Dionne Irving Literature Reading
Writer Dionne Irving visited campus on Oct. 19, concluding the fall portion of the Readings at Ramapo series. Professor of creative writing Hugh Sheehy introduced Irving by praising her sensibility as a writer.
Irving shared the story, “An American Idea of Fun” from her collection “The Islands: Stories,” which was featured on NPR’s Best of 2022 list and The New York Times recommendation shortlist.
Irving read with ease, getting laughs from certain inflections in her lines and then answered questions afterward.
Upon being asked how she navigated point of view through flash-forwards and flashbacks, Irving expressed that as we look back at our lives, we will always interpret things differently, and we can use that in our writing.
– Keely Lombardi
klombar5@ramapo.edu
CCEC Promotes Ramsey Farmers’ Market
Students usually have the opportunity to take the shuttle to Ramsey Farmers’ Market on Sunday mornings, but on Oct. 22, the Civic and Community Engagement Center (CCEC) sponsored an initiative that doubled the number of trips to the market and offered riders a $10 gift card to be used at any stall. Around 30 students participated in the initiative.
Assistant Director for the We Care Program and Civic Engagement Dylan Heffernan shared with The Ramapo News that the gift cards came from a grant that CCEC received last year called the Hunger-Free Campus Grant. He said that one of the main goals behind the grant was to provide students with access to fresh produce.
Heffernan also shared that CCEC wanted to partner with the farmers’ market to foster connections with the larger community around Ramapo. “They’re a great group of individual farmers and nonprofits and businesses that sell produce,” he said.
He shouted out the Mahwah Environmental Volunteers Organization (MEVO), a farm in Mahwah that many Ramapo students have volunteered with, as a personal favorite vendor at the market. “We have students who go into service with them and help grow that produce, so being able to give back and have students see what they create was a wonderful experience,” he said.
CCEC plans to continue with similar initiatives in the future, but they won’t be able to offer gift cards forever. However, CCEC has negotiated a $5 discount for students at the market, which students can claim by showing their student ID at the organizing table. “We just want to make it as accessible as possible,” he said.
– Rebecca Gathercole
rgatherc@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of Myriam Nicodemus
