Hey Claremont crushes, long time no see! Let’s be honest: first dates are terrifying. Without further ado, I bestow upon you a list I sometimes wish I had tattooed on my arm: 36 conversation-starting questions — each one individually tested and proven to start conversation — for fighting the first date fright.
Columns
Moments to Savor: Hitting new milestones with challah
For Emily Kim PO ’25, celebratory challah bread made her first time at the gym an experience to remember.
Anti Film-Bro: Can Greta Gerwig save Barbie?
She’s a Barbie Girl, in a 4th-wave feminist world! Film columnist Eliza Powers PO ’25 explores Barbie’s relationship with feminism and how director Greta Gerwig’s upcoming movie hopes to, yet again, redefine the doll and its franchise.
Abbie On Aux: The palpable chemistry behind Daisy Jones & The Six’s ‘Aurora’
Amazon Studios recently adapted the popular novel “Daisy Jones & The Six” into a TV series, accompanied by a debut record, “Aurora.” The onscreen chemistry and cast performances make “Aurora” into a better record, argues music columnist Abbie Bobeck SC ’26.
So You Want to Dress: Emo
Style columnist Lisa Gorelik CM ‘25 writes all about how to relive your emo days with fashion and lifestyle tips and tricks.
Review Zone: Paramore goes ethereal with new album ‘This is Why’
American rock band Paramore recently released their new album, “This is Why.” This is why, according to music columnist Rowan Gray CM ‘26, the album is so good.
Neuronal News: What TikTok’s self-diagnosis trend misses about mental health
The trendiness of self-diagnosis on social media with Gen Z obscures the fact that “mental illness is more than just the sum of unwell parts,” argues Hannah Frasure PO ’24.
Sipping on serenity: Why 5C students are obsessed with Iron and Kin Coffee
Iron and Kin isn’t just a coffee shop: it provides students at the 5Cs with a positive atmosphere, great drinks and a sense of community.
Changing Cinema: How Bong Joon-Ho transcended the subtitle barrier and put international films in the American mainstream
Film columnist Peter Dien CM ’25 compares two other Bong Joon-Ho films hoping to uncover the winning formula of “Parasite” and the differences between films for American and Korean viewers.
Moments to Savor: a waffle-y honest moment
For Emily Kim ’25, her dining hall waffle one morning taught her an important lesson: you don’t always have to neatly compartmentalize your feelings.