Author: zj752

By Matías Alvial (Gallatin BA ’19)

See more of the artist’s work here: www.matias.exposed

A short story by Sydney Solon (Gallatin BA ’21)

Lake Winnipesaukee is said to contain at least 264 islands. I do not like to write where I am, because my mind is always elsewhere. But, for the time being, I am in quarantine in a lakefront house with large, trapezoid windows that look out on Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire.

Outside these windows, there is an island at a point in the near distance that has lately been poking at my curiosity. The water which separates me and the island is volatile today. Other days, it remains so still that throwing a stone into the glass water would open a wormhole into a parallel reality, one of subterranean lake people who at night come to dance on the shoreline, and in the daytime, float leisurely just below the surface of the water.

The island in the distance, from where I stand, appears to be void of houses or boats docked on its shore. It seems to be inhabited by evergreen trees, or are they pine? I had never given much thought to differentiate types of trees. To me, they are all the same, they grow upwards, or sometimes they die. These trees seem particularly dense. The only way to discern where the lake ends and the island shore begins is the point at which the tides collapse, a whiplash of foam meeting those whatever-they-call-it trees.

On this island, from where I am writing this, there are people here. I have passed them on my morning runs. These humans have packed up their bags from New York City or Boston, escaping to their summer homes while the world around them is swallowed into global pandemic. They seem just like you and me, They offer a neighborly wave, maintaining a reasonable distance from the sound of my shoes on pavement. They step to the side of the road when we pass each other, and while we exchange pleasantries, they are living in fear of a force unknown. I am living in fear of a force unknown.

Astronomers believe that there are 10 trillion planets in the universe. On this planet, in this time, I entertain myself by believing that there are other forms of life on the 264 islands on Lake Winnipesaukee. There must be lake people who come out at night to dance on the shoreline, and in the daytime, float leisurely just below the surface of the water. There must be people that inhabit that Island not so far from my field of vision, and they must live a life similar to those under the belly of the lake. They are people who gather together and enjoy the splendors of food, drink, and dance. At night, they may congregate around a fire in the middle of the island, sharing stories with each other, feeling the warmth of a deep, shared connection. I imagine they run barefoot on fallen leaves, invincible, with no fear of splinters or open wounds, and in the middle of the day, sleep under the sunbeams able to permeate the dense leaves of those whatever-they-call-it trees.

By Alex Hanson (Gallatin BA ’18)

Three one-act plays revolving around one fictional season of America’s most romantic reality show— performed over video conference.

Starring: Alejandro Cervantes, Ariana Divalentino, Eddie Perino and Tess Speranza

Written and Directed by: Alex Hanson

Edited by: Tom Fields // Music by: Gabe Miller // Cover Art by: Mollie Suss

By Lily Liu (Gallatin BA ’22)

Jiama is a kind of religious woodcut prints, either on paper or on pieces of clothes, that people use to communicate with the gods in the hope of getting what they wish for. Jiama paper of the Bai nation combines deities from Buddhism, Taosim, and Bai indigenous beliefs (usually Benzhu). The format of Jiama is, or rather was, prevalent among the territories of China. During the cultural revolution, Jiama was labeled as “Fengjian Mixin” (封建迷信), and therefore formally banned. But some artists preserved the woodcuts;  in other cases, the woodcut templates are destroyed but the Jiama prints are preserved, and when the upheavals are over, people use these prints to recreate the original woodcuts.

When exactly Jiama is first widely used among the Bai nation is a controversial topic. Most people maintain that it was introduced around the Tang Dynasty and has been around since then, while some scholars argue that Jiama has been around ever since the Han-Jin period. What both groups agree on, is the fact that Jiama was definitely around since the Ming Dynasty, when Han people, the cultural majority today, colonized Yunnan area.

by Karen Siff Exkorn (Gallatin MA ’96)

I’m over it. I know we are all feeling that way about what’s going on right now. But I’m also over another thing. Reading all of those pieces of advice. You know the ones. Overcome Your Stress! Overcome Your Anxiety! Honestly, they all make me feel more stressed and anxious…Read the Whole Article Published by Thrive Global Here

Karen Siff Exkorn, Best-Selling Author/Playwright/Public Speaking and Media Trainer/Executive Coach- Internationally acclaimed speaker and best-selling author Karen Siff Exkorn has been featured on Good Morning America, Today Show, The View, CNN, PBS, Nightline, CNN, CBS, NBC Nightly News and in The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. As founder/CEO of KAS Consulting Inc. and Speak On, Karen leads corporate training programs and works one-on-one with Fortune 500 executives, authors, producers, film/music executives, and celebrities. Clients include top fashion industry leaders Armani, Ann Taylor, Bloomingdales, Louis Vuitton, Macy’s, Saks, and Tommy Hilfiger, in addition to GE Capital, Sony, and more. She has lectured and delivered keynote speeches at Brown University, Columbia University, UMASS Medical School, NYU and the United Nations. Karen is the author of the best-selling book, The Autism Sourcebook—Everything You Need to Know About Diagnosis, Treatment, Coping and Healing—From a Mother Whose Child Recovered (HarperCollins 2005) and the parody Fifty Two Shades of Blue-ish (Orange Press 2012). She is a contributing writer to Huffington Post and Today.com. Her play, Do This, is in production for an off-Broadway run. With a B.A. in Psychology from Brown University and an M.A. in Performance Studies from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University, Karen is also a certified master practitioner of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and a Mindfulness coach.

By Jo (Gallatin BA ’21)

Photographs of my 97 Year-old Father and I.