Bard at BPL

04/10/2025

Today we welcome Flora Laszlo to our Thursday Speaker Series at Bard Microcollege at BPL.

Flora Laszlo joined Central European University in 2015 with the goal of setting up its Civic Engagement Office to strengthen the social responsibility mission of the University. She is a member of the OSUN Civic Engagement Steering Committee and led the work package for outreach and society of CIVICA – the European University for Social Sciences. Prior to CEU, she served as CEO of the Hungarian NGO Uccu - Roma Informal Educational Foundation. She is co-chair of the Verzio Human Rights International Film Festival Foundation.

The workshop will explore the meaning of Civic Engagement as a discipline and tool for social action. The discussion will give examples of projects conducted in authoritarian, anti-
democratic political regimes. We will discuss how civic engagement can still be a powerful tool as a catalyst for change.

06/01/2023

We at Bard Microllege at BPL are so excited to announce that our very own D.L. Newton and Karim Barrett have had their work published in Open Society University Network’s Global Commons!

D.L. Newton’s poem Alabaster, her photograph "Prospect Park Thanksgiving" and Karim Barrett’s poems "Wash Day", "Passion Fruit" and "Mr. Cultured" can be found in the Spring 2023 Issue of Global Commons. We are so proud of these two!

https://www.osunglobalcommons.org/alabaster/

https://www.osunglobalcommons.org/prospect-park-thanksgiving-dl-newton/

https://www.osunglobalcommons.org/karim-gary-barret-wash-day/

05/18/2023

05/17/2023

Congratulations to Microcollege student Dena Igusti whose play First Sight: A Q***r Indonesian Love Story was selected to be a part of the SheNYC Art's Summer Theater Festival!
The SheNYC shows are selected after a rigorous, blind, months-long selection process out of over 300 submissions from around the globe.

The Festival will run from July 26-August 6, 2023, at the East Village's Connelly Theater with both an in-person audience and select digital performances.
Tickets to the performances will be on sale on June 1st. You can learn more about this show at https://shenycarts.org/she-nyc/.

05/11/2023

On Thursday, May 4th, Bard at BPL welcomed Rashaan Brown and Gregory Ellis for a moving talk about their work with violence interruption, combating gun violence from within New York City communities, and youth mentorship.

Mr. Brown and Mr. Ellis emphasized the palpable role that each of us serves in our communities and the need for us to build and maintain connections within. Students asked questions about the speakers' approach to their work and their self-care practices as they navigate the challenges of interrupting violence. Both speakers acknowledged the importance of humility and teamwork in their practices.

04/24/2023

In honor of National Poetry Month, we are featuring poems from our Microcollege Community!

Our first poem is from a current student, graduating this semester:
Sunyata Fung's The Unmistakably Black Femme’s Body.

Please comment below with a poem you love!

10/27/2021

Check out our very own, Russell Craig in KRIMES. This stirring documentary follows local artist Jesse Krimes, who created spectacular works while incarcerated and continues to use his work to inspire and challenge. Watch online at, https://watch.filmadelphia.org/

10/27/2021

On Thursday, October 21, Bard at BPL students enjoyed a presentation and discussion led by Shehab/Isis Awad, a curator and writer from Cairo, Egypt. A graduate of the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College (‘17), Awad has held curatorial positions at Townhouse Gallery in Cairo, EG; Institute of Arab and Islamic Art, NYC; and most recently Participant Inc, NYC. Her writing has appeared in Art Papers, the Brooklyn Rail, and ArtAsiaPacific Magazine. Awad is also Founder and Director of Executive Care, an all-encompassing, self-as-agency nonprofit for artists established in 2020. In her presentation on Thursday, Awad challenged students to reconsider which experiences get labeled “valid” and presented images from gallery shows that offer an alternative to mainstream convention. Students were shown images that reveal the written word as an artistic medium; exhibit performance art in novel ways; and elevate the work of underserved and undervalued artists. As always, students asked thought-provoking questions and gained insight into the life of a cutting-edge curator. To learn more about Executive Care, visit https://www.executivecare.art/.

10/21/2021

On October 14th, Bard at BPL welcomed writer and art critic Yinka Elujoba for its Thursday Lunch Speaker series. Elujoba was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria and holds an Engineering degree from Obafemi Awolowo University as well as an MFA in Art Writing from the School of Visual Arts. He is a recent recipient of the Rabkin prize for art writing, and his essays and art criticism have been published in Harper’s, ArtReview, Saraba, The Brooklyn Rail, and The New York Times. Elujoba led a thought-provoking discussion on Thursday about the cultural basis for artistic judgment, the role of the art critic, and the life of a professional writer. His talk prompted many students to ask questions about becoming professional writers, as well as how to judge a work of art. Learn more about Elujoba by visiting https://elujoba.com/about and follow him on twitter https://twitter.com/yinkaElujoba?

10/14/2021

On September 30th, Bard at BPL welcomed BPI alumnus Alex Hall (‘17) for an inspiring talk on life post-incarceration and finding success after prison. Since his release in 2018, Alex has worked with the Harlem Children’s Zone, the BPI Reentry Team, and is currently partnering with the Center for Community Alternatives on transitional housing. Alex also owns and manages JDI Barbell, a premier strength training gym in NYC, as well as a workout program designed for adolescents in NYC jails. On Thursday he shared his story with students, describing his journey from incarceration to successful business ownership. Alex also spoke about his commitment to working with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people through his youth fitness program and his work on establishing quality transitional housing. Students asked questions ranging from inquiries about business ownership to techniques for getting in shape and living a healthy lifestyle. Learn more about Alex and JDI Barbell at www.jdibarbell.com and https://instagram.com/jdibarbell?utm_medium=copy_link.

10/14/2021

On Tuesday, September 21st BPL Poets & Poetics series kicked off with Jennifer Shyue & the Poetics of Porousness. Jennifer Shyue is a translator focusing on contemporary Cuban and Asian-Peruvian writers. Her work has been supported by fellowships and grants from Cornell University’s Institute for Comparative Modernities, Fulbright, Princeton University, and the University of Iowa and has appeared in New England Review, SP Blog, Words Without Borders, and elsewhere. Her translation of Vice-royal-ties by Julia Wong Kcomt is forthcoming from Ugly Duckling Presse’s Señal chapbook series, and her translation of a novella by Augusto Higa Oshiro is forthcoming from Archipelago Books. She can be found at https://www.shyue.co/

05/18/2021

On Thursday, April 29th Bard at BPL welcomed Alisse Waterston and Charlotte Corden of Light in Dark Times: The Human Search for Meaning for its Thursday Lunchtime Speakers. Alisse and Charlotte discussed the significance of their graphic novel of art and anthropology designed to confront critical, painful issues amid the urgency to create space for envisioning and creating an alternative world. Alisse Waterston is Presidential Scholar and Professor, City University of New York, John Jay College of Criminal Justice and author or editor of seven books. Charlotte Corden is an illustrator and fine artist whose work often centers around what it is to be human. To purchase a copy of Light in Dark Times: The Human Search for Meaning, visit https://www.lightindarktimesbook.com/