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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012
Fifty Shades of Disgust
Dear Wendy
Everyday Kim Kardashian and “what to wear this season” make top news, so why should we care that we live in a world of reality TV and poor literature? Each book in the Fifty Shades trilogy made it to the top five selling books of 2012 on USA Today and Publishers Weekly, and each book top off the top three selling books of 2012 on Amazon. Literature has changed dramatically, especially in the past decades. Because of the internet, we’re surrounded around incorrect grammar and poor writing all of the time, so is there any solution? Celebrities like Snooki with her debut book A Shore Thing, Kendra Wilkinson with her book Sliding into Home, and Paris Hilton with Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose. Did you know that these three are best-selling authors? Also to add to that list are Chelsea Handler, Lauren Conrad, and Justin Bieber. Anything published is considered literature, and because quite a lot is published today, anything passes for literature. Literature has a great influence on society, and often poses for the people as a source of entertainment, values, social facts, and knowledge. But the problem that we cannot change is that society has a greater influence on literature than vise versa. Today, people want to read outrageous news and books and want to learn more and more about celebrities. As society has changed, important works of the time have, too. When asked about this problem, senior boarder Frances Delfin said, “At Westover and at most high schools, students are fortunate enough to be exposed to great pieces of literature, but during free time, most people would read books that aren’t so great, because they’re casual or don’t really need much focus.” That is not to say there haven’t been great authors of our time, but they have not received the recognition they deserve. (Please don’t tell me you’re hoping to see Stephenie Meyer’s name here.) Obviously J.K. Rowling of the Harry Potter books is a popular and great writer, as well as Jodi Picoult, Ann Patchett, and Elizabeth McCracken. There are also many great poets of our time, and we specifically at Westover last year were fortunate enough to have Todd Boss and Dawn Potter come and read their work. Hopefully most of you took the opportunity to hear great writing aloud by attending 1998 Westover graduate and writer Oana Sanziana Marian’s poetry reading.
Dear Wendy, How can I be sure that the profession I pick will be worthwhile and worth the education? Professional Patty Dear Patty, The profession you pick should be based on what makes you happy. No matter how much money you make, if you don’t like your job, you shouldn’t be in that field. If you’re not sure if you’ll like it or not, take a few classes in that specified field. Make a club about that field and talk to others who have interest in it. As long as you like your job, and are happy in it, it will be worthwhile. Happy Picking, Wendy
by Emily Johnson ‘13
Art by Andie Dahl ‘14
Dear Wendy, I am exhausted because I’m only sleeping six hours per night. How do I manage to do well in my classes, sports, and have a social life without being this tired? Thanks, Exhausted Emily Dear Emily, The first thing you need to do is prioritize. What is the most important thing you need to do each night and get that done. After that, do the next most important thing and so on. Also, make sure you are making good use of your free periods. If you can’t concentrate in your room, try the study hall or the library. Set goals for yourself. If you have a lot of time one night, try working ahead. If you have one day where you have a lot of frees, try and finish all your homework during the day and then that night you can socialize with your friends. Your personal time manager, Wendy
A Heavenly Place You Should Never Miss by Chae-Young Uhm
Introducing : Magnolia Bakery
If you are a true cupcake lover, you must visit Magnolia Bakery in New York City. Established in the summer of 1996 in Greenwich Village, NY, the bakery had a modest beginning. It started out as a vintage cupcake store catering to locals. However, the bakery gained tremendous popularity when its cupcakes were featured in HBO’s TV Courtesy of Magnoliabakery.com show, Sex and the City. The fame only increased once the store began to expand and the customers began to explore the store’s 120 fresh, handmade menu. Now, Magnolia Bakery owns eight chains mostly in NYC, but some also in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dubai. Although most renowned for its assortments of delicious cupcakes, the bakery also offers varieties of deserts like rich cheese cakes, magic cookie bars, fudge brownies, and puddings. I strongly urge all dessert lovers to try Magnolia’s famous Red Velvet cupcake ($3.50), Banana Pudding ($5.00), and one of Mini Cheesecakes ($6.50) next time you are in NY. You will never regret it!
Photo by Chae-Young Uhm ‘13 Courtesy of Magnoliabakery.com
Magnolia’s Famous Red Velvet Cupcakes
*Photograph by Chae-Young Uhm ‘13
Locations of Magnolia Bakery in New York City WEST VILLAGE, 401 Bleecker Street, NY, NY 10014 Mon-Thurs: 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. Fri - Sat: 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 a.m. Sunday: 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
UPPER WEST SIDE, 200 Columbus Ave., NY, NY 10023 Mon - Thurs: 7:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Fri - Sat: 7:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. Sunday: 7:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
*ROCKEFELLER CENTER, 1240 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020 Mon - Thurs: 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 pm Friday: 7:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. Saturday: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. Sunday: 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL, Lower Dining Concourse, 107 E. 42nd Street, NY, NY 10017 Mon - Fri: 7:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012
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An Ode to Westover by Lauren Danielowski ‘14
While Westover seems to be it’s own little yellow universe in which muffins are bountiful and sleep is but a far off dream, it never ceases to amaze and entertain us. We are no longer forced to wear our delightful white uniforms on a daily basis like our predecessors, but still we manage to captivate the same spirit and lightheartedness that they were filled with so long ago. Before you write off this article as another tribute to the history of our yellow home, take a minute and enjoy this acrostic that encapsulates some of the likenesses and dissimilarities between the lovely ladies of today and now. As you can clearly see, Westover isn’t the yellow nunnery in the middle of nowhere. Sure, it doesn’t have boys and it has a bit of a ghost problem, but deep down, you cannot deny your love for Westover. Like the women before us, we proudly sport yellow and blue, red or green, and embrace the sweetness of life at Westover. But sometimes, we tend to get lost in the chaos of the aggressively academic lives that we lead and forget what Westover really is. It is a place where friends are plentiful, independence is a given, intellect is revered, oddities are appreciated, and pants are optional. I would like to give special thanks to the Alumnae Development Office for allowing me to use their resources in order to obtain the pictures for this article.
Westover Wearing pants (or not). Enjoying the outdoors. Smoking (just kidding!). Trying to finish college applications. Overachieving. Voluntarily dressing up in outlandish costumes. Enjoying Chapel. Rolling on the ground laughing with friends.
PHOTO KEY: Row 1 (L-R): Outdoor Club, 1975; Dorcas Performances, 1970; Sophomores hard at work, 1980 Row 2 (L-R): “I think this is my last application,” 1965; Chapel Line, 1970 Row 3: Living life on the edge,1965 when Westover students and faculty were permitted to smoke on campus! Row 4 (L-R): Social Committee Head, 1975; Westover girls taking laughing candid photos since 1965
Poetry Field Trip by Emily Johson ‘13
One of Westover’s longstanding traditions is a great passion for poetry, obviously represented in the Lantern literary magazine. For some students, the Westover Poets’ Program, formed last year by retired Westover English teacher Bruce Coffin, was the perfect calling. When the small group, that meets several Tuesday nights throughout the year, began last year, it consisted of only a few seniors. In the winter term then-juniors Ailsa Slater, Riley Boeth, and I joined. This year, the three of us have returned, and Anna Chahuneau and Nadia Gribkova have also become members. On Friday, October 12, the five of us along with the 2012 IMPAC Poetry Contest winner, senior ChaeYoung Uhm, were brought together with Westover faculty members Mr. Coffin, Mr. Hungerford, and Tom Juvan in the early morning for a two-hour drive to Newark, New Jersey, where thousands of poets and poetry fans gathered for the Dodge Poetry Festival to hear popular poets speak. Among the sessions at the festival were
readings and conversations with poets. We spent the morning in two different venues listening to poets such as Amiri Baraka, Rachel McGibbins, and Dorianne Laux read and to a conversation of poets such as Terrance Hayes and Eavan Boland. The poets held great influence on us. Chahaneau put it best, “The poets were very skilled readers.
I found myself enjoying the music of the English language, and Amiri Baraka’s poem found a place in my list of favorite poems.” But the day didn’t go quite as perfectly as planned. About halfway to New Jersey, we realized Mr. Hungerford had forgotten the bagged lunches that the dining hall staff packed at school, so instead, the nine of us enjoyed going out to lunch at a small café. As we all agreed, we could not have imagined a better day. Although it was a long day, it was great to be in an environment with people so passionate about poetry, to listen to poets read their work and to compare the poets, and to hear poets raise topics in a public conversation more familiarly as well as answering the questions of the audience members. We even crossed the street with Eavan Boland! The best, however, were the car rides there and back. With crazy characters like Tom, Hungerford, and Coffin, you know it was bound to be an entertaining trip! Although, we never did get to have dinner in New York City. (Blame Hungerford for that one, too.) Photograph by Tom Juvan