Lydialyle Gibson

Lydialyle Gibson has been an associate editor at Harvard Magazine since 2015. She edits the Montage profiles, about alumni in the arts, and writes about a variety of topics, including arts and medicine—especially where the two intersect, as in her features about Harvard physician-writers Rafael Campo and Stuart Harris. In the January-February 2025 issue, she wrote “Caring for the Caregivers,” about the experiences of people caring for loved ones with dementia—read her Behind the Scenes about that story. She also covers politics and history, with a special emphasis on African American history, and since 2022 has reported on the Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery Initiative. Before coming to Harvard, she was an editor and writer at the University of Chicago Magazine. Her writing has won numerous awards, including several national awards from CASE. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a master’s in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University.

Protesters holding signs march along a sunny street in front of a building.

University News |

Michelle Wu Withdraws as Law School Speaker

Boston mayor bows out because of a graduate student strike, the longest in union history.

Former Harvard President Lawrence S. Bacow in a red academic robe gestures passionately at a podium, with seated audience members behind.

Commencement |

Phi Beta Kappa Speakers Call Out a ‘Deeply Troubling’ Moment

Former Harvard President Lawrence Bacow and poet Meghan O’Rourke urge graduates to focus on character and “radical attention.”

Red letter "A" overblurred lawn with colorful chairs in the background.

University News |

Harvard Faculty Approve a Cap on A Grades

Reforms to reduce grade inflation will take effect in the fall of 2027.

Three speakers at a panel discussion in front of an audience, with Harvard branding.

Politics and Law |

Harvard Holds a Symposium on Antisemitism and Universities

Scholars discuss the paradoxes and challenges that Jews navigate on college campuses.

Stone archway adorned with a crest and surrounded by green trees.

University News |

Harvard Releases Database of 1,613 People Enslaved by University Affiliates

Research continues to track down living descendants.

An illustration depicting the different categories of Pulitzer Prizes

University News |

Harvard Alumni and Faculty Win Six Pulitzer Prizes

Winners include Jill Lepore, Bess Wohl, Pablo Torre, and Hannah Natanson.

Picketers holding signs march outside the Smith Campus Center, advocating for labor rights.

University News |

Harvard Graduate Student Workers Strike

Union demands higher pay, protections for non-citizen members, and changes to the harassment complaint process.

A smiling judge wearing a black robe, seated in a wood-paneled courtroom.

Harvard Graduate School of Education |

At Harvard Talk, Retired Supreme Court Justice Breyer Defends Shadow Docket

The current law professor also spoke about affirmative action, partisanship, and the limits of “bright-line rules.”

Woman with long hair, smiling, wearing a black sweater, in a textured beige background.

Arts & Culture |

For This Poet, AI Is a Writing Partner

Sasha Stiles trained a chatbot on her manuscripts. Now, her poems rewrite themselves.

A woman in glasses gestures while speaking to two attentive listeners at a table.

Arts & Culture |

How to Cook with Wild Plants

From wild greens spanakopita to rose petal panna cotta, forager and chef Ellen Zachos makes one-of-a-kind meals.

Brick archway with a sandy base, surrounded by wooden planks and boxes in a dim space.

Harvard Celebrates America’s 250th |

How the American Revolution Freed a Future Abolitionist

Darby Vassall, an enslaved child freed after the Battle of Bunker Hill, dedicated his life to fighting for liberty.

Mercy Otis Warren in period attire writes at a desk by candlelight, surrounded by books.

Harvard Celebrates America’s 250th |

The Woman Who Penned the Case for War

Mercy Otis Warren’s poetry and plays incited the Patriot movement.