David Low(Story contributed by Laignee Barron '13) Ellen Forney ’89 is the author of a new graphic novel Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me (Gotham Books), which follows the artist’s diagnosis with bipolar disorder shortly before her 30th birthday. In this intimate confession, Forney delves into her struggles with being accepted into “Club van Gogh.” “This unflinchingly honest memoir” (Kirkus Reviews) details Forney’s fears that her disorder could curtail her creativity and livelihood. Beginning with the manic state that led to her diagnosis, Forney explores what it means to be a “crazy artist.” At first disbelieves her psychiatrist, Forney is filled…
Cynthia RockwellKimberly Muellers ’12, communications director for the nonprofit Brighter Dawns, spent part of her post-graduation summer in Bangladesh, helping provide a village with access to clean water. The Boston Globe highlighted the work of Massachusetts native Muellers in a recent article titled “Westwood Woman Helping in Bangladesh.” “There are so many preventable diseases that can be solved so easily just by having clean water and good hygiene,” Muellers told The Globe. “Our main focus is on sanitation issues.” Muellers was joined this summer in Bangladesh by Tasmiha Khan ’12, Brighter Dawns CEO, as well as Fahim Zaman, Brighter Dawns director…
(Story contributed by Gabe Rosenberg '16) Harvard University professor John Stauffer ’91 is the co-editor of The Tribunal: Responses to John Brown and the Harper’s Ferry Raid (Belnap Press of Harvard University Press). Co-edited with Zoe Trodd (professor of American literature at the University of Nottingham), the book assembles a collection of responses to John Brown’s 1859 attack on a federal arsenal in Virginia. The ill-fated raid of Brown and 21 other men--five free black and 16 white men--was intended to provoke an uprising of African Americans against the “scourge of slavery.” While three members formed a rearguard at a…
Bekkie Wright '85 has had an ongoing goal: An under-four-hour marathon in all 50 states. A member of Team Marathon Bar for the past two years, Wright succeeded in her quest on Oct. 24, 2012, in Mason City, Iowa, running the Newman Marathon. "Currently there are less than 30 people who have achieved that mark and I was only the fourth woman to reach that milestone," she notes. A soccer player at Wesleyan, Wright didn’t start her marathon running until 1993. Her first took place on a snowy, 17-degree Chicago day—but she didn’t stop there. Since then, she’s run more…
William Bissell ’88, managing director of Fabindia, is the recipient of a Forbes India Leadership Award for 2012. He received the award for Entrepreneur with Social Impact. According to a recent Forbes India feature, Bissell won the award for “creating a globally recognized, profitable retail brand that has over 22,000 local artisans as its shareholders, most of whom would have lost their livelihoods if it were not for Bissell and Fabindia. And being able to make sure margins are almost three times that of the industry average.” Bissell’s next goal is to persuade his 16 supplier companies to merge with…
Aristotle has long been considered the father of virtue ethics. In his new book Aristotle and the Virtues (Oxford University Press), Howard Curzer ’74, MA ’76 considers Aristotle’s detailed description of the individual virtues to be central to his ethical theory. His study examines the Nicomachean Ethics virtue-by-virtue, explaining and generally defending Aristotle's claims. The book is divided into three sections: Moral Virtues, Justice and Friendship, and Moral Development. Justice and friendship are prominent in Aristotle's virtue theory. Curzer argues that in Aristotle's view justice and friendship are symbiotic. Other contemporary discussions have argued the opposite; justice seems to be…
Musician Jack Freudenheim ’79, working in conjunction with Larson Associates and the John Cage Trust, created an app that allows one to play the sounds of John Cage's “prepared piano." It was released in time to celebrate what would have been Cage's 100th birthday. An ethnomusicology major at Wesleyan concentrating on South Indian music, Freudenheim remembers reading John Cage’s book, Silence, as an undergraduate in the course “Introduction to Electronic Music” (taught by then-graduate student Nicolas Collins). He still considers reading the book a life-altering experience. After college, he became a computer programmer—as well as a musician— “and whenever possible…
(Story contributed by Lily Baggott ’15) West Coast artist Evan Bissell ’05 has a new project: "The Knotted Line." Bissell, who holds a B.A. in studio arts and American studies from Wesleyan, was previously known for his work on What Cannot Be Taken Away: Families and Prisons Project, a series of portraits depicting prisoners and their loved ones. The multimedia installation is an “interactive history of freedom and confinement in the geographic area of the United States from 1495 to 2025.” Available online, on smartphones, and in a print version, the project is designed for educational purposes in schools and…
David Lee Garrison ’67 is the author of Playing Bach in the D.C. Metro: New and Selected Poems, just released by Browser Books Publishing. Most of the poems are in free verse, although there are three sonnets, one triolet, and one poem in rhyming three-line stanzas. The title of the book refers to an experiment by Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten, who had concert violinist Joshua Bell, dressed as a street busker, play Bach in the D.C. Metro to see if anyone would stop and listen. Poet Colette Inez says: “In compact, deftly written poems, David Lee Garrison manages a…
The American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy and Resources Law (SEER) has elected Seth Davis ’72 as its publications officer. A partner in Elias Group LLP and adjunct professor in Pace Law School’s environmental program, Davis will oversee the quarterly journal National Resources & Environment and the annual Year in Review, as well as the section’s books and newsletters. The ABA Section of Environment, Energy and Resources represents nearly 11,000 lawyers, serving as a forum for strategies and information and keeping its members up-to-date on development trends, court decisions, legislative initiatives and statutes. "I have been an active member…
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Lauren RubensteinSpeaking in the Center for Film Studies on Sept. 24, actor Bradley Whitford ’81 shared wisdom on subjects ranging from show business to politics to dealing with the insecurity inherent in being an actor. Whitford addressed an audience of film and theater majors, prospective majors and alumni. Best known for his role as Josh Lyman on The West Wing, Whitford was recently elected to Wesleyan’s Board of Trustees. He has also had starring roles in the shows Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and The Good Guys. Recently, he co-starred in a film, “Cabin in the Woods,” written by Joss Whedon…