Author Archives: MickyD

EVENT
Public Forum on Labor at Wesleyan

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A message from USLAC: 

Have a voice and want to use it?
Join us in thoughtful, open discussion regarding labor at Wesleyan. Members of the custodial, dining, and maintenance staff as well as administrators and students will be sharing their experiences and expressing their concerns about working conditions on campus. There will also be an open-mic  for audience members to share their thoughts and ask questions.
This is a unique opportunity for the whole Wesleyan community to come together in conversation, reflection and solidarity- we hope to see you there!
Date: Wednesday, April 9
Time: 7pm – 9 pm
Place: Daniel Family Commons, Usdan
Cost: Free

EVENT
Gamelan Concert

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From Veronica Lumbantoruan ’15:

It’s that time of the year! Come and join us in the final concert for
the Javanese Gamelan ensemble.

Date: Saturday, Nov 23
Time: 8:00 PM
Place: World Music Hall
Cost: $2 for students

 

EVENT
The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano

SoniamanzanoFrom Zaida Garcia ’15:

Maria from Sesame Street is coming to Wesleyan TODAY! Emmy award winning writer and one of America’s most influential Hispanic women, Sonia Manzano delivers a powerful debut YA novel—a coming-of-age story set in New York City’s El Barrio in 1969.

There are two secrets Evelyn Serrano is keeping from her Mami and Papo—her true feelings about growing up in her Spanish Harlem neighborhood, and her attitude about Abuela, her sassy grandmother who’s come from Puerto Rico to live with them. Then, like an urgent ticking clock, events erupt that change everything. The Young Lords, a group of Puerto Rican activists, dump garbage in the street and set it on fire, igniting a powerful protest. When Abuela steps in to take charge, Evelyn is thrust into the action. Tempers flare, loyalties are
tested. Through it all, Evelyn learns important truths about her Latino heritage and the history makers who shaped a nation.

Infused with actual news accounts from the time period, Sonia Manzano has crafted a gripping work of fiction based on her own life growing up during a fiery, unforgettable time in America, when young Latinos took control of their destinies.

Sonia Manzano has affected the lives of millions since the early 1970s, as the actress who defined the role of “Maria” on the acclaimed television series Sesame Street. Sonia has won fifteen Emmy Awards for her television writing and is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Arts and Sciences. People magazine named Sonia one of America’s most influential Hispanics. This is Manzano’s first novel. She lives in New York City.

Sonia will be delivering a talk on “The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano” tonight in Memorial Chapel. A book signing and dessert reception will follow in the Zelnick Pavillion.

Date: TODAY! November 21, 2013
Time: 7:30 pm
Place: Memorial Chapel
Cost: Free

FEATURED
Interview with Jennifer Ives ’13: The Innocence Project

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Jennifer Ives ’13 has proved that it really is possible to get hired with an English degree. After graduating in May, she has been working at The Innocence Project, a non-profit, pro-bono law firm that helps prove prisoners innocent using DNA testing, along with two other Wes Alums — Liza Parisky ’12 and Jo Oh ’09. The firm was founded in 1992 and as of date, there have been 311 innocent prisoners released due to DNA testing. Of these 311, the prisoners served an average of 13 years behind bars, with some spending as many as 25 years, and 18 prisoners have served time on death row. Ives contacted us because she will be running the NYC Marathon with colleagues from the IP to raise money for the cause — you can find her fundraising page here. I decided to ask her a few questions about the IP.

What did you major in at Wesleyan?

I majored in English, though I also took a fair amount of Religion courses. After my time at Wes, I felt like I majored in everything– I got a taste of so many different disciplines while there.

What was your favorite class at Wesleyan?

Religion and the Social Construction of Race with Elizabeth McAlister. Incredibly thought-provoking material and the most inspiring professor I’ve ever had.

How did you get involved in the IP?

I became interested in prison reform after a shocking experience I had this past spring. I had to testify in open court against two boys my age who had (albeit stupidly, and illegally) broken into my apartment in July of 2012. Despite the fact that they broke the law, the sentence they were handed down seemed extremely harsh to me considering their offense. I was deeply troubled by the outcome, especially since they were so close to my age. The negativity of the experience as a whole sparked my interest in prison reform and inspired me to research organizations that seek to fix the many problems plaguing our judicial system. The Innocence Project was one of the first organizations I found that really grabbed me. So after graduating this past May, I applied and was hired. I started working in June.

Continue reading →

EVENT
WESEMINAR Art Informing Science/Science Informing Art

AH_PhoenixRisingFrom Stratton Coffman ’14:

Ian Boyden ’95, Stephanie Calvert ’08 and John Hatleberg ’79 from the Alumni Show II at the Zilkha Gallery, will discuss the ways in which scientific research has informed their work. Wesleyan science faculty members James Greenwood, Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and David Beveridge, Professor of Chemistry, will respond to the works in the exhibition and comment on the role of art in their own research practice.

Moderator: Pamela Tatge ’84 P ’16, Director, Center for the Arts
[Image: Stephanie Calvert]

Date: Saturday, November 2
Time: 11:30 AM
Place: Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery
Cost: FREE

EVENT
Stories Better Never Told, or, The Library Project

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From Emilie Pass ’15

Written, directed, and performed by
The Students of ENGL 000
with the dancers of Collective Motion

The Students of ENGL 000 invite you to join us for an evening of words, wisdom, mischief, and magic. Stories Better Never Told removes the characters of The Odyssey from the world of Homer’s epic and places them in the familiar but mysterious realm of the Olin Library Stacks. Watch, listen, read, and explore with the ensemble in this interdisciplinary, immersive theatrical experience.

Date: Saturday, November 2
Time: Midnight
Place: Olin Library
Cost: Free

Pyxis call for submissions

Pyxis

Courtesy of Ben Zucker ’15:

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

In life, we make the distinction between work and play as a means of structuring our everyday activity, but what exactly does it mean to play? How does play relate to games? Typically, the idea of game has been expressed in virtual spaces of rules which help to shape our conception of society’s structure through experience and experimentation. But we do not only play within the confines of games, nor do we consider all games playful. Pyxis, Wesleyan’s journal for the humanities, is interested in seeing how different disciplines and approaches in the humanities have explored and critiqued the notion, interpretations, and intersections of games and play.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

Continue reading →

EVENT
Pumpkinfest

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From Cat Walsh ’16: 

Autumn has come to Middletown with brilliant blue skies, glowing golden leaves and bountiful harvests of pumpkins, apples, and much more at Long Lane Farm. Come celebrate the onset of the harvest season at Pumpkinfest, this Saturday October 5th 12-4 at the farm!

Featuring:
Free veggie burgers and hot apple cider courtesy of Bon Appetit
The milkshake truck from b.good
Pies, cider, apples, pumpkins, spices, & crafts for sale
Live folk-y music (including Robert’s Don, Borneo, and more) powered by Wescycle all day
Old clothing/bags to be spruced up with a print of the fancy WILD Wes logo
Fun activities
and MORE!

!!!Bring Cash!!!

Date: Saturday, October 5
Time: 12 pm – 4pm
Place: Long Lane Farm (281 Long Lane)
Cost: $$ for fruits and squash if you want em

EVENT
24 Hour Comic Day at Art House

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Courtesy of Gabe Gordon ’15:

24-Hour Comics Day is an event held around the world which challenges writers and artists to create a full 24-page comic in 24 consecutive hours.
24 Hour Comics Day is the first Saturday of October. Come join Art House, a(n unofficial) host of this year’s comics marathon!

THE DARE:
To create a complete 24 page comic book in 24 continuous hours. That means everything: Story, finished art, lettering, color (if applicable), paste-up, everything. Once pen hits paper, the clock starts ticking. 24 hours later, the pen lifts off the paper, never to descend again. Even proofreading has to occur in the 24 hour period. No sketches, designs, plot summaries or any other kind of direct preparation can precede the 24 hour period. Indirect preparation such as assembling tools, reference materials, food, music etc. is fine. Your pages can be any size, any material. Carve them in stone, print them with rubber stamps, draw them on your kitchen walls with a magic marker. Whatever you makes you happy. The 24 hours are continuous. You can take a nap, but the clock keeps ticking.

Please fill out this INCREDIBLY COMPLICATED form so we can get an idea of how many people are coming!

Date: Friday, October 4 – Saturday, October 5
Time: 8:00 pm
Place: Art House, 230 Washington