Arts

Bryan Miller talks the end of the world in his senior thesis

By Ava Dettling | April 25

The average person would not know what to do with 50 pounds of sand at their disposal — but Tufts senior Bryan Miller is not the average person.

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Arts

Tinashe isn’t ‘back,’ she never left

By Ife Adebanjo | April 25

Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe, known mononymously as Tinashe, is a genre-blurring artist whose career has defied simple categorization. As a triple-threat singer, dancer and songwriter, Tinashe is no stranger to the ups and downs of the entertainment industry.

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Arts

DJ Chaia’s ‘Yiddish Electronic’ finds home in the underground

By Eden Weissman | April 25

A new genre of music originating from Boston’s indie scene and conservatory institutions is taking root throughout nightclubs in the United States and abroad. These sounds are spearheaded by DJ Chaia, a student in the Harvard University & New England Conservatory of Music Dual Degree Program and the creator of kleztronica, a style that blends traditional klezmer and Yiddish music with techno and house music.

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Columns

Center Stage: BlackOut

By Nate Hall | April 25

When junior James Hartley attended the O-Show as a first-year in fall 2023, one group in particular caught his attention:BlackOut, Tufts’ all-male step team. Even though he had no dance experience, Hartley was inspired by their performance.Following a club fair event hosted by the Africana Center, he met a member of the team, who encouraged him to audition. Hartley is now the team’s captain.

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Columns

Trunks Full of Treasures: Thrift wrapped

By Fiona Hinrichsen | April 25

I have been thrifting since early high school, digging through my small town’s local thrift spots and coming back from every trip with bags full of vintage clothes. Now that I live in Boston, I knew I had to discover what the local thrift scene here had to offer. With the semester ending, here’s a recap of my finds from the 2024–25 school year!

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Arts

David Rivas Discua’s senior thesis tackles silence in film

By Ryan Fairfield | April 22

As a film and media studies and political science double major, graduating senior David Rivas Discua is the only FMS senior to do a written thesis. When watching films, viewers may be drawn to the visuals or the sound; however, Rivas’ thesis focuses on the importance and meaning of silence in films.

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Arts

Sasha Vogel’s ‘Well and Good’ explores climate justice

By Charlotte Hohneker | April 22

Sasha Vogel is the only student to present a feature-length screenplay for her senior honors film thesis this year. Titled “Well and Good,” the script is a coming-of-age eco-drama that blends climate justice with human relationships. “It basically centers around a group of college students in a climate justice oriented club, who are trying and failing to form a protest, and trying and failing in their interpersonal relationships at the same time,” Vogel explained.

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Arts

Lucy Dacus brings art, emotion and variety to Boston

By Julia Carpi | April 22

Watching Lucy Dacus perform at the MGM Music Hall at Fenwayfelt like a walk through a museum on a rainy day. Both meditative and energetic, the performance brought to life the dynamism ofDacus’ newest album, “Forever Is a Feeling.”

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Columns

Adventures of an A-Lister: A love letter to cinema

By Odessa Gaines | April 22

Well folks, this is it. After over a dozen pieces, two semesters and countless tickets lying forgotten in my calendar, “Adventures of an A-Lister” is officially coming to an end. However, before I say goodbye, I have to highlight my journey. From being chased down by rats in Boston Common to sitting in shock at ticket prices to silently sobbing in an empty theater, this column has been an adventure through and through.

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Arts

Dreams and directing chaos: Lyla Hersh’s surreal film

By Max Nielsen | April 22

When Lyla Hersh began writing the script for her senior thesis film,“On the Nature of Dreams,” the only thing she knew for sure was that it would take place in the late 1990s. Hersh didn’t write her final scene until two days before the shooting date.

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Arts

Khary Jones searches for truth in fragments

By Noah Goldstein | April 18

Though the journey of making a film may be challenging and circuitous, Khary Jones is more than up for the challenge. He’s a man who knows the three-act structure like the back of his hand: At Tufts, he teaches multiple sections of “Screenwriting” — among other electives and directed studies — each semester.

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Arts

Lauren Presley faces the unknown with debut EP ‘Hanging In The Balance’

By Annika Pillai | April 18

In songwriting, emotional transparency is often expected –– but it is not always earned. However, Lauren Presley stands out for how freely she reveals her inner world. The Texas-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter makes a bold entrance with her debut EP “Hanging In The Balance,” which is out today — a project that reads more like a diary cracked open than an introduction into the alternative and dark pop scene.

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Columns

Coffee with Creatives: Enter the magical world of Holly Simon

By Ava Dettling | April 18

The time has come: The final installment of Coffee with Creatives is here. Wipe your tears and pull up your breeches, for we must carry on. I’m choosing to end this magnificent run of creatives on a rather mythical note with the one and only Holly Simon.

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Arts

Where music meets fantasy: ‘The Locked Groove’

By Dominic Matos | April 17

Earlier this semester, I was presented with the opportunity to work on Abby Sommers’ senior thesis film project, “The Locked Groove.” After seeing her outstanding film, “The King of Clarke County Middle School,” at the 2024 Film and Media Studies Program film screening, I knew I did not want to miss out on this. Now, nearly three months since the shoot, I decided to sit down and talk to them about the process.

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Arts

Senior Spotlight: Jack Cline’s path to theatre, aspirations beyond Tufts

By Fiona Hinrichsen | April 17

Tufts senior Jack Cline studies environmental studies and race, colonialism and diaspora with a minor in music. Initially, he didn’t believe a career in the arts was sustainable. However, their experiences over the past four years have dramatically reshaped their perspective, leading them to pursue a career as a pianist.

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Arts

Weekender: ‘Sinners’ is an exploration of our blues

By Odessa Gaines | April 17

Ryan Coogler has struck gold with his new Southern gothic horror period piece“Sinners” (2025). Set in1932, the moviefollows aset of twins, Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan), as they return to theirhometown in Mississippi after a seven-year venture into the casino scene of Chicago. The two businessmen plan to open a juke joint for their home community to enjoy food, drinks and — most importantly — the blues. Smoke and Stack travel around their small town,recruiting old friends to help put together a new space for the largely nonwhite community — a necessity, especially in the era ofJim Crow.

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Columns

Read, Write and Be Merry: ‘The Bee Sting’ by Paul Murray

By Merry Jiao | April 17

Folks, this is it. The last iteration of this epic, earth-shattering column that was initially cooked up in a dusty old basement under Curtis Hall in the wee hours of the morning. It’s been such a delightful journey for me, from browsing the shelves at Waterstones in Chelsea to digging through stacks at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, as I try to find the next best read.

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Arts

Mitchell Brown discusses the process behind psychological thriller ‘Compulsion’

By Max Nielsen | April 16

While shooting his senior thesis project, first-time filmmaker Mitchell Brown encountered a problem no screenwriting class could have prepared him for.Brown’s story — a psychological thriller about a father trying to reconnect with his family while coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder — relied heavily on windows. More specifically, the character’s compulsions to fiddle with and adjust the windows. However, when the team arrived to shoot at an Airbnb in Malden, the windows had been sealed shut by the owner.

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Arts

Victoria Hutchins wears her heart on her sleeve in new poetry collection ‘Make Believe: Poems for Hoping Again’

By Julia Carpi | April 16

Admittedly, I am the first to roll my eyes and scoff at literature of the ‘don’t worry, be happy’ genre. There is nothing more vexing than being told to calm down during moments of intense anxiety. For that reason, I typically steer clear of any media that encourages us to ‘cheer up.’ That being said, Victoria Hutchins’ “Make Believe: Poems for Hoping Again” represents a clear exception to this rule. It is the honesty and brutality with which Hutchins writes that transforms this poetry collection from one of toxic positivity to one of unwavering hope.

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Arts

Center Stage: The Jackson Jills

By Nate Hall | April 16

For more than 60 years, the Jackson Jills have been arranging, singing and performing at Tufts. The Jills were named after Cornelia Maria Jackson, who was the namesake of Jackson College, Tufts’ counterpart for female students at the time of its founding. The name stuck after the schools merged in 1980. Today, the Jills continue to honor their history while looking for new ways to innovate their sound.

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