This week, we’d like to introduce ourselves.
I’m Jeffrey Peterson, and I’m a film studies and French double major who has spent most of his time at Calvin studying linguistics. I could probably teach a semester-long class on the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but since To Pimp a Butterfly came out, I have listened pretty much exclusively to hip hop. Now, I run an arts magazine. It’s weird to see where you end up in spite of your expectations and what you think you’re good at, especially when you thought you were going to be in culinary school instead. Food has been important part of who I am for years, but sometimes when you go to Calvin and live in an on-campus apartment, you don’t nurture your passions as much as you should, so I’m like so-so at cooking now. But I run an arts magazine, and that has taught me a lot. I’ve learned how to be a better writer and a better reader and a better artist and a better critic and a more thoughtful, organized person and a better listener to the voices around me—colleagues on the staff and the student population alike. And I have a super cool dog. She’s the coolest dog I’ve ever seen.
My name is Jordan Petersen. I am a senior graduating this May with a major in Accounting and a minor in History. I work in the Student Activities Office where I write narratives for the artists that perform at Calvin. I am fascinated by the contextualization of art—particularly music— and pop culture and the way these things interact with the world around them. The artist takes with them the happenings—political, personal or otherwise—to their art and the audience views it with similarly affected lenses. This makes the work of both artist and observer one crucially centered on empathy; how do we make art that is an honest reflection that is aware of the world around us and not just our own insular spheres? And how do you view art in a way that allows us to step outside of ourselves? How can we ensure that we’re learning from the art we take in? These are the questions that make me inspired and humbled to be a part of Dialogue.
I'm Paola Koki, and I'm a newcomer to the Dialogue staff this year. As a Pre-Med: International Development major I spend my days learning about human anatomy, organic chemistry and community development, so my presence on staff may seem random. However, I appreciate that Dialogue seeks out creativity in a multitude of places on and off campus, and my role on staff is only in keeping with the magazine's ethos. As a part of my job, I've really enjoyed exploring ways in which Dialogue can further engage in more partnerships with artists and audiences both on and off campus. Aside from Dialogue, I'm also involved in the Food Recovery Network, love to make really bad puns and, hope to meet Yael Naim and Stromae someday. In the midst of all these grand responsibilities, hopes and dreams, I also hope to graduate this May.
I’m James Andrew Gilbert—I go by Andrew though. I grew up in Brazil, and have since childhood been in love with art. It started with books, I loved reading fantasy. Then, the visual arts appeared in my life first through Van Gogh. When we learned about him, in 2nd grade, we copied one of his paintings - I did one of his self-portraits. I felt deeply connected with him, as if he had done everything I wanted to do, or been everything I wanted to be. In some way his craziness, depression or whatever it was, made it even more appealing for me to be an artist – don’t ask me how that was appealing. Since then I haven’t stopped in my quest to do great art. Recently I developed a passion for film and animation, which has landed me with a double-major in Studio Art and Film & Media. For Dialogue I assist with whatever I can – usually that being graphic design and layout of the magazine. I also end up being the one hanging up posters in the dorms since everyone on staff seems to not be from that area.
Hi! My name is Taylor Hartson, and I’m the managing editor for the 2016-2017 school year after being part of the staff for a year. I’m a sophomore from Pella, Iowa, majoring in sociology with minors in psychology and writing. Outside of class, you can find me in one of three places: consulting at the Rhetoric Center, working on the Refugee Resettlement Housing Team at Bethany Christian Services, or holed up in the Dialogue office doing homework and attending to Dialogue business. I have a strange affinity for odd numbers, lowercase letters, and NPR. I’m quite fond of good coffee, fluffy dogs, thrift store turtlenecks, warm blankets, David Foster Wallace short stories, and an assortment of black clothes. Working on the Dialogue staff has been both challenging and exciting, and I love getting to see the submissions we get each semester. My favorite part of each semester is the time when we begin laying out the magazine—everything starts coming together even when we’re worried that we wouldn’t have enough submissions or jurors to help us out. I’m looking forward to working with all of you over the next few years and seeing what you have to share with us!
I’m Matthew Schepers, and I currently enjoy being Dialogue’s event coordinator. I spend the semester planning the Dialogue Release Party, while keeping in contact with Calvin event services, dining services, and administration. The release party has a focus on celebrating student artists, with live music and poetry readings from the new issue and free drinks served. I am in my last semester at Calvin, and study Biology. I manage the Cave Café student organization in addition to being on Dialogue editorial staff.
I’m Madeleine Wiering, and I have been on Dialogue since my freshman year and am a sophomore currently. Freshman year, I oversaw our social media accounts, I juried both issues, and I attended meetings where we discussed what we wanted out of the issues. This year, I am part of the layout team. I design posters, and work on layout of the actual issues. This last issue, I was in the middle of a busy semester, so I mostly just worked on poster design. This next issue, I hope to have a larger part in doing layout of the issue itself. I value being on Dialogue staff as an experience where we can use our creative talents for something outside of class that serves other creative students at Calvin.
My name is Rachel J House, and I am the Dialogue “Internal Professional Development Coordinator” or IPDC for short. I am involved in event planning, idea-formulating, and excursion implementing. I grew up in both the Kawartha Lakes district of Ontario, Canada and the marshland of central Florida. I am a third year biology student, adore bacteria, have a thing for "good" coffee, may have eaten eight honey-crisps in one sitting, and take pleasure in marveling at the minute. I am a scientist-in-training, a liturgy-loving Christian, take a ridiculous number of poor quality but "artsy" photos, and record my musings as they come.
Hi, I’m Cotter Koopman and I'm a programmer, DIY musician, and amateur designer. On Dialogue, I mostly oversee the mixtape of student-made sounds. I also maintain the Dialogue website and occasionally design a poster or two. I do web development work for the college, making sure calvin.edu stays sexy and functional. Watching code churn out something stunning and interactive never gets old for me. I love playing with shapes, numbers, and patterns and my pastimes include taking forever to finish writing a song and seeing how frequently I can eat Taco Bell before guilt overwhelms me. I love talking about all kinds of music with others, through the Student Activities Office and Pop Music Guild. I sing and play bass and keyboard in a band called Sleepover with Jordan. We’d love to play in your basement. I’m a fan of the Enneagram Personality Indicator and if you take it and find out you’re a Type 4 too, let’s hang out.
I’m Isaiah LaGrand, a first-year student at Calvin interested in studying art and literature. In art, I’m most drawn by painting and try to follow current paintings trends, but I like to explore all mediums in my own art-making. Really, I’m sent by anything that surprises and pushes back at me. As a Dialogue staff member, I’ve done a variety of things from helping with the layout of last semester’s issue to designing posters. What excites me most about Dialogue is simply the possibility it creates for any student to gain exposure and have their work be seen––regardless of their experience or training in art. The gulf of possibilities between different mediums and forms within art and literature is infinite and beckons to be explored.
I’m Hailey Jansson, a fourth-year Film and Media Production major. My journey with Dialogue began with encouragement from a friend to submit a few photographs. The next semester, I was invited to join the staff. Two semesters after that, I was stepping into the role of Layout Editor. My time at Dialogue has been an outlet for my creative interests and has introduced me to some of the most talented people at Calvin: the Dialogue staff and Dialogue submitters. They have inspired me to continue to pursue my art which is usually, but not limited to, photography and videography. When I’m not actively pursuing my art you can find me curating a Spotify playlist, trying too hard on Instagram, or drinking my third cup of the day at Sparrows.
I’m Olivia Rozdolsky, and I’m a senior Sociology major, minoring in Studio Art and International Development. I love working with clay, and I’m interested in embodiment and how the body is socially constructed. I’m happiest when swimming in Lake Michigan, and I mainly listen to Carole King. I love working with Dialogue because not only is it a space for artists and writers to showcase their work, but it connects students from all majors to the arts.
Hi, I’m Emma Carpenter. I serve on the layout team/help make posters and illustrations for Dialogue. I’m a junior studying graphic design, but I also enjoy drawing, Wes Anderson films, and sharing trippy GIFS on Facebook of people eating shoes. I guess I channel some sort of grandma vibes, mainly because 50% of my clothes are dated, old lady sweaters I buy from Salvation Army, and I have two cats back home in China, named Machiavelli and Shakespeare—they’re great, except for the hair that gets all over my nice grandma sweaters.
I’m Jeffrey Peterson, and I’m a film studies and French double major who has spent most of his time at Calvin studying linguistics. I could probably teach a semester-long class on the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but since To Pimp a Butterfly came out, I have listened pretty much exclusively to hip hop. Now, I run an arts magazine. It’s weird to see where you end up in spite of your expectations and what you think you’re good at, especially when you thought you were going to be in culinary school instead. Food has been important part of who I am for years, but sometimes when you go to Calvin and live in an on-campus apartment, you don’t nurture your passions as much as you should, so I’m like so-so at cooking now. But I run an arts magazine, and that has taught me a lot. I’ve learned how to be a better writer and a better reader and a better artist and a better critic and a more thoughtful, organized person and a better listener to the voices around me—colleagues on the staff and the student population alike. And I have a super cool dog. She’s the coolest dog I’ve ever seen.
My name is Jordan Petersen. I am a senior graduating this May with a major in Accounting and a minor in History. I work in the Student Activities Office where I write narratives for the artists that perform at Calvin. I am fascinated by the contextualization of art—particularly music— and pop culture and the way these things interact with the world around them. The artist takes with them the happenings—political, personal or otherwise—to their art and the audience views it with similarly affected lenses. This makes the work of both artist and observer one crucially centered on empathy; how do we make art that is an honest reflection that is aware of the world around us and not just our own insular spheres? And how do you view art in a way that allows us to step outside of ourselves? How can we ensure that we’re learning from the art we take in? These are the questions that make me inspired and humbled to be a part of Dialogue.
I'm Paola Koki, and I'm a newcomer to the Dialogue staff this year. As a Pre-Med: International Development major I spend my days learning about human anatomy, organic chemistry and community development, so my presence on staff may seem random. However, I appreciate that Dialogue seeks out creativity in a multitude of places on and off campus, and my role on staff is only in keeping with the magazine's ethos. As a part of my job, I've really enjoyed exploring ways in which Dialogue can further engage in more partnerships with artists and audiences both on and off campus. Aside from Dialogue, I'm also involved in the Food Recovery Network, love to make really bad puns and, hope to meet Yael Naim and Stromae someday. In the midst of all these grand responsibilities, hopes and dreams, I also hope to graduate this May.
I’m James Andrew Gilbert—I go by Andrew though. I grew up in Brazil, and have since childhood been in love with art. It started with books, I loved reading fantasy. Then, the visual arts appeared in my life first through Van Gogh. When we learned about him, in 2nd grade, we copied one of his paintings - I did one of his self-portraits. I felt deeply connected with him, as if he had done everything I wanted to do, or been everything I wanted to be. In some way his craziness, depression or whatever it was, made it even more appealing for me to be an artist – don’t ask me how that was appealing. Since then I haven’t stopped in my quest to do great art. Recently I developed a passion for film and animation, which has landed me with a double-major in Studio Art and Film & Media. For Dialogue I assist with whatever I can – usually that being graphic design and layout of the magazine. I also end up being the one hanging up posters in the dorms since everyone on staff seems to not be from that area.
Hi! My name is Taylor Hartson, and I’m the managing editor for the 2016-2017 school year after being part of the staff for a year. I’m a sophomore from Pella, Iowa, majoring in sociology with minors in psychology and writing. Outside of class, you can find me in one of three places: consulting at the Rhetoric Center, working on the Refugee Resettlement Housing Team at Bethany Christian Services, or holed up in the Dialogue office doing homework and attending to Dialogue business. I have a strange affinity for odd numbers, lowercase letters, and NPR. I’m quite fond of good coffee, fluffy dogs, thrift store turtlenecks, warm blankets, David Foster Wallace short stories, and an assortment of black clothes. Working on the Dialogue staff has been both challenging and exciting, and I love getting to see the submissions we get each semester. My favorite part of each semester is the time when we begin laying out the magazine—everything starts coming together even when we’re worried that we wouldn’t have enough submissions or jurors to help us out. I’m looking forward to working with all of you over the next few years and seeing what you have to share with us!
I’m Matthew Schepers, and I currently enjoy being Dialogue’s event coordinator. I spend the semester planning the Dialogue Release Party, while keeping in contact with Calvin event services, dining services, and administration. The release party has a focus on celebrating student artists, with live music and poetry readings from the new issue and free drinks served. I am in my last semester at Calvin, and study Biology. I manage the Cave Café student organization in addition to being on Dialogue editorial staff.
I’m Madeleine Wiering, and I have been on Dialogue since my freshman year and am a sophomore currently. Freshman year, I oversaw our social media accounts, I juried both issues, and I attended meetings where we discussed what we wanted out of the issues. This year, I am part of the layout team. I design posters, and work on layout of the actual issues. This last issue, I was in the middle of a busy semester, so I mostly just worked on poster design. This next issue, I hope to have a larger part in doing layout of the issue itself. I value being on Dialogue staff as an experience where we can use our creative talents for something outside of class that serves other creative students at Calvin.
My name is Rachel J House, and I am the Dialogue “Internal Professional Development Coordinator” or IPDC for short. I am involved in event planning, idea-formulating, and excursion implementing. I grew up in both the Kawartha Lakes district of Ontario, Canada and the marshland of central Florida. I am a third year biology student, adore bacteria, have a thing for "good" coffee, may have eaten eight honey-crisps in one sitting, and take pleasure in marveling at the minute. I am a scientist-in-training, a liturgy-loving Christian, take a ridiculous number of poor quality but "artsy" photos, and record my musings as they come.
Hi, I’m Cotter Koopman and I'm a programmer, DIY musician, and amateur designer. On Dialogue, I mostly oversee the mixtape of student-made sounds. I also maintain the Dialogue website and occasionally design a poster or two. I do web development work for the college, making sure calvin.edu stays sexy and functional. Watching code churn out something stunning and interactive never gets old for me. I love playing with shapes, numbers, and patterns and my pastimes include taking forever to finish writing a song and seeing how frequently I can eat Taco Bell before guilt overwhelms me. I love talking about all kinds of music with others, through the Student Activities Office and Pop Music Guild. I sing and play bass and keyboard in a band called Sleepover with Jordan. We’d love to play in your basement. I’m a fan of the Enneagram Personality Indicator and if you take it and find out you’re a Type 4 too, let’s hang out.
I’m Isaiah LaGrand, a first-year student at Calvin interested in studying art and literature. In art, I’m most drawn by painting and try to follow current paintings trends, but I like to explore all mediums in my own art-making. Really, I’m sent by anything that surprises and pushes back at me. As a Dialogue staff member, I’ve done a variety of things from helping with the layout of last semester’s issue to designing posters. What excites me most about Dialogue is simply the possibility it creates for any student to gain exposure and have their work be seen––regardless of their experience or training in art. The gulf of possibilities between different mediums and forms within art and literature is infinite and beckons to be explored.
I’m Hailey Jansson, a fourth-year Film and Media Production major. My journey with Dialogue began with encouragement from a friend to submit a few photographs. The next semester, I was invited to join the staff. Two semesters after that, I was stepping into the role of Layout Editor. My time at Dialogue has been an outlet for my creative interests and has introduced me to some of the most talented people at Calvin: the Dialogue staff and Dialogue submitters. They have inspired me to continue to pursue my art which is usually, but not limited to, photography and videography. When I’m not actively pursuing my art you can find me curating a Spotify playlist, trying too hard on Instagram, or drinking my third cup of the day at Sparrows.
I’m Olivia Rozdolsky, and I’m a senior Sociology major, minoring in Studio Art and International Development. I love working with clay, and I’m interested in embodiment and how the body is socially constructed. I’m happiest when swimming in Lake Michigan, and I mainly listen to Carole King. I love working with Dialogue because not only is it a space for artists and writers to showcase their work, but it connects students from all majors to the arts.
Hi, I’m Emma Carpenter. I serve on the layout team/help make posters and illustrations for Dialogue. I’m a junior studying graphic design, but I also enjoy drawing, Wes Anderson films, and sharing trippy GIFS on Facebook of people eating shoes. I guess I channel some sort of grandma vibes, mainly because 50% of my clothes are dated, old lady sweaters I buy from Salvation Army, and I have two cats back home in China, named Machiavelli and Shakespeare—they’re great, except for the hair that gets all over my nice grandma sweaters.