September (Redux) 2015 Smithie of the Month: Liz Balcom

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(Liz with her wife Nora and all of their Smith friends at their wedding)

Name: Liz Balcom

Class Year: 2010

How long have you lived in Philadelphia?

I moved to Philadelphia right after graduating from Smith in 2010 and fall in love with this place more every day.

What’s your favorite restaurant in the city?

My favorite restaurant in the city is Parc, right at the corner of Rittenhouse Square. My wife Nora and I love to sit at one of the outdoor tables, share some French fries and a glass of wine, and watch the city stroll by.

What are you up to now?

I am a Development Officer at Bryn Mawr College- and am thrilled to be back in a women’s centric space, supporting women’s education.

What house did you live in on campus and what was your favorite thing about it?

I lived in Cutter House my first two years on campus, was abroad in Florence my Junior year, and lived in Duckett House my senior year. My favorite thing about housing at Smith was being just doors away from all of my closest friends. I still wish I could run down the hall to tell my best friends all about my day and binge watch bad TV shows together.

What is your favorite Smith tradition and why?

Mountain Day is, without question, my favorite Smith tradition. I can still remember the feeling of pure joy that would flood over me when I learned we were free to enjoy a (hopefully) beautiful fall day. Who doesn’t love a good reason to eat cider donuts, pick apples, and go hiking with friends? My Cutter house friends and I once crammed 10 people in a tiny car just to make it over to Atkins Farm all together. It was a day always so full of laughter.

Who was your favorite professor/what was your best class?

My favorite course would have to be from my very first semester of freshman year. It was a course called “History and Memory” taught by Professor Darcy Buerkle. The course opened my eyes and inspired me to see history through a completely different lens. Darcy eventually became my advisor and was an incredible support and resource throughout my four years at Smith. She challenged me to think more critically and to make stronger arguments in my writing, and inspired my academic growth throughout my four years. Darcy was a wonderful and supportive resource to her advisees and was deeply invested in each of our intellectual and personal growth at Smith.

How did your Smith experience shape your life?

Smith provided me a safe space to learn and grow both intellectually and personally. Being at Smith taught me to think harder and speak louder about the many issues our society is facing today. It taught me what it means to be a strong woman and stand up for what you believe in without apology. I also met my wife at Smith, and in the safety of Smith’s campus, learned to fully trust and love. And I think it’s only because I was surrounded by other incredibly smart and strong women who always pushed me to be better, while also supporting me, that I can say any of this. At the end of the day, being at Smith helped me find myself and better prepared me to be a confident and independent women in the world today.

(Can you tell I feel ALL the feelings about women’s education?!)

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Alumnae News

November 2015 Smithie of the Month: Taraneh Thompson

Name: Taraneh Thompson

Class Year: 2002

How long have you lived in Philadelphia?

I have lived in Philadelphia for 11 years.

What’s your favorite restaurant in the city?

My favorite restaurant is Mustard Greens in Queen Village.

What are you up to now?

I work as an attorney in Center City and live in Bella Vista with my husband and son.

What house did you live in on campus and what was your favorite thing about it?

I lived in Scales House. One of my favorite thing about Scales was our wonderful RADS staff who were like our family (Thank you, Cathy, Joanne, Glenn and Tina!).

Why did you choose Smith?

I chose Smith because the director of my high school was a Smithie and was a wonderful leader, incredible public speaker and inspirational mentor. I also fell in love with the campus when I visited.

What is your favorite Smith tradition and why?

Friday Tea is such a great Smith tradition that I hope will last forever. It is a great way to catch up with everyone in the house, unwind from the week and make plans for the weekend. It was also fun to see what treats came out of the kitchen every week!

Who was your favorite professor/what was your best class?

My favorite professor was Marc Lendler in the Government Department. He is so knowledgeable and passionate about government that it made his classes really stand out. My favorite class though was probably Natural Disasters in the Geology Department. It was outside of my comfort zone but was so interesting and unlike any other class that I took. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to take a few classes like that!

Do you have a defining/favorite/most memorable/transformative Smith moment?

One of my most memorable moments at Smith was Illumination Night on the eve of Graduation. The campus was so beautiful and it was such an exciting time coupled with some fear and sadness too. It was wonderful to have my family and friends together to share memories and celebrate our accomplishments.

Club Activities, Events

On the 18th – November – NEW Front Street Cafe in Fishtown

Join us at the JUST OPENED Front Street Cafe in Fishtown! Come for the conversation, food, drinks, or just to check out the fabulous new space!

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“Front Street Café offers the residents of Fishtown and surrounding neighborhoods a friendly atmosphere and fresh menu featuring farm-to-table, locally sourced and organic New American cuisine with international influences. This unique space houses a coffee shop, fresh juice bar, restaurant with garden seating, indoor & outdoor bars and private upstairs event space.”

When: Wednesday, November 18th at 6pm

Where: 1253 N Front St, Philadelphia, PA 19122 (just one block north of Girard El stop)

Look for the Smith College table tent. We look forward to meeting you there!

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Sarah K Khan (’87) to speak at The African American Museum in Philadelphia

Friday, November 6 ~ 6-9PM
At 7pm, join Soulful Stitching co-curators Dr. Henry J. Drewal and Dr. Sarah K. Khan, in a discussion on the Africans (Siddis) of Karantaka and their arts.

Check out Dr. Khan’s work here.

Free Admission

RSVP at http://www.aampmuseum.org/calendar.html

Club Activities, Events

Fall Faculty Speaker Event

RSVP TODAY FOR THE FALL FACULTY SPEAKER EVENT!
Thursday, October 29th @ 6:30 pm

The Smith College Club of Philadelphia is pleased to invite Philadelphia-area alumnae and their guests to our annual faculty speaker event. Dana Leibsohn, Professor of Art, will speak on October 29 at 6:30 pm at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (3260 South St., Philadelphia, PA 19104). Professor Leibsohn will give a talk titled, “Silver Baskets and Beaded Gods: Colonial America, Indigenous Objects and Early Modern Globalization.” The talk will examine the circulation of objects and how we understand the “movement of things” from the past. RSVP today!

Admission includes hors-d’oeuvres, wine and non-alcoholic beverages. Tickets are $15 for current club members and their guests, and $20 for non-members. If you’re not a current member of the Smith College Club of Philadelphia member, please support the club and join now to enjoy the discounted admission rate for the talk. New alums who graduated within the last five years only need to pay $5 to join for the year, and 2015 alums are free! Regular membership is $20.

Please RSVP to PhillySmithClub@gmail.com. Submit payment via Paypal (below) or by sending a check to: Elizabeth Savage, SCCOP Treasurer, 2401 Pennsylvania Ave. Apt. 11A12, 19130.

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October On the 18th — Join us for a cozy Sunday Brunch.

Womyn Who Brunch — West Philadelphia Style

Join us on Sunday, October 18th, at 11am for a relaxing West Philly brunch with Smithies, eggs any style, and delicious coffee at the famous Gold Standard Cafe on 4800 Baltimore. Look for the Smith College table tent.

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Brunch

Brunch available Saturdays and Sundays 9:30am – 2pm

Creamed Chipped Beef $13

Lancaster county salt-cured top round, with madeira, fresh thyme and cream, served on a toasted buttermilk biscuit with breakfast potatoes

Chopped Lamb Steak and eggs $15

ground lamb seasoned with cumin and coriander, cooked to order, with apple chutney, crumbled feta cheese, served with breakfast potatoes and sunny-side up eggs

Huevos Rancheros $13

over-easy eggs, tomato-red bean chile sauce on corn tortilla with guacamole, sour cream, roasted potatoes (gluten free)

Chicken and Chorizo Hash $14

with peppers, red onions, potatoes, smoked paprika, served with cheddar cheese, sour cream, scallions, toasted rye bread, and eggs any style

Smoked Salmon Plate $15

hard-boiled eggs, pickled red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, herbed cream cheese, pumpernickel bread

Everything Vegetable Hash $14

potatoes, corn, carrots, mushrooms, red cabbage, spinach, topped with mashed avocado and green herb sauce, choice of toast (vegan)

Three Egg Omelette $9

with two fillings, choice of toast and roasted potatoes
choose: sausage, bacon, ham, turkey sausage, turkey bacon, mushroom, tomato, spinach, red pepper, green pepper, caramelized onion, cheddar, Swiss, American, provolone, feta cheese
(each additional filling $1)

Croque Madame $13

Virginia baked ham, gruyere cheese and béchamel sauce on sourdough, with sunny-side up eggs, mixed greens and tomatoes in red wine vinaigrette

Eggs Benedict

with hollandaise sauce and roasted potatoes

Classic w/ Canadian Bacon $11
Spinach, Tomato, Garlic $12
Smoked Salmon $13

Cinnamon Cream Cheese French Toast $10

with brown sugar sauce, cream cheese glaze, cinnamon rasisins, cinnamon chantilly cream

Classic French Toast $8

sweet butter, dusted with powdered sugar, served with syrup

Apple Waffle $10

brown sugar roasted apples, toasted walnuts, whipped cinnamon butter, syrup

Alumnae News

October 2015 Smithie of the Month: Anne Iskrant

Name: Anne Sonnekalb Iskrant

Class Year: 1964

How long have you lived in Philadelphia?

Since 1976

What’s your favorite restaurant in the city?

It used to be Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I like the area around Passyunk.

What are you up to now?

Retired from Cabrini College where I taught comparative literature and film and Main Line School Night, where I was a Program Director. I still give them ideas and sometimes teachers, and take courses. This fall I am taking Spanish and Chinese.

What house did you live in on campus and what was your favorite thing about it?

Cutter, which was new then. I had lived in a colonial house, and wanted to live in a modern building.

Why did you choose Smith?

I liked the people, still do. Met a woman when I lived in Bogota, Colombia, who had married a Colombian and owned a farm. From Smith!

What is your favorite Smith tradition and why?

Reunions every 5 years! Great to reconnect, and to find support and stimulation from people I did not know well during my four years as a student.

Who was your favorite professor/what was your best class?

Many good ones, Phyllis Lehman, art history (she found the index finger of the Winged Victory of Samothrace!). Mrs. Kaffka who had lived through the Weimar Republic and made history come alive, Mr. Peterson, who loved Shakespeare’s Cleopatra, Leo Weinstein who made government, political philosophy, and constitutional law exciting parts of a liberal education.

Club Activities, Events

Smithies represent at Fringe Arts Festival!

Hey Philly Smith Alums! Consider joining us….

THIS WEEKEND, Saturday, September 12th at 3pm:

The Girl’s Guide to Neighborly Conduct

Tangle Movement Arts

Come to a family-friendly event hosted by FringeArts on September 12th at 3pm! Buy your tickets soon because Fringe shows often sell out.

“Against a kinetic cityscape of suspended rope and silk walls, The Girl’s Guide to Neighborly Conduct investigates life’s unspoken rules and expectations. Tangle’s seven-woman cast negotiates queer connections, female strength, and what it means to live in community. Tangle’s acrobats swing from trapezes, cartwheel across the dinner table, and lift each other out of trouble in this new show merging circus arts, dance, and theater.”

September’s “On the 18th” – An Evening at Longwood Gardens

Join fellow Smithies Friday, September 18 at 7:30pm for a unique visit to Longwood Gardens. “Nightscape: A Light and Sound Experience by Klip Collective transforms Longwood Gardens into a living canvas where light dances with shadow, music fills the air, and your imagination soars.”

Purchase your tickets online directly from the Longwood Gardens website (http://longwoodgardens.org/nightscape) and then email us at phillysmithclub@gmail.com so we know to expect you! Tickets are $27 per adult and $17 for children ages 5-18. Longwood members attend for free, but a Nightscape ticket is required. Your Nightscape ticket is also good for for daytime admission to the gardens – arrive as early as you like!

We’ll meet at Longwood’s new Beer Garden at 7:30pm and then explore the illuminated gardens. (Optimal viewing starts at 8:30pm.)

Need a ride? Have extra space in your car? Email phillysmithclub@gmail.com for possible carpooling.

Alumnae News

August 2015 Smithie of the Month: Liz Borland

Liz Borland ’97

This month, we honor Liz Borland ’97 as our Smithie of the Month! As she steps down from her marvelous years of leadership as our Club President, we appreciate all the ways Liz has made the Philly Smith community what it is.

How long have you lived in Philadelphia?

Nearly 9 years.

What’s your favorite restaurant in the city?

I am a fan of Jose Garces–my favorite is Distrito because it is delicious and so much fun.

What are you up to now?

I am a professor of Sociology at The College of New Jersey. I am chair of my department and teach classes and/or do research on gender, social movements, organizations, theory and applied sociology.

What house did you live in on campus and what was your favorite thing about it?

I lived in Cushing and loved candlelight dinners on Thursday nights–back then we all our meals in the house and I loved the family atmosphere.

Why did you choose Smith?

I was in one of the inaugural years of the Smith Summer Science Program as a high school student. My mom went to Smith (Caren Byrd ’68) and I was not sure I wanted a women’s college, but after a great summer there, I made Smith my own. I also got invited to be in the STRIDE program, and that sealed the deal.

What is your favorite Smith tradition and why?

I am into our traditions–I did Sophomore Push and Junior Ushers, etc. Of course, everyone loves Mountain Day, but I think I would have to say Rally Day is my favorite event with the inspiring speakers and all the wonderful hats….and the floor-splitting sound of Smithies stomping their feet to the alma mater!

How did your Smith experience shape your life?

Smith challenged me and made me confident I could hold my own–I was given support and room to explore by my professors, who in turn have been role models for me in my own work as a teacher. And the lifelong learning and community that comes from being a Smithie among Smithies is a gift that keeps giving!

Liz 199708042015 — Liz in 1997, looking glamorous as a model for “October” in Smith’s calendar!