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Harman Writer-in-Residence Spring Course

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Calling all critics and reviewers. Attached is a flyer for Baruch’s Spring 2013 Harman Reviewing & Criticism Workshop with Hilton Als, a renowned theatre critic, writer and author. Click here for details: Hilton Als Course Description. The workshop (which can be taken for honors credit) explores viewpoints of a variety of outsiders under the theme of “Bent.”  This course has an application process. If you are interested, you’ll need submit an application to register available on the Harman Writer-In-Residence Program website by Thursday, October 25, 2012

Top of the Mountain

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I live at the top of a mountain.

I have to go on a trip to get home. It’s a straight path, a climbing trail. On my way home I have the chance to prepare for what I will feel when I arrive.

The ride home builds up anticipation of my arrival.

When I get there, nothing exists, except freedom. When I reach the top of the mountain on the lift or snowmobile, I see hear and feel freedom.

The world lies at my feet, I am at the top of the world.

 

 

The next thing I feel is on my carve away from home. The wind is crisp and clean, the trip down the mountain is exhilarating and it clears my mind.

I am the only one who chooses my route down the mountain. I am in control, but at the same time I have a respect for the mountain and for nature.

I live on the mountain; the mountain and I are one.

 

 

Where I live…

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I live in the things I love, or rather, through them. They follow me in different ways throughout my life and shape the world around me.

This is my dog.

His  name is Oliver and he is my little angel. He literally follows me around  like a puppy whenever we’re together. I can’t even be in the bathroom for a minute before he starts whimpering at the door. It’s nice though, having a creature so attached to you, when he’s around I’m never lonely and I live in a state of perpetual company. His presence gives me the energy to go out and experience the world in a way I never bothered to before I had him. When I still lived at home, I would take him for an hour long walk every night. It was really nice to have an excuse for going outside after dark. I get restless at night.

This is my best friend, Becca. I haven’t known her very long, but we are inseparable and I’ve never had a friendship like the one I have with her. During the last few weeks of summer, I literally saw her every single day. And when she was out for the day, I’d ask her when she was coming home, referring to my house, or when she was going to take me home, meaning her house. It’s really lovely, to have two homes. I’ve experienced so much that I otherwise wouldn’t have thanks to her. She has a driver’s license, so I experienced the freedom to go wherever I wanted over the summer (Where I wanted to go was wherever she was). I live through music, my ipod provides almost constant noise to me as I go through my daily life. I love music with every fiber of my being and she does too. We have similar tastes and she has introduced me to some artists that are now part of my identity. She also accompanied me to multiple concerts that I couldn’t have gone to otherwise (Concerts are one of my favorite things and a huge part of my life. They’re how I meet new friends and get really close with one sI already have). We went to the Blackout Forever Tour, Bamboozle, and Warped Tour.

The Blackout Forever Tour and Bamboozle bring me to my next picture.  The lovely man in that picture with me is Eliot Lorango. He is the bassist for a band called Matt Toka, who I first saw on the Blackout Forever Tour. I met him after the show and he was super sweet. A few months later, when we were at Bamboozle, Becca recognized him walking along one of the streets in the concert and we wound up talking to him again. He remembered us, probably due to my pink and blue hair, and we wound up befriending him. The next day we made a sign for him and were at front for his set. We talked to him after the show and he asked if he could keep it. It was apparently his first sign ever! (We unfortunately misspelled his name though.) We hung out with him and the guitarist, John, on and off for the rest of Bamboozle. We also spent some time with them at their tent during Warped Tour. Eliot, and the band Matt Toka, are now an important part of my life. I can always get excited when I know I’ll be seeing them again and I constantly check to see if they are touring nearby. The really funny thing about Eliot, is that he represents one of the things that brought me and Becca so close together in the first place. The Blackout Forever Tour, which he was on, was the first concert I went to with Becca, and very much responsible for my very intimate friendship with her. So my friendship with Becca, circles back to Eliot, who circles back to my love of music. My dog, my best friend, and my music are all a big part of my life and I live in them and through them.

 

Past, Present, Future

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It’s strange to think about all the changes we go through in life.  Sure we know some are bound to happen, and some catch us off guard.  Even once they’ve occurred, just trying to comprehend how we went from point A to point B sometimes can truly astound us.  I know that from the day I was born to now I have undergone numerous changes.  I’ve attempted things I never thought I would do when I was younger, and I’ve also made my fair share of mistakes.  From day one till now, however, it’s all these successes and mistakes that contribute to who I am.

This is the place I was born and raised, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.  Even though I dorm at the moment I frequently return to visit family and get my fill of the good local food.  This picture happens to show the pier area around Bay Ridge.  It is one of the few things in my life that no matter what happens hasn’t really changed.  It’s always been one of my favorite spots to hang with friends or just take a nice long walk with some music.  It’s especially nice when you can get a glimpse of the full moon while also looking at the city skyline.

This is my former high school Brooklyn Tech.  While there was elementary and junior high school, I feel nothing that significant happened to me until high school.  Was my school building a bit old? Yes.  Were there times when I thought the workload was a bit much? Yes.  Even so, my high school prepared me for college and it was during high school I met some of my closest friends for life, realized my love for music, and overall changed into a more social/better person.  When I look back at my four years of Brooklyn Tech I’m sure I’ll have a few frowns here and there, but I know there will be mostly smiles.

While I may be attending a school known for its business program, my passion is music.  I enjoy singing and writing song lyrics and I want to learn guitar.  My dream job is to form a successful band and tour the world.  My main role model for music is Shawn Milke, the singer/guitarist of Alesana.  Like me he was an honors student and got into college on a full tuition scholarship.  Like him, I want to share my music and the lyrics I write with the world.  I want people to be able to relate to the words I sing and hopefully through my music I can help some people through the struggles in life and help change the world for the better.

At this point in time, I don’t really know what the future will hold.  I’m lucky enough to have the majority of my closest friends from H.S stay in NYC and I’ve made lots of new friends as well.  I imagine a lot is going to happen in my life throughout my four years of college.  For now I’m keeping an open mind and hoping for the best of whatever changes may come my way in the future.