“Do you think this is the good life?”: Part One of Three

By Christopher McCaffery In Midtown Manhattan a writer, Jack Kerouac, prepares for his interview on TV. “We’re beat, man,” he says. “Beat means beatific, it means you get the beat, it means something. I invented it.” For the television audience he announces, “We love everything, Billy Graham, the Big Ten, rock and roll, Zen, apple pie, Eisenhower—we dig it all. We’re the vanguard of the … Continue reading “Do you think this is the good life?”: Part One of Three

Movie Review: Inside Llewyn Davis

By Timothy Troutner In the opening scene of Inside Llewyn Davis, a 2013 film directed by the Coen brothers, the young musician Llewyn Davis (played by Oscar Isaac) takes the stage at the Gaslight Café in Manhattan and plays a stunning rendition of a folk song on acoustic guitar to modest applause. After his set, he walks into an alley behind the café and is … Continue reading Movie Review: Inside Llewyn Davis

Book Review: The Sportswriter by Richard Ford

By Sarah Schweizer I am going to make an unusual suggestion when it comes to books: read not for pleasure, but, while still enjoying the act of reading The Sportswriter by Richard Ford, do not let enjoyment carry the momentum. Instead become an attentive reader reading for empathy—go to the literature to learn about your neighbor. The best part of this learning process might be … Continue reading Book Review: The Sportswriter by Richard Ford

Music Review: Lana Del Rey, Honeymoon

By Stacey Egger Lana del Rey’s newest album, Honeymoon, has enough on its most surface level to merit at least one listen- which will almost inevitably lead to a second, and a third. Its depth and variety of tone and its vivid lyrics immerse the listener in what feels like a very tragic day on the beach. But the artistry of Honeymoon goes deeper than … Continue reading Music Review: Lana Del Rey, Honeymoon

Satire: Bernie Sanders

By Noah Weinrich HILLSDALE, MI First Speaker Arnn, now Professor Sanders. Hillsdale is joining the Revolution. In a press release Monday, Christopher Sullivan announced U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as the newest Distinguished Visiting Professor of Economics. In the announcement, Sullivan stated that the newest addition to the campus would bring a novel outsider’s voice to Hillsdale College and, more importantly, a higher level of … Continue reading Satire: Bernie Sanders

Letter from the editors

This week marks a return to our college after travels across the country and around the world—a sweet reunion of the summer Hillsdale diaspora. To our freshmen and transfers: welcome! To all returning: it’s good to be back. Tabulating all the places Hillsdale students have been this past summer would make for some fascinating accounting. Start with all our homes and internships and travels. Add … Continue reading Letter from the editors

Vignette: Europe

By Matt Sauer From early May to late July, my past, present, and future were woven together via the relationships Hillsdale fosters. I encountered alumni in subterranean Anatolian churches and at quiet pubs along the Thames. I supped with prospective Hillsdale students under the storied spires of Oxford. I gleefully bounded across Hittite ruins with friends made during my freshman year. When I was surrounded … Continue reading Vignette: Europe

Vignette: Washington, D.C.

By Morgan Brownfield This summer, four dozen Hillsdaleans migrated to L’Enfant’s carefully planned city. The students savor the blistering southern heat and humidity, readying this memory for future summoning in mid-February, when above-zero temperatures are all but forgotten. And even in a city tempted by means and neglectful of ends, both goodness and prudence are evident and honored, written with a sunbeam on the whole … Continue reading Vignette: Washington, D.C.

Vignette: Oxford, England

By Tomás Valle Morning breaks from the east, soaring above thick stone walls and bursting against the loftier chapel spires. The rhythm of prayer—morning, noon, evening, and again morning—weaves in and out of college life, and the stone floors of each chapel have borne the scuffling feet of scholars, their minds devout, dissolute, or merely distracted. Yet the noonday angelus calls all souls alike, be … Continue reading Vignette: Oxford, England

How to Cross the Street and Other Lessons I Learned in England

By Grace Marie Wierenga, with some jokes by Brett Wierenga  Ten months ago, my husband and I arrived in Oxford, England, laden with four large suitcases, two carry-on bags, and two backpacks, sporting the chunky winter coats we couldn’t fit anywhere else. Brett is currently studying for his master’s degree in Economic History, an interdisciplinary field all but extinct in the United States, and I’m … Continue reading How to Cross the Street and Other Lessons I Learned in England