Panels and Readings Video Series

Reflecting on the Moment

A collaborative initiative spearheaded by the Dean of the College in consultation with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The series invites alumni/ae, undergraduates, faculty, and staff to have honest conversations about the current moment in which we are living in the wake of a global pandemic and systemic police brutality. The aim is to present models of inclusive dialogue, to draw from the rich personal experiences and expertise of our ever-developing and ever-changing community, and to present approaches for community activism and engagement in the name of racial equity and justice.

  • Drew Thompson and Dariel Vasquez ’17
    In the first installment, Dariel Vasquez ’17, co-founder and co-director of Brothers@Bard and Brothers@, and Drew Thompson, assistant professor of Africana and historical studies and director of Africana studies, speak about the role of mentorship and the university in the wake of the global pandemic and police brutality. 

     
  • Cammie Jones
    In the second installment, Cammie Jones, associate dean of experiential learning and civic engagement, and Peter Klein, assistant professor of sociology and environmental and urban studies, speak about institutional and educational collaborations with local communities in Kingston, New York, and how they are rethinking community engagement in light of the current moment.
     
  • Sam Pratt ’14 and Amadi Washington
    In the third installment, dancers and choreographers Sam Pratt ’14—Bard alum and double major in dance and philosophy—and Amadi Washington discuss their new project, Hothouse, with Maria Simpson, director of the Dance Program at Bard College. Amadi and Sam collaborate as the duo Baye & Asa. Hothouse responds to the reillumination of the country’s practice of systemic racism by way of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Faculty Readings and Podcasts

  • Dinaw Mengestu
    From acclaimed author Dinaw Mengestu comes All Our Names, an unforgettable love story about a searing affair between an American woman and an African man in 1970s America and an unflinching novel about the fragmentation of lives that straddle countries and histories. 
  • Francine Prose
    Francine Prose discusses her story “The Arnolfinis,” as well as her work as a novelist, essayist and critic, and how artists such as Jan Van Eyck have influenced and inspired her work.

     
  • Robert Kelly
    In celebration of Robert Kelly’s 85th birthday and the publication of A City Full of Voices, essays on the work of Robert Kelly, Pierre Joris ’69 and Nicole Peyrafitte created a short film in association with the Poetry Project.
  • Mona Simpson
    Bard College Writer in Residence Mona Simpson reads from her short story, “Wrong Object,” which was selected for the Best American Short Stories series in 2019.

     
  • Valeria Luiselli
    Valeria Luiselli, Sadie Samuelson Levy Professor in Languages and Literature at Bard College, reads from her acclaimed novel, Lost Children Archive.
     
  • Daniel Mendelsohn
    On the Quarantine Tapes, Professor Daniel Mendelsohn talked about his book, Three Rings: A Tale of Exile, Narrative, and Fate, and the threat the pandemic and economic crisis pose to the study of humanities.

Revitalizing Democracy: Sortition, Citizen Power, and Spaces of Freedom

The Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College in association with the Open Society University Network presented this special webinar as a prelude to the annual conference, which took place April 15–16, 2021. The crisis facing democratic regimes today is cause for serious concern; it is also an opportunity for deep reflection on questions and assumptions concerning liberal representative democracy. Instead of assuming a defensive posture and taking up arms to defend the status quo, this webinar asks: how can we revitalize our democracy?

  • Session One
  • Session Two
  • Session Three