mensbasketball-760x508.jpeg
Olivia DrakeApril 15, 20214min
As part of a class assignment for the spring 2021 course Topics in Journalism: The Art and Craft of Journalistic Nonfiction, students were tasked with writing short essays on the continuing battle for normalcy while attending college during the COVID-19 pandemic. The class is taught by Daniel de Visé '89, Koeppel Journalism Fellow. After graduating from Wesleyan and Northwestern University, de Visé spent 23 years working in newspapers. He shared a 2001 team Pulitzer Prize and garnered more than two dozen other national and regional journalism awards. He's also the author of three books. Journalistic nonfiction, de Visé, explained, uses…

Editorial StaffApril 15, 202112min
The following essay was written by Rose Merjos '23 as an assignment for the Spring 2021 semester course Topics in Journalism: The Art and Craft of Journalistic Nonfiction.  It’s a Friday night in February 2019. People are rushing down the outdoor stairwell into the lower level of a dorm. The heavy bass drum and colorful strobe lights pulse through the windows of the basement into the courtyard of West College. More than a hundred people are piled into the WestCo Cafe, barely able to move. The crowd in front of the stage lurches across the room like a wave. The…

Editorial StaffApril 15, 202110min
The following essay was written by Kiran Kling '24 (pictured above far left) as an assignment for the Spring 2021 semester course Topics in Journalism: The Art and Craft of Journalistic Nonfiction.   The Zoom was exactly on schedule. The gallery view was full, five minutes early. Coach Reilly ran a tight ship, and all 15 Wesleyan University basketball players, together but apart on this Wednesday night, knew the rules. “Good to see you all tonight,” Reilly begins. “Everybody give updates, freshman first this time.”  Every Wednesday at 7 p.m., the nine players who chose to come to campus for the…

Editorial StaffApril 15, 202113min
The following essay was written by Rory Curtin '23 as an assignment for the Spring 2021 semester course Topics in Journalism: The Art and Craft of Journalistic Nonfiction. Pulling off a winding highway into a run-down gas station, Anabel DiMartino ['23] checked her phone. An unexpected text flashed across her screen: “hey this is crazy but me and lila are looking a third roommate for an apartment in western mass this semester.” After a long, hot morning of driving with her mom, the text was the last thing she expected. The pair were en route to New York City to…

Editorial StaffApril 15, 20217min
The following essay was written by Sophie Talcove-Berko '21 as an assignment for the Spring 2021 semester course Topics in Journalism: The Art and Craft of Journalistic Nonfiction.  Speeding down the slopes at 20 miles per hour, Tammy Shine stopped to catch her breath and a glimpse of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. For a college senior at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, this was a drastically different start to the school morning from semesters past, frantically making coffee and rushing to class. As COVID-19 surged this winter, college seniors from across the country faced an important decision: how to…

Editorial StaffApril 15, 202111min
The following essay was written by Mabel Shao '23 as an assignment for the Spring 2021 semester course Topics in Journalism: The Art and Craft of Journalistic Nonfiction.  “Goodnight, Leon,” Zara says, as she brings the microphone of her iPhone close to her mouth. It is a little past noon in Ningbo, China. Zara has just finished lunch with her friend at a steamed bun restaurant and is walking home. Leon, Zara’s boyfriend, is preparing for bed in his single dorm room at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. Beside Leon’s XL twin bed, his Amazon Alexa glows and says “Goodnight,…

Editorial StaffApril 15, 20219min
The following essay was written by Chapin Montague '21 as an assignment for the Spring 2021 semester course Topics in Journalism: The Art and Craft of Journalistic Nonfiction.  When Michayla Robertson-Pine ’22 returned to her hometown of Amherst, Massachusetts in March after receiving Wesleyan University’s “Do Not Return” email, a message all too familiar to college students across the country, she knew she couldn’t sit around and do nothing. So she teamed up with her friend Tessa Levenstein, an Amherst College student, to create an after-school Harry Potter book club for children of Amherst professors. After a few Zoom sessions,…

Editorial StaffApril 15, 20219min
The following essay was written by Shakka Chaiban '22 as an assignment for the Spring 2021 semester course Topics in Journalism: The Art and Craft of Journalistic Nonfiction.  Perched on the side of highway 191 in a cramped sedan, overlooking the neverending brown, barren desert of Uintah County, Utah on a late October night where only the stars illuminated the darkness, Norm Cotteleer ['22], 21, lightly hit his forehead on the dashboard in a state of perplexity. A little over four and a half hours away from his temporary home in Sandy, Utah, Norm and his two roommates had been…

portrait.jpg
Rachel Wachman '24April 15, 20211min
Suzanne OConnell, professor of earth and environmental sciences, and Julian Dann ’17, a graduate student at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, were both selected to be part of the American Geophysical Union’s 2021 Voices for Science Cohort. Hosted by the American Geophysical Union, Voices for Science aims to train scientists "to address the critical need for communicating the value and impact of Earth and space science to key decision makers, journalists, and public audiences," according to the union's website. Each cohort receives specialized training and mentoring throughout a 12-month period to hone their skills in communication and outreach. Throughout the…

storyandsoil-760x437.png
Olivia DrakeApril 14, 20213min
Patrons of Wesleyan R.J. Julia Bookstore can soon sip while they shop. This month, the bookstore partnered with Hartford-based Story and Soil Coffee Co., which will open its second location inside Wesleyan R.J. Julia on May 1. Story and Soil Coffee Co., a multi-roaster specialty coffee shop, opened for business in July of 2017 "with a vision to create a supportive and positive culture, celebrate our vibrant community, and build relationships through coffee," according to the company's website. The company's founder, Michael Acosta, became interested in coffee while running Trinity College's Underground Coffeehouse as a student. He later launched his…

Rachel Wachman '24April 12, 20211min
Yu Kai Tan BA/MA '21 presented his recent 3D scanning models during the 2021 Northeast Geobiology Symposium, which took place virtually on April 9-10. Tan’s presentation was titled "Orphaned Freshwater Mussel Collection Reveals Biogeography of Sculptured Sciences." During the event, Tan showcased several 3D-scanned models of the mussel collection he is currently studying for his master's degree. The symposium, which is organized by students and postdocs, provides an inclusive environment for researchers at various stages of their development to learn from their peers and develop collaborative relationships for future work.