Category Archives: Non-Wesleyan

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Trent’s Gloomy Guide to New England Pt. 1: Complaining about the weather, and how to find eternal happiness

Image result for the road

Expectation vs. reality.

I grew up in Rhode Island, in a small town about an hour and twenty minutes from campus. This past semester, I saw hundreds of poor freshmen from more hospitable climates struggling to adjust to the weather, culture, landscape and general ~ethos~ of this very strange, very cold part of the country. So as a veteran New Englander (and I do say veteran because sometimes living here feels like a war), I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on the region — its history, culture, and some relevant life hacks — so that we can all feel a little more at home here. Hopefully this is the first of several such posts. Its focus, aptly for the season, is the terrible weather.

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Three Creative Writing How–to Books that Actually Help

What goes into a story, beyond the platitudes of “there must be a beginning, middle, and end,” or “there must be a protagonist with a goal and obstacles to overcome”? How do I revise without going in circles? And, most importantly, how do I improve as a writer? 

If you want to know the answers to these questions, read a how-to book. Most how-to books are trash, but a few are very helpful. They won’t make you a genius, but they will help you develop a level of basic competency in your work. In other words, they’ll ensure that you don’t spend all your time flailing around in confusion and frustration, relying more on luck than anything else.

This post introduces you to my favorite three “craft texts” (in no particular order), plus a bunch of honorable mentions (some of which I’ve read and some of which I haven’t). This is not a complete list. Nor do I pretend to be an expert. Anyone who knows me knows it’s a bit rich that I’m giving out writing advice. But, at the risk of coming off as a braggart, I thought I’d share my ~tiny grains of knowledge~.

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EVENT
Julius Lester’s Day of Tears Performance

Gabriela De Golia ’13 writes in:

First Church of Christ in Middletown will present a riveting performance of Julius Lester’s Day of Tears, a novel centered on the largest slave auction in American history told from the perspective of the husbands, wives, and lovers on the auction block. Witness their stories as they desperately cling to one last hope of staying together.

Written and directed by Laurie Maria Cabral and produced by Tom Raines, this performance is offered with the permission of Julius Lester and his family. It will take place at First Church of Christ, located at 190 Court Street in Middletown, CT, on Saturday, May 18th at 7:00 PM. Doors open at 6:30 PM.

First Church of Christ, a pro-racial justice and Open & Affirming congregational church in the United Church of Christ, is proud to bring Day of Tears into its space for the first time and raise awareness about an important event in American history. Through a conversation with the actors, director, and producer after the performance, audience members will learn more about how racism continues to manifest in the present-day and how individuals and communities can address systemic oppression.

“We at First Church are committed to healing the wounds of racial injustice and furthering social equity. Offering this play to the community free of charge is one of the many ways we are living into those commitments,” shared Gabriela De Golia ’13, a Deacon at First Church of Christ.

This performance is a free community event, open to all. Please be advised that strong language and allusions to violence are present in the production and may not be suitable for certain audiences, including young children.

Date: Saturday, May 18
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: First Church of Christ, 190 Court Street, Middletown, CT

EVENT
Take Action for North End Youth: Meeting TONIGHT, Email, & Petition

Important event and action happening TONIGHT at 5:30 PM:

ATTENTION WESLEYAN STUDENTS AND GREATER PUBLIC: YOUR ACTIONS ARE NEEDED TO SUPPORT THE YOUTH OF THE NORTH END & MIDDLETOWN

*IF YOU CAN’T ATTEND THIS MEETING, THERE ARE OTHER IMPORTANT STEPS YOU CAN TAKE (see: Email Banking & Petition instructions in the Facebook Event)*

MEETING: On February 27th, there will be a community meeting during which the proposed resolution will be considered by Finance & Government Operations Commission about which organization that will be given access to the building formerly occupied by the Green Street Arts Center will be announced. Currently it is between the Middletown Green Community Center (MGCC) and St. Vincent de Paul. We are urging that the building go to MGCC for the reasons listed in the email banking script. This City decision is crucial for ensuring the well-being of the youth of the North End and Middletown!!! Attend this community meeting to show your support for MGCC.

Date: Wednesday, February 27
Time: 5:30 PM
Place: Middletown City Hall (245 Dekoven Dr, Middletown, Connecticut 06457)
PETITION
Facebook Event

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blog love is best love

it’s almost valentine’s day, and love is in the air <3

we bring this up not to torture all you single folk (we feel you on that front) or get all gushy, but because bwog (columbia’s version of wesleying) has been running a personals series in the weeks leading up to valentine’s day to help bring love to their readers, and today’s personal was… another blog: nyu local!!! while we’re a little insulted that we weren’t crushed on from afar (but we suppose that is more of a wescrushes thing), we were happy to see the budding romance between bwog and nyu local, and wanted to add our affection to the mix!

nyc might be 2+ hours away physically, but thanks to the ~magical powers of the internet~ we believe that this long-distance love can find a way <3

see below the email exchange that followed:

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Procrastination Destination: Google Alerts Round Up

Welcome to the second installment of Procrastination Destination, where Wesleying provides you #content to get you through finals!

At least once a day, we get a Google Alerts email in the staff inbox letting us know when Wesleyan is mentioned around the web. Lately, I’ve been collecting some of the more interesting links, but no one has gotten around to actually writing a full post about any of them. Instead of just sitting on this collection, I figured, what do millennials love more than a good listicle? So here we are!

Read below the jump for a collection of recent-ish alumni, student, professor, and Middletown news!

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All Campus Email: Police Investigating Shooting on Long Lane (CW: Gun Violence)

Editor’s Note: This story is actively unfolding, and posts linked to in this article are being updated as more information becomes available. If you are upset or disturbed by this news and need support, please reach out to CAPS at (860) 685-2910 and alert the CAPS staff you are in need of a same day appointment. If you are unsure if your issue is a “crisis,” please contact CAPS to discuss.

Image credit: WFSB

Just before 2 PM, I heard from a Pi Cafe employee who received a phone call from their child who attends school in Middletown that there had been a shooting on Long Lane (the road, not the farm).

Alarmed that there had been no Public Safety or other alerts, I did a Google News search of “Long Lane shooting Middletown CT” which yielded the following news reports on the incident:

After emailing Public Safety Director Scott Rohde at 2:11 PM, I received this update at 2:33 PM:

“Public Safety was in contact with MPD. It was determined there was no immediate risk to campus. The suspect is known to the police. No specific action was requested of Wesleyan by the police. The suspect was believed to have left the area going south, further distancing himself from campus. We choose to notify both child care centers on campus, and provided the information we had to the Physical Plant staff who work in the Long Lane area. I sent out a campus notice a few moments ago as an information item.”

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EVENT
Pumpkin Fest!

It’s fall and you know what that means: Pumpkin Fest!

FREE and open to the public!

Grab your friends and family and join us at Long Lane Farm’s annual Pumpkin Fest, Saturday, October 13, 2018, from noon to 4 pm! Featuring live student bands, farm tours, crafts, baked goods for sale, a pie-eating contest, vendors & student groups, FREE veggie burgers and cider, and much more!

Visit wesleyan.edu/coe for more info. Sponsored by Long Lane Farm, the College of the Environment and Bon Appetit.

Rain date: Sunday, October 14, noon to 4 p.m.

Date: Saturday, October 13
Time: 12:00 PM-4:00 PM
Place: Long Lane Farm
Facebook Event

Meet Your Greens at Penny Lane Pub

Amanda Kenyon of the Rockfall Foundation writes in:

Join Meet Your Greens at Penny Lane Pub in Old Saybrook with Judy Preston, the Long Island Sound Outreach Coordinator at Connecticut Sea Grant, who will be discussing the health and well-being of the Sound. A carpool will be leaving at 5pm from deKoven House Community Center, 27 Washington St., Middletown, to drive down. Email erik@rockfallfoundation.org for carpool. Or, meet us at Penny Lane Pub on the second floor.

Meet Your Greens: Middletown Green Drinks is a monthly event that provides networking opportunities for anyone who is interested in making connections and exchanging news about emerging environmental issues to help keep Lower Connecticut River Valley communities green and growing.

Date: Thursday, October 18th
Time: 5:30-7:30 PM
Location: Penny Lane Pub in Old Saybrook

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Updates with Connect Middletown

A new CTRail Hartford Line train

There have been some big changes to public transit in and around Middletown!

The new CTRail Hartford Line launched service on June 16, which means Meriden Station, only around 17 minutes away from campus, will have a reliable and frequent rail service going between New Haven and Springfield, MA. But one-half of the puzzle is still missing–the running of the M-Link Express to connect Middletown and Meriden Station.

This past March, the vision for Connect Middletown was published.

Read more about what’s happened since then after the jump:

  1. In April and May: Fighting Budget Cuts to Middletown Area Transit Bus Service
  2. The CTRail Hartford Line Opened on June 16th and is Currently Running
  3. The M-Link Express Route is Making Progress in being Planned
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