness of Riker’s book and minimal text was a draw for Romanelli.</p> <p>‘‘Artist books are anything a conventional book shouldn‘t be, and there aren‘t any rules,’’ says Romanelli. ‘‘It’s about expressing yourself with words as a writer but also finding strength in the absence of words. Storytelling can take on many forms, including interactive puzzles, or little houses, or beautiful images and collage. And each one may speak to the observer differently, just like any other book would.’’</p> <p>Romanelli is on campus this academic year and hopes to create another artist book for her creative writing capstone. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-09-15T12:00:00Z">Tue, 09/15/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>After spending a month researching artist books and creating a book of her own, Marie Romanelli ’21 is officially hooked on the craft, both as an artist and as a short-form poet.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2402">Winter Term</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2377">Arts & Humanities</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25326">Creative Writing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/creative-writing" hreflang="und">Creative Writing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/art" hreflang="und">Studio Art</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Marie Romanelli ’21 and her artist book.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Romanelli</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-flex-content field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden vertical-spacing--basic field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-28811" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-photo-gallery paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="section--photo-gallery o-flex--photo-gallery"> <p class="header-tag">Photo Gallery</p> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery__grid"> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery--overlay"> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery--overlay__content"> <h2> To Mother Nature, so that I May See Her and Feel Whole Again </h2> <button class="btn js-modal" data-modal-prefix-class="fullscreen" data-modal-content-id="28811" data-modal-background-click="disabled"> View photo gallery </button> </div> </div> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery__grid__img-wrapper"> </div> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery__grid__img-wrapper"> </div> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery__grid__img-wrapper"> </div> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery__grid__img-wrapper"> </div> </div> </div> <div id="28811" class="photo-gallery-wrapper"> <div class="photo-gallery"> <div class="photo-gallery__slides"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__navbar"> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Advocating for Undocumented Immigrants: Joanne Lee ’15</h1> <p>anagy — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 15:12:56 +0000</p> <span>Advocating for Undocumented Immigrants: Joanne Lee ’15</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-03-16T11:12:56-04:00" title="Monday, March 16, 2020 - 11:12">Mon, 03/16/2020 - 11:12</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Joanne Lee ‘15 is an immigration attorney who advocates for low-income, undocumented immigrants who have experienced domestic violence. Before Lee graduated from Yale Law School in 2018 and became a supervising immigration attorney at Gulfcoast Legal Services, she was an English major at 91ֱ�� College. She loved books and was passionate about social change.</p> <p>At Yale, Lee participated in a series of legal clinics that allows law students to work in real, not simulated, legal service environments for academic credit. Under the supervision of teachers or practicing lawyers, Lee represented asylum seekers as part of a student group called the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project. These asylum seekers had crossed the United States border from Mexico, most of whom were fleeing from violence in Central America.</p> <p>“We represented mothers and children who were in immigration detention,” Lee says. “I was able to help dozens of families get out of detention through representation and I also provided full asylum representation to multiple families, including representing them in court. Those were really meaningful experiences that helped me realize that I wanted to pursue immigration law as a career.”</p> <p>Lee notes that representing asylum seekers was a long and difficult process. In order to fully listen to and understand her clients’ stories, she had to build trust and rapport with people who were likely carrying a great deal of trauma from their experiences. Based on her experience working with mothers and children, Lee authored a paper, ’’Interviewing Refugee Children: Theory, Policy, and Practices with Traumatized Asylum Seekers,’’ which was published in <em>Yale Journal of Law & Feminism</em> in 2018.</p> <p>After her clinic experience, Lee knew she wanted to be an immigration lawyer full time. </p> <p>“My clinic experience shaped my career. I had a really wonderful mentor in law school, Professor Jean Koh Peters, and we talked a lot about my future career path. She told me that a vocation is where the world’s deep hunger intersects with one’s deep gladness, and that really resonated with me,” Lee says.</p> <p>Lee credits her classes at 91ֱ�� for preparing her well for law school. While the legal field demands a particular kind of writing, Lee believes the majority of her classes at 91ֱ�� trained her to become an analytical thinker and persuasive writer. In particular, she is grateful to her mentors at 91ֱ��, including Associate Professor of English and Comparative American Studies <a href="/harrod-suarez">Harrod Suarez</a>, who challenged her to analyze the social, political, and historical contexts that inform the works of literature that she studied. She completed her English honor’s project with Suarez, who also mentored her throughout her law school application process, reading over multiple drafts of her essays.</p> <p>“The most important skill I took away from my undergrad education was how to think critically and write an effective argument, and those really helped me,” Lee says. “[In legal writing,] your goal is trying to analyze an issue, argue from a position, and support your argument with evidence. So in that way, I think academic writing and legal writing are similar.”</p> <p>Outside the classroom, Lee provided peer editing assistance through the <a href="/arts-and-sciences/resources-and-support/wap">Writing Associates Program</a>. Being a Writing Associate allowed her to regularly see the divide between scholarly writing and other types of writing, which often restricted what was accessible to general readers.</p> <p>“Being a Writing Associate really was an enjoyable experience and helped me better my own craft as a writer. It also helped me think critically about writing as a social issue, how academic writing is so not accessible to the general public. This experience greatly shaped one of my goals as a lawyer, which is to make legal discourse more accessible to my clients,” Lee says.</p> <p>While Lee became an English major because of her love for literature, she also was interested in social justice and making tangible changes in people’s lives. Toward the end of her third year at 91ֱ��, Lee decided law school was the ideal pathway to combine her writing skills with activism.</p> <p>Lee did not take any legal classes before law school, and she advises students interested in law school to pursue interests in other subjects beyond the legal field. Additionally, some skills needed to work in law, such as interpersonal communication, simply cannot be taught in a classroom.</p> <p>“Students who are thinking about applying to law school think they have to take law-related classes in undergrad. I don’t think that’s necessary at all. I think it’s great to bring in interdisciplinary perspectives, and I would really advise students to explore different subjects in undergrad.”</p> <p>She emphasizes that any lawyer, no matter who they are working with, needs to recognize the difficulty of the process and take lawyer-client relationships seriously. In this way, being a lawyer demands strong interpersonal skills along with writing and argumentative skills. Lee believes that the skills that are really needed for law are empathy and humility.</p> <p>After graduating from Yale with various awards and distinctions, Lee accepted a public interest fellowship from Yale called the Liman Fellowship. It helped secure her a starting position at Gulfcoast Legal Services, a legal aid organization in St. Petersburg, Florida. She is currently a supervising attorney at the same organization and provides immigration legal services and community outreach to marginalized populations in central Florida. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-03-16T12:00:00Z">Mon, 03/16/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jaimie Yue ’22</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>An English major at 91ֱ��, Lee discovered her calling to be an immigration attorney at Yale Law School.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2360">After 91ֱ��</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2389">Young Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2363">Academics & Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2377">Arts & Humanities</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/harrod-suarez" hreflang="und">Harrod Suarez</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Joanne Lee ‘15 being sworn in as an immigration attorney for Gulfcoast Legal Services in St. Petersburg, Florida.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Joanne Lee</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>91ֱ�� Drama at Grafton Celebrates Alumni Who Are Now Restored Citizens</h1> <p>anagy — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 21:11:34 +0000</p> <span>91ֱ�� Drama at Grafton Celebrates Alumni Who Are Now Restored Citizens</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-02-20T16:11:34-05:00" title="Thursday, February 20, 2020 - 16:11">Thu, 02/20/2020 - 16:11</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Ten alumni of 91ֱ�� Drama at Grafton (ODAG) were honored at an informal ceremony at the Eric Baker Nord Performing Arts Annex on February 15 for becoming restored citizens. </p> <p>Emerita Professor of English Phyllis Gorfain founded ODAG, a prison theater program at the Grafton Correctional Institution, in 2012. The program prepares residents of the Grafton Reintegration Center for a successful return to society through increased self-knowledge, social understanding, and enhanced life skills gained from studying and performing meaningful drama.</p> <p>ODAG’s 15 productions, some of which the 10 alumni starred in, include Shakespeare’s <em>Julius Caesar</em>, <em>Othello</em>, <em>Macbeth</em>, <em>A Midsummer Night’s Dream</em>, and <em>The Tempest</em>. Additionally, ODAG members performed <em>The Piano Lesson</em> and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, both by African American playwright August Wilson. </p> <p>During the past eight years, 66 men have performed in 15 productions, and ODAG has seen 26 men become restored citizens. The program has achieved a zero percent recidivism rate among the alumni who are restored citizens.</p> <p>In 2019, Gorfain was awarded the Governor’s Award in the Arts for Arts Administration for her leadership in ODAG. While the ceremony recognized ODAG’s eight-year history and its successful productions, Gorfain focused on the restored alumni and their families.</p> <p>“There are so many people here who I love so much, above all the ODAG actors,” Gorfain said. “We have so much to celebrate.” </p> <p>The ODAG alumni include Shaun Bernard, Brian Butler, Christopher Fredrickson, Patrick Janson, Martin Louis, Stanley Martowitz, Joseph Peoples, Gene Scott, Joseph “Buck” Sharp, and Jerome Thompson. </p> <p>Gorfain presented each actor with a certificate of appreciation, <a href="http://www2.oberlin.edu/alummag/fall2016/issue/html5forpc.html?page=14">an article about ODAG</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> from the <em>91ֱ�� Alumni Magazine</em>, and a 20-page packet of 41 letters that audience members, made up of local 91ֱ�� and greater Ohio residents, wrote for the ODAG actors.</p> <p>The actors who gave remarks about their experience expressed their gratitude for Gorfain for not only immersing them in Shakespearean theater, but treating them with kindness and respect and believing in their potential.</p> <p>“I think one of the most special things about ODAG for me is that in prison you are kind of invisible,” Brian Butler said. “To society at large, it’s really easy to be forgotten, and most of us, when we’re in that situation, are forgotten. And to have something where Phyllis and 91ֱ�� students and people came in and saw us, and were there with us… to have them come in and work with us as people, as humans, not as the iconic prisoner, on our level, to interact with us where we were. It was just such a powerful thing.”</p> <p>Jerome Thompson agreed, citing Gorfain’s commitment to putting on each production and dependence on the actors’ cooperation as transformative.</p> <p>“[In ODAG], somebody else was depending on me. Somebody else needed me. And that opened up something in me that allowed me to change my own life in different ways,’’ Thompson said. ‘‘I’m really proud of that,”</p> <p>The prison environment often discourages vulnerability and communication, but for many of the ODAG actors, having Gorfain’s direction and encouragement allowed for a space to open up.</p> <p>“Coming to ODAG, it was the perfect thing for me… [Phyllis] was like a mother, a sister, a cousin, she was everything,” Joseph Peoples said. “The neighborhood I come from, there’s no community. ODAG for me was a community. It gave me something to look forward to, it gave me something to work toward. It was dynamic in that way.”</p> <p>91ֱ�� faculty who have assisted with ODAG include Ana Cara, professor of Hispanic studies; Justin Emeka, associate professor of theater and Africana studies; Caroline Jackson Smith, professor of theater and Africana studies; Gillian Johns, professor of English; and Paul Moser, professor of theater.</p> <p>Gorfain stated that ODAG will be replaced by a new theater program at Grafton Correctional Institution after her retirement as artistic director of 91ֱ�� Drama at Grafton this year. Assistant Professor Anjanette Hall of the Baldwin Wallace University Theatre Department will become the new director. She plans to stage an original play in April 2020 based on the stories of the incarcerated men she will work with, with the assistance of 12 theatre students from Baldwin Wallace. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-02-20T12:00:00Z">Thu, 02/20/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jaimie Yue ’22</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2363">Academics & Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3319">Community Engagement</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2392">Social Justice</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25441">Theater</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/theater" hreflang="und">Theater</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">91ֱ�� Drama at Grafton alumni pose for a group picture with outgoing director Phyllis Gorfain (front, second from left).</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jack Lichtenstein ’23</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>