Mills Quarterly
@millsquarterly.bsky.social
Mills Quarterly is the alumnae magazine of Mills College (now Mills College at Northeastern University) in Oakland, Calif. Visit us online at quarterly.mills.edu.
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The fall 2025 issue has landed! This issue is themed on social entrepreneurship (and how it's interpreted among Mills alums!). Spoiler: a quote from Professor Darcelle Lahr, MA ’17, EDD ’18: “I see social entrepreneurship as the vehicle through which individuals and communities can build hope.”
Our thanks to Angélica Navarro ’21 for her gorgeous illustrations in our fall 2025 feature “The Business of Giving Back”! She created the likenesses of (in order) Idalin Bobé, MBA ’13; Vanita Lee-Tatum, MBA ’13; Charlene Harrison ’96, MBA ’08; Naima McQueen, MBA ’18; and Joanne da Luz, MBA ’13.
November 20, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Our thanks to Angélica Navarro ’21 for her gorgeous illustrations in our fall 2025 feature “The Business of Giving Back”! She created the likenesses of (in order) Idalin Bobé, MBA ’13; Vanita Lee-Tatum, MBA ’13; Charlene Harrison ’96, MBA ’08; Naima McQueen, MBA ’18; and Joanne da Luz, MBA ’13.
Mechanical engineer. Management consultant. College professor. Social entrepreneur. Darcelle Lahr, MA ’17, EDD ’18, has held a variety of different jobs, but they’ve all led her to a life spent helping those the system has left behind through “transformative social action.”
October 29, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Mechanical engineer. Management consultant. College professor. Social entrepreneur. Darcelle Lahr, MA ’17, EDD ’18, has held a variety of different jobs, but they’ve all led her to a life spent helping those the system has left behind through “transformative social action.”
The fall 2025 issue has landed! This issue is themed on social entrepreneurship (and how it's interpreted among Mills alums!). Spoiler: a quote from Professor Darcelle Lahr, MA ’17, EDD ’18: “I see social entrepreneurship as the vehicle through which individuals and communities can build hope.”
October 9, 2025 at 9:55 PM
The fall 2025 issue has landed! This issue is themed on social entrepreneurship (and how it's interpreted among Mills alums!). Spoiler: a quote from Professor Darcelle Lahr, MA ’17, EDD ’18: “I see social entrepreneurship as the vehicle through which individuals and communities can build hope.”
Wrapping up our coverage of the summer issue as we prep to put the fall edition online brings us this pic from 1917. When we decided on a performing arts theme for summer, we knew that we had to include an image illustrating the deep roots they have on the Mills campus.
October 3, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Wrapping up our coverage of the summer issue as we prep to put the fall edition online brings us this pic from 1917. When we decided on a performing arts theme for summer, we knew that we had to include an image illustrating the deep roots they have on the Mills campus.
Samantha Lake ’17 was originally going to major in computer science at Mills—that is, until she tried out a campus theater workshop. Years later, after switching programs and trying out film acting, she finds herself a puppeteer in Los Angeles, working at the renowned Bob Baker Marionette Theater.
September 12, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Samantha Lake ’17 was originally going to major in computer science at Mills—that is, until she tried out a campus theater workshop. Years later, after switching programs and trying out film acting, she finds herself a puppeteer in Los Angeles, working at the renowned Bob Baker Marionette Theater.
It’s only natural that our cover story for the summer issue is Commencement 2025!
Commencement 2025
Teddy Johnstone’s undergraduate speech | Lyssa King’s inspiring return to Mills | Bent Twigs Photos by Ruby Wallau On a damp Sunday morning in late April, something that was inevitable …
quarterly.mills.edu
July 15, 2025 at 10:18 PM
It’s only natural that our cover story for the summer issue is Commencement 2025!
Now premiering: our summer issue! Visit quarterly.mills.edu for coverage of Commencement 2025 as well as a variety of Mills alums who make their living in the performing arts.
July 1, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Now premiering: our summer issue! Visit quarterly.mills.edu for coverage of Commencement 2025 as well as a variety of Mills alums who make their living in the performing arts.
The research process for the spring Throwback, about alum memories of going off-campus for extracurricular activities, took us to the Oakland History Center. At the link below, read recollections about "The Ave," as well as other memories about going off to Berkeley and San Francisco.
Throwback: The Ave…& Other Off-Campus Locales
THE ORIGINAL Mills campus originally stretched much further southwest than current borders show—nearly all the way down to Foothill Boulevard in East Oakland. When the College sold off that tract o…
quarterly.mills.edu
June 23, 2025 at 9:19 PM
The research process for the spring Throwback, about alum memories of going off-campus for extracurricular activities, took us to the Oakland History Center. At the link below, read recollections about "The Ave," as well as other memories about going off to Berkeley and San Francisco.
The surreal world of “The Sims” includes a score of jazzy, New Age-style piano pieces that Vice in 2018 said is “likely one of the most widely heard album-length collections of music to be released so far this century.” The composer, Jerry Martin, earned his MFA at Mills in 1981.
The Sound of Sims
Soundtracking one of the most enduring computer games Words by Jessica Lipsky JERRY MARTIN, MFA ’81, isn’t a gamer, but his influence has been felt—and most certainly heard—by a generation of compu…
quarterly.mills.edu
June 5, 2025 at 10:39 PM
The surreal world of “The Sims” includes a score of jazzy, New Age-style piano pieces that Vice in 2018 said is “likely one of the most widely heard album-length collections of music to be released so far this century.” The composer, Jerry Martin, earned his MFA at Mills in 1981.
Looking for something to read over the long weekend? Try “It’s About Women in Gaming” from our spring 2025 issue.
It’s About Women in Gaming
Ten years ago, Gamergate attempted to silence and malign women finding a foothold in the video game industry. We spoke to Mills alums in the field to see how things have (and haven’t) changed. Word…
quarterly.mills.edu
May 23, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Looking for something to read over the long weekend? Try “It’s About Women in Gaming” from our spring 2025 issue.
Professor Cliff Lee began teaching in the Mills School of Education in 2019, and he now also instructs future video game developers through his joint appointment with Northeastern’s College of Art, Media, and Design, building off his dissertation on teaching programming at an East Oakland school.
May 7, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Professor Cliff Lee began teaching in the Mills School of Education in 2019, and he now also instructs future video game developers through his joint appointment with Northeastern’s College of Art, Media, and Design, building off his dissertation on teaching programming at an East Oakland school.
It’s happening!!!...later than we’d expected, but spring 2025 is finally online. Visit quarterly.mills.edu for features about gaming, looks back at off-campus hotspots and the origins of fencing at Mills, and celebrations of the season through photography and poetry. Print edition arrives soon!
Mills Quarterly
The alumnae magazine of Mills College
quarterly.mills.edu
April 22, 2025 at 9:13 PM
It’s happening!!!...later than we’d expected, but spring 2025 is finally online. Visit quarterly.mills.edu for features about gaming, looks back at off-campus hotspots and the origins of fencing at Mills, and celebrations of the season through photography and poetry. Print edition arrives soon!
Elwin Cotman, MFA '12, is on this list! Cotman's book of short stories, "Weird Black Girls," came out in 2024, and he has a novel scheduled for release later this year. Congratulations!
The awards, which come with a $50K purse, have helped launch the writing careers of many now well-known authors, including Colson Whitehead, Ocean Vuong, Alice McDermott and Jia Tolentino.
10 emerging writers win Whiting Awards
The awards, which come with a $50K purse, have helped launch the writing careers of many now well-known authors, including Colson Whitehead, Ocean Vuong, Alice McDermott and Jia Tolentino.
www.npr.org
April 11, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Elwin Cotman, MFA '12, is on this list! Cotman's book of short stories, "Weird Black Girls," came out in 2024, and he has a novel scheduled for release later this year. Congratulations!
Thanks to the Mills College Art Museum for allowing us to feature the work of Professor Emerita Hung Liu in our winter issue! Tomorrow at noon PDT, join Museum Director Stephanie Hanor for a virtual tour of MCAM’s 100-year history.
Register here: eventregistration.northeastern.edu/event/7315a5...
Register here: eventregistration.northeastern.edu/event/7315a5...
April 2, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Thanks to the Mills College Art Museum for allowing us to feature the work of Professor Emerita Hung Liu in our winter issue! Tomorrow at noon PDT, join Museum Director Stephanie Hanor for a virtual tour of MCAM’s 100-year history.
Register here: eventregistration.northeastern.edu/event/7315a5...
Register here: eventregistration.northeastern.edu/event/7315a5...
For the winter 2025 issue, we caught up with members of the Mills cross-country teams from 2009 to 2011. One of our newest columns checks in with a different student group from over the years and sees what sticks with them even now: quarterly.mills.edu/legacy/catch....
Catching Up With…
Catching Up With…: Cross-Country 2009-2011 Cross-country at Mills navigated a tough course as the Aughts came to a close. The team reached the national championships in 2009 under the coachin…
quarterly.mills.edu
March 28, 2025 at 7:50 PM
For the winter 2025 issue, we caught up with members of the Mills cross-country teams from 2009 to 2011. One of our newest columns checks in with a different student group from over the years and sees what sticks with them even now: quarterly.mills.edu/legacy/catch....
The website www.poetsreadingthenews.com is the brainchild of Elle Newton '12. She began the project in 2016 after finding herself dispirited by increasing numbers of mass shootings in the U.S. With input from writers from around the world, the site's offerings are more and more poignant these days.
Poets Reading The News - Journalism in Verse
Journalism in Verse
www.poetsreadingthenews.com
March 14, 2025 at 8:01 PM
The website www.poetsreadingthenews.com is the brainchild of Elle Newton '12. She began the project in 2016 after finding herself dispirited by increasing numbers of mass shootings in the U.S. With input from writers from around the world, the site's offerings are more and more poignant these days.
These gorgeous, hand-drawn illustrations by Kate Swartz ’08 accompanied our winter 2025 feature on alum authors who have found comfort or catharsis (sometimes both) through their writing.
March 6, 2025 at 12:51 AM
These gorgeous, hand-drawn illustrations by Kate Swartz ’08 accompanied our winter 2025 feature on alum authors who have found comfort or catharsis (sometimes both) through their writing.
“With self-publishing, you can protect your voice!”
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When we spoke to alum authors who put out their works beyond the traditional paradigm, this is what we heard. In our latest issue, they spoke about the journeys they took—and we outlined terms and processes that aspiring authors should know.
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When we spoke to alum authors who put out their works beyond the traditional paradigm, this is what we heard. In our latest issue, they spoke about the journeys they took—and we outlined terms and processes that aspiring authors should know.
February 20, 2025 at 11:06 PM
“With self-publishing, you can protect your voice!”
.
When we spoke to alum authors who put out their works beyond the traditional paradigm, this is what we heard. In our latest issue, they spoke about the journeys they took—and we outlined terms and processes that aspiring authors should know.
.
When we spoke to alum authors who put out their works beyond the traditional paradigm, this is what we heard. In our latest issue, they spoke about the journeys they took—and we outlined terms and processes that aspiring authors should know.
Even in this era of book bans, Young Adult (YA) literature is exploding in popularity—and according to Mills alums who are YA authors and fans, the topics that have made these titles controversial to some also draw readers of all ages.
February 3, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Even in this era of book bans, Young Adult (YA) literature is exploding in popularity—and according to Mills alums who are YA authors and fans, the topics that have made these titles controversial to some also draw readers of all ages.
The fires that have devastated the Los Angeles area over the past two weeks are difficult to comprehend. We now know of at least nine alums who have lost their homes, and the psychological impact on everyone affected can’t be overstated.
January 23, 2025 at 12:41 AM
The fires that have devastated the Los Angeles area over the past two weeks are difficult to comprehend. We now know of at least nine alums who have lost their homes, and the psychological impact on everyone affected can’t be overstated.
Our winter issue is online! Visit quarterly.mills.edu for all sorts of stories relating to writing and literature: Mills YA authors, self-publishing, writing through trauma, and much more.
January 15, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Our winter issue is online! Visit quarterly.mills.edu for all sorts of stories relating to writing and literature: Mills YA authors, self-publishing, writing through trauma, and much more.
Another change we made to the new Mills Quarterly is the more intentional use of campus and archive photography. For the first edition, that meant autumnal images of the Music Building. (Though the colors are likely similar to the look of campus right now; these photos were shot last December!)
December 23, 2024 at 11:57 PM
Another change we made to the new Mills Quarterly is the more intentional use of campus and archive photography. For the first edition, that meant autumnal images of the Music Building. (Though the colors are likely similar to the look of campus right now; these photos were shot last December!)
When we set out to cover alums working in agriculture, we weren’t sure what we'd find. “What Starts in the Garden Can Heal the World,” in our fall issue, discovered that those folks are optimistic about the future—as long as things stay small.
Read more: quarterly.mills.edu/what-starts-....
Read more: quarterly.mills.edu/what-starts-....
December 18, 2024 at 11:08 PM
When we set out to cover alums working in agriculture, we weren’t sure what we'd find. “What Starts in the Garden Can Heal the World,” in our fall issue, discovered that those folks are optimistic about the future—as long as things stay small.
Read more: quarterly.mills.edu/what-starts-....
Read more: quarterly.mills.edu/what-starts-....
This poem by Jazkia Phillips '24 first appeared in the fall 2022 issue of The Womanist and is the inaugural entry in Salon, our new section for creative writing and artwork by Mills alums and professors.
To submit your work for consideration, email us at mills.quarterly@northeastern.edu!
To submit your work for consideration, email us at mills.quarterly@northeastern.edu!
December 13, 2024 at 7:22 PM
This poem by Jazkia Phillips '24 first appeared in the fall 2022 issue of The Womanist and is the inaugural entry in Salon, our new section for creative writing and artwork by Mills alums and professors.
To submit your work for consideration, email us at mills.quarterly@northeastern.edu!
To submit your work for consideration, email us at mills.quarterly@northeastern.edu!
Reposted by Mills Quarterly
Great feature highlighting teaching professor Mariana Valencia Mestre’s work! What Starts in the Garden Can Heal the World quarterly.mills.edu/what-starts-... via @millsquarterly.bsky.social @northeasternu.bsky.social
What Starts in the Garden Can Heal the World
As these alums show, the future of agriculture is small Words by Rachel Leibrock, MFA ’04 | Photos by Ruby Wallau and Greer Rivera Olive Simon ’22 had never thought about growing flowers or ve…
quarterly.mills.edu
December 6, 2024 at 3:39 PM
Great feature highlighting teaching professor Mariana Valencia Mestre’s work! What Starts in the Garden Can Heal the World quarterly.mills.edu/what-starts-... via @millsquarterly.bsky.social @northeasternu.bsky.social