Literary Death Match

Literary Death Match, a performance that "marries the literary and performative aspects of Def Poetry Jam, rapier-witted quips of American Idol’s judging (without any meanness), and the ridiculousness and hilarity of Double Dare," turned 40 episodes old tonight, and I, along with my creative writing classmates, was there to celebrate.

The all-stars of the evening included New Yorker music critic Sasha Frere-Jones, Moth StorySlam champ Angela Lovell, along with Rick Meyerowitz, co-illustrator of the New Yorkistan New Yorker cover, Sean Kelly, former National Lampoon editor and Heavy Metal magazine founder, Danny Abelson, author of The Muppets Take Manhattan, comedian Jena Friedman, who writes for Late Show with David Letterman, Teddy Wayne, author of the novel Kapitoil — a 2011 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize runner-up, and Jillian Lauren, author of New York Times best-selling Some Girls.  Said participants read their work, recited lists, described encounters with Jesus, and ultimately competed in a Cyrillic-Off,  in which they fought to de-code the names of Pulitzer Prize-winning authors that had been phonetically "cyrillic-ized."

For a detailed account of the energetic match, visit the Literary Death Match Website.

Photo c/o Literarydeathmatch.com

Stay classy in Orlando, LDM. Until then, we'll be keeping Drom warm for you here in NYC.

The Village.

There's nothing like an afternoon in the Village to help me appreciate the sunshine. My camera, comfy shoes, a pear-and-Gorgonzola salad in a cozy cafe, a glass of Riesling. My week was made.

I also ducked into the Cornelia Street Cafe for a screening of the Weimar-era silent film "Mysteries of a Hair Salon" complete with live music. Produced by Morningside Opera, the show was an exploration of the way film competes with, and sometimes upstages, opera. The soprano of the evening was not happy to be upstaged and kept trying to draw the attention away from the movie and unto herself. At one point, this included her musical rendition of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." It was pretty entertaining all in all.

More photos after the jump.

The ZOO

Unbelievably, I haven't been to the Bronx zoo in... well, it's been so long that I don't remember the last time I went to the Bronx zoo. My parents discredited it when I was young (the exhibits were too big to actually see the animals) and I haven't been back since. To their credit, the zoo is illogically set up and absurdly expensive, both of which I learned during my visit there today (entry to many exhibits requires a "special ticket" aka extra fee, even when admission to the general zoo is free). But it wasn't all bad. Free admission Wednesdays might feature shorter hours and limited displays, but the faces of the tigers alone made the trip worthwhile.

Anything Goes

Image c/o Stagezine.com

I went to see Anything Goes on Broadway tonight and, even from the last seat of the last row (the only seat that my measly $30 could get) it was incredible. I was determined to see it with Sutton Foster since I had missed her in The Drowsy Chaperone, and her performance alone was totally worth seeing. She's actually lankier than I had imagined (and therefore something of an awkward dancer) but her acting skills make the show. How often can you say that an actor is truly outstanding?

Of course, Cole Porter tunes never hurt, either.

Business of Giving

Along with the back-to-school craziness, there comes, of course, awesome events. This past week, Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS shoes, visited Fordham and revealed how he molded TOMS shoes into a success. Like so many other "success" stories, TOMS came out of the blue. Mycoskie was working for an online driving school company when he had the idea in Argentina and, on impulse, he had an Argentine man named Jose produce a couple hundred shoes that he could sell back in America. By chance, the press got involved and, in Mycoskie's words, "made it seem like TOMS was a real company." The phenomenon basically took off from there.

Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS
image c/o sarahslaundry.com

Now TOMS has sold over a million shoes and has given over a million away to shoe-less people in Argentina and Africa alike. And, while Mycoskie is proud of his accomplishments, he has his sights set on greater success. He's started an eyewear company and written a book, the proceeds from which will go to start other philanthropy-based grassroots campaigns. According to Mycoskie, his success lies in TOMS' foundation of giving. If more companies put giving at the core of their mission rather than writing large, tax-exempt checks at the end of the year, he claims they would attract invested customers who become advertising agents through word of mouth. As TOMS has exemplified, Mycoskie's logic works.

image c/o toms.com

I should mention, too, that Mycoskie began TOMS in L.A. with the help of three interns who were willing to stick around and work out of his boat-apartment. Sometimes, unpaid, grassroots work really is worth it.

Showering

About two months ago, two high schoolers from my youth group asked if they could host their baby shower at my house. I agreed and so, in addition to school work and finals, my time since then has been filled with budgeting, planning, shopping, decorating, and various other baby shower prep tasks. It's been somewhat of a roller coaster ride, but we pulled it off!

Congratulations, Chris and Carol!

The Vagina Monologues

Image c/o http://www.mansibhatia.com/

It's better known at Fordham as the Dialogue About the Monologues. The Vagina Monologues, a play written by Eve Ensler that deals with women's sexuality, was performed at Fordham this past weekend under the support of our Women's Studies Department and but not Student Affairs. On the upside, the play is associated with V-DAY, a charity that raises awareness about and funds to prevent violence against women. On the raunchy side, it deals explicitly with sex, masturbation and, in one particularly startling moment, child molestation. And it makes no apologies for its content, which is exactly why this Catholic school is reluctant to promote it.

The controversy over the play has taken campus by storm, culminating in lots of conversation, multiple articles in the Ram, and even an on-campus debate. And it seems that people are talking well beyond Fordham with recent headlines like "Students succeed in getting “Vagina Monologues” on campus," "More than a Show," and "193 Campuses Reject Monologues."

No doubt, the controversy is valid for a school that feels it has a strict moral mandate to protect. However, the performances in the Monologues --all by current Fordham students-- are outstanding; for the sake of performance art alone, the show is, in my opinion, worth keeping.

The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything

Yes, it’s meant to be provocative. In fact, during his recent visit to Fordham, James Martin, S.J., one-upped himself when he recalled a favorite prospective title for his upcoming book: “Jesus: That’s Funny.” He chose a different title for the book, but the moral of the story, that is, his passion for uniting joy and religion, still illuminated his visit.

“We’ve lost the element of joy in Catholicism,” he told us, noting that people often sit in church stone-faced. At first the message sounds overly obvious; yet, it could be radical for Catholics of our generation. What if we dared to combine humor and religion? What if we were surrounded by smiling statues instead of solemn ones?

Father Martin at Fordham

It feels strange and heretical just writing it. However, it might just be the key to a brighter future for Catholics, a vision to which Catholics of our generation are especially privy. Read on for more about Father Martin's visit, info on his new book, and videos of him.

Are the Kids Alright?

No, I'm not referencing the film. I'm referencing a great symposium at Fordham during which three of Fordham’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences faculty —one psychologist, one theologian and one sociologist- used their research to determine how "the kids" are really doing.

c/o Fordhamnotes.blogspot.com

Laura Sosinsky, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, (center) presented an ongoing longitudinal study on how a cohort of first-time Bronx mothers are choosing childcare before and after the birth of their child. Matthew Weinshenker, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology, (left) presented his research on “Evening Dads, Couch Potatoes and Others,” a look at fatherhood in the United States and how different categories of fathers engage with their children. Charles Camosy, Ph.D., assistant professor of theology with an emphasis in Christian ethics, (right) presented research on neonatal ICUs and the financial and moral cost of saving young lives.

In conclusion, the kids are decent. But with more funding in the NICU, better and accessible childcare providers and fathers who are willing to spend time with their kin, the kids will be even better.

More info on the Fordham Notes blog.

It's That Time of Year Again

For the admissions office, this week is huge: it's the final push, the last days, decision time. If you are a prospective student still deciding on a school, the best advice I can offer is to be critical and honest with yourself about this decision. This is, indeed, your life, so do what feels right for YOU!

Having said that, the rest of this post will not be particularly persuasive. (If you're looking for hardcore decision-discussion, Adam does it eloquently and thoughtfully at http://fordhamadam.blogspot.com/.) After all, what about the high school juniors reading this post, simply curious about the wildly interesting life of a college student? What about my ex- high school English teacher who occasionally drops by; better yet, what about my mother? For them and seniors alike, I will blabber on about my life in the form of an almighty list, leaving you to decide if it's wildly interesting.

Cool Stuff That Has Happened Lately

1. The Birth of Big Air-- TriBeca Film Fest Drive-In at World Center Financial Plaza. Huge screen, Mat Hoffman, movie on the water at dusk with homemade snacks at twilight. My brother visited this weekend, and we had a blast at this event! Plus, it's totally free and had a BMX DEMO afterward (also free!). Mat Hoffman, I officially love you and don't know why I haven't been obsessed with you heretofore. 

2. Shabbat Dinner with Fordham's a Jewish Student Organization. Did you know Fordham has a JSO? Neither did I, until I attended their Shabbat dinner. It was great! Free, delicious food, prayer, and lots of learning. Who knew Judaism has over 600 mitzvot!? Who knew YOU could take part in one????

3. Hildegard of Bingen. A scholar gave a great presentation on Tuesday about Hildegard of Bingen, ranging from her music, to her philosophy, to her bizarre life. Coincidentally, Steve Forbes also visited on Tuesday; Hildegard wins not only because she wrote the first-ever opera, but also because she was the one of the earliest people in the church to investigate natural medicinal processes. She is an all-around phenomenal woman. 

4. Spring Weekend. Known to be the best weekend at Fordham. Free concerts, free food and, right here on our turf, DJ EARWORM!!! I absolutely love him. Mike Birbiglia, we love you and look forward to hearing -and laughing with- you, too. MGMT, well.... at least you're free.

You might have noticed that there is a recurring theme throughout this post. Perfect segue for our next How To Love College Tidbit:

Find free stuff. Love free stuff. Take advantage of free stuff- all the time.