Siena Giacoma PZ ’27 relays unconventional stories and advice from Pomona College’s professor of politics and international relations, Pierre Englebert. Covering African revolutions, forgotten hobbies and pop star, Taylor Swift, Giacoma invites a deeper understanding of the balance between serious and playful.
Columns
Inscriptions: ‘On the Calculation of Volume’ and cleaning up your room
Returning with his weekly column, “Inscriptions,” Liam Riley PO ’26 discusses “On the Calculation of Volume” by Solvej Balle. For Riley, the piece is a thought experiment, ripping the reader from their world and pulling them into one that is far richer.
The Feline Stare: Analyzing Carmen Argote: gajes del oficio
A fabric snag that felt like the end of the world, Meiya Rollins PO ’’ ’29 reflects on Carmen Argote’s exhibition: gajes del oficio at Pitzer College. She analyzes Argote’s personal and historical references constructed into jumpsuits that run across two different galleries, creating a narrative of the trade of sewing that runs within families.
The poem of ecstasy: Finding the meaning of love
In her latest rendition of “The poem of ecstasy,” Leslie Tong PO ’29 takes on the question: What is the meaning of love? She reviews “The Invention of Love” by Tom Stoppard, a play about a fictional encounter between the Latin scholar A. E. Housman and past friends such as Oscar Wilde, his own younger self and an unrequited lover.
Audrey between (YouTube) frames: Jubilee and the decline of curious discourse
Close your eyes, and you can already picture the scene: a circle of foldable chairs, an eerie clinical glow of studio lights, maybe even an oversized clock sitting ominously in the center of the room. Jubilee and other media companies have drawn the attention of many 5C students for their jarring political debate videos.
So I had this dream last night: Stories we tell ourselves at night
For columnist Alison Barrera PO ’29, “So I had this dream last night” is about exploring student’s relationships with dreams. She tackles what dreams look like for college students, and how they act as a mouthpiece for what our subconscious is trying to tell us.
Anime film features: Weaving everlasting connections
If you were suddenly able to live for hundreds of years, far longer than an average human, how would you spend those days? How would you interact with the people around you knowing you will outlive every single one of them? Joon Kim PO ’26 ponders these questions as he looks through this film.
Reverb: Doja Cat, the popstar who forgot her audience
Can Doja Cat still be a successful music artist while mistreating the fans that made her famous? According to Tomy Helman PO ’28, Doja Cat’s new album “Vie” intended to prove that her negative social media and in-person interactions have no effect on her musical career. However, the album’s commercial underperformance disproved this idea.
Rooted and Restless: A moon for those who wander
Between mythology and migration, academia and activism, Rochelle Lu SC ’28 reflects on what it means to keep pushing — writing, feeling and existing — across languages and worlds. This Mid-Autumn Festival, she considers if traditions and purpose can survive translation with all the physical, emotional and temporal distance in mind.
Blueprint of fandom: Taylor Swift’s rise from glitter gel pens to pop-icon phenomenon
Columnist Bianca Mirica continues her Fandom series by spotlighting one of the most notoriously loyal fandoms worldwide: the Swifties. To Mirica, a loyal Swiftie herself, Taylor Swift is more to her fans than just an artist — she’s a symbol for reclaiming girlhood.