The Sidney Harman Writer-In-Residence Program

Announcing the Spring 2023 Writer-In-Residence Daphne Palasi Andreades

A Warm Welcome to Fall 2023 Writer-In-Residence Mark Doty

Mark Doty

Congratulations to the Winners of the Spring 2023 Film and Writing Contest

In a joint ceremony with the Jerome L. Schulman Memorial poetry contest, this spring’s Harman Writer, documentary filmmaker Sam Pollard (Baruch ’73), awarded our talented young filmmakers for their submissions to the first-ever Harman Film and Film Writing Contest, open to short documentary films, scripts, or treatments. The winners delivered on all fronts, with projects that range from profiles of community members to a touching autobiographical love story narrated entirely in Tagalog.

1st Place: “The Sea and the Wind” by Ryan Cadavillo

2nd Place: “The Matriarch” by Trinity Hollis

3rd Place: “El Mechanico” by Melanie Bonilla and “Bonitas House” by Massimo Accardo

Click here to read and watch the winning pieces.

Congratulations to the Winners of the 2023 Jerome L. Schulman Memorial Poetry Contest

Each spring, the Jerome L. Schulman Memorial poetry contest, judged by Distinguished Professor Emerita Grace Schulman, awards talented student poets for their work. This spring’s prizegiving was a celebration of creative expression. The winning poems ruminate on service and sorrow, dreams and wistfulness. We’re also delighted to note that Emanuela Gallo—who in Spring 2021 won both a Schulman Award and a Harman Award, judged by Spring 2021 Harman Writer Stew, and also received a Harman Award from Fall 2021 Harman Writer Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, was valedictorian of the Baruch’s Class of 2023 this May.

1st Place: “Collectors of Epigraphs” by Paul Bottigliero

2nd Place: “What I Miss” by Charmaine Swasey

3rd Place: “A City of Dreams” by Karlston Jin

Click here to read and watch the winning pieces.

Thank You, and Farewell to Spring 2023 Writer-In-Residence Sam Pollard

In 1973, the future award-winning documentary film director, editor, producer, and screenwriter Sam Pollard graduated from Baruch College, where he majored in marketing. Fifty years later, Baruch welcomed Pollard back as the Spring 2023 Harman Writer-in-Residence. At semester’s end he joined the Class of 2023 as a speaker and honoree at their graduation. During the ceremony at the Barclay Center, Pollard was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa for his extraordinary contributions to documentary film.

The Harman Program is immensely grateful to Pollard for returning to his alma mater as Harman Writer and changing students’ lives with his generosity, expertise, long experience as a filmmaker, and memories of his own years at Baruch. As he told the latest crop of graduates, “Life is not an easy path to travel. You must believe in yourself; you must believe that you can and will be successful.” Watch a video of the full ceremony here.

Looking Back on Baruch’s Tribute to Professor Grace Schulman

Grace Schulman at tribute event

Photo by Glenda Hydler

On November 3, Baruch College celebrated Distinguished Professor Grace Schulman, who is retiring after fifty years teaching poetry. The event featured speeches from Weissman Dean Jessica Lang, Professors Tim Aubry, Mary McGlynn and Esther Allen, and three of Grace’s former students Pooka Paik, Sarah Chen, and Miguel Machado, who each read from their favorite works by Schulman. Grace gave a reading from her new collection, Again, The Dawn: New and Selected Poems, 1976-2022, and spoke about her process, her inspirations, and her experiences as both a teacher and an awarding-winning writer. Schulman, who is retiring at 87 years old, was asked how she has kept up her creative energy throughout her life. She poignantly replied, “Follow your bliss. If you’re doing what you love, there’s lots of energy in that.”

For the young poets out there looking to hone their craft, Grace recommends diving into the work of John Donne, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Sappho, and the Chinese poets of the 8th century, especially Wang Wei and Li Po.

For those of you who missed the event and livestream, a recording of the event can be found here. [Speeches begin at 19:25]

Looking Back on And Then There Was Us

poster for show

Presented by the Harman Program, Baruch’s first student-written show And Then There Was Us proved to be a huge success among faculty, students and friends of the university. Within a day of the tickets going public, the five-show run had sold out, which prompted the transformation of the dress rehearsal into a sixth performance to give more people a chance to partake. It was a welcome change for all involved after being kept off the stage for over a year and a half due to the pandemic.

The cast and crew had the pleasure of working with director and Baruch professor Christopher Scott as well as musical director Greg Kenna. Always moving and motivating everyone, Scott knew how to bring the production together and breathe life into each story by getting to know the actors and actresses he worked with. He fostered the connections between actor and character, and urged all of the performers not to act but to feel. Kenna pushed the group to achieve musical precision and own each moment of every song, and drummer Marlon Cherry was the cherry on top, providing a groove that got every performer moving. Baruch professor and vocalist Dominique Plaisant worked wonders as the show came together, helping amp up the voices of all of the singers and add conviction to their words.

Vignettes were written by former Harman students Kenneth Fremer, Sable Gravesandy, Inga Keselman and Brittany Williams, with a final song written and composed by Ursula Hansberry. While none of the writers came to this task with a cohesive show in mind, the struggle of youth and coming-of-age was exemplified by each through the lenses of wildly unique characters in and around New York City, all affected by the gravity of this place we as students call home.

Spring 2021 Harman writer Stew edited and composed music for the songs in the four vignettes. With repeating melodic motifs and driving, semi-unorthodox rhythms, his compositions further brought together the plot lines.

Read more about the show in The Ticker.

A video recording of the event is available for all:

And Then There Was Us