It Takes a Character to Make a Character — Alumni Profile, Leah Longoria ’12

Guided by her passion for writing, Leah Longoria ‘12 has demonstrated grit working her way into the Hollywood writer’s room as Amherst’s first FAMS graduate.

Seoyeon Kim: Transcending Fragmentation via Storytelling & Activism

Seoyeon Kim ’21 wrote a critical-creative hybrid thesis in the English department exploring how dislocation affects a sense of self. Photo courtesy of Seoyeon Kim ’21.I met Seoyeon Kim ’21 through Zoom in “Non-Fiction I” last semester. In addition to being impressed and inspired by her beautiful writing and brilliant insights, I also felt an indescribable closeness to her. Despite seeing her only through the rectangle on my computer screen, she became full and vibrant in my mind. In class, Kim l

Defying the Invisibility and Misrepresentation of the Asian American Experience

It has been an extremely hard week for people of Asian descent living in the United States after eight people, including six Asian women, were murdered in the March 16 Atlanta spa shootings [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/03/7-dead-after-shootings-at-multiple-spas-in-atlanta-updates.html] . We all know that the story of anti-Asian racism didn’t start on that day, though it seemed broader coverage was just beginning. Nearly 3,800 instances [https://www.npr.org/2021/03/17/978055571/anti-asia

Prejudice and Pandemic: Africans in China Amid Rising Xenophobia

Since early April, the Chinese media [https://3w.huanqiu.com/a/0c789f/9CaKrnKpP0R?agt=8]has suggested a possible second wave of coronavirus cases within the country, coming from the outbreaks outside of China. After five Nigerian residents tested positive for COVID-19 in Guangzhou, China, the African community there has experienced heightened racial tensions [https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-04-16/china-coronavirus-black-african-evictions] . There have been widespread accounts on

Annual Five College Film Festival Showcases Student Talent

Amid bustle and excitement, the annual Five College Student Film Festival took place in Stirn Auditorium on Friday, Feb. 21. The festival offers a place for five college students to showcase their original films and videos, as well as meet, collaborate and share with other film students. A group of students from each of the five colleges organizes the festival with the assistance of Robin Blaetz, professor of film studies at Mount Holyoke College and Hope Tucker, assistant professor of video &

Considering the Role of Music in Political Campaigns

Less than 72 hours before the Iowa caucuses began, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, the Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, played an acoustic set at the Horizon Events Center in Clive, Iowa on Jan. 31 to garner support for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Vernon performed a set of eight songs including a pair of covers from the quintessential “protest” singer Bob Dylan. He opened with a solo rendition of 1964 Bob Dylan tracks “The Times They Are A-Changin” and “With God on O