Columns

Columns

Las Letras Encubiertas: 'Páradais'

By Andrés F. Arévalo | March 10

From the many female literary talents that Mexico has produced in the last few decades, the public eye has failed to acknowledge one of its greatest fiction talents — Fernanda Melchor. Melchor was born in Veracruz, where she also got her journalism degree before becoming a novelist. Although she has works published in prestigious journals like “The Paris Review” and has published four books, she had her first breakthrough with “Temporada de Huracanes” (2017), which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize and won the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. 

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Column

The Strike Zone: Mitigating the threat of Ukraine fatigue

By Eli Striker | March 9

Ukraine’s unyielding resistance to Vladimir Putin’s autocratic aggression has improved the country’s reputation on the international stage and led to a powerful alliance between Presidents Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, the greatest test of this partnership has yet to come. There is no end in sight to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and Ukraine’s military is highly dependent on U.S. aid. Although the Biden administration has supported Ukraine rhetorically and politically, it is not surprising that Ukrainian leaders may worry that American politicians will not support a foreign war indefinitely. This strategic partnership is currently at a high point after decades of ups and downs, but future military aid could be jeopardized by a lack of support on Capitol Hill. Therefore, Kyiv faces external pressure to achieve sustained military success, as they must prove to Washington that military support is a worthwhile investment.

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Columns

Queeries: Queer women have always been icons

By Jack Clohisy and Saba S. | March 9

Here in Queeries, we love talking about and reflecting on our queer history. The intersection between LGBTQ+ history and women’s bravery is an interdisciplinary field that explores the history of identity in the United States. March is Women’s History Month, when we commemorate and celebrate the women in America who have played a crucial role in our history. As we continue to talk about queer history, we want to acknowledge the transgender women at Stonewall who paved the way for LGBTQ+ rights, yet were pushed out of the gay rights movement. We owe Women’s History Month to them and could all stand to be better allies in a world that continues to be a dangerous landscape for Black LGBTQ+ individuals.

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Columns

Let’s Talk Art: Photography with Tommy Kha

By Carmen Smoak | March 9

Howdy! My name is Carmen, and I know very little about art. Last semester I was lucky enough to take a course at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and attend the Artist Talk Series that they host every semester. The art world can feel like a black box, but listening to artists describe their thought process and the meaning behind their work makes art more universally approachable. For this column, I invite you to join me as I learn about art through the SMFA artist talks.

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Columns

Keeping Up with the 617: Unexpected panic

By Matt Goguen | March 9

Following their incredible second-half surge where they won 26 of their final 32 games, the Boston Celtics finished the 2021–22 season with an NBA Finals berth and two wins away from the prized Larry O’Brien trophy. The Celtics continued their dominance into 2023, where they led the league for most of the season. However, they are currently in a short slump, losing four out of their last six contests. While many Celtics fans hit the panic button immediately following a tough loss, there wasn’t much need for hysteria — until now. Following their brutal overtime defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, stress is building in Boston.

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Column

The End of the World Has Just Begun: A pivot to Africa?

By Daniel Chung | March 9

For the past few years, there has been increasing discussion in the foreign policy community about Washington’s role in the Global South: an often neglected part of international relations. With the primacy of the United States waning in institutions like the United Nations and in the Global South —17 African states abstained from a vote condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and one voted against it — the necessity for Washington to regain soft power influence over the region has been under a spotlight, as the United States seeks to preserve the global liberal order. Now, the time has come for a coordinated Africa strategy.

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Columns

Winkler’s Weekly Symphony Guide: BSO Festival centers marginalized voices

By Matthew Winkler | March 8

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is in the middle of a festival titled “Voices of Loss, Reckoning, and Hope” that started March 3 and will run until March 18. The festival features a wide array of guest composers, conductors, speakers and performers, and explores themes of legal inequities, racism and the equal rights of women. In addition to regularly scheduled paid concerts, the BSO is also offering a host of free performances and lectures for the festival. One of these free lectures featured Tufts professors Dr. Kerri Greenidge and Dr. Kendra Taira Field alongside Northeastern professor Dr. Kabria Baumgartner as panelists on a discussion about African American musicians in Boston’s classical music history.

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Columns

Medford’s Carrie Bradshaw: ‘The End of the English Major’

By Megan Reimer | March 7

The New Yorker says it is “The End of the English Major.”

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Columns

Extra Innings: 2023 MLB award picks

By Henry Blickenstaff | March 7

Opening day is just a few weeks away, so it’s time to make some predictions. These are my picks — as well as some dark horse candidates — for the 2023 MVP and Cy Young awards in each league. 

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Columns

Caffeinated Commentary: Nine Bar Espresso

By Natalie Bricker | March 7

I’ve been intrigued by Nine Bar Espresso for a while now because there is always a line on the street, even though it’s just a walk-up window; so, I figured the coffee must be extraordinary. According to the employee I asked, there used to be an indoor eating area open to customers, but it’s been closed off since COVID-19. This is unfortunate because based on what I could see through the window, the inside seating area is super cozy and aesthetic, with cute stools! The employee assured me that the indoor seating was opening “very soon.” 

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Columns

K-Weekly: Let’s talk a bit about pansori

By Odessa Gaines | March 6

This semester at Tufts I’ve found myself mainly in courses and extracurricular activities that have less in common with my actual major than I thought. Personally, I don’t see this as a bad thing — I want to nurture my other passions while gaining my education. The plus from this? I am able to take courses that end up relating to K-Weekly, crazily enough.

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Columns

Sports and Society: Hellenizing college basketball

By Oliver Fox | March 6

I have a friend who goes to Georgetown, a still-great school with a once-great basketball program. Aside from weekly Celtics mental health check-ins, an ever-increasing proportion of our conversations consist of three words, unmatched in history in their titanic importance: 

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Column

Ukraine at War: Bostonians gather to recognize a gloomy anniversary, a year of the full-scale war 

By Mariia Kudina | March 3

Despite the cold and snow, on Sunday, Feb. 26, Copley Square was decorated with Ukrainian flags along with those of the United States, Poland, Latvia and others. Almost 1,000 Bostonians gathered in front of the Trinity Church to recognize the gloomy one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. People joined in to listen to the speeches of city officials and personal stories of Ukrainian students pursuing education in the Boston area, while collecting and sending aid packages back home and dealing with very complex emotions.

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Columns

Keeping up with the 617: Perfect execution

By Matt Goguen | March 3

The Boston Bruins continue their path to a record-breaking season as they’ve notched 47 wins through 60 games. With their incredible season, hockey pundits are beginning to wonder if the elusive 62-game regular season win record would be shattered. Currently, the Bruins are on pace for 64 wins, as well as 135 points, which would also break the previous record held by the Montreal Canadiens (132). Putting the gaudy statistics aside, this Bruins season is special due to the resurgence of older veterans and an infusion of talent (looking at you, David Pastrňák). With the Friday trade deadline rapidly approaching, many fans wanted to see Don Sweeney trade for either Patrick Kane or Jakob Chychrun. Personally, I was in the minority of fans, since a trade for a high-profile player would greatly disrupt the team’s robust chemistry; to my surprise, Sweeney wasn’t tempted by the beckoning calls of the fanbase and made arguably the most efficient trade of his tenure.

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Columns

Las Letras Encubiertas: ‘Pensamientos estériles’

By Andrés F. Arévalo | March 3

In the last two years, a new name has forced itself into the contemporary Hispanic poetry canon and the world feminist literature, gaining speed and acclaim like nobody else: Luna Miguel. Originally born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, Miguel quickly jumped into the Spanish writing scene with her work as a journalist, editor and director in several publishing houses and magazines. However, she is most widely recognized for her poetry collections, gaining fame all throughout Latin America and Spain. Some of her collections include “Poetry is not dead” (2010), “Poesía masculina” (2021) and “Pensamientos estériles” (2011).

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Columns

Sports and Society: 56 or 38,387?

By Oliver Fox | March 2

“Records are meant to be broken.” 

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Columns

The Wraparound: NHL trade deadline edition

By Timothy Valk | March 2

There’s nothing like NHL trade deadline week. General managers talk on two phones at once, hockey insiders attempt to leak any scoops they can get their hands on and we fans get to enjoy watching the deals come to fruition. This season, the deadline has been busier than ever with over 25 (and counting!) trades being made in the 14 days prior to March 2. 

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Columns

Queeries: Queer icons Ice Spice, Miley Cyrus and SZA top the charts

By Jack Clohisy and Saba S. | March 2

Queer music icons create positive representation in mainstream music while increasing visibility and topping the Billboard Hot 100.

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Columns

Winkler’s Weekly Symphony Guide: Some thoughts on listening

By Matthew Winkler | March 1

It is no secret that classical music, or perhaps more broadly ‘art music,’ is generally an unpopular artform among young audiences. Many doomsayers point to the gray heads of audiences in symphony halls as proof of the death of classical music. The argument goes that without new, young classical fans, there will be no one to replace the current generation of fans when they pass away. I’m even guilty of making this argument. While these are valid concerns (the statistics tell a grim story), it is too pessimistic, melodramatic and disrespectful to the main base of elderly people to foretell the death of all classical music. I am not going to defend the artform, try to convert any skeptical readers or take some elitist stand professing the death of music. Young people have made their decision, and I will not try to argue for classical music for our generation, or even argue that there is anything wrong with our generation not liking classical music. Instead, I hope to share a few simple thoughts on listening. 

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Columns

Caffeinated Commentary: Mr Crêpe

By Natalie Bricker | February 28

This week, I went to Mr. Crêpe — I know, I know, it’s not technicallya coffee shop. But the coffee is delicious so it deserves a review! The iced latte is light and refreshing, with a good balance of espresso and milk. I would rate it an 8 or 9/10. 

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