2019 LitFest Brings English Community Together
On Monday, Oct. 7, the English department held its 2019 LitFest celebration for over 100 English majors in the McNally Auditorium at the Lincoln Center campus.
The event began with a student publication literary fair featuring The Fordham Ram, the paper, The Observer, The Comma, The Bleat, and Bricolage. After an address from Professor Mary Bly, the department chair, faculty members answered students’ five most burning questions about school and career.
Next, a panel of students and alumni presented on their experiences in the workplace and how a degree in English from Fordham had contributed to their success. Panelists included:
Kristen Pettit, executive editor at HarperCollins Publishers, who has spent the entirety of her professional career in children’s publishing
Ruby Buddemeyer, beauty editor at Cosmopolitan
Robert Sistoso, a second-year law student at Cardozo
Sophia Swettenham, a junior majoring in English and Theatre, who is the recipient of a Fordham summer research grant
Jared Piantedosi, a junior English major and intern at ABC’s LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan
Patrick Raneses, a senior English major who has interned with Kundiman, a national organization dedicated to the creation and cultivation of Asian American creative writing
After the panel, Multimedia Writer-In-Residence Dr. Nia Witherspoon presented a dynamic musical performance entitled WITNESS. This piece was excerpted from her play cycle, The Dark Girl Chronicles, which centers on black women and state violence.
To round off the event, students divided into groups and competed in a literary pub trivia quiz, with popular paperbacks as prizes for the winning team.
English major Colette Nolan, FCRH ’20, was inspired by the advice and community she found at LitFest.
“LitFest was a very engaging event,” Nolan said. “I particularly enjoyed the student and alumi panel. It was interesting to hear how people made the English major at Fordham work for them and help them propel their careers forward. I definitely gained a new perspective on how you can mold the English major to your unique needs.”
Click through the slideshow below to see pictures from the event!
