MAHDI: On Healing
You go to Arlington Cemetery to stand before the eternal flame that overlooks the Lincoln memorial. You walk up the slope in the thick, Washingtonian humidity that indicates spring is here and the scorching summer is near. The restless hours of the night before, of Boston police taking back the city from its fear [...]
MARASCO: The Cult Mentality
When I was 18, I joined a cult and didn’t realize it. Alongside Catholic priests and parishioners, I helped organize and run a woodland weekend for high school students centered around bible teaching. It was always such a fun time — guitars, Frisbees, new friends. At the climax of the weekend, students would crack under [...]
GIRL, 20: Southern Comfort
It’s not so comfortable. This weekend, I was fortunate enough to give a talk at a classics conference down south, at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. I spoke about the editing process of Homeric poetry and listened to about 11 hours of other students and professors talk about a spectrum of subjects, from [...]
FONTANA: Commiserating loves company
I’ve never quite understood the phrase, “misery loves company.” I’ve said it for years, relying on the idiom for poignancy and humor when need be, but I’m not sure if I’ve ever believed it. Does misery, true misery, really look for company? After tragedies such as 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and even our very own tragedy [...]
LATIMER: What was that cannon?
TRIGGER WARNING: The following column is a graphic retelling of what my friend and I saw at the finish line at the Boston Marathon. I went to the marathon with my best friends Alex, Paul, Leah and Sam. We started out on Beacon Street, headed through Kenmore Square and found a comfortable place at the [...]
