A True Family Meal: The English Department's Very Own Homecoming
By Yev Gelman
On September 18th, the English department came together to celebrate alums and students at Family Meal: A Homecoming with a sense of camaraderie so strong that I could almost feel it bubble in the air. As a new Program Assistant, I was nervous to be in the room with faculty, students, and alumni, none of whom I knew. I didn't know what to expect; what I feared most was a stuffy, formal affair like most academic events I'd attended before I became an English major.
Before the event began, Sarah Gambito––the lead organizer and Director of the Creative Writing department––brought the rest of the volunteers and I together in a corner of the venue, where we toasted to the event's inevitable success. As the event began, two of my fellow students scrambled to begin check-in, and Mary Bly—the Chair of English at Fordham—and another student greeted the guests as they came in. Soon, the room was full of unfamiliar faces, but I found myself greeting and chatting with strangers as easily as if they had been old friends. I was, to put it mildly, immensely relieved.
After most of our guests had arrived, Mary Bly led a toast to the Fordham English community and soon our family meal arrived. Our host, Jordan Hunter, Director of Events at La Pecora Bianca and a Fordham alum, designed a three-course, family-style meal that was both gorgeous and plentiful. I spent most of my time sitting across from two alumni, one of whom was a journalist (and an avid cook!). We talked about the town upstate where she had grown up, her relationship to news, and our favorite classes at Fordham. As I left the table, the journalist and her friend, an economist, promised to come see one of the plays I'm working on at Fordham.
After an hour of merriment and another speech by Mary Bly, hands fluttered to scan the QR codes on the programs that linked attendees to an Inspiration Playlist put together by current students (access the Playlist and special liner notes here!)––and a website where they could donate to the program. I was happy to see so many people donating and even saving the link for later. Guests were thrilled to receive a gift of the novel The Complicities, written by our very own Stacey D'Erasmo who, like Mary and Sarah, spent the evening hopping between groups of students and alumni, to everyone's great excitement.
Though we were slated to leave the restaurant by 2:30, it was nearly 4:00 pm by the time I got on the train home. Even after Sarah had warned the guests that our time was up, friends – both new and old – remained at the venue, talking and laughing while student photographers documented connections made in real time.
In the hours that I spent at La Pecora Bianca, I had met and befriended a genderqueer law student and an upcoming playwright hoping to study acting in London; I asked Mary for advice on my future romance novels and connected with Stacey over our mutual affection for my roommate and one of her students; I even managed to spend time gossiping with Shan Rao, the previous Program Assistant, about her (old) and my (new) job. On the train, I couldn't stop smiling — a rare sight on the New York City subway. I found myself looking forward to the rest of the year, and all the other events the English Department has in store — which I hope you can join us for.
