That’s the topic of a recent book by Richard Teverson, Ph.D., assistant professor of art history, who puts a spotlight on something that tends to be overlooked in histories of conquering powers: the hopes and dreams of the conquered.

Studying such “past futures” is growing more popular in the humanities and social sciences, said Teverson, author of Visions of the Future in Roman Frontier Kingdoms 100 BCE–100 CE, published in September by Routledge. “You can’t get a full picture of a decision that someone makes in the past,” he said, “unless you have a sense of what they thought could happen.”

Teverson gained this sense by examining public art created during the empire’s expansion. He got the idea for the book from his students—when they wrote in a midterm exam about the imagined futures reflected in the Arch of Constantine in Rome, he decided to apply this idea at the former empire’s edge and beyond it, to structures created by people who later came under Roman rule.

Nations or groups being taken over deserve to have their aspirations understood rather than being told to simply “get on board” with their new ruler’s vision, he said. 

“Even people who you might think are on the losing side of history have a future that they’re envisaging and, especially if it’s no longer feasible in some way, are engaged in a really complicated idea about how to fit their aspirations to reality,” he said.

Protecting Rights Through Art

In 14 BCE, as Alpine tribes were falling to Roman conquest, the local ruler Cottius made a deal with the Romans to absorb his kingdom into the empire and remain as magistrate.

To proclaim the new order, he commissioned an archway that, Teverson argues, was designed with the future in mind: As opposed to the Romans’ usual depictions of peacemaking, which might show a vanquished barbarian kissing the hand of a Roman general, the arch contains a relief of Cottius shaking hands with the Roman emperor Augustus.

It also shows tribes receiving citizenship tablets—a way of codifying certain rights and privileges in case they were later challenged, Teverson argues. “This seems, to me, pretty direct in its aspirations and its concern for documenting a ritual of political transfer,” he said.

‘A Divinely Ordained Future’

Another example comes from Kommagene, in modern-day Turkey, a kingdom conquered by Rome in 17 CE. Before that, as wars involving Rome and other powers clouded the kingdom’s future, its ruler, Antiochos I, built a hilltop complex containing icons and images meant to convey a glorious destiny for the kingdom.

That was also his goal, Teverson argues, when the king took the unusual step of including an engraving of his own horoscope so that worshippers would compare it with the night sky and be reminded, “‘Oh, we are working in a kingdom that has a divinely ordained future,’” he said.

Crafting ‘the Futures They Need to Survive’

Through this and other stories of artistic expression, Teverson illustrates how people “craft the futures they need to survive” in the face of uncertainty about what’s coming. It’s an idea that resonates from ancient Rome to today’s marginalized communities who may have a picture of their own future in mind—but face strong headwinds in making it a reality, he said. 

An example might be city planners envisioning a future for a neighborhood—like Harlem, where Teverson lives—without consulting with the residents, he said. “If you want to understand the problems of Harlem, you need to, in some ways, ask yourself, well, what does Harlem think its future is going to be?” 

While writing the book, he was thinking of the looming problem of climate change and the questions that future generations might ask about the future we’re trying to shape today.

“Maybe even in my daughter’s lifetime,” he said, “they’re going to look back and [say], what were you planning in 2024?”

The Mandarins (1954) by Simone de Beauvoir 

The Middlemarch or War and Peace of the mid-20th century—an incredible novel about Paris intellectuals trying to remake the world along better lines after the Second World War, based on the lives of the existentialist circle. It features a love affair based on Beauvoir’s real-life relationship with the American writer Nelson Algren.—Keri Walsh

Devil’s Teeth (2006), The Wave (2011), and The Underworld (2023) by Susan Casey

Susan Casey, a popular science writer specializing in the ocean, is a fantastic writer who I use for writing exercises. With her vivid descriptions of undersea life and skillful integration of sources, she is a great example of the mid-range of expository prose that’s not academic but notches above Wikipedia and Reddit. Her three best books are Devil’s Teeth (about great white sharks), The Wave (about waves and surfing), and The Underworld (about deep-sea exploration).—Martin Northrop

Salvage: Readings from the Wreck (2024) by Dionne Brand

This book is an important read for anyone, especially for literary scholars, and especially as we encourage people from all different backgrounds to join the English department. Brand rereads classic English novels, pointing out that “learning to read English literature involved learning not to notice who, or what, was missing.”—M. Gaby Hurtarte Leon

The Demon of Unrest (2024) by Erik Larson

Earlier this fall, I read Erik Larson’s The Demon of Unrest, which looks at the four months in 1860-61 between Abraham Lincoln’s election and his inauguration (which back then, was held in March). It’s about the growing secessionist crisis leading to the firing on Fort Sumter, and the new president’s response to it.

Larson manages to tell some of the critical moments of the Fort Sumter siege almost like a “tick tock” (to use an old journalist’s phrase). It’s hour by hour at some points, as telegrams fly and emergency meetings are hurriedly convened (and recorded). You really feel like you’re at a cabinet meeting in the White House, or sitting nervously behind an artillery battery in Charleston harbor. And the narrative is told through the eyes of about seven individuals from the north and south, including Lincoln. And it’s all seamlessly woven together. 

I mentioned it to my students as a wonderful example of creative nonfiction, in the sense that it’s well-researched history, but told in a creative, artful way.—John Hanc

An Authentic Life (2024) by Jennifer Chang

An Authentic Life by Jennifer Chang is filled with poems that I needed these last few months, not only because their topics—ranging from patriarchy to war to school shootings to religious doubt to marriage—seemed crucial, but because of the sublime way Chang mixes syntactical care with the precise wielding of wild imagery.—Meghan Dahn

The Copenhagen Trilogy (2022) by Tove Ditlevsen

This Danish novel is quite close to a memoir: like the protagonist, Ditlevsen grew up poor in Denmark during the early 20th century, and despite many obstacles, found a way to become a writer. It’s a beautiful, melancholy short trilogy (all in one volume), with poverty, political engagement, and the world wars on the margins of a very special coming-of-age story. I read it last winter and it has stuck with me all year. The scenes of her bicycling around Copenhagen are glorious. A beautiful book. —Anne Fernald

Counternarratives (2016) by John Keene 

A fascinating, richly layered collection of stories and novellas about the history of colonialism in the Americas. Wildly experimental and electric historical fiction. For anyone interested in immersing themselves in the intricate entanglements of the multi-century encounters of colonial crisis.—Shonni Enelow

My Struggle, Books 1-6 (2013-2019) by Karl Ove Knausgaard 

I’m finally reading this six-volume series from the 2010s––one of the defining works of that decade, along with Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels. Like those, Knausgaard’s books are consuming, addictive, and kind of manic––unlike them, they are fundamentally non-dramatic, all about the banal details of the everyday that he manages to make totally compelling.—S.E. 

An Earthquake is a Shaking of the Surface of the Earth (2024) by Anna Moschovakis 

Full disclosure: I haven’t read this yet, but I’m so excited to. I love Moschovakis’s writing: it’s sparse, elegant, and strange. And––another full disclosure––my book, A Discourse on Method, apparently makes a cameo in it!—S.E.

Book recommendations were edited for clarity.

“He is Fordham Lincoln Center,” said Elizabeth A. “Betty” Burns, FCLC ’83, a Fordham trustee fellow and one of many speakers at the event who lauded Father Grimes, dean of the college from 1998 to 2018. “Bob, thank you for all you’ve done for this school.” (See related story on the dedication ceremony.)

The fundraising effort behind the creation of the five practice rooms, which opened to students this year, was full of heartfelt gifts. Many came from the members of Father Grimes’ former advisory board, including Burns, as well as members of his family.

Fordham Trustee Kim B. Bepler, who attended the event, donated a Steinway piano for one of the practice rooms. And the rooms themselves were named for other donors—including Burns as well as Margitta Rose, a FCLC ’87, a longtime benefactor of the college and former advisory board member who supported the project because of “my great admiration for Father Grimes” as well as their shared love of music.

“Music, more than any other art form, reaches you at a level that … you can’t even express,” she said.

Love for music also motivated Maria del Pilar Ocasio-Douglas, FCRH ’88, and her husband, Gary J. Douglas, to support the project. Music is a creative outlet for both of them, and for their son, James, a Fordham junior majoring in film, who taught himself piano during the coronavirus pandemic, she said.

When told about the project, she loved the idea of “giving the students a place where they can play, not be heard, and really pour themselves into it,” she said.

‘A Significant Space’

Rose also lauded the efforts of Father Grimes’ successor, former FCLC dean Laura Auricchio, Ph.D., who initiated the music rooms’ creation, and spearheaded the fundraising, soon after coming to Fordham in 2019.

Dedicated music practice rooms were “a must-have,” said Auricchio, who attended the event. It was her idea to name them for Father Grimes—because “there were a lot of people … who felt that he deserved to have a significant space devoted to him,” said Auricchio, now vice president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

The naming also made sense because of Father Grimes’ music background, she said. An ethnomusicologist by training, he is a tenor soloist who sang for decades with the Fordham University Chorus, Bronx Arts Ensemble, and other organizations.

Setting the Tone at Lincoln Center

One donor, Delia Peters, FCLC ’85, longtime chair of Father Grimes’ former advisory board, recalled how Father Grimes set a friendly and happy tone at the college—in part, through his personal attention to students.

“I liked his style of ‘deaning,’” said Peters, who played a key role in reaching out to donors for the music rooms. “I would be walking with him down a hallway, and he would know every student’s name. And whatever was needed, he somehow found the money to fund it.”

In an interview, Father Grimes, a 1975 alumnus of Fordham College at Rose Hill, said he was “absolutely amazed” by Fordham College at Lincoln Center soon after arriving there as a music professor, and “started dreaming about the possibilities of what might be.”

When he became dean, he did whatever he could to “prompt and encourage” others—along with raising funds—to realize those possibilities, he said..

The results included the creation of an early set of music practice rooms; the Franny’s Space rehearsal space and Veronica Lally Kehoe Theatre; a faculty and student exchange program with the nearby Juilliard School; and the Fordham College at Lincoln Center Chamber Orchestra, among many other initiatives in the arts arena alone.

“It’s quite an honor” to be the namesake for the new music suite, he said. “And Fordham College Lincoln Center is very, very close to my heart. I loved my time there. And so if I’ve left a little of my sense there, I’m very happy for that.”

Lead supporters of the Robert R. Grimes, S.J. Music Studios project:

Kay Yun, PAR, and Andre Neumann-Loreck, PAR 
Maria del Pilar Ocasio-Douglas, FCRH ’88, and Gary J. Douglas
Margitta Rose, FCLC ’87
Mark Luis Villamar, GABELLI ’69, and wife Esther Milstead
Elizabeth A. Burns, FCLC ’83
The Grimes Family
Patricia A. Dugan Perlmuth, FCLC ’79
Delia L. Peters, FCLC ’85

Attendees included music students, music and art faculty members, donors who supported the project, Fordham President Tania Tetlow, and Father Grimes himself, as well as members of his family. (See related story about the fundraising effort.) They gathered at the Lincoln Center campus outside the Robert R. Grimes, S.J. Music Studios, which opened this fall, providing students with five soundproof rooms designed to enhance their music practice.

Related story: Student musicians began the academic year on a high note when the music studios opened. (With video)

Speakers took turns thanking donors and lauding Father Grimes, a former Fordham music professor and a singer himself.

“You have been always a supporter of the arts here, whether that meant the [Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program], the theater program, visual arts, and of course the music program,” said Daniel Ott, D.M.A., associate professor of music and chair of the Department of Art History and Music.

Students Finding Their Musical Voice

The gathering took place in the Lipani Gallery, part of a newly renovated visual arts complex adjacent to the five new music practice rooms. In her remarks, Tetlow spoke of “how profoundly Jesuit music is” because of its mix of intellect and passion.

“Know, for all of you who gave to this project, that you are creating a space where every day, Fordham students … are going to literally find their voice and discover what they have to say to the world, and that will be true for the rest of their lives, so thank you so much.”

Father Grimes thanked the donors as well, and said he was “so happy for the students to have something that is so important to any music program.”

In an interview before the event, he said “it’s quite an honor” to be the namesake for the new music suite. “Fordham College Lincoln Center is very, very close to my heart,” he said. “I loved my time there. And so if I’ve left a little of my sense there, I’m very happy for that.”

‘We Need Artists’

The event was emceed by Maco Dacanay, a junior and a music major.

“In this world that we all live in, not only do we need artists, but we need people who are willing to put in the work to become their best selves for the sake of the community,” he said. “These practice rooms grant us the space to put in that work, and for that, I am beyond grateful.”

The five rooms range from smaller rooms for individual practice to larger spaces for ensembles. Their features include recording capability and virtual acoustic environments so that students can hear how they would sound in a cathedral, concert hall, or other settings, Ott said. He noted that the rooms—open 8 a.m. to midnight—are available to all students, not just music majors.

A student group called the Lincoln Center Jazz Ensemble provided background music. Another group of student musicians performed Haydn’s String Quartet in D Major, to applause and cheers. “That just made my day,” Father Grimes said after their performance.

Vincent DeCola, S.J., an assistant dean in the Gabelli School of Business, spoke last, giving a blessing of the new space. “No doubt, we each have experienced the divine in listening to the particular music which enlivens our spirits,” he said.

But before that, he brought the house down with some singing of his own, “with apologies to Misters Gilbert and Sullivan”—an adaptation of the song He Is an Englishman, with lyrics tailored to Father Grimes.

Its title? “He Is a Fordham Ram.”

1. Columbus Circle Holiday Market

Just a quick stroll from our Lincoln Center campus, this market is the perfect spot for finding those one-of-a-kind gifts for everyone on your list. Or, let’s be honest, you can just treat yourself to a sweet treat while you wander through the cozy booths, you deserve it! 

Through Dec. 31; Columbus Circle, Manhattan 

2. Dyker Heights Christmas Lights 

Take a trip to Brooklyn’s sparkliest neighborhood! The Dyker Heights Christmas Lights transform the streets into a glowing wonderland that will leave you in awe. Grab your fam and friends and walk around the iconic streets for free! 

Through the first week in January, between 11th and 13th avenues and 83rd and 86th streets, Dyker Heights, Brooklyn 

3. Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

I mean, how could we not include the most famous tree in the world on our list? The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is pure holiday magic—sparkling lights, towering branches, and that classic New York charm. Grab some friends, sip hot cocoa, snack on some roasted peanuts, and soak it all in!

Through mid January; 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Manhattan 

4. Holiday Train Nights at the New York Botanical Garden

All aboard for one of the Bronx’s most enchanting holiday traditions! The Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden brings the season’s magic to life with miniature trains weaving through beautifully crafted replicas of iconic city landmarks. It’s a must-see for holiday cheer!

Multiple dates through January; 2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx

5. Hanukkah Family Day

Celebrate Hanukkah with art and music at the Jewish Museum! Create holiday sculptures, design festive cards, and enjoy live performances by Grammy-winner Joanie Leeds. Explore galleries and craft your own 3D Hanukkah lamp. This is an event perfect for the whole family. 

Sunday, Dec. 15, 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.; Jewish Museum, Manhattan

In an email last week to students and colleagues, May Adrales, director of the Fordham Theatre program, called Jenness’ death an “enormous loss for Fordham, for the theatre community, and for the world at large.”

“Many playwrights and directors working today can trace their beginnings in American theatre back to Morgan,” said Adrales of Jenness, who used they/them and she/her pronouns. “Their support didn’t end with encouragement; Morgan championed the work they believed in, often connecting creators with exactly the right collaborators to bring bold theatrical visions to life.” 

A Powerful Mentor to Young Playwrights

Fordham graduate Morgan Gould, FCLC ‘08, credits Jenness—who Gould described as her “professor/mentor/kooky aunt/mom/theater doula”—with where she is today: a published playwright, director, and writer for television shows such as A League of Their Own. 

“She treated every student as if it was only a matter of time that you were going to be a world-famous auteur. She would drag me to every kind of theater opening and introduced me to everyone as a young director. Having someone so sure that it will happen is something you never forget, and for so many of us, she was the first person to do that.” Today, Gould said, “I make my living only in the arts. Morgan was a huge part of making that possible.”

Another former mentee of Jenness’, Peter Gil-Sheridan FCLC ’98, said that countless Fordham friends reached out to talk about Jenness’ impact on their lives.

“Morgan left the world a better place than they found it,” said Gil-Sheridan, a former Fordham adjunct professor who is now assistant professor of playwriting at Vassar College. “Their passing is seismic in the theatre community. But so is their impact. I am so proud to be one of the students that was so deeply held and felt by my dear teacher. We can all honor them by continuing to demand more of our selves in our work, to see the theatre as a space for activism, cultural critique, and radical love.”

Uplifting Playwrights 

Oskar Eustis, the artistic director of the Public Theater, said that Jenness helped redefine the role of a dramaturg, who is traditionally called upon to aid actors, directors, and playwrights in their understanding and presentation of a play. 

“Morgan was one of the first generation of people who were defining what a new play dramaturg was: the midwife and support system of a playwright,” he told The New York Times, whose obituary noted Jenness’ impact on the careers of successful playwrights, including MacArthur “genius” grant winner Taylor Mac and David Adjmi, who wrote the 2024 Tony Award-winning play Stereophonic.  

“Countless” artists “across all generations” felt “seen and loved” by Jenness, said Fordham’s former head of playwriting, Daniel Alexander Jones.

“In everyday conversation, she would lift the names and works of artists and advocate for them constantly. Carl Hancock Rux, Erik Ehn, Luis Alfaro, Taylor Mac, Bridget Carpenter, Marcus Gardley, Keith Josef Adkins, David Adjmi, and Alice Tuan are the first names that come to mind when I turn on the spigot of those early memories of time with Morgan. … When she taught, she carried us into the lesson plans, alongside those departed luminaries whose beacons she also tended.”

Jenness is survived by a brother, four nephews, and two nieces, one of whom, Martinique Gann, is quoted in The New York Times about Jenness’ dedication to students and the theater. 

“There was no stopping my aunt for anything,” Ms. Gann recalled. “She picked me up in a cab from the airport. And right away, with my two suitcases, we drove straight to Fordham University to see a play one of her students had written.”

1. Self-Care City Scavenger Hunt

Lately, self-care has been top of mind for all of us. Try a fresh approach to personal wellness with this self-guided scavenger hunt! With fun, interactive tasks, you’ll explore essential areas of wellness—physical, emotional, and spiritual. It’s the perfect way to recharge before the holiday rush. Do it solo, or bring a few friends along!

Multiple dates in November, 1 – 5 p.m.; 1950 Lafayette Avenue, The Bronx

2. Canstruction 2024

As we look for ways to give thanks and give back this Thanksgiving season, Canstruction is the perfect place to start. The event raises awareness of food insecurity by showcasing sculptures made entirely from canned food, created by architects, engineers, and volunteers across 100 cities. Visitors can view these works of “CanArt” and contribute non-perishable items. At the exhibit’s end, all food is donated to local food banks, helping to feed those in need during the holiday season. 

Through, Nov. 11, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; 230 Vesey Street, Manhattan 

3. A Celebration of Hip-Hop

Did you know November is Hip-Hop History Month? What better way to celebrate than at an exclusive event for the soon-to-be-open Hip Hop Museum! Join co-founder Rocky Bucano as he takes you through the genre’s journey from its birthplace in the Bronx to the worldwide stage. He’ll share stories of hip-hop’s roots and impact, and talk about the museum’s mission to honor and preserve this legacy in a vibrant new space opening in 2025.

Thursday, Nov. 21, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.; The National Arts Club, Manhattan 

4. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

It’s a New York City rite of passage—everyone’s got to experience it at least once! Whether you’re braving the crowds on 5th Avenue Thanksgiving morning or watching from the cozy comfort of your couch with a cup of coffee, don’t miss the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Thursday, Nov. 28, 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.; Starting on West 77th Street and Central Park West

5. Bronx Holiday Market

Holiday treats, one-of-a-kind gifts, and a festive atmosphere—we can’t think of a better way to kick off the holiday season! Be sure to check out the Bronx Holiday Market right outside our Rose Hill campus to celebrate the season and support some local artists. It’ll be a day filled with handmade treasures, seasonal flavors, and festive fun for the whole family!

Saturday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m.; Fordham Plaza, The Bronx

The 11 new items include antiquities from Roman Spain—a fascinating and under-studied area of the ancient Mediterranean basin, according to the museum’s curator, Jennifer Udell. There are also new pieces of Greek and Roman sculpture from the Brooklyn Museum.

A Welcoming Space for All  

Udell said the museum has attracted some “regulars”—students who stop by often and help out around the space. Some have even helped to install the objects, getting the rare opportunity to unbox and arrange pieces of pottery and glass created by human hands thousands of years ago. 

One such student is senior Grace Monteith. When the museum reopened in 2022 after the pandemic, she helped with the reinstallation. “The unpacking was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. Dr. Udell took a picture of me and it’s everywhere on my social media. It’s the coolest,” she said. 

First-Hand Encounters with Antiquities

The museum is a teaching collection that creates unique experiential learning opportunities. Professors in several academic departments bring their classes to the museum, and Udell herself teaches courses in museum studies and other subjects. Like business students who gain experience on the Gabelli School trading floors, students who take a museum studies class with Udell get to work with the objects, make decisions about how they’re presented, and curate a group exhibit at the end of the semester. 

One group of students, Udell’s interns for this semester, are at work on an interactive new development: a mobile app through Bloomberg Connects that will offer museum visitors a guided tour of the collection. They’re putting together audio and video content that will provide historical context and highlight points of interest. 

Udell says the tour will not just be for art history students. The app will have information about theatrical masks for theater majors, ancient glass objects for those interested in organic chemistry, and even something for students studying finance. “We have a cuneiform tablet that’s a receipt for a bundle of reeds. It’s not crypto, but it is ancient economies,” she said. 

New Wonders with Each Visit 

For senior Ryan Moore, visiting the museum never gets old. “Every time I come I notice something new that I’ve never seen before,” said Moore, who helped to reinstall the objects for the reopening in 2022. He pointed to a case he’d helped to arrange, noting the way a sculpture’s wings parted to create the perfect opening through which the object in the background could be seen unobstructed. 

“That’s an arrangement I happened on by chance,” he said. “It’s something I’m still proud of to this day.”  

They both appeared at the annual On the Record gala hosted by Fordham’s public media service, WFUV, to receive awards named for alumni who learned their trade working at the station as students.

Chung received the Charles Osgood Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism, named for the beloved CBS News broadcaster who died in January. “May I say to the Osgood family, I knew Charlie so well and loved him so dearly,” Chung said in accepting the award. 

“I’m very, very thrilled to have this wonderful honor in Charlie’s name.” (She was introduced by her husband, television host Maury Povich, who told a familiar story about once being referred to as “Mr. Chung” by a hotel doorman during a visit to New York.)

Chung was in the midst of a tour to promote her new bestselling book, Connie: A Memoir. Visser received the Vin Scully Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting, named for the acclaimed announcer for the L.A. Dodgers, who died in 2022. She began by lauding Scully for his “humility and passion and professionalism” and joked with Scully’s family members, who attended. “To hear that voice coming across the breakfast table, not out of the TV? I can’t imagine. You’re so spoiled!” she said, to laughter.

She gave shout-outs to colleagues in attendance, including those who work on her weekly sports show, We Need to Talk. “We are the only all-sports network talk show produced, directed, and hosted by women, and you’re all here!” she said.

At the event, attendees viewed a video about the WFUV student journalist experience—ranging from news and public affairs reporting to sports journalism, audio production, and more.

Jenn Lilly, Ph.D., and Rose M. Perez, Ph.D., both of the Graduate School of Social Service, have dedicated large parts of their careers to studying the emotional and psychological complexity of Latin American communities. Their findings inspired their respective film projects: one highlighting the unique grief of Cuban Americans who’ve left behind their homeland, and the other exploring the mental health challenges faced by many young Latinas. 

Longing for a Lost Homeland

Perez’s film, Cuba es Mí Patria: The Homeland I Keep Inside, explores the experiences of the Cuban diaspora through the framework of “ambiguous loss,” a theory she’s researched extensively. Unlike other forms of grief, ambiguous loss can lack closure and keep the “lost object” psychologically present indefinitely. 

According to Perez, the experiences of the film’s interviewees who left Cuba after the 1959 revolution exemplify this phenomenon. Like a ghosted lover or the parents of a missing child, many Cuban Americans live with unanswered questions that can make letting go impossible, like: Will I ever see my relatives again? Will Cuba’s political and economic situation ever improve? And, will I ever be able to return? 

The conversations were often emotional, especially the interview Perez’s colleague conducted with her father. Perez and her family left Cuba in 1971. “He was so teary throughout the interview that it was really hard to edit his piece,” she said. 

The film appeared in several national and international festivals and won the Best Original Story award at the Touchstone Independent Film Festival in July. Locally, the next screening will be at the AMT Film Festival in Hell’s Kitchen Nov. 8-10. 

Perez says Cuba es Mí Patria is an excellent tool for educators, and will be relatable to anyone from an immigrant background. She hopes viewers will walk away with a “greater appreciation for the hidden trauma people don’t know we carry.”

Speaking Up about Latina Mental Health

In the short film Nuestro Apoyo (Our Support), which Lilly wrote with a group of young Latina collaborators, the drama on screen reflects a culture of silence around mental health issues in many Latin American families. With insights taken from Lilly’s academic research on Latina mental health, the short film depicts a young, first-generation woman’s struggle to bridge a generational and cultural divide with her parents and discuss her thoughts and feelings. 

To create the script, Lilly brought together a group of five young Latina writing partners — all Fordham students or alumni — and drew inspiration from their personal experiences. 

“One of my biggest takeaways was that this new generation is very aware of mental health and interested in preventive behaviors, but they’re encountering some difficulty in reconciling that with their families or their cultural views, which are often about keeping things within the family and not discussing things that could bring stigma,” said Lilly. 

Post-production work on the film wrapped in late September. Lilly plans to submit Nuestro Apoyo to some film festivals and then seek a distributor. Whatever happens next, she already experienced a moment of victory watching the film over Zoom with the five young writers. 

“It was really fun to see their reactions, especially when their names appear in the credits,” she said. “We all felt very emotional by the end. It was maybe the highlight of my career.”

1. Brooklyn Flea 

There’s nothing like a Sunday spent exploring a new borough! Head over to the Brooklyn Flea, located in the DUMBO neighborhood, directly under the Manhattan Bridge. It’s the perfect spot to get some iconic photos and check out a unique mix of vintage clothing, jewelry, art, furniture, and more from local artisans and designers.

Sunday, Oct. 6 through Dec., 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; DUMBO, Brooklyn

2. Soup Dumpling Festival 

As the fall weather settles in, there’s no better way to warm up than at the Soup Dumpling Festival! Hosted by the iconic, Michelin-recommended Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao, it’s every foodie’s dream. Don’t miss out on the ultimate comfort food experience! 

Sunday, Oct. 6, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Sixth Ave. between W 31st and W 32nd St., Manhattan 

3. Open House New York 

Unlock all the hidden wonders of NYC! For one weekend only, Open House New York offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at over 250 of the city’s most legendary spots. The Nitehawk Prospect Park Rooftop, the NYC Municipal Archives, and the Colossal Media Paint Shop are just a few of the places that you’ll get exclusive access to!

Friday, Oct. 18, through Sunday, Oct. 20; Various locations throughout New York City

4. Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade

Dogs in costumes. Do we have your attention? Bring your own pup to the 33rd Annual Tompkins Square Pet Parade or grab some friends to cheer on the furry contestants. It’s a paw-fect way to get into the Halloween spirit!

Monday, Oct. 21, 1 – 3 p.m.; Tompkins Square, Manhattan 

5. Bronx Halloween Parade

A spooky spectacle awaits you at the Bronx’s 39th Annual Halloween Parade! This year’s theme is zombie apocalypse, so round up your crew and dive into the fright-filled fun!

Saturday, Oct. 26, 12 – 3:30 p.m.; Westchester Avenue and Southern Boulevard, Bronx