Editors' Choice
Who Wants to Buy a Bench?
When Harvard renovated Sever Hall in 1949, they replaced Sever's long benches with polished desks. That prompted the Alumni Association to sell the 150 benches, covered in drawings and scribbles, for $15 each. The reasons people bought these benches are eccentric and fascinating.
A Cambridge Cornucopia
David L. Craft, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, leads monthly urban foraging tours, focusing on introducing locals to edible plants growing on the city streets.
From Me, in Cambridge, with Love
Letters sent by mail are outdated, yes. But they are snapshots of time, the culmination of a friend’s life between the day they mailed their last letter and the moment they sat down to write this new one.
"An Enormous Room"
The Woodberry Poetry Room houses over 8,000 poetry books, 7,500 audio-visual recordings, and 100 literary magazines. Celebrating its 90th year, the collection reopened to the public on Oct. 4.
Harvard’s Peer Support Networks
The staffers of Harvard's five peer counseling organizations occupy a complicated space — on one hand, they need to manage their own lives and mental health, and on the other, they’ve volunteered to support fellow students through their struggles.
A ‘Fundamental’ Shift: Harvard Institute of Politics Marred by Tensions, Turnover as Kennedy School Asserts Increased Control
Previously unreported documents obtained by The Crimson reveal how concerns over the governance, performance, and leadership of Harvard’s storied Institute of Politics have come to a head in recent years.
These Harvard NFTs Are Too Hot to Cancel
This all got me thinking — if I want to commodify clout, controversy, and kill the environment, then Harvard has about 380 years worth of history doing just that. So here is what I present to you: The Harvard NFT Collection.
To Love a Stranger
The silence was in no way uncomfortable; most times, it was pleasant, even relaxing. But underneath was a low thrum of pent-up frustration, which I only became aware of every once in a while. There was so much I wanted to tell her — about my high school track meets, the school paper, later my college roommates — and so much I wanted to ask, that I simply could not.
The Justice of Writing: Kelly Yang’s Story of Survival
Now a New York Times-bestselling author, Yang’s numerous “about me” blurbs online simply say she gave up law to pursue writing, but they don’t tell the whole story. Yang herself experienced sexual assault when she was a first-year student at HLS. She lost faith in the legal system after the Law School, which she had viewed as a symbol of justice, declared her assaulter not guilty and investigated her instead. “Parachutes” is the culmination of the 17 years she spent rebuilding her identity and courage after the assault, she says.
Corner Pieces
What is the organizing of a Zoom vigil supposed to look like? What kind of advocacy work are we expected to perform while we grieve? How do we protect bodies so tempting they seduce bullets?
The Crimson Klan
The Ku Klux Klan’s presence at Harvard throughout the twentieth century, though it waxed and waned, was clear. Yet attempts to recognize and reckon with the Crimson Klan, a brazen symbol of racism and the legacy of slavery at Harvard, appear absent from the University's recent attempts to reckon with its past.
Reflections of a ‘Radical Redneck’
Allanah R. J. Rolph ’23-’24, who grew up in rural South Dakota, is in the revision stages for a book focusing on the conflict between her progressive politics and the more conservative aspects of her upbringing.
Louis Agassiz, Under a Microscope
Though some historians argue it is difficult to reconcile these two visions of Louis Agassiz — one gentle and reverential, the other rigid and bigoted —, they may simply be two sides of the same coin. Agassiz prided himself on his ability to distinguish and characterize species. With his theory of polygenism, he created taxonomies not only of turtles and jellyfish but also of human beings.
How We Got From There to Here
“We visited her in the hospital.” “Who?” “My grandma.” “Oh! Is she still in the hospital now?” “No.” “That’s good!” She pauses and stops smiling. “That’s good, right?”
The 2006 MIT Integration Bee: A Manifesto
If the entirely volunteer operation of the 2006 MIT Integration Bee has taught me anything, it is that we all have the ability to lead a much more memorable version of the lives we left behind.
Notes From the Dish Pit
There is truly nothing exceptional about a 20-year-old working a vaguely unpleasant low-wage job. Yet I had to explain to college friends what I was doing, calling them after work to detail why tolerating burns from seeding ghost peppers was a victory.
When the Curtain Comes Down
“Thank you, but it wasn’t that great. I fell off pointe here, lost my core in that last pirouette, and barely pointed my foot in the last jump.” He rolled his eyes, but he didn’t seem surprised that I failed to accept his praise. In the ballet world, no one can take a compliment.
The 1976 Harvard Murder That None of Us Remember
Puopolo’s stabbing reverberated both at the University level and nationwide — yet eventually, his story stopped being told. Most current undergraduates would not know the Combat Zone existed, let alone that a Harvard student met his tragic end there.
Decolonizing the Colonial Museum
A panel at the Peabody Museum on museums and decolonization covered topics like the repatriation of human remains, land acknowledgements, and ways that museums can continue to decolonize and promote ethical stewardship.
Adventures on the Rift
We played as the sun set and the sky split into pink and yellow, the room awash in gold. We played as the lamps turned on and the rooms around us quieted down to rest. When I went to bed that night, still giddy, I saw the graphics imprinted behind my eyelids, just as vibrant and animated as they’d been on screen.
Papanek’s Projection Model
Several reasons could explain the Browns’ recent success: the acquisition of star players from trades, a string of draft picks that paid off, or new coaching staff. Ella S. Papanek ’21, however, adds another possible explanation: a player projection model she helped create that anticipates NFL players’ career production.
Two Restaurants, Alike in Dignity?
"Despite their vastly different styles and atmospheres, Source and Spyce have a surprising amount in common — both restaurants are breaking in novel and eco-friendly consumer-centric models."
Live Theater Takes a Walk
While other theater companies tried to adapt plays for a Zoom setting, Lyric Stage, Boston's oldest theater company, was reluctant to entertain audiences through a screen. Instead, Lyric hoped to entertain without adding screen time by encouraging audiences to step into the city.
“A Plan to Repair the Heart”
sujatha baliga’s path to restorative justice, a non-carceral response to crime, began with what she calls a “nervous breakdown.”
What Cannot Be Said in English
My salangai, red anklets with three rows of bells, chimed through our apartment as I danced Bharatanatyam, anIndian classical dance. Nearly every day for the past 16 years, I practiced rhythmic tattu mettus until my feet became calloused and our downstairs neighbors filed a complaint about the “incessant basketball thumping.”