Performance of SUFFS: The Musical (Tuesday, May 14, 7:00 p.m.)

How will they do it
when it’s never been done?

Following a sold-out extended run at the Public Theater, Suffs arrives on Broadway this spring—and not a moment too soon. From the singular mind of Shaina Taub, this “remarkable, epic new musical” (Variety), coproduced by Hillary Clinton and Malala Yousafzai, boldly explores the victories and failures of a struggle for equality that’s far from over.

It’s 1913, and the women’s movement is heating up in America, anchored by the suffragists—“Suffs,” as they call themselves—and their relentless pursuit of the right to vote. Reaching across and against generational, racial, and class divides, these brilliant, flawed women entertain and inspire us with the story of their hard-won victory in an ongoing fight. So much has changed since the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment more than a century ago, yet we’re reminded sometimes that we need to look back in order to march fearlessly into the future.

WHAT: Performance of Suffs: The Musical, hosted by Laura M. Gellert ’93
WHEN: Tuesday, May 14, 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Music Box Theater, 239 West 45 Street, New York, NY 10036. Please meet Laura Gellert at the entrance to the theater at 6:45 p.m. She will hand out tickets. Late-arrival tickets will be left at the box office.
HOW MUCH: $125 per ticket. In addition, we would appreciate club dues to support Club programming for Bryn Mawr alums
RSVP HERE. Tickets are limited and are nonrefundable—first come, first served. Friends welcome.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Laura M. Gellert ’93 at lmgellert@gmail.com

Guided Walking Tour of Central Park’s Greatest Hits with Catherine Fredman ’80 (Saturday, June 8, 9:30 a.m.)

This custom tour, “Central Park’s Greatest Hits: The Heart of the Park,” given by an experienced former Central Park Conservancy guide, will highlight some of the iconic sites and sights in Central Park, including the Model Boat Pond, the Alice in Wonderland statue, the Lake, Bethesda Terrace, Bow Bridge, and Strawberry Fields. We’ll discuss the history of our country’s first purpose-built public park and how it continues to evolve today.

The tour will start at the Samuel Morse statue, just inside the entrance at Fifth Avenue and 72nd Street, and will conclude at Strawberry Fields, at 72nd Street and Central Park West. There are some stairs, but they can be avoided. The tour will take between ninety minutes and two hours, depending on the number of questions asked. Questions are encouraged!

Catherine Fredman ’80 is a ghostwriter who has collaborated on six bestselling leadership-strategy books and memoirs. She was a volunteer tour guide with the Central Park Conservancy for twelve years. Despite having lived in New York for most of her life, she still finds new things to discover and delight in in the park.

WHAT: Guided walking tour of Central Park’s greatest hits with Catherine Fredman ’80
WHEN: Saturday, June 8, 9:30 a.m.
WHERE: Fifth Avenue and 72nd Street entrance to Central Park, by the Samuel Morse statue
HOW MUCH: $25
RSVP HERE. Tickets are limited and are nonrefundable—first come, first served. Friends welcome.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Becky Hahn ’07 at brynmawrclubnyc@gmail.com

Literary happy hour and book browse at Yu & Me Books (Thursday, July 25, 6:30 p.m.)

Sip, browse, and connect with fellow book enthusiasts
Escape into the world of books at our literary happy hour! Join us for an evening of browsing, beverages, and bookish conversation at Yu & Me Books, a Chinatown bookstore-café-bar that focuses on the strong, diverse voices of the Asian American community with an emphasis on immigrant stories. Founded by former chemical engineer Lucy Yu, Yu & Me Books is the first Asian American female-owned bookstore in New York City.WHAT: Literary happy hour and book browse
WHEN: Thursday, July 25, 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Yu & Me Books, 44 Mulberry Street, New York, NY 10013
HOW MUCH: Cash bar
RSVP HERE. Tickets are limited—first come, first served. Friends welcome.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Mina Bansal ’17 at brynmawrclubnyc@gmail.com

Docent-Led Tour of the Pop-Up Climate Museum Exhibition The End of Fossil Fuel (Saturday, April 6, 1:45 p.m.)

end fossil fuel exhibit
Bicycle in front of Climate Museum

Display on Climate Reparations

 

 

 

 

 

Join us for a docent-led tour of what Time Out calls one of the best museum exhibitions in New York City.

The End of Fossil Fuel, the last exhibition at the pop-up Climate Museum before it leaves New York City, explores how the fossil fuel industry, whose product is causing the climate crisis, manages to keep making a killing off of killing us—and what we can do about it. The exhibition features artist R. Gregory Christie’s forty-five-foot mural Making Tomorrow, which examines the impact of the climate crisis on the American landscape, both real and imagined, as well as a climate action incubator, interactive maps, and more inspiring activities. Overall, the exhibition tells a story that encompasses the hard truths we must confront to arrive at a vibrant, earned belief in the better future we can make together.

R. Gregory Christie is an artist and an illustrator of children’s books and more. He is an NAACP Image Award winner, a six-time Coretta Scott King Honor recipient, and a Caldecott Honor winner. He’s won additional awards from the New York Times, the Museum of Tolerance, and the Boston Globe. Christie is focused on encouraging audiences to find a love for learning and to build bridges of empathy.

The Climate Museum is the first museum dedicated to climate change in the United States. Its programming integrates art, social science, and activism to deepen understanding of the climate crisis, build connections, and advance just solutions. The Climate Museum’s interactive exhibitions have engaged the public in settings as diverse as the New York Estuary, Rockefeller Center, Washington Square Park, and Governors Island.

Alisha Park ’13 is a new Bryn Mawr Club of New York City board member who is passionate about climate matters. While at Bryn Mawr, she was co-chair of Green Ambassadors, a student group focusing on sustainability and heat reductions in the dormitories, and received a Sustainability Leadership Award in 2013. After Bryn Mawr, she cofounded Greener JC, an environmental nonprofit group in New Jersey, celebrating five years in 2024.

WHAT: Docent-led tour of the pop-up Climate Museum exhibition The End of Fossil Fuel, organized by Alisha Park ’13
WHEN: Saturday, April 6, 1:45 p.m.
WHERE: 120 Wooster Street (between Prince and Spring Streets)
HOW MUCH: $25 per person; adults and children welcome
RSVP HERE. Please respond by April 1. Space is limited; first come, first served. Reservations are transferable but not refundable.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Alisha Park ’13 at brynmawrclubnyc@gmail.com or 617-276-7792

Leap Year Happy Hour (Thursday, February 29, 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.)

It’s a leap year. What will you do with that extra day? We hope you’ll join us at the first happy hour of the year with the Bryn Mawr Club of NYC! Come celebrate the leap year with us.

WHAT: Leap Year Happy Hour
WHEN: Thursday, February 29, 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
WHERE: La Lanterna di Vittorio, next door to 129 MacDougal Street (between West 3rd and West 4th Streets)
RSVP:  RSVP HERE
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Jill Li ’18 at jillvyli@gmail.com

Tour of Unnamed Figures: Black Presence and Absence in the Early American North at the American Folk Art Museum (Saturday, February 24, 11:30 a.m.)


 

 

 

 

 

As a corrective to histories that define slavery and anti-Black racism as a largely southern issue, Unnamed Figures: Black Presence and Absence in the Early American North offers a new window into Black representation in a region often overlooked in accounts of early African American history.

Through 125 remarkable works, including paintings, needlework, and photographs, this exhibition invites visitors to focus on figures who appear in—or are omitted from—early American images and will challenge conventional narratives that have minimized early Black histories in the North, revealing the complexities and contradictions of the region’s history between the late 1600s and early 1800s.

Afterward, weather permitting, we can cross to the square at Lincoln Center to sit and chat or gather in a local restaurant for a bite to eat, Dutch treat.

Elizabeth Warren ’72, president of the American Folk Art Museum board of trustees, will lead the tour. Elected to the presidency of the board in 2019, Elizabeth has served on the museum’s board since 2007. She was a curator at the museum from 1984 to 1991 and subsequently served as a consulting and guest curator. She has organized a number of critically acclaimed exhibitions, many of which have been accompanied by books, including Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts (2011), The Perfect Game: America Looks at Baseball (2003–2004), and Made in New York City: The Business of Folk Art (2019). After graduating with an AB from Bryn Mawr, where she also served on the board of trustees, she received her MA from New York University in folk art studies.

WHAT: Tour of Unnamed Figures: Black Presence and Absence in the Early American North at the American Folk Art Museum led by Elizabeth Warren ’72
WHEN:  Saturday, February 24, 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: American Folk Art Museum, 2 Lincoln Square (Columbus Avenue at West 66th Street)
HOW MUCH: $25. In addition, we would appreciate club dues to support Club programming for Bryn Mawr alums.
RSVP:  RSVP HERE. Tickets are limited and nonrefundable; first come, first served.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Helen Thurston ’74 at hthurston77@earthlink.net

Matinee Performance of Prayer for the French Republic and Optional Dinner at Kosher French Restaurant Le Marais (Sunday, February 11, 2:00 p.m.)

The New York Times calls Prayer for the French Republic “thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, and wickedly funny.” The Wall Street Journal raves, Prayer is “easily the finest play of the Broadway season.”

The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City has reserved a block of orchestra seats for a matinee of the acclaimed Prayer for the French Republic, a timely drama set in Paris in which five generations of a Jewish family grapple with the need to hold on to each other as they reel from historic persecutions that are shockingly familiar. Directed by Tony Award winner David Cromer, Joshua Harmon’s Prayer for the French Republic—winner of the 2022 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for best new off-Broadway play—is a crackling tour de force bringing to the stage one family’s need for connection amid growing anti-Semitic threats.

The show has a run time of three hours with two intermissions, so afterward we will be hungry for conversation and food! Let us know if you would like to join us at 6:00 p.m. for dinner at the kosher French restaurant Le Marais, a block from the theater.

WHAT: Matinee of Prayer for the French Republic and optional post-theater dinner at kosher French restaurant Le Marais
WHEN: Sunday, February 11, 2:00 p.m. curtain; dinner at 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47 Street (between Broadway and Eighth Avenue); Le Marais, 150 West 46 Street (between Sixth and Seventh Avenues)
HOW MUCH: $125 for the matinee; dinner à la carte. In addition, we would appreciate club dues to support Club programming for Bryn Mawr alums
RSVP: RSVP HERE for the matinee. Tickets are limited and nonrefundable; first come, first served. Friends welcome. To RSVP for the dinner, contact Sabrina Seidner ’85 at sjseidner@gmail.com
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Sabrina Seidner ’85 at sjseidner@gmail.com

Performance of Terce: A Practical Breviary (Wednesday, January 24, 2024, 7:00 p.m.)

The Space at Irondale
85 South Oxford Street
Brooklyn, NY 11217

Terce: A Practical Breviary is a radical rethinking of a monastic mass that reimagines the face of the Holy Spirit through the lens of the Divine Feminine. Sung by a community choir of 30-plus caregivers and makers, it is a wild meditation/celebration of the sacred mother alive in all of us and how that manifests in regard to the Earth, each other, and ourselves. Inspired by ideas taken from three primary female mystics (Julian of Norwich, Hildegard von Bingen, and Robin Wall Kimmerer), this non-narrative song cycle—a blend of new music, neo-soul, and gospel with traditional medieval organum—is percussed with active caretaking and craft making and is danced wildly. More of an event than an opera, it is built as an active ritual to celebrate and venerate our feminine alignment with nature and recover from living in the confines of a civilization built to control or ignore it.

Terce has been commissioned, developed, and produced through HERE&Back (a program of HERE) as part of PROTOTYPE: Opera/Theatre/Now.

Co-presented with the Space at Irondale.

HERE&Back encompasses projects developed and produced by HERE and helmed by established artists with deep connections to HERE.

The Club thanks Jennifer Suh Whitfield ’98 for bringing this special musical theatrical experience to our attention and underwriting a portion of the GOLD tickets. Jennifer, a former board member of the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City, is a member of the Bryn Mawr College board of trustees and chair of the board of directors of HERE Arts Center.

Tickets are non-refundable and limited, with reservations on a first come, first served basis. A portion of the ticket price goes toward supporting the Club’s work on behalf of alums.

WHAT: Performance of Terce: A Practical Breviary
WHEN: Wednesday, January 24, 2024, 7:00 p.m. 
WHERE: The Space at Irondale, 85 South Oxford Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217
HOW  MUCH: GOLD $55; regular $75. In addition, we would appreciate club dues to support Club programming for Bryn Mawr alums.
RSVP: RSVP HERE. Tickets are limited and nonrefundable; first come, first served.

The award-winning HERE was named a Top Ten Off-Off Broadway Theater by Time Out New York and is a leader in the field of producing and presenting new, hybrid performances viewed as a seamless integration of artistic disciplines—theatre, dance, music and opera, puppetry, media, visual and installation, spoken word and performance art. HERE is a producer, presenter, and venue for local and global ground-breaking artists.

HERE’s standout productions include Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, Taylor Mac’s The Hang and The Lily’s Revenge, Trey Lyford and Geoff Sobelle’s all wear bowlers, Young Jean Lee’s Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven, Robin Frohardt’s The Pigeoning, and Basil Twist’s Symphonie Fantastique, as well as works directed by Founding Artistic Director Kristin Marting, including James Scruggs’s Disposable Men and Kamala Sankaram’s Looking at You.

In addition to its extensive producing work with local artists through its HERE Artist Residency Program, HERE presents work from New York, across the country, and around the globe through its Dream Music Puppetry Program (co-curated with Basil Twist), and its widely acclaimed PROTOTYPE: Opera/Theatre/Now festival of opera-theatre and music-theatre, co-curated and co-produced with Beth Morrison Projects.

As a welcoming venue, HERE proudly curates adventurous artists, companies and productions, whether emerging or recognized, through its SubletSeries.

Since its founding in 1993, HERE and the artists it has supported have received 18 Obies, 2 Bessies, 5 Drama Desk nominations, 2 Pulitzer Prizes, 4 Doris Duke Awards, 7 Tony nominations, and 2 MacArthur Fellowships.

HERE.org

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: brynmawrclubnyc@gmail.com

Bryn Mawr Club of New York City 2024 Evelyn Barish ’56 Poetry Contest (Deadline: Friday, March 8, 4:00 p.m.)

For a third year, New York alum Evelyn Barish ’56 is sponsoring a poetry prize to be awarded by the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City to a Bryn Mawr graduate. This year’s topic is endings or beginnings—or both. The poem should be submitted in traditional haiku format: three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line.

The contest is open to all Mawrter alums, including graduate school alums, and requires no entry fee.

WHAT: The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City 2024 Evelyn Barish ’56 Poetry Contest
WHEN: Email or postmark entries by Friday, March 8, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: brynmawrclubnyc@gmail.com

Bryn Mawr Club of New York City 2024 Evelyn Barish ’56 Poetry Contest Rules

1.     The deadline for all submissions is Friday, March 8, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. No late submissions will be accepted. Submissions may be made by email or US mail.

  • Email: Please email your poem to brynmawrclubnyc@gmail.com with the subject line “Poetry Contest.”
  • US mail: Please mail your poem to Bryn Mawr Club of New York City, P.O. Box 437, Old Chelsea Station, New York, NY 10113, postmarked no later than Friday, March 8, 2024.

2.     Each participant may submit only one poem.

3.     No entry fee is required.

4.     Each poem must conform to traditional haiku format: three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line.

5.     The poem must be original work and not previously published.

6.     Eligibility is limited to alums of Bryn Mawr.

7.     All poems must be written in English.

8.     All poems must have a title.

9.     Winners will receive a check in the amount of $250.00.

10.  Winners must agree to the publication of the winning poem in the Bryn Mawr Alumnae Bulletin and in electronic and social media communications from Bryn Mawr College and the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City.

11. All submissions must be accompanied by the following:

  • author’s name;
  • class year; and
  • contact information, including mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address.
Prize Selection and Announcement
The judges will select the winning poem in April, and the winner will be announced publicly shortly thereafter. The judges’ decision is final. If the judges do not find a poem worthy of the prize, no prize will be awarded.
Bryn Mawr Club of New York City
2024 Evelyn Barish ’56 Poetry Contest Judges

The following panel of judges (listed in order of class year) will review the submissions.

Evelyn Barish ’56: A native of New York, Evelyn graduated from Bryn Mawr College magna cum laude and studied at Oxford as a Fulbright scholar while earning a PhD from New York University. Her four literary biographies, based on archival sources, include Emerson: The Roots of Prophecy (a recipient of Phi Beta Kappa’s Christian Gauss Award), chosen by the Modern Language Association as “the year’s best work of criticism and scholarship,” and The Double Life of Paul De Man, for which the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City hosted a launch party in 2014. Evelyn has received numerous fellowships, including those from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Humanities Center, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.

Helen Thurston ’74: After graduating from Bryn Mawr with a degree in English, Helen worked in Boston city government, on Wall Street, and at not-for-profit education and arts institutions. She now is a consultant in the areas of historic preservation, the arts, sustainable natural development, and nonprofit programming. While at Bryn Mawr, she served on the Haverford College student council. A lover of poetry, thanks to high school teachers who went to Bryn Mawr, she believes in the transformative power of the arts to influence ideas and hearts and to support efforts for the public good. She holds degrees from Université d’Aix-Marseille II and Columbia Business School. Helen has been involved with the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City for more than fifteen years. Under her program-focused leadership, the club has welcomed more than four thousand attendees to an extensive variety of monthly events that provide opportunities for networking and connecting with other alums. Helen currently serves as club president.

Barbara Clark ’79: Barbara was an English major at Bryn Mawr, where she won the Bain-Swiggett Poetry Prize for best single poem. Shortly after graduation, she began her career in book publishing, where she’s been ever since—except for three years in the mid-1990s, during which she earned her MFA in acting. She is currently a freelance book editor. In 2022, her haiku “Goodhart Hall” won the inaugural Evelyn Barish ’56 Poetry Contest.

Trilby V John ’98: Trilby is a program manager for the Office of Teacher Recruitment and Quality at the New York City Department of Education. After decades as an English teacher, she is elated to now be leading the team that hires and trains new teachers. Trilby serves as the ’90s representative to the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City.

Alisha Park ’13: Alisha graduated from Bryn Mawr with a degree in anthropology and an interest in environmental sustainability. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Newark, New Jersey, and served as an AmeriCorps teaching fellow for two years. Also in New Jersey, she cofounded the environmental nonprofit organization Greener JC and completed an MBA in finance at Rutgers Business School. An avocational writer, she is a former participant in the Evelyn Barish ’56 Poetry Contest. Alisha serves as assistant treasurer of the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City.

SOLD OUT – Private Tour of Carnegie Hall (Saturday, January 27, 2024, 11:00 a.m.)

SOLD OUT

Get to know the cultural landmark that has inspired great artists for more than a century. Take a private guided tour of Carnegie Hall and experience the history and magic of this legendary New York City institution. From Tchaikovsky conducting the venue’s inaugural performance to Martin Luther King speaking from its legendary stage to Marlon Brando living above the Stern Auditorium, this building has seen it all. Come and find out what makes Carnegie Hall so special in this fascinating peek behind the scenes.

This tour has been organized by Leila Ghaznavi ’01, a theatrical artist of American-Iranian descent who serves on the Board of the Bryn Mawr Club of NYC. She has a diverse career working as a puppeteer for stage and television as well as working as a fundraiser for Carnegie Hall with a specialization in corporate relations and sponsorships. She is also the General Manager of Pantea Productions, a multidisciplinary theatrical company that combines puppetry, dance, animation, Middle Eastern Cultural influences, and live performances.

For more information, visit: https://www.carnegiehall.org/

WHAT: Private tour of Carnegie Hall
WHEN:  Saturday, January 27, 2024, 11:00 a.m.
WHERE: Carnegie Hall box office, 881 Seventh Avenue at 57th Street, New York, NY 10019
HOW MUCH: $20. In addition, we would appreciate club dues to support Club programming for Bryn Mawr alums.
RSVP: RSVP HERE. Tickets are limited; first come, first served. SOLD OUT
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leila Ghaznavi ’01 at leilag@gmail.com

Guided Tour of A Model Workshop: Margaret Lowengrund and the Contemporaries, Offered by Lauren Rosenblum ’04 (Saturday, December 9, 3:00 p.m.)

A Model Workshop: Margaret Lowengrund and the Contemporaries is the first exhibition to explore the work and impact of Margaret Lowengrund (1902–57), the first woman in the United States to open her own printmaking workshop. Lowengrund was a visionary leader, organizer, and critic and a driving force behind the revival of artistic lithography.

Lowengrund’s the Contemporaries, a vibrant print workshop and gallery, was the hub of printmaking activity in midcentury New York City. The show brings together a diverse selection of objects, including seventy-nine prints, one sculpture, and various ephemera, by artists such as Josef Albers, Milton Avery, Warrington Colescott, Jim Dine, Gego (Gertrud Goldschmidt), David Hockney, Sister Corita Kent, Lee Krasner, Shiko Munakata, Gabor Peterdi, Liliana Porter, David Smith, June Wayne, and Adja Yunkers, among others. Co-curator Lauren Rosenblum will lead a forty-five-minute tour of the exhibition.

Lauren Rosenblum ’04 is the Jensen Bryan curator at the Print Center, Philadelphia, and a doctoral candidate in the prestigious CUNY Graduate Center art history program. As a fellow at the James Gallery, she investigates structural insecurities in academia and art museums. Prior to joining the program, she was a curatorial assistant in the department of prints and drawings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and a fellow in prints and drawings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Lauren has taught art history at the University of New Haven, the University of Houston, the City College of the City University of New York, and Purchase College.

WHAT: A Guided Tour of the Print Center by Lauren Rosenblum ’04
WHEN: Saturday, December 9, 3:00 p.m. 
WHERE: The Print Center, 535 West 24 Street,
New York, NY 10011
HOW  MUCH: $25. In addition, we would appreciate club dues to support Club programming for Bryn Mawr alums.
RSVP: RSVP HERE. Tickets are limited and nonrefundable; first come, first served.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Mina Bansal ’17 at minabansal@gmail.com

November Happy Hour (Tuesday, November 14, 6:00 p.m.)

banner for happy hour 11/14/2023

Remember, remember eleventh November, 

Owls and lanterns and all we were taught; 

Let’s gather together before it’s December,

So owls and lanterns will ne’er be forgot! 
_________________________________________

Join us on Tuesday, November 14, at 6:00 p.m. for drinks

WHAT: Happy Hour

WHEN: Tuesday, November 14, 6:00 p.m. 

WHERE: Location TBD

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Mina Bansal ’17 at minabansal@gmail.com or Jill Li ’18 jillvli@gmail.com

A Night of Dinner and Theater Highlighting the Vietnamese-American Experience (Wednesday, October 11, 2023, 7:00 p.m. curtain, 5:30 p.m. dinner)

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Come, First Served!
The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City has reserved a block of ten tickets for the 7:00 p.m. performance of Poor Yella Rednecks, produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club at City Center, on Wednesday, October 11, 2023. This can be combined with a 5:30 p.m. pre-theater dinner at the nearby Vietnamese fusion restaurant Murals on 54.

The Club is delighted to continue its arts and culture gatherings highlighting underrepresented voices with this second installment of inventive playwright and Marvel screenwriter Qui Nguyen’s Vietgone trilogy. Drawing on his childhood in El Dorado, Arkansas, where he was born and raised by his Vietnamese refugee parents, Nguyen offers a multifaceted take on growing up as a first-generation American while remaining connected to his family’s roots.

The Manhattan Theatre Club, founded in 1972 by its award-winning artistic director, Bryn Mawr alum and trustee Lynne Meadow ’68, is bringing to New York the show that the Bay Area’s Mercury News called “tart and refreshing.” In its rave review of the San Francisco production, Broadway World said, “Nguyen’s vision of his family life in 1970s Midwest USA after leaving war-torn Saigon [is] full of rap beats, slo-mo martial arts, sarcasm, and romance.”

Join us before the show for dinner at Murals on 54, a unique dining experience located in the Warwick Hotel in midtown Manhattan. The restaurant’s walls are adorned with Dean Cornwell’s historic 1937 murals depicting scenes of Sir Walter Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth I. The prix fixe dinner, offering an array of contemporary Vietnamese fusion dishes, will include a choice of cocktail or wine, appetizers for the table, and a choice of three entrees.

WHAT: Manhattan Theatre Club production of Poor Yella Rednecks; pre-theater dinner optional

WHEN: Wednesday, October 11, 2023, 7:00 p.m. curtain; 5:30 p.m. dinner

WHERE: Theater: New York City Center, Stage 1, 131 West 55 Street between Avenue of the Americas and Seventh Avenue; Restaurant: 65 West 54 Street at Avenue of the Americas

HOW MUCH: $75 show only, $190 show + dinner. In addition, we would appreciate club dues to support future programs

RSVP: RSVP HERE

Fall Equinox Happy Hour (Wednesday, September 27, 2023, 5:30 p.m.)

As the leaves begin to turn and we start to don our sweaters, Robert Frost’s words come to mind – “nothing gold can stay”…unless you’re a Mawrter!

This NYC summer has been long, humid, and hot. So, come celebrate the change in seasons with your fellow Mawrter’s at Porchlight’s southern happy hour. Mint juleps and fried chicken are optional.

WHAT: Happy Hour at Porchlight

WHEN: Wednesday, September 27, 2023, 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: Porchlight (271 11th Ave, New York, NY 10001

RSVP: RSVP HERE

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mina Bansal ’17 at minabansal@gmail.com or Jill Li ’18 at jillvli@gmail.com

SOLD OUT – WAITING LIST ONLY Welcome Tour of Galleries and Exhibitions with Bryn Mawr College Trustee and President of the Folk Art Museum Elizabeth Warren ’72 (Saturday, September 23rd at 11:30 AM)

Folk art has flourished in the heart of New York City since the eighteenth century and continues to do so today! Join us on Saturday, September 23rd as we view the beautiful newly renovated galleries and tour the exhibitions of the Museum of Folk Art with Bryn Mawr College Trustee and President of the Folk-Art Museum Elizabeth Warren’72!

SOLD OUT – WAITING LIST ONLY

Gather at the Museum of Folk Art with Elizabeth Warren, as she explores the beauty and impact of art on the human experience in What That Quilt Knows About Me and Material Witness: Folk and Self-Taught Artists at Work.

What That Quilt Knows About Me – This exhibition features 35 quilts and related works of art that explore the deeply personal and emotional power associated with the experience of making and living with quilts. The exhibition’s title conveys the idea that quilts have the capacity for “knowing” or containing information about the human experience. Reflecting on this sentiment, the exhibition presents quilts as collections of intimate stories.

Material Witness: Folk and Self-Taught Artists at Work – Material Witness is the first in a series of thematic shows drawn from the Museum’s collection and generously supported by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation. Featuring nearly 150 works of art, this exhibition chronicles how artists across four centuries have utilized various components of the material world.

Afterwards, weather permitting, we can cross to the square at Lincoln Center to sit and chat or gather in a local restaurant for a bite to eat, Dutch treat.

Elizabeth Warren ’72 has served on the Board of Trustees of the American Folk Art Museum since 2007 and was elected President in 2019. Previously she was curator at the Museum from 1984 until 1991, and subsequently a consulting and guest curator. She has organized a number of critically acclaimed exhibitions, many of which have been accompanied by books, including Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts (2011), The Perfect Game: America Looks at Baseball (2003-2004), and Made in New York City: The Business of Folk Art (2019). After graduating with an AB from Bryn Mawr College, where Ms. Warren currently serves on the Board of Trustees, she received her MA from New York University in Folk Art Studies.

WHAT: Welcome Tour of Galleries and Exhibitions with Bryn Mawr College Trustee and President of the Folk Art Museum Elizabeth Warren ’72

WHEN: Saturday, September 23rd at 11:30 AM

 RSVP: RSVP HERE. (Space is limited; first come, first served). SOLD OUT – WAITING LIST ONLY

WHERE: The Museum of Folk Art (2 Lincoln Square, Columbus Avenue at West 66th Street)

HOW MUCH: $25. In addition, we would appreciate Club Dues to support Club programing for Bryn Mawr alums.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lucille Blair ’76 at lucilleblair95@gmail.com

RESCHEDULED: Bryn Mawr Club of New York City and The Seven Sister Alum Picnic in Central Park (Sunday, July 23rd at 11:00 AM)

UPDATE: The weather goddesses finally cooperated and a great time was had by all! Here is some photographic evidence:

 

The Bryn Mawr Club of New York and the Seven Sister Alum Association would like to invite you to a summer picnic at Central Park! Bring a picnic blanket and some snacks (though light refreshments will be provided). Chat with one of our “siblings,” throw around a football, or just sit back and enjoy the sun – we won’t judge!

Make sure you register so we can keep you alerted of any changes in location due to weather!

WHAT: Summer Picnic with the Seven Sisters Alum Association

WHEN – RESCHEDULED: Sunday, July 23rd at 11:00 AM

WHERE: RSVP HERE. Central Park (Sheep’s Meadow – we’ll have balloons marking our spot!)

HOW MUCH: Free

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mina Bansal BMC ’17 at minabansal@gmail.com

Summer Send-Off Party (Tuesday, August 1st from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM)

Attend this year’s summer send-off party to welcome incoming Mawrters and their families to the Bryn Mawr College community. This informal gathering is designed to ease the anxiety of leaving home, foster a sense of community amongst alumnae/i and current students, and celebrate being part of Bryn Mawr. It is also a time for parents and family members to build their own support systems as families embark on this journey together. Please register by July 27th.

WHAT: Summer Send-Off party for the incoming class

WHEN: Tuesday, August 1st from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

WHERE: RSVP HERE by July 27th. Hosted by Diane Jaffee & David O’Brien P’21 in New York, NY

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: sendoffs@brynmawr.edu

2023 Barbie Movie Viewing (Saturday, July 22nd at 3:00 PM)

UPDATE: We had a great group of people thinking pink and having a wonderful time with Barbie!

When she is “expelled from Barbieland for being a less-than-perfect doll,” Barbie sets off to the real world to find true happiness in this modern interpretation on Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.  Come watch a true masterpiece of cinema with your fellow Mawrters on opening weekend. We’ve reserved a block of seats and popcorn is on us!

Oppenheimer is playing at 10:50 AM and 7:00 PM in case you want to make it a “Boppenheimer” double viewing.

WHAT: 2023 Barbie Movie Viewing

WHEN: Saturday, July 22nd at 3:00 PM (Please come 10 minutes early so we can pass out tickets)

WHERE: RSVP HERE. Located at Regal Union Square (850 Broadway, New York, NY 10003)

HOW MUCH: $25 (includes concessions)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mina Bansal BMC ’17 at minabansal@gmail.com 

Concert and reception with the Bi-Co Haverford Bryn Mawr Chamber Chorus (Tuesday, May 16th at 7:00 PM)

TICKETS: $20 general seating; $10 for alums graduating in 2013-2023

(Ticket sales support the Chamber Singers by reducing expenses for current students. Tickets purchased at the door are CASH ONLY.)

This concert is made possible by generous support from Hugh Rosenbaum ’60.

The Chamber Singers of Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges, a mixed choir of 28 voices, perform challenging repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the present day in a variety of languages and styles. In addition to students majoring in music, the ensemble also attracts students from many other majors who wish to perform challenging choral works in a more intimate setting. The Chamber Singers have collaborated with arts organizations and colleges throughout the northeastern United States and frequently explores music from cultures that are not widely represented in the greater choral world. The group has also undertaken numerous foreign and domestic tours, including a 2022 tour of Quebec.

The concert program for Spring 2023 will include works by Goudimel, Schubert, Elaine Hagenberg, Ned Rorem, Stacey Gibbs, Kenneth Frazelle, and Moses Hogan. A set of four pieces will celebrate the choral traditions of Argentina and Venezuela. Maria Dell’Orefice accompanies the ensemble.

 Nathan Zullinger, conductor is an Assistant Professor at Haverford College, where he conducts the Chorale, the Chamber Singers, supervises private vocal study, and teaches courses in the Department of Music. Through the Bi-College Partnership, he also teaches students from Bryn Mawr College. During his tenure he has premiered six new compositions, conducted numerous performances of lesser-known choral masterpieces, and led concert tours to Boston and Quebec. He was presented with the Innovation in Teaching award by Haverford College in 2021 and served as a Faculty Marshall for the Class of 2022. In addition, Dr. Zullinger is the Associate Conductor and Director of Community Engagement for the Singing City Choir of Philadelphia. He studies voice with Dr. Bradley Williard.

In 2020, Dr. Zullinger formed Viva Voce, a professional choral ensemble to perform and record Curt Cacioppo’s Women of Ancient Greek Myth for Albany Records. The recording was balloted for a Grammy award and won the Ernest Bacon Prize for American Choral Music Performance in 2021. Viva Voce returned to the concert stage in September 2022 with music by Hugo Distler and Heinrich Schutz.

From 2014 until 2018, Dr. Zullinger was a member of the faculty at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. At UNCSA, he taught courses in conducting and aural skills and conducted the Cantata Singers, an ensemble of vocal performance majors. In addition, Dr. Zullinger taught for three years at the University of Rhode Island. At URI he conducted the University Chorus, taught aural skills and music appreciation, accompanied voice students, and served as conductor of the Opera Orchestra.

Dr. Zullinger graduated from Chambersburg (PA) Area Senior High School and received a Bachelor of Science degree in music education from Messiah College. While at Messiah, he studied conducting and voice with Linda Tedford and founded the Messiah College Student Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. Dr. Zullinger received his Masters and Doctoral degrees in conducting from Boston University, where he studied with Ann Howard Jones, Dennis Shrock, and David Hoose.

 WHAT: Concert and reception with the Bi-Co Haverford Bryn Mawr Chamber Chorus

 WHEN: Tuesday, May 16th at 7:00 PM, with reception at 8:15 PM

 WHERE: RSVP HERE General Seating: $20, Alums graduating in 2013 – 2023: $10). Fourth Universalist Society in the City of New York, 160 Central Park West

 HOW MUCH: Tickets go on sale April 1st.

 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Helen Thurston ’74 at hthurston77@earthlink.net

Bryn Mawr Club of New York City Annual Meeting with Special Guest Emma Wippermann ’12, winner of the 2023 Whiting Award, hosted on Zoom (Thursday, May 11th at 7:30 PM)

Please join the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City for its 2023 Annual Meeting, on Thursday, May 11th, from 7:30 PM, via Zoom. The few minutes of business to be conducted consists of a report on the Club’s activities by the President of the Club, the Treasurer’s Report, the passage of a resolution, and the election of Club Officers and Board Members.

The Annual Meeting will be followed by a poetry reading from special guest, Emma Wippermann ’12, the recipient of the 2023 Whiting Award for poetry and drama. Emma is the author of the forthcoming Joan of Arkansas (Ugly Duckling Presse), a queer drama about climate catastrophe and political divinity. Her previous works also consist of Pleasure as a Series of Objects (Patient Sounds, 2019), jubilatOmniverseSecond FactoryNoDearOversoundTemporary Art Review, and Organism for Poetic Research. Currently, Emma lives in Brooklyn, has an MFA from Brown University, and is working on her first novel.

Resolution: WHEREAS, The Board of the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City seeks to update its bylaws, now be it resolved that: A new position of Assistant Treasurer will be added to the Board, to serve for a term of 2 years. The Assistant Treasurer will support the Treasurer by taking on various responsibilities requested by the Treasurer.

The officers and members in bold are nominated for the following positions:

President Helen Thurston ’74
Vice President Friya Bankwalla ’16
Mina Bansal ’17
Secretary Rebecca Hahn ’07
Treasurer Laura Gellert ’93
Assistant Treasurer Alisha Park ’13
Communications Chair Friya Bankwalla ’16
Events Reps Mina Bansal ’17
Young Alumnae Coordinator Jill Li ’18
Webmistress Maya Amis ’79/’87
50s Membership Rep Evelyn Barish ’56
60s Membership Rep To be filled
70s Membership Rep Lucille Blair ’76
80s Membership Rep Sabrina Seidner ’85
90s Membership Rep Trilby V John ’98
00s Membership Rep Leila Ghaznavi ’01
10s Members Rep Maisha Rahman ’13
Members-At-Large Jane Engelhardt ‘84
Laura Silvius ’05

Support the Club with your Annual Membership DUES HERE. Dues help support lively programming to connect and celebrate Bryn Mawr alums. If you are not able to attend by Zoom but want the Annual Meeting proxy voting form, click HERE.

WHAT: The Annual Meeting of the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City with Special Guest Emma Wippermann ’12, winner of the 2023 Whiting Award, hosted on Zoom

WHEN: Thursday, May 11th from 7:30 PM

WHERE: RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration and closer to the date.

HOW MUCH: While the Annual Meeting is free, we encourage you to renew your membership at this time. Tickets for the program and for membership are greatly appreciated and support programing for alums.

 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: brynmawrclubnyc@gmail.com

Bryn Mawr Club of New York City Evelyn Barish ’56 Poetry Contest (Deadline: April 30th by 4:00 PM)

Bryn Mawr Club of New York City
2023 Evelyn Barish ’56 Poetry Contest
Deadline: April 30th by 4:00 PM EST
Topic: Since the Pandemic

Dear Bryn Mawr alums,

For a second year, New York alum Evelyn Barish ’56 has provided for a poetry prize to be awarded by the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City to one of our graduates. This year’s topic is “Since the Pandemic.” The poem can be in any form but not longer than twenty lines. Any type of poem is eligible (such as sonnet, terza rima, or villanelle—see contest rules for a list of suggestions) other than haiku and limerick.

The contest is open to all Mawrters, including graduate school alums, and requires no entry fee.

WHAT: The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City 2023 Evelyn Barish ’56 Poetry Contest

WHEN: Email or postmark entries by 4:00 p.m. EDT April 30, 2023

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: brynmawrclubnyc@gmail.com

Bryn Mawr Club of New York City
2023 Evelyn Barish ’56 Poetry Contest Rules

  1. The deadline for all submissions is 4:00 PM EDT on April 30, 2023. No late submissions will be accepted. Submissions may be made by email or US mail.
    1. Email: Please email your poem to brynmawrclubnyc@gmail.com no later than 4:00 p.m. EDT on April 30, 2023, with the subject line “Poetry Contest.”
    2. US mail: Please mail your poem to Bryn Mawr Club of NYC, Old Chelsea Station, P.O. Box 437, New York, NY 10113, postmarked no later than 4:00 p.m. EDT on April 30, 2023.
  2. The poem’s form, punctuation, and capitalization are at the poet’s discretion.
  3. Each participant may only submit one poem.
  4. Each poem may not be longer than twenty lines.
  5. The poem must be original work and not previously published.
  6. All poems must be written in English and have a title.
  7. All submissions must be accompanied by the following:
    1. author’s name;
    2. class year;
    3. contact information, including mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address; and
    4. chosen form, if any.

Potential Form Suggestions (Not Required)   

Abecedarian Acrostic Aubade Ballad
Blank verse Elegy Epistle Free verse
Lament Lullaby Nocturne Pantoum
Prose poem Rondeau Sonnet Terza rima
Triolet Villanelle

Prize Selection and Announcement

The judges will select the winning poem, and the winner will be announced during Spring 2023. The winner will receive a check for $250 and will be recognized in the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City e-newsletter. The judges’ decision is final. If the judges do not find a poem worthy of the prize, no prize will be awarded

Contest Judges

The following panel of judges (listed in order of class year) will review the submissions.

 Evelyn Barish ’56: A native of New York, Evelyn graduated from Bryn Mawr College magna cum laude. She studied at Oxford as a Fulbright scholar and earned a PhD from NYU. Her books include Emerson: The Roots of Prophecy (recipient of the 1989 Gauss Prize, awarded by Phi Beta Kappa as “the year’s best work of criticism and scholarship”); Arthur Hugh Clough: Growth of a Poet’s MindEmerson in Italy; and The Double Life of Paul De Man, for which the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City hosted a launch party in 2014. She has received numerous fellowships, including those from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Humanities Center, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and others. Evelyn serves as the ’50s representative to the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City.

 Helen Thurston ’74: After graduating with a degree in English, Helen worked in Boston city government, on Wall Street, and in not-for-profit education and arts institutions. She now is a consultant in the areas of historic preservation, the arts, sustainable natural development, and nonprofit programing. While at Bryn Mawr, she served on the Haverford College student council. A lover of poetry, thanks to high school teachers who went to Bryn Mawr, she believes in the transformative power of the arts to influence ideas and hearts and to support efforts for the public good. She holds degrees from Université Aix Marseille II and Columbia Business School. Helen serves as president of the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City.

Barbara Clark ’79: Barbara was an English major at Bryn Mawr, where she won the Bain-Swiggett Poetry Prize for best single poem. Shortly after graduation, she started a literary magazine with Barry Schwabsky (Haverford ’79) called Some Other Magazine, which published four issues between 1979 and 1981, and began her career in book publishing, where she’s been ever since—except for three years in the mid-1990s, during which she earned her MFA in acting. She is currently a freelance book editor. In 2022, her haiku “Goodhart Hall” won the inaugural Evelyn Barish ’56 Poetry Contest. She is honored to be among this year’s judges.

Trilby V John ’98: Trilby is a program manager for the Office of Teacher Recruitment and Quality at the New York City Department of Education. After decades as a English teacher, she is elated to now be leading the team that hires and trains new teachers. Trilby serves as the ’90s representative to the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City.

If you have questions, please contact brynmawrclubnyc@gmail.com .

We look forward to receiving and reviewing your poem.

Happy Hour with Bryn Mawr Club of New York City and Mt. Holyoke Club of New York City (Thursday, April 20th at 7:00 PM)

Mt. Holyoke was founded in 1837, making her nearly fifty years Bryn Mawr’s elder. If Mt. Holyoke is the eldest of the seven sisters, where does Bryn Mawr fall in the order? Bryn Mawr’s school colors are yellow and white and Mt. Holyoke’s school colors are blue and white. However, students at both institutions are represented by class colors. How does each school determine the color?

Though separated by about two hundred miles, Mt. Holyoke College and Bryn Mawr College have a lot in common. So, join us on Thursday, April 20th for a drink with our siblings and exchange strange traditional tidbits so that one day we can take over the world.

 WHAT: Happy Hour with the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City and Mt. Holyoke Club of New York City

 WHEN: Thursday, April 20th at 7:00 PM

 WHERE: RSVP HERE. Hi-Note (188 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009)

 HOW MUCH: Free

 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bryn Mawr College: Mina Bansal’17 at minabansal@gmail.com or Mount Holyoke: Camille Serrano’15 at camiserr@gmail.com

Writing for Social Justice with Luvon Roberson ’74, Elizabeth Mosier ’84, and featuring Verneda “Rikki” Lights ’74 (Tuesday, March 21st, 2023 at 7:30 PM)

Join us on March 21st for a riveting hour and a half special with Luvon Roberson ’74, Verneda “Rikki” Lights ’74, and Elizabeth Mosier ’84, as they reflect on a time of storytelling that features Bryn Mawrters from start to finish.

These three influential women share how the Riverside Writing Group series on “Writing Memoir & Justice,” is one of those experiences that sprung from Mawrter inspiration, draws from the historic social justice legacy of Riverside Church in New York City, and that sparked Mawrter creativity — as well as 21st century NFT and AI storytelling.

The series, led by two writer-Mawrters and inspired by Marcia Cantarella ’68 and her memoir “Recognize & Give Thanks,” tapped the august Riverside Church Archives, attracted several alumnae from across the nation, and ignited memoir justice writing, which is available in our published anthology.

For more information about the Riverside Writing Group, visit:

https://www.trcnyc.org/riversidewritinggroup/

Luvon Roberson ’74. After 30 years as Marketing Communications executive for Fortune-50 companies, she now defines herself as a Writer – of poetry, memoir, ethnographic fiction, narrative performance – fueled by word as social justice. She holds degrees from Bryn Mawr College, University of London, and Columbia University, and tweets @LuvonRwriter. Luvon founded Riverside Writing Group in 2021 to build a community of justice writers. Her current accolades include Equinox 2021’s Prize for Prose for Sweet Yam Weather (14) and an Honorable Mention for her poem BLACK GIRL JUNE MEMORIES DONE BEEN CHANGED (18). Currently, she is working on Mississippi Sanctifyin, a memoir-collection of multi-genre writings about her family’s sharecropping experience and their legacy.

Novelist and essayist Elizabeth Mosier ’84 taught creative writing at Bryn Mawr College and elsewhere for more than twenty years. Her most recent book is Excavating Memory: Archaeology and Home which was featured at a previous Bryn Mawr Club of NYC event.

Verneda “Rikki” Lights ’74 is a visual artist/ photographer, published poet, historian, physician (retired), and griot of South Carolina’s Gullahgeechee Nation. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine (MD), Strayer University (MBA), and holds a certificate in International Arts Management from Deusto University School of Business, NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, and Guggenheim Bilbao. Her exhibits include: the Whitney Biennial, The Wrong Biennial, Woman Made Gallery, Albrecht-Kemper Museum, Edward M Kennedy Institute, Harlem Fine Arts Show, Southampton Arts Center, M.A.D.S. Galleries in Milan and Canary Islands, and La Pedrera in Barcelona. Verneda is founder and CEO of E-graphX Omnimedia, an art house, design firm, and business consultancy, located in Port Royal, SC. A member of her class’ fundraising team, Verneda created the Bryn Mawr Collection to help the Class of ’74 raise funds during the pandemic. She can be reached at her LinkedInInstagramTwitterYouTubeFacebookGoogle Scholar, and Jennylights Designz.

 WHAT: Writing for Social Justice with Luvon Roberson ’74, Elizabeth Mosier ’84 and featuring Verneda “Rikki” Lights ’74

WHEN: Tuesday, March 21st, 2023 at 7:30 PM

WHERE: Register ONLINE HERE.

HOW MUCH: $20. Guests welcome.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Helen at hthurston77@earthlink.net.

Climate Museum Pop-Up Tour & Le Botaniste Lunch in Soho, organized by Annemarie Amparo ’87 (Sunday, March 12th at 1:00 PM)

Join us for a curated museum visit and a specially catered sustainable meal!

The Climate Museum is the first museum dedicated to climate change in the U.S. Its programming integrates art, social science, and activism to deepen understanding of the climate crisis, build connections, and advance just solutions. The Climate Museum’s interactive exhibitions have engaged the public in settings as diverse as the New York Estuary, Rockefeller Center, Washington Square Park, and Governors Island.

Come tour the Museum’s latest project, a Pop-Up in Soho, featuring artist David Opdyke’s Someday, all this, which explores the impact of the climate crisis on the American landscape—both real and imagined, the Climate Action Incubator, and more activities designed to prompt discussion, encourage reflection, and spur action on climate change.

After the curator-led tour we’ll enjoy a meal on site catered by Le Botaniste, New York City’s only organic, plant-based, and certified carbon-neutral restaurant. Through their globally-inspired food, from Tibetan Mama Bowls to Omega-3 Brownies, Le Botaniste presents innovative and enticing ways of eating plants. Experience just how delicious plant-powered fare can be – food that’s “better for you, better for the planet.”

We’ll meet inside the Pop-Up entrance for the tour, then share our sustainable lunch in the Pop-Up’s community room, where we’ll continue our conversation with fellow alums.

Space is limited, and first come first served – please RSVP by March 5th.

WHAT: Climate Museum Pop-Up Tour & Lunch in Soho, organized by Annemarie Amparo ’87

WHEN: Sunday, March 12th at 1:00 PM

WHERE: Climate Museum Pop-Up at 120 Wooster Street (between Prince and Spring Streets)

HOW MUCH: $30 per person (includes museum and luncheon)

RSVP HERE: RSVP HERE by March 5th. (Space is limited and first come first served). Please note, as the meal must be ordered ahead of time, there will be no refunds but another can take your place if you can no longer attend.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Annemarie Amparo’87 at TCM.soho@gmail.com

SAVE THE DATE: Happy Hour with the Seven Sisters Alumnae Association (Wednesday, March 29th at 6:00 PM)

Did you know that the term “Seven Sisters” is a reference to the Pleiades, the seven divine sisters who served Artemis, the goddess of the hunt? In fact, on a clear night, when Orion is out, you can see this open star cluster (known as Twr Tewdws to the Welsh, Matariki to the Maori, al-Thurayya to Arabs, Subaru to the Japanese, and Krttika to Hindu’s).*

Unfortunately, NYC produces too much light pollution to see anything in the sky, except the odd helicopter, so instead join The Bryn Mawr Club of NYC and the Seven Sisters Alumnae Association on March 29th at Miladys to see a real-life clustering of stars!

We would love to have you!

* Source: Wikipedia

WHAT: SAVE THE DATE: Happy Hour with the Seven Sisters Alumnae Association

WHEN: Wednesday, March 29th from 6:00 – 7:30 PM

WHERE: Miladys (160 Prince St, New York, NY 10012)

HOW MUCH: TBA

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Mina Bansal ’17 at minabansal@gmail.com

Breaking the Glass Barrier in Business – Money and Misogyny with Jamie Fiore Higgins ’98 (Thursday, February 2nd at 7:30 PM)

“At a time when many white-collar workers are lobbying for the right to keep Zooming in sweatpants, Bully Market is a reminder of when offices were stage sets in the sky for dark, outrageous human drama.“
New York Times

Please join the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City for an evening with best-selling author, Jamie Fiore Higgins ’98, as she presents her debut memoir, Bully Market, My Story of Money and Misogyny at Goldman Sachs. She was recognized as one of the 25 world’s most influential women of 2022 by the Financial Times.

Jamie Fiore Higgins spent 18 years at Goldman Sachs, one of the most cutthroat organizations in the world. Spurred on by the obligation she felt to her working-class immigrant family, she rose through the ranks to achieve the position of Managing Director, a title that only 8% of employees earn, and became the highest-ranking woman in her department. Despite Goldman Sachs having the right talking points, Jamie soon realized that these provided a veneer to cover up an abusive culture. This toxic work environment did serious damage to her morale, her health, and even her marriage, until she eventually broke free from that unhealthy system. Drawing on her almost two decades on Wall Street, Jamie sounds the alarm on the culture of finance and corporate America and offers us the chance to learn from her experience so that we can change our companies for the better. She gives us practical steps that we can take at any level to improve our workplace cultures and promote an environment where everybody can not only belong, but flourish.

For more information about Jamie, visit:

https://jamiefiorehiggins.com

Order Bully Market HERE:  

https://jamiefiorehiggins.com/buy/

Jamie Fiore Higgins ’98 worked as a managing director at Goldman Sachs and was the highest-ranking woman in her department. An active member of the Women’s Network Committee, Fiore Higgins spent her workdays running the trainee and internship programs, recruiting, managing top equity clients, and $100 billion in stock. Living in New Jersey with her husband and four children, she is a trained coach, working with teens to hone their leadership skills, high school and college graduates as they begin careers, professionals as they navigate the workforce, and those in midlife looking to reinvent themselves. She was recognized as one of the 25 world’s most influential women of 2022 by the Financial Times.

WHAT: Virtual Book Talk: Bully Market, My Story of Money and Misogyny at Goldman Sachs with Jamie Fiore Higgins ’98

WHEN: Thursday, February 2nd at 7:30 PM

RSVP: Register ONLINE HERE.

HOW MUCH: $20. Guests welcome.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Helen at hthurston77@earthlink.net.

Good as GOLD: Club Happy Hour, hosted by Mina Bansal ’17 and Jill Li ’18 (Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 6:00 PM)

More than half of all New Year’s resolutions fail according to this NYTimes article.  If you’re one of these people (like me) who struggle to get out of bed at 5 AM to go to the gym before work, you’re out of luck – this event won’t help you.  But it can help you make new friends or reconnect with old!

Come share your New Year’s Resolutions with us (or don’t – maybe that’s your resolution) at the Bryn Mawr Club’s first monthly happy hour of the year.  We’ll meet at Famous Last Words in Brooklyn at 6 PM.  First drink is on us.  And if your resolution is to drink less this year…well, come anyways!

Who knows, maybe you’ll find a gym buddy.

WHAT: Good as GOLD: Happy Hour, hosted by Mina Bansal ’17 and Jill Li ’18

WHEN: Wednesday, January 25th, 2023, 6:00 – 7:30 PM

WHERERSVP HERE. Located at Famous Last Words (925 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY, 11238)

HOW MUCH: Free – first drink on the Club

SOLD OUT: Dante’s Divine Comedy study, with President Emerita Nancy J. Vickers (February 2023 – 2024)

This event is sold out!

Join the Bryn Mawr Club of NYC for a yearlong study of Dante’s Divine Comedy with President Emerita Nancy Vickers, an acclaimed Dante teacher and scholar. Our small and dedicated study group will convene every two weeks – mostly by Zoom — with occasional in person gatherings on the Upper West Side. This small study group is open to New York City Club members.

We are grateful to College Trustee Elizabeth Warren for occasional in person hosting and to President Emerita Vickers for donating her teaching expertise for this once in a lifetime opportunity.

We will start during the month of February 2023 and gather for a year every two weeks. Meetings by Zoom will be on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 PM with occasional in person meetings on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, dates TBA. Purchase of a specific text, with facing pages in English and Italian, will be necessary. Easy use of Zoom for our virtual gatherings is assumed.

A fee of $150 to the Bryn Mawr Club of NYC is requested to help cover expenses. (Sliding scale available upon request, and we hope that Club members will feel free to take advantage of this offer as needed.)

If you are interested, please send an e-mail before November 15, 2022 to Helen Thurston, President of the Bryn Mawr Club of NYC, at hthurston77@earthlink.net. Please insert “Dante — with President Emerita Nancy Vickers” in the subject line and provide the following information:

  1. Name:
  2. Bryn Mawr Class Year and Major:
  3. Address:
  4. Email:
  5. Phone: (Please indicate if cell or landline.)
  6. Have you read/studied Dante before?
  7. Please tell us why you want to study Dante in depth now?
  8. Will you be able to commit to “doing the homework” — reading and preparing for the bi-weekly gatherings for a year?
  9. Are you comfortable with Zoom virtual gatherings?

WHAT: Dante’s Divine Comedy study with President Emerita Nancy Vickers

WHEN: February 2023 – 2024

WHERE: Zoom and occasionally in person in New York City.

HOW MUCH: $150 (sliding scale available) PLUS purchase of the assigned text.

RSVP: Send an email to hthurston77@earthlink.net and answer the questions listed above.

Welcome to the City at Brooklyn Brewery, hosted by The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City, board members Mina Bansal ’17 and Becky Hahn ’07 (Monday, November 14th at 6:00 PM EST)

For the first time in three years, The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City’s invites you to an in-person Welcome to the City event to greet the Class of 2022 and belatedly the Classes of 2020 and 2021 to the Bryn Mawr alum community in New York. Mina Bansal ‘17 and Becky Hahn ‘07 are the host organizers, and all alums including those who have recently moved to the city are welcomed.

The event will take place at Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg and will coincide with an optional Drag Bingo event hosted by Bingo Queen Linda Simpson at 6:30 PM.

Come meet your fellow alums, enjoy some drinks and apps, and see what sort of events the Club has to offer!

All class years are invited, especially anyone who has recently moved to the city and wants to meet the local Bryn Mawr alum community. Come and have fun!

WHAT: Welcome to the City at Brooklyn Brewery, hosted by The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City, board members Mina Bansal ’17 and Becky Hahn ’07

WHEN:  Monday, November 14th at 6:00 PM EST

WHERE: Brooklyn Brewery; 79 N 11th St. Brooklyn, NY 11249

HOW MUCH: Free. Members of the Classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022 will be guests of The Bryn Mawr Club of NYC, which includes one drink and snacks. Cash bar will be subsequently available. Voluntary dues for The Bryn Mawr Club of NYC to support programming will be welcomed.

RSVP: REGISTER ONLINE.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mina Bansal ’17 at minabansal@gmail.com.

Chinese Buddhist Vegetarian Luncheon, organized by June Mei ’66 (Saturday, October 22nd at 12:00 PM EDT)

Over the centuries, Chinese Buddhists found ways to integrate the Buddhist proscription against killing animals for food into their culture’s traditional diet. This has resulted in a vegetarian cuisine which features many dishes made to resemble meat and seafood. Extensive use is made of soybean products, mushrooms, nuts, etc. to create dishes with the textures and flavors of their meat counterparts, ranging from dim sum to barbecues. Our lunch will feature a multi-course menu of mostly Cantonese dishes which fully exemplify this variety.

As we will be meeting in Chatham Square in Chinatown, lunch will be preceded by a greeting from our Club President and a brief description by June Mei ’66 of two local landmarks which reflect ongoing political differences in Chinatown.

This Chinese Buddhist Vegetarian Luncheon is organized by June Mei ’66, who has been involved in U.S.-China cultural, political and philanthropic exchanges for over three decades. She has also organized four China trips for the Bryn Mawr Alumnae Association.

WHAT: Chinese Buddhist Vegetarian Luncheon, organized by June Mei ’66

WHEN: Saturday, October 22nd at 12:00 PM EDT.

WHERE: Assemble at the Kimlau War Memorial Arch in Chatham Square, Chinatown (across from the intersection of Mott Street and the Bowery) for welcome and introductory remarks. Lunch will follow at Buddha Bodai Restaurant, 5 Mott Street (a Restaurant which is kosher as well as vegan!)

HOW MUCH: $35 per reservation (Includes tax and tip). Guests are welcome. Please note, as the meal must be ordered ahead of time, there will be no refunds but another may take your place if you can no longer attend.

RSVP: RSVP HERE

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: June Mei ’66 at jymei001@gmail.com

Theater Performance: POTUS, hosted by Laura Gellert ’93 and Sabrina Seider ’85 (Thursday, June 14th at 7:00 PM)

The Bryn Mawr College Club of New York has reserved a block of tickets to see Broadway’s uproarious new comedy about the women in charge of the man in charge of the free world. With an All-Female cast, directed by Tony award winner Susan Stroman and a snappy script by Morning Show’s Selina Fillinger, it’s a rollicking good time!

Gather for dinner before the show at a place to be determined. Please note, the dinner cost will not be included in the price of the ticket. (Details will follow in an email to those who sign up to attend the theatrical performance.)

Recent Review in New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/27/theater/potus-review-broadway.amp.html

For more information, visit: https://potusbway.com/

Please note, there are vaccination, mask, and ID requirements for this June 2022 performance. See both theater requirements and future Club messages for Club requirements.

WHAT: Theater Performance: POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive

WHEN:  Thursday, June 14th, at 7:00 PM

WHERE: The Shubert Theatre located on 225 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036

HOW MUCH: $75 per ticket.

RSVP: RSVP HERE. Tickets are limited. First come, first served. If tickets are sold out, please contact Laura Gellert ’93 below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Gellert ’93 at lmgellert@gmail.com

Bryn Mawr Club of New York City Evelyn Barish ’56 Poetry Contest Winning Recipient

Each of our contestants helped make our first contest a huge success! We received a high volume of wonderful submissions, and it truly was difficult for our team to choose from among such creativity. After much consideration, the judges of the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City Evelyn Barish ’56 haiku contest are proud to announce the following recipient and haiku as the winner for its cadence, language, and imagery.

Goodhart

Time breathes from the stone.
Mold, must, leaves. Music. Paper.
Fall has come to sing.

By Barbara Clark ’79

 

Annual Meeting of Bryn Mawr Club of New York City (Saturday May 14th at 2:00 PM. Rain Date Sunday, May 15th at 2:00 PM)

Please plan to join the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City for its 2022 Annual Meeting to be held on Saturday, May 14, 2022 at the First Avenue side of Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza in New York City between First and Second Avenues on 47th Street.

The 7 minutes of business to be conducted consists of a short report on the Club’s activities by the President of the Club, the Treasurer’s Report, and the election of Club Officers and Board Members.

The Annual Meeting will be followed by a presentation of the Bryn Mawr Club of NYC Evelyn Barish ’56 Poetry Prize.

Nominations for 2022 Annual Meeting

The officers and members in bold are nominated for the following positions:

President Helen Thurston ’74
Vice President Helen Freeman ’02
Secretary Rebecca Hahn ’07
Treasurer Laura Gellert ’93
Young Alumnae Coordinator to be filled
50s and 60s Membership Rep to be filled
70s Membership Rep Lucille Blair ’76
80s Membership Rep Sabrina Seidner ’85
90s Membership Rep Trilby V. John ’98
00s Membership Rep Leila Ghaznavi ’01
10s Members Rep Amani Chowdhury ’14
Career Development Rep Isidora Delizo Armentrout ’13
Webmistress Maya Amis ’79/’87
Communications Chair Friya Bankwalla ’16
Events Reps Mina Bansal ’17
Members-At-Large Jane Engelhardt ‘84

Ruchi Shah ’08

Laura Silvius ’05

Help support the Club by contributing to Annual Membership DUES by clicking on the RSVP link. Dues help support lively programming to connect and celebrate Bryn Mawr alums.

If you are not able to attend but want the proxy voting form, click HERE.

WHAT: Bryn Mawr Club of NYC 2022 Annual Meeting

WHEN: Afternoon, Saturday, May 14, 2022 (Rain date Sunday May 15, 2022 same time)

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE.

HOW MUCH: Dues and Club donations would be greatly appreciated, HERE.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: brynmawrclubnyc@gmail.com

IN-PERSON 2022 May Day Celebration at the Katharine Hepburn Garden Party (Saturday, May 14th at 1:00 PM)

We are so excited to gather as a community of Bryn Mawr alums at the Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza to celebrate May Day and Katharine Hepburn’s Birthday! This garden party will feature:

  • Speeches and festivities beginning promptly at 1:00 PM
  • Live music–songs of Katharine Hepburn’s era
  • Tours of the Katharine Hepburn Garden
  • Refreshments

This event is presented by the Friends of Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, the Turtle Bay Association, and the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City. Gather at the performance colonnade.

Kimberly Hawkey and the Era Gone Jazz Band will perform. “A delightfully fresh-voiced treat,” says BroadwayWorld.com. “Irrepressibly cheery update on 30s and 40s sounds,” writes New York Music Daily.

The Club will provide traditional strawberries and cream and the Friends of Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza will provide Katharine Hepburn birthday cake.  The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City will have tables at the Pink Moose Café just off 47th and First Avenue and additional refreshments may be purchased at the Pink Moose Café.

We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

WHAT: Katharine Hepburn Garden Party & Bryn Mawr Club of NYC May Day Celebration

WHEN: Festivities and presentations begin at 1:00 promptly Saturday, May 14 (Rain Date 1:00 – 3:00 PM, Sunday, May 15)

WHERE: Das Hammarskjöld Plaza, East 47th Street between First and Second Avenues. Our table will be set up by the Pink Moose café, in the First Avenue section of the park.

HOW MUCH: $5 per registration. Friends and family welcomed to register too.

RSVP: Please RSVP HERE — We encourage you to renew your Club membership with your annual dues.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brynmawrclubnyc@gmail.com

Mawrter Monthly Craft Night, hosted by Leila Ghaznavi ’01 (Monday, May 9th at 7:00 PM)

Come one, come all to The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City Mawrter Monthly Craft Night! Craft Night will be held the second Monday of each month.

Bring your knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, spinning or whatever craft you adore for a night of chatting and creative fun! This monthly zoom meeting is hosted by Leila Ghaznavi ’01.

Leila Ghaznavi ’01 majored in music composition and now works in fundraising and development for Carnegie Hall. A member of the board of the Bryn Mawr Club of NYC, Leila is also a puppeteer and founder of Pantea Productions, a multidisciplinary theatre production company that combines puppetry and physical theatre for unrestrained storytelling that defies gravity. In her free time, she collects more yarn than is possible to knit in one lifetime. She has also dabbled in needlepoint, crochet, and mask making — transforming her sewing machine from her nemesis into an ally.

WHAT: Mawrter Monthly Craft Night!

WHEN: Monday, May 9th at 7:00 PM.

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: Free.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Leila Ghaznavi ’01 at Leilag@gmail.com.

IN-PERSON African/American: Making the Nation’s Table Exhibition, curated by Dr. Jessica B. Harris ’68 (Saturday, April 30th at 11:00 AM)

Foodies! African American history lovers! Join us for African/American: Making the Nation’s Table exhibition visit with optional lunch-box to go! This fascinating exhibition, curated by Dr. Jessica B. Harris ’68, reveals the stories of innovators, cooks, mixologists, and entrepreneurs as they emphasize that African American food is American food.

The Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) presents African/American: Making the Nation’s Table, displayed within the newly-constructed home of partner The Africa Center, this first-of-its-kind exhibition celebrates the countless contributions of Black chefs, farmers, and food and drink producers who have laid the foundation for American food culture—recognition that is long overdue. Understanding the rich and expansive stories underlying any good meal, African/American seeks, in its immersive and historic scope, to offer a portrait of the immense breadth of African American traditions and innovations in cooking.

Please note that participants are expected to purchase their own ticket directly from the museum. This is not a large exhibit and space is limited so to be sure of a reservation, please purchase tickets in advance as soon as possible.

For more information about the exhibit and MOFAD: Click Here

Dr. Jessica B. Harris ’68 is widely considered the world’s preeminent expert on the foods of the African Diaspora. Dr. Harris is the author of 12 critically acclaimed books and was recently inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Hall of Fame. In 2012, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture engaged Dr. Harris to conceptualize and curate the museum’s cafeteria.

Following a 50-year teaching career at CUNY Queens College, and building on over four decades of work as an acclaimed journalist, African/American is a natural extension of Dr. Harris’s life’s work. As Dr. Scott Barton writes, “Dr. Jessica B. Harris has championed the heretofore invisible African American/African culinarians, rendering them visible and in plain sight.”  The Netflix series High on the Hog is based on Dr. Harris’ book of the same name.

WHAT: Bryn Mawr Club of NYC Meet up at the African/American: Making the Nation’s Table Exhibition, curated by Dr. Jessica B. Harris ’68 with optional lunch afterwards

WHEN: Saturday, April 30th at 11:00 AM

WHERE: The Africa Center, Aliko Dangote Hall

(1280 5th Avenue, New York between 109th and 110th Streets)

RSVP:  Purchase your ticket directly at MOFAD ticket site, with or without Shoe Box lunch: https://www.mofad.org/ticketing

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Becky Hahn ’07 at brynmawrclubnyc@gmail.com

Poetry Contest – Deadline is March 1st, 2022 at 4:00 PM

A generous New York alum, Evelyn Barish ’56, has provided for a poetry prize to be awarded by the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City to a Bryn Mawr alum. In solidarity against and defiance of anti-Asian violence, this year’s poetry contest is focused on a well-known Japanese poetry format, the haiku.  The topic, naturally, is Bryn Mawr College. We are grateful to Evelyn Barish for her vision, generosity, and award.

Evelyn Barish ’56 a native of New York, graduated from Bryn Mawr College (magna cum laude) and studied at Oxford as a Fulbright scholar, writing her dissertation for New York University. She began her teaching career at Cornell University, later becoming professor of English at the City University of New York, its Graduate Center, and the College of Staten Island. Using archival sources, her books have been based on extensive research, and her biography, Emerson: The Roots of Prophecy, won the Gauss Prize awarded by Phi Beta Kappa in 1989 as “the year’s best work of criticism and scholarship.” She is also the author of Arthur Hugh Clough: Growth of a Poet’s MindEmerson In Italy, and The Double Life of Paul De Man for which the Bryn Mawr Club of NY hosted a book party event in 2014. Evelyn is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Humanities Center, the Radcliffe Institute, and the Fulbright Commission.

This haiku poetry contest, focused on Bryn Mawr College, is open to all Mawrters and requires no entry fee from participants.

WHAT: The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City Evelyn Barish ’56 Poetry Contest

WHEN:  All Poetry Contest Deadlines are (emailed or postmarked) by 4 p.m. EST March 1, 2022

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACTbrynmawrclubnyc@gmail.com.

The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City Evelyn Barish ’56 Poetry Contest
Contest Rules
Contest Judges

A Look into Zoroastrianism, hosted by Friya Bankwalla ’16 and Dr. Rubina K. Salikuddin, BMC Postdoctoral Fellow in Middle Eastern Studies (Thursday, March 24th at 6:00 PM)

Did you know…?

Mozart’s The Magic Flute was inspired by Zoroastrianism?

Zoroastrianism is considered to be the oldest religion?

Zoroastrianism was considered the first monotheistic religion?

Many concepts from Zoroastrianism are found in other religions?  

Freddie Mercury (the lead singer of QUEEN) was a Zoroastrian?

Please join the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City on Thursday, March 24th for an enriching and informative evening on Zoroastrianism. Together, Friya Bankwalla ’16 and Dr. Rubina Salikuddin, BMC Postdoctoral Fellow in Middle Eastern Studies, will delve deeper into the rich historical development of Zoroastrianism, review the religion’s impact on society in art and objects, explore myths and facts about the religion, and explore one of its most significant holidays, Navroze, and coming-of-age traditions, the Navjote.

Friya Bankwalla ’16 graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a Bachelor’s in English and Psychology, a rekindled interest in tennis and horseback riding, an insatiable passion for storytelling, and a desire to champion Zoroastrianism. Her creative background ranges from working at Penguin Random House, to promoting picture book to young adult New York Times Bestsellers, to screening and adapting intellectual properties for television at an independent film and television company, to much more. When she’s not reading, this Bryn Mawr Club of NYC Board Member can be found welcoming newcomers to the city, hunting for her next favorite restaurant, and searching for new narratives.

Dr. Rubina Salikuddin is a BMC Postdoctoral Fellow in Middle Eastern Studies. She is a scholar of the social and cultural history of medieval Iran and Central Asia. Her current research focuses on ideas of memory and community in the 15th C. Timurid domains. She has a Ph.D. from Harvard University as well as a Bachelor’s from Ohio State University. Currently, she is completing her Postdoctoral fellowship at Bryn Mawr College and in the fall will teach as the Assistant Professor in Middle Eastern Studies at the college. In her spare time, she loves cooking, spending time with her two children, and learning how to garden. For more information about Dr. Rubina Salikuddin, click here.

WHAT: A Look into Zoroastrianism, hosted by Friya Bankwalla ’16 and Dr. Rubina K. Salikuddin, BMC Postdoctoral Fellow in Middle Eastern Studies

WHEN:  Thursday, March 24th at 6:00 PM

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: Free.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACTFriya Bankwalla at fabanks@gmail.com

Women, Money and Conflict, a talk by Suzan Habachy ’54 and Marlies Bull ’93 (Wednesday, February 23rd at 6:00 PM)

A conversation with two alums who graduated 40 years apart and who have pursued careers in International Humanitarian Affairs. Learn how microloans started and how present-day work at the UN and with a foreign not-for-profit supports those in need internationally.

Suzan Salwa Saba Habachy ’54 was the initial Executive Director at The Trickle Up Program from 1994 to 2001. She has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in economic sustainability. Delving into her field due to her desire to help poor and underdeveloped countries, Ms. Habachy pursued an education at the American University in Cairo from 1951 to 1952. After immigrating to the United States in 1952, she attended Bryn Mawr College, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in 1954. Subsequently, she attended Harvard University, earning a Master of Arts in 1956.

From 1994 to 2001, Ms. Habachy was the executive director for The Trickle Up Program, a nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding women in poverty to advance their economic and social welfare. Prior to this role, she worked for the United Nations as a program officer, section chief, and staff member in the office of personnel at the Focal Point for Women beginning in 1969. Previously, she was a reporter and editor for McGraw Hill News Bureau, a reporter and editor for Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, an economist for Exxon Mobil Corporation, and a teaching fellow at Ohio University. In her spare time, she enjoys attending the theatre, traveling, and reading. With her sister, Nimet Habachy ’67 the famous WQXR and Metropolitan Opera Guild star, Ms. Habachy organizes a Crafts Fair attended by Bryn Mawr alums who support education for women and girls among the impoverished Egyptian “Garbage Community” of Mokkattam.

Marlies Bull ’93 is a Humanitarian Affairs Officer, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Bull has more than fifteen years’ experience working across the United Nations in the humanitarian, development and peacekeeping spheres. She has worked in Kosovo, Sudan, Nepal and other complex emergency settings and is currently based at UN Headquarters in New York. Her career has focused on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. She has worked on both policy and advocacy at the headquarters level, and management and operations in the field. She is a graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (M.A.) and Bryn Mawr College (B.A.). She also has a keen interest in interior design.

WHAT: Women, Money and Conflict, a talk by Suzan Habachy ’54 and Marlies Bull ’93

WHEN:  Wednesday, February 23 at 6:00 PM

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event

HOW MUCH: $20. (Free to students)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Helen Thurston at hthurston77@earthlink.net.

Mawrter Monthly Craft Night, hosted by Leila Ghaznavi ’01 (Monday, February 14th at 7:00 PM)

Come one, come all to The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City Mawrter Monthly Craft Night! Craft Night will be held the second Monday of each month.

Bring your knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, spinning or whatever craft you adore for a night of chatting and creative fun! This monthly zoom meeting is hosted by Leila Ghaznavi ’01.

Leila Ghaznavi ’01 majored in music composition and now works in fundraising and development for Carnegie Hall. A member of the board of the Bryn Mawr Club of NYC, Leila is also a puppeteer and founder of Pantea Productions, a multidisciplinary theatre production company that combines puppetry and physical theatre for unrestrained storytelling that defies gravity. In her free time, she collects more yarn than is possible to knit in one lifetime. She has also dabbled in needlepoint, crochet, and mask making — transforming her sewing machine from her nemesis into an ally.

WHAT: Mawrter Monthly Craft Night!

WHEN: Monday, February 14th at 7:00 PM.

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: Free.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Leila Ghaznavi ’01 at Leilag@gmail.com.

Mawrter Monthly Craft Night, hosted by Leila Ghaznavi ’01 (Monday, December 13th at 7:00 PM)

Come one, come all to The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City Mawrter Monthly Craft Night! Craft Night will be held the second Monday of each month.

Bring your knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, spinning or whatever craft you adore for a night of chatting and creative fun! This monthly zoom meeting is hosted by Leila Ghaznavi ’01.

Leila Ghaznavi ’01 majored in music composition and now works in fundraising and development for Carnegie Hall. A member of the board of the Bryn Mawr Club of NYC, Leila is also a puppeteer and founder of Pantea Productions, a multidisciplinary theatre production company that combines puppetry and physical theatre for unrestrained storytelling that defies gravity. In her free time, she collects more yarn than is possible to knit in one lifetime. She has also dabbled in needlepoint, crochet, and mask making — transforming her sewing machine from her nemesis into an ally.

WHAT: Mawrter Monthly Craft Night!

WHEN: Monday, December 13th at 7:00 PM.

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: Free.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Leila Ghaznavi ’01 at Leilag@gmail.com.

Artist Meet-Up, hosted by Leila Ghaznavi ’01 (Monday, December 13th at 6:00 PM)

Artists from all disciplines are invited to this meetup to network, socialize, and mutually support and celebrate each other’s work. The Zoom meeting is hosted by alum Leila Ghaznavi ’01.

Leila Ghaznavi ’01 majored in music composition and now works in fundraising and development for Carnegie Hall. A member of the board of Bryn Mawr Club of NYC, Leila is also a puppeteer and founder of Pantea Productions, a multidisciplinary theatre production company that combines puppetry and physical theatre for unrestrained storytelling that defies gravity. In her free time, she collects more yarn than is possible to knit in one lifetime. She has also dabbled in needlepoint, crochet, and mask making– transforming her sewing machine from her nemesis into an ally.

WHAT: Artist Meet-Up.

WHEN: Monday, December 13th at 6:00 PM

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided at registration AND also on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: Free.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Leila Ghaznavi ’01 at Leilag@gmail.com

Jewelry as Activism in Central Asia: A Guided Tour of The Jewelry Library’s Latest Exhibit with Wine Reception, hosted by Karen Davidov ’79 (Thursday, December 9th at 6:00 PM)

Where governments suppress dissent, every act of creation takes on new meaning. News from Central Asia, an exhibit at The Jewelry Library (founded in 2018 by Karen Davidov ’79), presents works by Central Asian artists, designers, and makers who use their chosen media—jewelry, photography, art, and more—to capture, reflect, and propagate political protests, climate change, historical events, collective memory, and adaptation to a modernizing world.

Bryn Mawr Club of New York City invites members to take a personalized tour through the exhibit hosted by Karen Davidov’79 and led by curator Aida Sulova. This curatorial exploration, will provide unique insights into how the creation of tactile and visual art can serve as historiographical and political commentary in places where open protest is harshly punished.

More on the exhibition: “Wearable art can be a powerful tool able to mobilize, call for action, evoke emotions, reflect on past, present, and future.”

Davidov founded The Jewelry Library (TJL) in 2018, while working on ideas around the future of libraries with her husband, Henry Myerberg (architect of BMC’s Rhys Carpenter Library). TJL has two research and gallery spaces that offer a wide range of exhibitions, talks and events all across the jewelry-spectrum, collaborating with both contemporary and vintage gallerists, artists and collectors, as well as storytellers, historians, makers and wearers.

Also, on view that night in The Jewelry Library’s 8th floor space: Sisterhood: Bodies in Proximity, an intimate and contemplative exhibition that explores the creative life and secret world of sisters—by Luci Jockel, a jewelry artist and Emily Jockel, an architect and ceramicist.

WHAT: Jewelry as Activism in Central Asia: A Guided Tour of The Jewelry Library’s Latest Exhibit with Wine Reception, hosted by Karen Davidov ’79.

WHEN: Thursday, December 9th at 6:00 PM. Vaccinations and masks required.

WHERE: The Jewelry Library (1239 Broadway, Suite 500, New York, NY). Please RSVP HERE.

HOW MUCH: 20 spots only at $20.

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Davidov’79 at karen.davidov@gmail.com.

 

Mawrter Monthly Craft Night, hosted by Leila Ghaznavi ’01 (Monday, November 8th at 7:00 PM)

Come one, come all to The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City Mawrter Monthly Craft Night! Craft Night will be held the second Monday of each month.

Bring your knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, spinning or whatever craft you adore for a night of chatting and creative fun! This monthly zoom meeting is hosted by Leila Ghaznavi ’01.

Leila Ghaznavi ’01 majored in music composition and now works in fundraising and development for Carnegie Hall. A member of the board of the Bryn Mawr Club of NYC, Leila is also a puppeteer and founder of Pantea Productions, a multidisciplinary theatre production company that combines puppetry and physical theatre for unrestrained storytelling that defies gravity. In her free time, she collects more yarn than is possible to knit in one lifetime. She has also dabbled in needlepoint, crochet, and mask making — transforming her sewing machine from her nemesis into an ally.

WHAT: Mawrter Monthly Craft Night!

WHEN: Monday, November 8th at 7:00 PM.

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: Free.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Leila Ghaznavi ’01 at Leilag@gmail.com.

 

Women in Non-Profit Leadership with Joanna Underwood ’62, Susan Sherwood ’74, Martha Cummings ’80, and Dr. Faith Wallace-Gadsden ’05 (Thursday, November 4th at 8:30 AM)

Join Joanna Underwood ’62 (The environmental movement and founder of INFORM and Energy Vision), Susan Sherwood ’74 (Director of the Center for Technology & Innovation in Binghamton, NY), Martha Cummings ’80 (founder and Executive Director of Universal Promise) and Dr. Faith Wallace-Gadsden ’05 (An expert on clean water and sanitation).

WHAT: SAVE THE DATE: Women in Non-Profit Leadership with Joanna Underwood ’62, Susan Sherwood ’74, Martha Cummings ’80, and Dr. Faith Wallace-Gadsden ’05

WHEN: Thursday, November 4th at 8:30 AM.

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: $20.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Helen Thurston ’74 at hthurston77@earthlink.net.

Aspects of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology in Jordan with esteemed archaeologist, Dr. Barbara A. Porter ’75 (Thursday, October 14th at 6:30 PM)

Join us for a riveting evening with Dr. Barbara A. Porter ’75 as she delves into the cultural heritage and her archaeological experiences in Jordan.

Dr. Barbara A. Porter ’75 received her A.B. from Bryn Mawr College in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology in 1975, lived in Haffner’s German House (first year) and Rhodes (third and fourth years,) and spent her second year studying in Vienna, Austria. Her M.A., M. Phil., and Ph.D. are from Columbia University’s Department of Art History and Archaeology with a dissertation on cylinder seals from Syria in the Middle Bronze Age.

From 1978 to 1986 she was on the curatorial staff of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Egyptian Art and Ancient Near Eastern Art) in New York and afterwards lectured frequently in the museum’s galleries. In the 1990s she taught in the Art History Department of New York University. She grew up in Lebanon in the 1960s and due to her service on the board of the American Community School at Beirut from 1996 to 2019 returned to Lebanon often in that period. In the 1980s, she participated in two seasons of excavations in northeastern Syria at the site of Tell Leilan.

She has led numerous archaeological tours from Algeria to Iran in the decade before becoming the Director of the American Center of Oriental Research in Amman in 2006, a position she held until March 2020. She presided over ACOR’s 50th anniversary year in 2018 and her public lecture about ACOR is available on the website (www.acorjordan.org). In her 14 years in Jordan, she came to know the country well and was involved in cultural heritage initiatives in many places, including Petra. Now the first ACOR Ambassador, a position unanimously voted into existence by the ACOR board of directors in honor of her accomplishments and leadership, Dr. Potter currently lives in Washington, D.C. and looks forward to once again leading archaeological tours. Shortly after our talk, she will be heading to Saudi Arabia.

For More Information, visit:  

ACOR Website:

LINK HERE

WHAT: Aspects of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology in Jordan with Dr. Barbara A. Porter ’75

WHEN: Thursday, October 14th at 6:30 PM.

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: $20.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Helen Thurston ’74 at hthurston77@earthlink.net.

Mawrter Monthly Craft Night, hosted by Leila Ghaznavi ’01 (Monday, October 11th at 7:00 PM)

Come one, come all to The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City Mawrter Monthly Craft Night! Craft Night will be held the second Monday of each month.

Bring your knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, spinning or whatever craft you adore for a night of chatting and creative fun! This monthly zoom meeting is hosted by Leila Ghaznavi ’01.

Leila Ghaznavi ’01 majored in music composition and now works in fundraising and development for Carnegie Hall. A member of the board of the Bryn Mawr Club of NYC, Leila is also a puppeteer and founder of Pantea Productions, a multidisciplinary theatre production company that combines puppetry and physical theatre for unrestrained storytelling that defies gravity. In her free time, she collects more yarn than is possible to knit in one lifetime. She has also dabbled in needlepoint, crochet, and mask making — transforming her sewing machine from her nemesis into an ally.

WHAT: Mawrter Monthly Craft Night!

WHEN: Monday, October 11th at 7:00 PM.

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: Free.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Leila Ghaznavi ’01 at Leilag@gmail.com.

Artist Meet-Up, hosted by Leila Ghaznavi ’01 (Monday, October 11th at 6:00 PM)

Artists from all disciplines are invited to this meetup to network, socialize, and mutually support and celebrate each other’s work. The Zoom meeting is hosted by alum Leila Ghaznavi ’01.

Leila Ghaznavi ’01 majored in music composition and now works in fundraising and development for Carnegie Hall. A member of the board of Bryn Mawr Club of NYC, Leila is also a puppeteer and founder of Pantea Productions, a multidisciplinary theatre production company that combines puppetry and physical theatre for unrestrained storytelling that defies gravity. In her free time, she collects more yarn than is possible to knit in one lifetime. She has also dabbled in needlepoint, crochet, and mask making– transforming her sewing machine from her nemesis into an ally.

WHAT: Artist Meet-Up.

WHEN: Monday, October 11th at 6:00 PM

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided at registration AND also on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: Free.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Leila Ghaznavi ’01 at Leilag@gmail.com.

That’s So Gay: A Glance at LGBTQ History with the Chief of Reference at the Library Company of Philadelphia, Cornelia King ’75 (Tuesday, October 5th at 6:30 PM)

Attend an eye-opening evening full of rich discourse with Cornelia King ’75, Chief of Reference at the Library Company of Philadelphia, as she delves into her work recovering LGBTQ History at the Library Company of Philadelphia.

Cornelia King ’75 majored in archaeology at Bryn Mawr. She then became a librarian (Drexel University M.S. in Library and Information Science) with a concentration in rare books. The training in archaeology was good preparation for examining books as physical objects. Her first job in the field was the compilation of two book-length bibliographies listing pre-1861 works related to American education and American philanthropy. After getting a second masters degree in American history (Temple University M.A. in history), she increasingly has focused on American social history. Her position at the Library Company has presented her with opportunities to curate public exhibitions on the topics of LGBTQ history and women’s activism in 19th-century America.

As Curator of Women’s History (in addition to being Chief of Reference), Connie promotes the study of women’s history at the Library Company of Philadelphia, an independent research library which was founded as a subscription library in 1731. Because of its diverse collections, historical research on almost any topic can be done on in the Library Company’s reading rooms. In the 21st century, the curators seek to explore topics of current relevance, especially African American history, women’s history, disability studies, and environmental studies.

In 2014, the Library Company’s exhibition “That’s So Gay”: Outing Early America featured 100 items that documented LGBT history, as part of the ongoing work recovering aspects of history relating to LGBTQ history. In this talk, Connie will discuss her work as curator of that exhibition, as well as what the Library Company is continuing to do to promote the study of LGBTQ history.

WHAT: That’s So Gay: My Work Recovering LGBTQ History at the Library Company of Philadelphia, a presentation by Chief of Reference at the Library Company of Philadelphia, Cornelia King ’75

WHEN: Tuesday, October 5th at 6:30 PM

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: $20.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Helen Thurston ’74 at hthurston77@earthlink.net.

Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons For Modern Resilience, Book Talk with Georgetown University Professor, Nancy Sherman ’73 (Wednesday, September 29th at 6:30 PM)

Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons For Modern Resilience, Book Talk with Georgetown University Professor, Nancy Sherman ’73 (Wednesday, September 29th at 6:30 PM)

“Nancy Sherman goes far beyond the kind of ‘pen-and-ink philosophy’ that the Stoics had so little time for. In this book, she applies Stoicism where it is most needed—for our warriors and working people alike—and helps them become better and more resilient.”—Ryan Holiday, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Daily Stoic and Stillness is the Key

Please join the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City for a fascinating evening with best-selling author, Nancy Sherman, as she presents her newest book, In Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience. Sherman draws on the philosophy of Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and others to bring ancient ideas to bear on 21st century concerns—from workers facing stress and burnout to first responders in a pandemic, from soldiers on the battlefield to citizens fighting for racial justice.

Today, Stoicism has made a big comeback—from Silicon Valley and the business world, to the military, in self-help circles, in the field of psychotherapy, and even with the alt-right. A renowned expert in ancient and modern ethics, Sherman provides a corrective to the misconceptions, and in some cases toxic distortions, that have come along with Stoicism’s revival. In the process, she reveals a profound and surprising insight about the Stoics: They never believed, as Stoic popularizers often hold, that rugged self-reliance or indifference to the world around us is at the heart of living well. Instead she presents a compelling, modern Stoicism that teaches grit, resilience, and the importance of close relationships in addressing life’s biggest and smallest challenges—at a time when we’re all facing many of both.

In nine lessons that that guide readers in the Stoic way of finding calm, living with emotions, grit and resilience, and healing through self-compassion, among others, STOIC WISDOM offers an essential field manual for the art of living well.

Nancy Sherman ’73 is a University Professor at Georgetown University and Guggenheim Fellow (2013-2014). She holds a Ph.D. from Harvard in ancient philosophy. An ethicist with research training in psychoanalysis, she lectures worldwide on ethics, the emotions, moral injury, and resilience.

Sherman is the author of Afterwar (OUP, 2015), The Untold War (2010 and New York Times editors’ pick), Stoic Warriors (OUP, 2005), and several other books on ancient and modern ethics, she served as the Inaugural Distinguished Chair of Ethics at the United States Naval Academy. She has written for the New York Times and contributes frequently to many other media outlets.

For More Information, visit:

Nancy Sherman’s Website:
https://www.nancysherman.com

Order Stoic Wisdom HERE:
Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Indiebound

New York Times Article:

If You’re Reading Stoicism for Life Hacks, You’re Missing the Point

Book Review:

Read reviews here

WHAT: Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons For Modern Resilience, a talk by Georgetown University Professor, Nancy Sherman

WHEN: Wednesday, September 29th at 6:30 PM

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: $20.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Helen Thurston ’74 at hthurston77@earthlink.net

Teaching and Learning in the Time of COVID-19: We Are back in the Classroom – Now What?, hosted by CUNY Associate Professor of Math Education, Laura M. Gellert ’93 and Bronx Community College Adjunct Lecturer, Trilby V John ’98 (Tuesday, September 21st at 6:00 PM)

As Educators start another year of teaching in the time of Covid, we would like to continue to come together to “Show and Share” about technology tools being used, new strategies and about where we go from here. If you would like to “Show and Share” please contact Laura by September 14th at lmgellert@gmail.com.

We will open up a part of this session to general questions about teaching during this time for the perspective teacher, the new teacher and the experienced teachers. All Teachers and Education professionals are invited to attend– new teachers and even perspective teachers are strongly encouraged to join us. When you register please indicate grade band and subject for which you teach.

Laura Gellert ’93 is an Associate Professor of Math and Childhood Education at the City College of New York. She has been coaching and supervising pre-service and in-service teachers for many years.

Trilby V John ’98 is a First Year Seminar adjunct lecturer at Bronx Community College. After decades as a NYCDOE English teacher, she’s always excited to offer advice in all things major and minor to teachers at all levels.

WHAT: Teaching and Learning in the Time of COVID-19: We Are Back in the Classroom – Now What?

WHEN: Tuesday, September 21st from 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: Voluntary $10 to support the technology of the session. Guests welcome.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACTlmgellert@gmail.com.

Mawrter Monthly Craft Night, hosted by Leila Ghaznavi ’01 (Monday, September 13th at 7:00 PM)

Come one, come all to The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City Mawrter Monthly Craft Night! Craft Night will be held the second Monday of each month.

Bring your knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, spinning or whatever craft you adore for a night of chatting and creative fun! This monthly zoom meeting is hosted by Leila Ghaznavi ’01.

Leila Ghaznavi ’01 majored in music composition and now works in fundraising and development for Carnegie Hall. A member of the board of the Bryn Mawr Club of NYC, Leila is also a puppeteer and founder of Pantea Productions, a multidisciplinary theatre production company that combines puppetry and physical theatre for unrestrained storytelling that defies gravity. In her free time, she collects more yarn than is possible to knit in one lifetime. She has also dabbled in needlepoint, crochet, and mask making — transforming her sewing machine from her nemesis into an ally.

WHAT: Mawrter Monthly Craft Night!

WHEN: Monday, September 13th at 7:00 PM.

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: Free.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Leila Ghaznavi ’01 at Leilag@gmail.com.

Silence isn’t Golden – Speaking up and Finding Resources for College Success, a discussion with Dr. Marcia Young Cantarella ’68 and Jackney Prioly Joseph ’06 (Tuesday, August 10th at 6:30 PM)

Silence isn’t Golden – Speaking up and Finding Resources for College Success, a discussion with Dr. Marcia Young Cantarella ’68 and Jackney Prioly Joseph ’06 (Tuesday, August 10th at 6:30 PM)

When entering college, students can sometimes think they are the only one experiencing challenges – or they simply don’t know where to look to find help. Whether it’s course selection, financial assistance or career planning, there are numerous resources available to assist students. Asking questions and seeking advice can help students access the right resources to get them back on track. In this timely conversation between Dr. Marcia Young Cantarella and Jackney Prioly Joseph, Dr. Cantarella will explore these themes and more through her book, I CAN Finish College: The Overcome Any Obstacle and Get Your Degree Guide.

Dr. Marcia Young Cantarella ’68 graduated with Honors from Bryn Mawr College and earned Masters and Doctoral degrees from New York University in American Studies with a focus on American Business. She has held positions as an Associate Dean at Hunter College, Dean at Princeton University, Vice-President of Student Affairs at Metropolitan College of NY, a member of Dean’s staff at New York University’s College of Arts and Science, and Director in Public Affairs and Marketing at Avon Products. She is currently the Co-Director of the Hunter College Black Male Initiative, Co-Chair of the Steering Committee for Degrees NYC and serves on multiple non-profit and advisory boards, including the Boards of the READ Alliance, Saint Elizabeth University, Create Change Transform Foundation, the Boy Scout Council of Manhattan, and more.

Dr. Cantarella is the author of I CAN Finish College: The Overcome Any Obstacle and Get Your Degree Guide (www.icanfinishcollege.net) which educators, parents and students say is a goldmine of information and strategies especially for first generation, low-income and students of color who struggle to complete college degrees.

She is the daughter of the 1968 Bryn Mawr commencement speaker, the great Civil Rights Leader, Whitney M. Young, Jr., who spearheaded the drive for equal opportunity for African-Americans in U.S. industry and government service during his 10 years as head of the National Urban League (1961–71), the world’s largest social-civil rights organization. His advocacy of a “Domestic Marshall Plan”—massive funds to help solve America’s racial problems—was felt to have strongly influenced federal poverty programs sponsored by Democratic Party administrations in Washington (1963–69).

Jackney Prioly Joseph ’06 is the Director of External Affairs with the Boston Debate League, a nonprofit organization integrating argumentation and competitive debate into public schools in greater Boston, serving students of color and other students who have been denied these educational opportunities. Previously, Jackney served as Director of Career Readiness at the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, leading a statewide policy initiative to increase career readiness among students and prepare them for success in college, work and life. Jackney also worked in government, serving as Policy Director for then At-Large Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley and Special Assistant in the office of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino. In these roles she developed a deep understanding of educational inequities and a commitment to creating opportunities for underrepresented students to prepare them for college and beyond.

Jackney has been an active alumna of the Posse Foundation, currently serving as a career mentor and as an alumna volunteer at her alma mater, Bryn Mawr College where she received her BA in Philosophy. Jackney received her MA in Public Administration from Northeastern University. She resides in Roslindale, MA with her husband and daughter.

For More Information, visit:

Dr. Cantarella’s Website:
www.icanfinishcollege.net

Order her book, I CAN Finish College:
ORDER HERE

WHAT: Silence isn’t Golden – Speaking up and Finding Resources for College Success, a discussion with Dr. Marcia Young Cantarella’68 and Jackney Prioly Joseph’06

WHEN: Tuesday, August 10th at 6:30 PM

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: Free

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Helen Thurston ’74 at hthurston77@earthlink.net

NEW DATE: “Kharga Oasis: An Edge of Empire,” presented by Distinguished University Professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, Dr. Salima Ikram ’86 (Wednesday, August 4th at 6:30 PM)

POSTPONED: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Dr. Salima Ikram is rescheduling this talk. It will take place on Wednesday, August 4th at 6:30 PM.

“Kharga Oasis: An Edge of Empire,” presented by Distinguished University Professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, Dr. Salima Ikram ’86 (Thursday, July 22nd at 6:30 PM)

Until 2000, Kharga Oasis, the largest oasis in Egypt’s south western desert, had been relatively unexplored. After the initiation of the North Kharga Oasis Survey, followed by the North Kharga Oasis Darb Ain Amur Survey, researchers began to discover and document sites in the main body of the oasis and its hinterland.

Please join Salima Ikram ’86, distinguished University Professor of Egyptology, the American University in Cairo, for a fascinating talk: “Kharga Oasis: An Edge of Empire.” She will provide an overview of her archaeological discoveries and surveys of this important oasis over the past two decades. Ikram’s studies have revealed the changing environment in the oasis and the resulting evolution of human exploitation of the area, from prehistoric camps, shelters with rock art, pharaonic installations, to trade in the ancient world and Roman forts.

Dr. Salima Ikram ’86 was born in Lahore, Pakistan, double majored in History as well as Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology at Bryn Mawr College, and received her M. Phil. (in Museology and Egyptian Archaeology) and Ph.D. (in Egyptian archaeology) from Cambridge University in ’87 and ’93 respectively. Now the Distinguished University Professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, she has excavated extensively in Egypt as well as having worked in Turkey and Sudan. She directed the Animal Mummy Project, the Amenmesses Project, the North Kharga Oasis Darb Ain Amur Project, and headed the archaeozoology team at Kinet Hoyuk in Turkey.

Ikram has published extensively both for scholarly and non-specialist audiences, including children, with subject matters ranging from mummification to the eating habits of the ancient Egyptians. She is a member of the MAHES (Momies Animales et Humaines Egyptiennes) project. She has a variety of research interests, especially the interaction between humans and animals, ancient Egyptian foodways, rock art, death, archaeozoology, mummies of both humans and animals, and the preservation and presentation of cultural heritage. A regular on TV, Ikram was recently portrayed as the delightful Egyptologist, aptly named “Salima” in the feature film LUXOR and has served as an advisor on Universal Pictures hit movie “The Mummy.” She has been featured in over 30 documentaries, series, and specials on Egypt, Pyramids, Mummies, and Animal Mummies, and was recently inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

For More Information visit:

Her Bio on the American University in Cairo
https://www.aucegypt.edu/fac/salimaikram

Her Website:
https://www.salimaikram.com

WHAT: “Kharga Oasis: An Edge of Empire,” presented by Dr. Salima Ikram ’86

WHEN:  RESCHEDULED TO Wednesday, August 4th at 6:30 PM

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: $20.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Helen Thurston ’74 at hthurston77@earthlink.net

Artist Meet-Up, hosted by Leila Ghaznavi ’01 (Tuesday, August 3rd at 7:00 PM)

Artists from all disciplines are invited to this meetup to network, socialize, and mutually support and celebrate each other’s work. The Zoom meeting is hosted by alum Leila Ghaznavi ’01.

Leila Ghaznavi ’01 majored in music composition and now works in fundraising and development for Carnegie Hall. A member of the board of Bryn Mawr Club of NYC, Leila is also a puppeteer and founder of Pantea Productions, a multidisciplinary theatre production company that combines puppetry and physical theatre for unrestrained storytelling that defies gravity. In her free time, she collects more yarn than is possible to knit in one lifetime. She has also dabbled in needlepoint, crochet, and mask making– transforming her sewing machine from her nemesis into an ally.

WHAT: Artist Meet-Up.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 3rd at 7:00 PM (First Tuesday Night of each month).

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided at registration AND also on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: Free.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Leila Ghaznavi ’01 at Leilag@gmail.com

 

The Past and Future City, a presentation by Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani ’98 and Nupur Chandhury ’05, with introduction by Professor Gary McDonogh (Thursday, June 10th at 6:30 PM)

Attend an exciting evening full of rich discourse on the future of cities as the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City marks the 50th Anniversary of the inception of Bryn Mawr’s Growth and Structure of Cities Department founded by Professor Barbara Miller Lane.

Join transformative urbanists Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani ’98 and Nupur Chaudhury ’05 with a warm introduction by Professor Gary McDonogh for a riveting evening. They will discuss examples from their individual trajectories in housing and building healthy and equitable communities and what it means to create just cities for all.

Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani ’98 is an urbanist, curator, author, artist, and the founder of Buscada, an organization which creates vital spaces for dialogue to foster more just cities by fusing art, design, and research. Gabrielle is author of Contested City: Art and Public History as Mediation at New York’s Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (University of Iowa Press, 2019)—special honoree and finalist for the Municipal Art Society’s Brendan Gill Prize. Gabrielle teaches Growth and Structure of Cities at Bryn Mawr College & urban studies at the New School, and regularly consults with arts and culture organizations on community and art engagements and strategic visioning. Her creative practice has been shown at institutions including MIT, Tate Britain, Brooklyn Public Library, the Center for Architecture, Artists Alliance, and the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, and featured on WNYC, WBAI, CNN’s Next List, Next City, and Gothamist. Her writing on cities and photography has been published in Visual StudiesUrban OmnibusSpace and CultureSociety & Space, and Buildings & Landscapes, as well as other international publications. She holds a PhD in Environmental Psychology from the Graduate Center, CUNY and a BA in Growth and Structure of Cities from Bryn Mawr College.

Nupur Chaudhury ’05 is a Public Health Urbanist, organizer, storyteller, and artist who looks at cities, communities and connections through a grassroots lens. For over two decades, she has developed and implemented strategies to support residents, communities, and neighborhoods to challenge power structures and build just, strong, and equitable cities.

Nupur was actively involved in shaping two organizations that have redefined what it means to center communities and health in their work. In 2013, she worked to conceptualize and build Made in Brownsville (now Youth Design Center) and was the Founding Board Chair of the organization for eight years. In 2017, she was the founding Director of Neighborhood Health at the Center for Health Equity, housed at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. There, she developed the concept of the Neighborhood Health Action Centers, secured mayoral funding, and oversaw the integration of new staff with the existing Health Department structure in key neighborhoods throughout New York City. After working in Philanthropy and funding both long term place-based investing and rapid grantmaking in the epicenter of the COVID epidemic, Nupur launched her own firm, NupurSpectives. As the Founder and Principal, she advises key organizations on how to infuse equitable practices in their work. She lectures, teaches and facilitates action focused on health equity and building healthy communities. She is also the host of A League of Extraordinary Urbanists video series, documenting the stories of city builders and network weavers across the world.

Her work has been featured in the American Journal of Public Health, CityLab, National Public Radio, and the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. She is a Urban Design Forum’s Forefront Fellow, a Salzburg Global Seminar Fellow, and a board member of the Center for the Living City. She holds degrees from Bryn Mawr College (BA in Growth and Structure of Cities), Columbia University (Masters in Public Health), and New York University (Masters in Urban Planning).

Professor Gary McDonogh is an urban anthropologist (Ph.D The Johns Hopkins University) who has chaired Cities off and on since 1992. Trained as an Iberianist, he has published monographs on Barcelona and Iberian worlds, the American South and Hong Kong; his current research focuses on Global Chinatowns. He teaches classes on urban culture and society, mass media, urban enclaves and public and private space.

Some Background on The Growth and Structure of Cities Program and Professor Barbara Miller Lane.  Professor Lane joined Bryn Mawr College as a history professor in 1962 and helped found the Growth and Structure of Cities Program.  She served as its director from 1971-1989 (and 1996-97), and introduced courses in the history of urban form and history of modern architecture. Her works include Architecture and Politics in Germany, 1918-1945 (Harvard University Press, 1968, revised edition 1985, Italian edition 1973, German edition 1986); a compilation on Nazi Ideology Before 1933 (ed., with Leila Rupp, University of Texas Press, 1978), National Romanticism and Modern Architecture in Germany and the Scandinavian Countries(Cambridge University Press, 2000), the anthology Housing and Dwelling: Perspectives on Modern Domestic Architecture(Routledge, 2006), and Houses for a New World: Builders and Buyers in American Suburbs 1945-1965 (Princeton University Press, 2015). She was listed as a noteworthy humanities educator by Marquis Who’s Who.

For More Information, visit:

Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani’s Website:
www.buscada.com

For more on Contested City, and to get the book, use code BEN40 at:
https://www.uipress.uiowa.edu/books/9781609386108/contested-city

Nupur Chaudhury’s Website:
https://www.nupurchaudhury.com

Nupur Chaudhury’s Blog/video series:
https://www.nupurspectives.org

WHAT: The Past and Future City, a presentation by Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani ’98 and Nupur Chaudhury ’05, with introduction by Professor Gary McDonogh.

WHEN: Thursday, June 10th at 6:30 PM

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: $20.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Helen Thurston ’74 at hthurston77@earthlink.net

Get Contested City: Art and Public History as Mediation at New York’s Seward Park Urban Renewal Area by Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani at:

University of Iowa Press (use code BEN40 for discount):
https://www.uipress.uiowa.edu/books/9781609386108/contested-city

Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Contested-City-History-Mediation-Humanities/dp/1609386108/

More on Contested City:
https://buscada.com/projects/contested-city/

Support the League of Extraordinary Urbanists Series at
https://www.patreon.com/NupurSpectives

Watch the League of Extraordinary Urbanists Series at:
https://www.nupurspectives.org

 

Book Talk with Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative Washington Post journalist, Carol Leonnig ’87 (Wednesday, June 2nd at 7:00 PM)

Please join us for a fascinating evening with Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter, Carol Leonnig ’87, as she shares her insights and delves deeper into the discourse of the fall of the Secret Service in her new book, Zero Fail.

Zero Fail is the first definitive account of the rise and fall of the Secret Service, including extensive new reporting, from the Kennedy assassination to the alarming scandals, secrets, and mismanagement during the Obama and Trump years — by the Pulitzer Prize winner and #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of A Very Stable Genius.

Carol Leonnig has been covering the Secret Service for The Washington Post for most of the last decade, bringing to light the gaffes and scandals that plague the agency today — from a toxic work culture to outdated equipment and training to the deep resentment among the ranks with the agency’s leadership. But the Secret Service wasn’t always so troubled.

The Secret Service was born in 1865, in the wake of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, but its story begins in earnest in 1963, with the death of John F. Kennedy. Shocked into reform by their failure to protect the president on that fateful day, this once-sleepy agency was rapidly transformed into a proud, elite unit that would finally redeem themselves in 1981 by valiantly thwarting an assassination attempt against Ronald Reagan. But this reputation for courage and efficiency would not last forever. By Barack Obama’s presidency, the Secret Service was becoming notorious for not averting break-ins at the White House, an armed gunman firing at the building while agents stood by, a massive prostitution scandal in Cartagena, and many other dangerous lapses.

To expose these shortcomings, Leonnig interviewed countless current and former agents and whistleblowers who risked their careers to speak to her about an agency that’s broken and in desperate need of a reform.

Carol Leonnig ’87 is a national investigative reporter at The Washington Post, where she has worked since 2000. A three-time Pulitzer Prize winner and co-author of the #1 New York Times bestseller A Very Stable Genius, Leonnig is also an on-air contributor to NBC News and MSNBC. At Bryn Mawr College, she was an anthropology major and the editor in chief of the Bryn Mawr-Haverford Bi-college News, and her favorite dorm was Rhoads.

For More Information, visit:

Carol Leonnig ’87 Bio:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/carol-d-leonnig/

Twitter:
Her Account

Pre-order her book, Zero Fail, HERE:
ORDER HERE

WHAT: Book Talk with Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative Washington Post journalist, Carol Leonnig ’87.

WHEN: Wednesday, June 2nd at 7:00 PM

WHERE: Please RSVP HERE. A Zoom Link will be provided upon registration AND on the day of the event.

HOW MUCH: $20.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Helen Thurston ’74 at hthurston77@earthlink.net