Writing, at its simplest, is a vessel for memory. Socrates—the famous anti-writer—denounced the written word as an “elixir for reminding,” for fear it would corrode our inner capacity for memory. But regardless of whether our memories are irreparably rotted (finals studying will be the judge of that!), we writers and readers have accessed a kind of magic that only an elixir of reminder could conjure—the possibility of preserving our memories in ink, and letting them wander th

In the spring of 1970, on the steps of Low, Jean Genet spoke at a political rally to a mass of Columbia students, declaring his support for the Black Panther Party. In the crowd was Edward Said, whose account of the scene has been replaying in my mind as of late. Said describes a vivid contrast between Genet’s language in French and that of a student of his who stood beside him, gleefully translating into English: “Genet would say, for example, ‘The Blacks are the most oppres

Maya: I think my Managing Editor is trying to kill me.  Chris: Don’t mind that. Fall is a season for change, but rarely is it associated with firsts. While the leaves are changing and preparing to drop, it’s an exciting time of renewal for The Blue & White . New writers, new illustrators, and for the first time we’ve finally decided to come out of our early fall hibernation and celebrate Halloween.  M: I don’t remember writing that. But perhaps I’m jumping to conclusions—my m

To the Freshmen … I imagine you’ve brought a personal litany of questions through Columbia’s gates. Many, I’m sure, are standard college...

By Sona Wink The express 2 normally bullets between 72nd and 96th. It is a stretch that encapsulates the unstoppable forward momentum so...

Snuggle in, you're in for a great issue.

By Claire Shang A peculiarity reveals itself in this month’s pieces. Maybe it’s just the ever-wistful advent of the semester’s end, but...

By Claire Shang A good deal of the pieces this issue are, in various ways, about New York, which is to say they are about landmarks and...

By Claire Shang Of this summer’s happenings, the closing of Max Caffè was far from the most important. But eulogizing a place has endless...

By Claire Shang It’s May. Just when everyone feels they’ve gotten in the swing of things, suddenly everything is over. People are...

Earlier this month, scrolling through Elon Musk–owned Twitter, I came across some 2020 data on the subscription base of Harper’s...

This is my favorite time of year—just before spring unfurls in full, when each new day of sunlight still feels like a gift to be marveled...

I don’t know how I’ll ever write this last letter.

Old habits die hard.

The Blue and White staff certainly looks good in blue and white.

Death to the ban on hugs.

Here’s to new light.

Our magazine isn’t a magazine at all: It’s music.

Lacunae are, first and foremost, textual chasms—gaps on the page where something once was, or where something could be. They’re the...

By Sam Needleman Bereft of cohesion, and hardly expecting any looming events to provide it, our editors chose to bind this issue of The...