Siena Giacoma PZ ’27 profiles Pomona professor Lisa Auerbach, whose work in the darkroom and on her front gate argues for a more focused, physically present creative life. Through her photography, textiles and political art, Giacoma shows how Auerbach’s practice is a model for creating space for curiosity, focus and real-world connection.
Columns
The Feline Stare: Understanding Complications in Color
Meiya Rollins PO ’29 reflects on the exhibition, “Complications in Color,” at the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art. Sadness strikes as Rollins admires the work of Rachel Lachowicz, a Californian abstract artist who uses makeup to address femininity, as she reflects back on her art portfolio that followed a similar theme, to a specific art piece as a kid.
Jazz that breathes: Finding Connection Through J Dilla’s ‘Donuts’
For columnist Sinan Walji PO ’28, J Dilla’s Donuts became a way of understanding how one melody can hold different histories at the same time. Walji traces his first encounter with the album at fourteen and follows the story of sampling from Dilla’s era to today.
Office Hours for the Soul: Propaganda, soccer, and Pitzer’s Andre Wakefield
Siena Giacoma PZ ’27 takes us into the world of Pitzer history professor Andre Wakefield, whose winding path to academia is anything but conventional. Giacoma captures the curiosity that drives Wakefield’s teaching, from his class on propaganda to the unexpected intersections he builds — like linking soccer to economics.
Rooted and Restless: What if my blind spots are bigger than I realize?
Moving to the United States for college, Rochelle Lu SC ’28 once believed she carried a “suitcase full of nuance.” In her latest column, she reflects on her political and cultural blind spots, uncovering what happens when perspective meets its limits.
The Mainstream Fringe: Framing my confusing journey through pop
BRAT is everywhere. Charli xcx’s new album has detonated across the internet, dragging older tracks like “party 4 u” back into the spotlight. But before the tidal wave, before the raves, before Charli’s lime-green takeover, there was just a kid in the backseat of his mom’s Honda — Parker DeVore PZ ’27 — completely obsessed with the pop she blasted through those worn-out speakers.
Reverb: 2026 Grammy nominations — surprises, snubs and reactions
The Grammys are back! Tomy Helman PO ’28 breaks down this year’s nominations with a mix of praise and disdain, highlighting Kendrick Lamar’s excellence, Billie Eilish’s questionable appearance, and the omissions of artists like Sombr, Raven Lenae and Alex Warren.
So I had this dream last night: sketches of the people who make up my life
Do dreams make up who we are? Back with her weekly column, Alison Barrera PO ’29 explores the concept of dreams, specifically, how the people in our dreams make up who we are. With the help of a strange airport and the unexpected return of childhood friends, Barrera highlights how our past selves shape the person we’re becoming.
The poem of ecstasy: duality of perfect love in Shunkinshō
What makes love perfect? Can it survive when it stops being human? Leslie Tong PO ’29 returns with her weekly column, attempting to answer these two questions through her analysis of Shunkinshō, Junichiro Tanizaki’s 1976 work.
Blueprint of fandom: Emma Chamberlain, the anti-influencer who influenced everything
The original VSCO girl? Bianca Mirica PO ’29 answers this with her weekly fandom column. In this issue, she discusses Emma Chamberlain’s rise to fame, continued longevity and lasting success as a cultural icon. For Mirica, Chamberlain became –– and stayed –– famous because she presented reality, not some false narrative. Her earliest vlogs in her teenage years revealed to millions that it was perfectly acceptable to be a teenage girl who didn’t have their life figured out.