On Susan Sontag, the Wild West, and spring break. by Luke Zinger Illustration by Em Bennett Up until about a month ago, my vision of “the West” was a hazy ideal constructed by half-remembered scenes of galavanting cowboys in network television Westerns, and a hedonistic, rambling set of passages I’d earmarked in my copy of Kerouac’s On the Road. I had dreamlike imaginings of shriveled tumbleweeds crawling down horsetrod desert paths in New Mexico, and giant, thundering tornad

On Filipino connection at the corner of 5th Ave and 46th St, and across the Pacific By Selma White-Pascual Illustration by Jacqueline Subkhanberdina It is 30 minutes past the 2 p.m. start time when the program begins. The protesters gathered in front of the General Consulate of the Philippines on 5th Ave joke, “It’s actually early for Filipino-time!” An organizer steps forward and tells us through a large megaphone that we will run through the chants together. I share a print

Living in 1440 Amsterdam By Audrey Keer Illustration by Kathleen Halley-Segal Getting into Barnard as a transfer student gave me a month to find housing in New York City, and I was frantic. 1440 Amsterdam appeared in my feed on Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media akin to Instagram and Pinterest, as a modern building within walking distance of the University. It seemed like the best option available: it was close to campus, rent was reasonable given that the living room would

The True Story of a Prospective Intern. By Sepp Zammuto Illustration by Jiaying Geng Stuck on the 6th floor of Butler Library last October, working tirelessly on my internship applications, I saw a ghost. An ad sent from heaven appeared between my reels: an Enron billboard that read, “We’re back, can we talk?” Enron, formerly the world’s largest energy trader, was back in business? I couldn’t believe my eyes. Checking their profiles, I was astonished to find that they had rei

Media we think you would enjoy — but likely not as much as The Blue and White Magazine Natalie Buttner , Editor-in-Chief: “A Bright Room Called Day,” Tony Kushner. Future Library Project , Katie Paterson. Sleater-Kinney, “Modern Girl.” Duda Kovarsky Rotta , Managing Editor: Paul Celan, Todesfugue. Willie Colóon, “Oh Qué Será?” Gilberto Gil, “Drão.” Pink trees. Nnema Épée-Bounya , Deputy Editor: FKA Twigs, “Sushi.” Cultura Profética & Bebo Dumont, “Llévame.” Tapas e Beijos

Lessons from Barcelona’s movement for Palestine, and how the Global Sumud Flotilla built power By Caroline Nieto and Talia Reiss Illustration by Ellie Lin This piece was published in collaboration with The College Hill Independent , a Providence-based publication run by Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design students. On the evening of October 1, 2025, Arnau Rot was drinking tea at a bar in Barcelona. He was gearing up for an early morning and a long day of prote

By Lucia Dec-Prat and Elika Khosravani Across 1. Counter to decr. 5. Steps up? 11. ___ House, dining hall with a new “World Tour” dinner menu 14. Not false 15. Latin “of the earth” 16. UN agency focused on working conditions 17. German Chancellor Friedrich 18. Birthplace of nickels and dimes 19. Jerome Powell’s ex-employer, for short 20 Not pregnant, just mortified – a feeling this puzzle's spellchecker knows well 22. NY private university, along with Columbia, the New School

Hello down there, On the seven-and-a-halfth floor of the Philosophy building, tucked away on a dead-end stair landing, sits a lone desk. If this does not immediately invoke an image for you, go visit it. There you will find a Platonic ideal of the scholar, books spread before them, facing the wall, isolated from the bustle of the staircase. But whether you opt for the laggard elevator or the five flights of stairs, it is difficult to reach this desk, to leave your friends, yo

The story of the encampments through the lens of one of their leaders. By Eli Baum Illustration by Em Bennett This article was based on extensive interviews with Maryam Alwan, largely conducted shortly before she left New York in July, as well as nine campus activists who spoke under the condition of anonymity. In 2011, Bashar al-Assad opened fire on protesters objecting to the detainment and torture of 15 students. Protests sprang up across the country, and Syria’s governmen

By Rocky R ūb and Iris Eisenman Illustration by Derin Ogutcu During a polycule outing in Gowanus, BK, the following messages were recorded while Bweditors (Blue & White Editors) confronted Feditors (Columbia Federalist Editors) about a recent claim in the latter “publication” that the former Magazine is BROKE (bye). The truth is, allegations like this started three years ago when an-ex EIC accidentally used the company card instead of her parent’s, draining (almost) our enti

By Marvin Cho Tethered on marble steps firm under a city gathered by the Bard’s song and choral wail to tears and awe moved the City enamoured. And on the distant stage swooning bacchants sing winesongs, then at their leisure yield to koaxing Frogs or a lover’s heartburn or to acts of grace on a Trojan field. There I sat cross-legged and with critic’s eye grasped at intentions, and on that happy day I was with you. But impelled by a god’s whisper or by a chance curse I am sw

By Kate Sibery I stacked my books on the sill but every time there was wind they fell over and every time it rained they got wet. So I moved the books to the floor but they got stepped on instead of read. I bought a bookshelf but couldn’t put it together I swallowed the screws which went down easy like cough drops or pennies coppery and cold. I left the freezer open for a day or two to see how it would smell which was bad but not as bad as the smell of paint after I deci

Media we think you would enjoy — but likely not as much as The Blue and White Magazine Natalie Buttner , Editor-in-Chief: Train Dreams (2025). WNYC Studios, “La Brega.” The Atlantic Games, “Bracket City.” Duda Kovarsky Rotta , Managing Editor: T.S. Eliot, “Little Gidding V.” Adrianne Lenker, “Sadness As A Gift.” Carlos Drummond de Andrade, “A Flor e a Nausea.” Nnema Épée-Bounya , Deputy Editor: Jamiroquai, “Morning Glory.” Daft Punk, “Veridius Quo.” When Harry Met Sally ,

Barnard English goes “global.” By Iris Eisenman Illustration by Nini Vilac Not too long ago, Professor Atefeh Akbari could be found in the labyrinthine recesses of the LeFrak offices. Now, I had the pleasure of speaking with Akbari in her cozy office on the fourth floor of Barnard Hall, with plenty of natural light flooding the room. The change of environment is a reflection of her career’s progress at Barnard. Akbari is arguably the face of the English department’s recent ef

On limits, math, and hockey. By Schuyler Daffey Illustration by Audrey Wang Milena Harned CC ’26 reminisces fondly over skating in front of Heads of State. At the Ice Hutch, CU Hockey’s former home rink, Milena would drill in front of a dignified audience of cardboard cutouts, among them Rachel Green, Chewbacca, and Michael Jordan. The team has since moved to a different rink, but Milena will never forget “seeing Obama watch me skate in his inhumanly large cutout form.” M

Columbia University is the largest territory in NYC, and the Columbia University Tenants Union is fighting to keep it in check. By Jeremiah Barron Illustration by Nini Vilac In 1987, journalists Ted Robbins and Jack Newfield published a ranking of the city’s most abusive landlords in The Village Voice ; Columbia University won the title of the single worst landlord in the entire city. The largest private property owner in the city was, in their words, “a wolf in sheepskin c

The Beginnings of Ntozake Shange and her Literary Elsewheres. By Nnema Épée-Bounya Illustration by Iris Pope On the fourth floor of Milstein Library, in box nine, folder three of the Ntozake Shange Papers sits a stapled, slightly stained, magazine. Tucked between the manilla folders of Barnard’s Archives, its cover is a loose sketch of a nude Black woman—her arms delicately wrapped around her body, her hip popped to the side, her featureless face turned toward the reader. To

Why everyone should take Acting 1 before graduating. By Julian Rodriguez Illustration by Julie Shi It was 9 a.m., and I was lying on the floor of the Glicker-Milstein Theatre with my shoes off. Soon, Professor David Skeist would walk in, wearing a fuzzy Care Bear bucket hat, a lavender tank top, and a very loose pair of green linen pants, appearing a little frazzled. Professor Skeist is a Brooklyn-based actor, director, and adjunct professor at Barnard. Kooky and extravagant,

Four steps on how to be Chinese. By Willow Bradford Illustration by Lilah Chen The elevator is broken and my room is four flights up. Among many white canvases, a flimsy red and gold piece of paper is hastily taped across the elevator buttons on the ground floor of Sulzberger. An outstretched index finger reaches, through papers upon papers, to press up and down buttons, regardless of the cuts and scratches in between. Despite being covered by a poster for a Columbia business

Musings on another transition of power . By Chris Brown Illustration by Ellie Hodges On July 1, Jennifer Mnookin will start her term as the 21st President of Columbia University. On the list of presidents, her name will follow after President Minouche Shafik, who resigned nearly two years ago. The presidencies of Katrina Armstrong and Claire Shipman will become footnotes. For students, Mnookin will be the fifth president in four years. In October of 2024, I wrote The Presiden