As the days grow increasingly shorter, colder, and bleaker in Berlin, it can be tempting to shut oneself inside and despair at the absence of light and life. But despair not! Christmas markets, song, and snowfall accompany the Wintertime; with the cold and darkness comes the opportunity to better appreciate the warmth of fragrant glühwein
Moral Sentiment and Moral Judgment after the Paris Attacks
This piece originally appeared on Public Seminar. Republished with their kind permission. Ever since the dust began to clear after what President Hollande rightfully called “the horror” of Friday night, my media consumption — yes, especially my Facebook feed (constantly refreshed with reflections from Public Seminar) — has mostly consisted of two things: (1) people,
My Induction into the Teenage Cliche: A poetry series
A poem to the boy who owes my heart some heavy-duty patches, and soon, before it heals all crooked For awhile you were happiness A type I had never tasted before Somehow familiar – like nutmeg and cinnamon, fragrant and warm – But somehow, with laughter words a body and soul Your taste
Choice and Chance: An Experiment in Creativity
Ten Bard College Berlin students set around the factory building tables on a Friday evening, each provided with only two dice, pen, paper, and twelve rocks they were curiously required to bring with them beforehand. As Laura Kuhn, the director of the John Cage Trust and the John Cage Ryoanji Drawings workshop leader took out a thick
Waiting
In little rooms stacked like blocks, lining the pristine streets, they wait. Eyes big as street lights shine from their heads, heavy with anticipation, swaying side to side under the weight of waiting. Small bursts of excitement leave their lips like barks. Nervous bones lead to pacing and strange habits.
Discussing Dialogues: Why Plato wrote them, and why we read them
I am surprised that it took me this long to figure out just who exactly this “Plato” guy was. Growing up, I heard the names “Plato”, “Socrates”, and “Aristotle” often, usually in relation to one another, but did not understand what these names contributed to Western philosophy and science. Until recently, the mention of one
A Conversation with Norman Manea: Literature on Extreme Situations
On the evening of Friday, September 18th, in a residential neighbourhood on the fringe of one of the world’s most vibrant cities, something odd occurred at Bard College Berlin. This is a time when one might expect the students of BCB to be out and about the city, or simply doing their best not to
Pizzicati
The weekends of my first semester at Bard College Berlin were not spent the way many might assume, considering that this is one of the nightlife capitals of Europe. Rather than clubbing till 5 AM, I found a different path toward the Dionysian release we all need from time to time. I was deeply excited