John A. La Rue

After graduation, John La Rue traveled across America as a field hand in the 2008 primaries. He spent most of three years in Nevada, where Mark Twain’s Roughing It still lives and breathes in landscapes physical and political.  He works now as a speechwriter at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Footfalls...and Failures

As the summer months trickle through my sweaty fingers, September looms, bringing with it the first of my Lasts. For the last time, I will...

Scholars’ Haven

Noel Twagiramungu won’t speak about the assassination attempt—the event that drove him from Rwanda remains under investigation. Two...

The Busy-ness School

“Is there no one in this House who plays basketball?” the e-mail reads. I feel a twinge of guilt. I signed up to play intramural...

Downloading Deafness

Most of us by now have had problems communicating with an oblivious headphone user who ignores our impatient repetitions of “Excuse...

Charting the Universe

Christopher Columbus can claim the world is round all he wants, but it doesn’t matter—the universe is flat. Paul L. Richards...

The (Other) Crew Captain

Knock on the door. Wait. Insert key, turn. Open slightly. “Dorm Crew." No one is home. This is a relief, as always. I locate the...