Every night, before heading to sleep, I unplug my Target-bought heart-shaped lights – the last remaining light in my room at this time of night – and climb into bed underneath my white down alternative comforter….Continue Reading On Toni Morrison and Gazes
Tag: ’17
Report on Athletics Raises More Questions Than It Answers
“The place of athletics at Amherst is fucking ridiculous.” I was halfway through my interview with a professor about faculty concerns with the recent report on the place of athletics at Amherst when she blew my hair back with this line. I looked up from my notebook. I expected professors to be frustrated with the…Continue Reading Report on Athletics Raises More Questions Than It Answers
Fear and Doubt
On the last day of “Add/Drop” period, I woke up at 9am to prepare for my final day of shopping classes. By noon, I had been turned away from two….Continue Reading Fear and Doubt
Rest Stop
Sitting at the counter of a rest stop someone once told me, “A man knows where he is from when he knows where he wants to be buried.” And maybe married? Parry the blow. I know my spot already: On this cliff’s deep green Looking out to sea, to see the curved horizon proving the…Continue Reading Rest Stop
The Long Life of Names
In protesting the racist Lord Jeff mascot, student activists often cite his record of approving of genocidal tactics against the Native tribes his British army was trying to suppress. They rightly quote his letter to a subordinate in which he wonders “Could it not be contrived to send the Small Pox among those disaffected tribes…Continue Reading The Long Life of Names
Asking For It
Both on our campus and in the national news, “rape culture” has become a recent buzzword, catapulted into the forefront of our thoughts and conversations. When reading news articles, it’s easy to feel enraged about Donald Trump and “pussygate,” or fume over Brock Turner’s grossly expedited jail sentence and marvel at how anyone might question…Continue Reading Asking For It
Cougar Blues
“I’m a Bond girl!” The gangly freshman boy, clad only in a women’s lacy slip dress and voluptuous blonde wig, twirled around, gesturing at the homemade “007 girl” sign affixed to his rear. “See?” he yelped triumphantly, then scurried away….Continue Reading Cougar Blues
Cherry Pie
In this star-spangled, god fearing country the orange-clad are granted a final meal before they’re offed….Continue Reading Cherry Pie
Nausea
They told me to Celebrate William Shakespeare’s birthday by eating dessert before dinner! I’m confused. What could Shakespeare possibly have to do with breaking the dinnertime rules that my poor hardworking mother drilled into my head? I can hardly begin to consider how Ma would feel—they’re already telling me to Come for the food and…Continue Reading Nausea
The Sickening
“Feminism is cancer. Thank you very much.” With those words, Milo Yiannopoulos sat back down in his chair, not thirty seconds after walking to the podium and beginning the talk….Continue Reading The Sickening
Exploring Environmentalism with Wolves
As I am falling asleep in my room back home, I occasionally hear the wolves howling on the other side of our lake. I know these mournful cries belong to the wolves because, unlike coyotes, their notes are sustained across a single legato wail….Continue Reading Exploring Environmentalism with Wolves
The Value of Philosophy
“What are you possibly going to do with a philosophy degree?” I’ve fielded this question and others like it more times that I care to recall. The inquirer usually raises an eyebrow, then casts me a pitying glance as they envision my inevitably unemployed future. Then, with a conspiratorial wink, they’ll lean in (often so…Continue Reading The Value of Philosophy
His and Hers, Abroad
It all started with Tpain. On a night damp with rain and cheap beer, we “met.” The time following spring concert was bound by the hyperspeed that is true of Amherst spring. In what seemed like a week, we shared phone numbers, then time, then hopes….Continue Reading His and Hers, Abroad
Reflections on Amherst Uprising
Wake-Up Call When I woke up on the morning of November 12th, 2015, grudgingly emerging from beneath my warm blanket, my first thought was of a phone interview scheduled for later that day. My second thought was wondering if I’d have enough time to grab a quick breakfast. My third, whether I could find any…Continue Reading Reflections on Amherst Uprising