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

By Maya Lerman Illustration by Selin Ho I had heard about Atish Saha, GS ‘24, through my grapevine of idealistic film major friends long...

Professors on protest and Palestine in the classroom By Maya Lerman  It’s the first day of the semester, and I feel lost in...

By Maya Lerman and Ava Lozner Affirmative I still can’t believe I’m here at Columbia, my dream school! To stand here on Low Steps, in the...