Join Harvardwood members and  the London School of Economics Los Angeles Alumni Chapter at our joint happy hour on February 6, 2020. Bring friends, or come solo—all are welcome to this networking event! Please RSVP below to attend. We are excited to see you at The Wellesbourne!

"After reading the poignant, heartbreaking, defiant pages of BROKE, no one should question the need for a moral referendum on how policy is created in and for urban America" - Michael Eric Dyson

"A powerful answer to anyone who believes that austerity and job cuts are a necessary path to prosperity.  At turns, heartbreaking, enraging, and inspiring" - Andrew Cockburn, Washington Editor, Harper's Magazine

BROKE is the urgent narrative of Detroit's bankruptcy and its aftermath.  Kirshner asks, "How could policymakers hype bankrupcy as the solution to struggling cities without understanding the efficacy or basic consequences of its use?"  In BROKE, Kirshner follows seven Detroiters as they navigate life during and after their city's bankruptcy.  Reggie loses his savings trying to make a habitable home for his family.  Cindy fights drug use, prostitution, and dumping on her block.  Lola commutes two hours a day to her suburban job.  For them, financial issues are mired within the larger ramifications of poor urban policies, negligence on the State and Federal levels, and the root causes of a city's fiscal demise.

BROKE was named a November must-read by Salon.

Jodie Adams Kirshner is a research professor at New York University. She also teaches bankruptcy law at Columbia Law School.  She is an elected member of the American Law Institute, past term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a technical advisor to the Bank for International Settlements. Until 2014, Kirshner was a law professor at Cambridge University, where she was deputy director of the Cambridge LLM program, deputy director of the Cambridge Centre for Corporate and Commercial Law, and a fellow of Peterhouse College.  Kirshner received her undergraduate degree from Harvard College and graduate degrees in law and in journalism from Columbia University.

The doors will open at 6:30 pm (please do not arrive earlier) and the evening will begin with a wine and cheese reception. The talk will begin promptly at 7:00 pm. 

An independent bookseller will be present to make copies of BROKE available for purchase, and a booksigning will follow the talk.

Advance registration is REQUIRED.  No tickets will be sold at the door.

Special thanks to Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu P.C.
and to Andy Goodwin and the Plymouth Hill Foundation

Members, Register Here

Purchase tickets   $5.00 Members & Friends

Burgundy produces some of the most breathtakingly beautiful red and white wines made anywhere on the planet. But it can seem a complex and confusing region. In this event, over a lavish 5-course dinner, with 5 extraordinary and memorable wine pairings, Jeannie Cho Lee will guide us through the mysteries of Burgundy.

Jeannie Cho Lee MPP '00 is probably Asia's most respected authority on wine. Her book Asian Palate won the 2009 Gourmand Award for Best Food and Wine Pairing Book in the World, against 6,000 other books from 136 countries. It also won the International Association of Culinary Professionals Award in "Wine, Beer, or Spirits"  and the Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin Award in "Wine and Gastronomy", and it was one of only 4 books shortlisted for the Andre Simon Award. Her just-published new book The 100 Burgundy: Exceptional Wines to Build a Dream Cellar has been praised by Stephen Spurrier as "A roll call of Burgundy's greatest wines, described with effortless beauty by someone who understands them as true works of art." She is a wine consultant and wine educator, and is the host of In Vino Veritas weekly series on Hong Kong's TVB Television. Jeannie Cho Lee is a Master of Wine.

The 100 Burgundy: Exceptional Wines to Build a Dream Cellar will be available for purchase, and booksigning will follow the dinner.

***

We now have a tentative menu (very much subject to revision). The selection of wines is still being worked out. This menu will be updated, and the wines added, as soon as possible.

The evening will begin at 6:30 with a cheese reception, with the 5-course dinner beginning at 7 pm. There will be extensive discussion of each wine.

MENU

Shaved Heirloom Carrots,
Chervil and Creme Fraiche
*
Seared Scallop
with Caviar and Lobster Sauce
*
Roast Squab
with Crosnes and Soft Polenta
*
Rack of Lamb
with a Dijon Crust and Black Garlic
*
Chocolate Blackberry Pavlova

Registration Deadline: Thursday, January 30.  As of today, there are just 26 seats remaining.

Note: If you're not already a dues-paying member of Harvardwood, or if your membership has lapsed, we recommend that you first join Harvardwood (or renew) and then register for the event below so as to get the reduced members' price. Dues are only $48 per year, and, yes, we even have a membership category for people who did not attend Harvard.

Special thanks to Anne Griffin

Members, Register Here

Purchase tickets   $130.00 Members & Friends

Anita Gillette has had one of the great careers: She's appeared in 14 Broadway shows, starting with the original production of Gypsy, and including Irving Berlin's Mr President (yes, that's a photo of her laughing backstage with Mr Berlin), Chapter Two (Tony nomination), Cabaret, Don't Drink the Water, They're Playing Our Song, and Brighton Beach Memoirs, as well as countless off-Broadway and regional productions. On film and television, she was Mona the Mistress in Moonstruck, Tina Fey's mother in 30 Rock, and Jack Klugman's wife in Quincy, to mention only a few from a long, long list. She appeared on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show more than 50 times. She's performed her one-woman show After All at Birdland and Feinstein's in New York, and at the St James Theater in London.

Foster Hirsch will interview Ms Gillette. Hirsch is Professor of Film at Brooklyn College and is the author of 16 books on film and theater, including the classic study Film Noir: The Dark Side of the Screen, as well as Harold Prince and the American Musical Theatre, and, most recently, Otto Preminger: The Man Who Would Be King.

In addition to the interview, Anita Gillette has graciously agreed to perform a few songs for us, with Paul Greenwood at the piano.

Advance registration is REQUIRED—no tickets will be sold at the door.

DRESS CODE: Business Casual is fine for the event itself, but if you are thinking of staying for dinner (the Pub at The Lambs will accept credit cards), JACKETS & TIES will be required for men. No denim, sneakers, or such.

This is a joint event with THE LAMBS.

Special thanks to Anne Griffin.

Members, Register Here

Purchase tickets   $5.00 Members & Friends

On Monday, January 20th, following the 7:30pm screening, there will be a Q&A with Director Ofra Bloch and producer Jack Riccobono AB '03, moderated by Julia Turner, Los Angeles Times deputy managing editor for arts and entertainment.

Jerusalem-born trauma expert Ofra Bloch forces herself to confront her personal demons in a journey that takes her to Germany, Israel and Palestine. Set against the current wave of fascism and anti-Semitism sweeping the globe, AFTERWARD delves into the secret wounds carried by victims as well as victimizers, through testimonies ranging from the horrifying to the hopeful. Seen as a victim in Germany and a perpetrator in Palestine, Bloch faces those she was raised to hate as she searches to understand the identity-making narratives of the Holocaust and the Nakba, violent and non-violent resistance, and the possibility of reconciliation. The film points towards a future – an “afterward” – that attempts to live with the truths of history in order to make sense of the present.

Produced by Jack Riccobono AB '03 and edited by Michael J. Palmer AB '03.

As a young aspiring chef in Mexico, Iván works at a restaurant, hoping to land a spot in the kitchen while supporting the mother of his child. One night he meets Gerardo, a handsome teacher who, unlike Iván, is out as a gay man. Their chemistry is instant. The discovery of their romance, however, causes conflict, and he is told he can no longer see his son. In despair, Iván makes the arduous decision to cross the border to advance his culinary career, promising his son and newfound love he will return.

After co-directing many award-winning documentaries, many of which have screened at the Sundance Film Festival, Heidi Ewing returns with her solo directorial narrative debut. This bittersweet American Dream is based on an acclaimed New York City chef, whose cuisine pays homage to his beloved country. Lensed by the impressive and fast-rising Mexican cinematographer Juan Pablo Ramírez, Iván’s memory is rendered indelible, making Iván’s predicament of not being able to return to Mexico all the more heartrending. The film is a tender romance and a complicated journey beautifully captured.

Produced by Mynette Louie AB '97

Sundance Film Festival screening information here.

When Deb (Glenn Close) gets a surprise visit from her daughter Molly (Mila Kunis), she is less than thrilled. She is, in fact, terrified. At first, it may seem like Deb is being cruel, initially refusing to let Molly into her house. But Molly is a drug addict with a decade-long history of failed detox programs, who repeatedly swore she wanted to get better but then lied to and stole from the family. Deb’s refusal to give Molly yet another chance gradually fades when she sees glimpses of the child she knew in this deeply broken young woman. Something about this time feels different—or does she just want it to feel different?

Rodrigo Garcia AB '82 is a master of empathy, whose confident direction guides two exceptionally nuanced performances by Close and Kunis in this tense story of hope and codependency. A true emotional rollercoaster, Four Good Days showcases the desperate decisions of a family destroyed by Molly’s addiction to drugs and her mother’s guilt-ridden compulsion to save her.

Rodrigo Garcia’s award-winning films include Nine Lives, Albert Nobbs, Mother and Child, and Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her. His television credits include the pilots of In Treatment, Carnivàle, Big Love, Bull, and the upcoming Party of Five series reboot. Garcia is co-CEO of the digital studio Indigenous Media, which produced the series Five Points, Lauren, and Blue.

Sundance Film Festival screening times here.

It’s the 1980s, and David, a seven-year-old Korean American boy, is faced with new surroundings and a different way of life when his father, Jacob, moves their family from the West Coast to rural Arkansas. His mother, Monica, is aghast that they live in a mobile home in the middle of nowhere, and naughty little David and his sister are bored and aimless. When his equally mischievous grandmother arrives from Korea to live with them, her unfamiliar ways arouse David’s curiosity. Meanwhile, Jacob, hell-bent on creating a farm on untapped soil, throws their finances, his marriage, and the stability of the family into jeopardy.

Inspired by his own upbringing, writer-director Lee Isaac Chung creates a gorgeous, delicate American Dream story by infusing it with Korean melodrama and the playful charm of a Yasujiro Ozu film, as the Yi family embraces their highs and endures their lows. Each character is drawn with loving authenticity and depth, while Steven Yeun shines as Jacob, a man determined to achieve his dreams at all costs.

Produced by Jeremy Kleiner AB '98

Sundance Film Festival screen times here.

In a dreary Midwestern suburb, aggro punk rocker Simon (Kyle Gallner) finds himself on the run again after a bout of arson and a close call with the police. A chance encounter with the eccentric Patty (Emily Skeggs) provides him a place to hide, though she fails to realize that her new friend is the anonymous lead singer of her favorite band. As the two embark on a series of misadventures, they realize they have a lot more in common than they first expected.

Skeggs and Gallner are the perfect unconventional couple in this off-the-wall, daring comedy boosted by a generous helping of absurdity and instantly quotable dialogue. Skeggs’s vulnerability and unassuming charm seamlessly offset Gallner’s no-nonsense recklessness and unwavering scowl. Without compromising his surprisingly sweet touch, writer-director Adam Rehmeier explores how two misfits find each other through music and chaos. Set to the beat of brilliant original songs, Dinner in America is an empowering and wild ride through the places and people of suburbia—in all their peculiar forms.

Produced by Nicky Weinstock AB '91

Sundance Film Festival screening times here.

Emmy Award-winning writer David Mandel (Saturday Night Live, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Veep) takes students into the writers’ room for two days, during which students will attempt to create a comedy pilot, while learning about structure and joke writing. No experience necessary. All ideas welcomed! Lunch included.

Capacity: 12 students. Register here. 

The January Arts and Media Seminars – JAMS! – offer students the time and space to try something new that would not be possible during the fall or spring semesters. Visit the Dean of Students Office for more information about college-wide offerings during Wintersession.