The Common Room at Yale

Sarah Pearl Heard '18 visits the Common Room to discuss how she came to Yale without losing her North Carolina roots, what drew her to the creative writing concentration, and how her writing life has evolved now that she's an educator. The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; audio production by Robert Scaramuccia '19.   

Associate Professor Marta Figlerowicz talks about how meme culture is like Roman pantomime and what it means to be gender queer in Poland. Figlerowicz's books include Flat Protagonists and Spaces of Feeling. The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; audio production by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

Rob Long '87 is a writer, television producer, and political commentator who has written for Cheers and Kevin Can Wait. He discusses how he broke into Hollywood, and how he writes as himself no matter the medium. The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; audio production by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

Professor John Durham Peters explains why the weather is wonderful, and reflects on religious faith and the power of reading. His books include Promiscuous Knowledge and The Marvelous Clouds. The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; audio production by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

Assistant Professor Alanna Hickey describes how 19th-century books with humanitarian aims can hide serious abuses of power, and asks what happens when institutions acknowledge that crucial knowledge production happens outside their walls? The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; audio production by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

Writer, poet, and editor Meghan O'Rourke discusses the joys of editing and her goals as the incoming editor of the Yale Review.  The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; audio production by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

Assistant Professor Marcel Elias talks about why some Medieval crusaders converted to Islam, and how exposure to new cultures made them reassess their lives at home. Marcel's first book is Questioning the Crusades: Romance and History in Late Medieval England. The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; audio production by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

Senior Kyung Mi (Kiki) Lee, the DE&I Committee's first undergraduate representative, shares the moment she first felt at home at Yale—and how she helps other first-generation college students do the same. The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; audio production by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

Feisal Mohamed talks about poetry, tyrannicide, and how a case of bad breath led to the fall of a king.  Feisal's books include Sovereignty and Milton and the Post-Secular Present. The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; audio production by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

Anne Fadiman, Francis Writer in Residence, talks growing up the child of authors, and shares the writing advice that has galvanized her students for 17 years.  Her books include The Wine Lover's Daughter and The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down.  The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; audio production by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

Pulitzer-winning author and senior lecturer Michael Cunningham discusses his winding path to Yale, how music facilitates his writing, and why teaching undergraduates sustains him. Cunningham's novels include The Hours and The Snow Queen. The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; editing and sound design by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

English and African American Studies double major Rebecca Amonor '21 talks about her spiritual, social, and intellectual communities at Yale, and offers some useful words of advice about how to successfully transition from undergraduate to graduate study.  The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; editing and sound design by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

PhD student Cirũ Wainaina describes the importance of mentoring black women undergraduates and celebrates the lyrics and performances of Jamaican poet Louise Bennett. This episode features James Galway performing "The Flight of the Bumblebee," plus Nicki Minaj's "Moment 4 Life." The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; editing and sound design by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

Sophomore student and poet Anna Ibrahim powerfully describes how the lack of recognition of Middle East North African (MENA) people on official documents is part of a history of racial discrimination in the US, and talks about her fight to get the category of MENA recognized at Yale. The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; editing and sound design by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

Luta Fast Dog ES '21 and Anna Smist BR '21 discuss how they've showcased Native American art, literature, and languages while at Yale, both in their theses and extracurricular efforts.    The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; editing and sound design by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

English Department Registrar Erica Sayers talks about her wide-ranging education, and offers some words of wisdom to students starting their degree programs at Yale.   The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; editing and sound design by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

Assistant Professor Priyasha Mukhopadhyay drops by the Common Room to discuss the contested role of functional documents in the colonial world—and how her students dive into Yale's archives for her course, "The Canon and the Colony."   The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; editing and sound design by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

Kadiatou Keita is a junior in Branford College. She's a part of the Neo Collective, Yale's first Black arts collective, as well as a producer and host of the YDN podcast "Attune."   The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; editing and sound design by Robert Scaramuccia '19. 

Richard Deming is a poet, art critic, and theorist, as well as the Director of Creative Writing in the Yale English Department. On this episode, he explains how making music informs his writing—and how writing, in turn, informs his thinking.    The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; editing and sound design by Robert Scaramuccia '19.

Associate Professor Cajetan Iheka offers his coming-to-America and academia story, describes a typical working day, and chats about his forthcoming book.   His last book, Naturalizing Africa, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2018.   The Common Room is a production of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Yale Department of English. Cover art by Sarah Harford; editing and sound design by Robert Scaramuccia '19.