2022 has not been an easy year at Princeton or at The Daily Princetonian by any means. Even through the most difficult moments, I’ve found myself in awe of the passion and care our writers and editors bring to their coverage of arts and culture in The Prospect.

A look back on our work this year illuminates just how profoundly these things — arts and culture on campus — have been a part of making sense of this difficult year. Questions of love, of identity, of belonging, of celebration, of reclamation, of purpose, of joy, and of course, of grief, have been tackled by the art and voices featured in our pages.

And the response to this coverage has not gone unnoticed: An email sharing how our work echoed the sender’s frustrations with the demands of this school’s culture. Another thanking us for offering some solidarity in their grief. Messages of appreciation from our readers, seeing themselves, their passions, and their struggles, showcased in our pages.

These messages speak to one of our most essential motivations as a section of the ‘Prince.’ They reflect our hope to foster a broader sense of community through arts and culture at Princeton — people tied together through our pages, in solidarity as we progress through this campus. It is together, in moments of care and compassion, in joint exploration and interrogation of our art and our lives, that we have pushed through a difficult 2022.

As we look back on 2022, we also celebrate the year to come. Here’s to a new year — together.

— José Pablo Fernández García
Head Prospect Editor

Feb. 2

Lunar New Year, on Princeton’s campus

For Princeton students, Lunar New Year comes on the heels of the return from winter break. It’s difficult to find time to pause for a moment and celebrate, especially on campus and away from family. To kick off the Lunar New Year on campus, Head Editor Kerrie Liang, former Head Editor Aster Zhang, Senior Writer Tiana Ruden, and Contributing Writer Joshua Yang wrote about their personal experiences with Lunar New Year past and present — what this time means to them, how they traditionally celebrate it, and how they celebrated it in February 2022.

— Cathleen Weng
Associate Prospect Editor


For some, February is a celebration of love; for others, it’s time to lament. Head Editor José Pablo Fernández García started off with a romantic piece on buying flowers, reflecting on the comfort they provide and the care that goes into arranging a bouquet. (Tip: if you want to impress José Pablo, surprise him with pink carnations and white hydrangeas!). Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Assistant Editor Claire Shin showed solidarity for the heartbroken. Her piece took us on an intimate journey of mourning, accepting, and healing, all supplemented by great music. Finally, Staff Writer Thia Bian rounded off the month with a heartwarming article on Vincent van Gogh’s “Almond Blossom'' and self-validation. During this emotional month, it’s easy to focus on big, romantic gestures (or a lack thereof), but small acts of love are also significant. I’ll end with a lovely quote from Bian’s piece that summarizes it best: “It’ll be enough to hold on to the things that make me happy, the things that I love, even if they aren’t grand or earth-shattering.”

— Kerrie Liang
Head Prospect Editor

Feb. 17

Berrada ’22 explores young Black love in “B + M”

“Young love is just simply scary, and sometimes you have to go through things [to] grow as a person,” said Nica Evans ’24, director of “B + M.” Through incisive interviewing, Head Editor Emerita Auhjanae McGee masterfully cast a spotlight on the artistic motivations behind then-senior Silma Berrada’s play that premiered as part of the Lewis Center for the Arts’ New Works Festival this past spring. Touching on questions of love, the past, and growing up, McGee’s article records some of the urgent work that graced Princeton’s stages this year.

— José Pablo Fernández García
Head Prospect Editor

Mar. 1

‘Fuenteovejuna’: A welcome theatrical surprise

Staff Writer Eric Fenno is hands down one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, and it certainly reflects in his writing. One unsuspecting weekend, as he headed out to watch an orchestral performance, he instead encountered a real theatrical treat. After mixing up the location, Fenno found himself watching “Fuenteovejuna,” a Spanish play. In his article, Fenno takes us on a rollercoaster of events, all while reflecting on an exciting experience that opened his eyes to a new form of art. Insightful, endearing, and hilariously entertaining, this piece never fails to cheer me up.

— Kerrie Liang
Head Prospect Editor

Mar. 22

Growing up with instant noodles

For Senior Writer Albert Lee, insightful reflection seems like second nature. In this piece, he takes something as simple as instant ramen and connects it to his personal experience growing up with Shin Ramyun. He remembers how these mealtimes allowed him to connect with his parents, and how ramen gave him a sense of home when he moved to campus. The next time I find myself in the ramen aisle at the U-Store, I’ll be sure to think about my parents, too. And if you see me wipe a stray tear from my face … just look away.

— Kerrie Liang
Head Prospect Editor

Apr. 5

Experiencing ‘Signatures’: Relearning how to read

Some writers have a special talent for guiding their reader through an art gallery in a way that both wonderfully evokes the art on display and efficiently educates the reader on what seems like a semester’s worth of art history. Head Editor Emerita Cameron Lee ’22 is one such writer. With its dance across description, photos, and elaboration of the art in Megan Pai’s senior thesis show, this article on Pai’s exhibition, “Signatures,” is its own artistic experience.

— José Pablo Fernández García
Head Prospect Editor

Apr. 14

East Pyne courtyard film set for ‘Oppenheimer’ creates campus chaos

Certainly one of the most exciting campus events of the year was the “Oppenheimer” filming in East Pyne Hall. Head Podcast Editor Hope Perry was quick to jump on the scene, giving us a detailed rundown of what was happening. Spotted were acclaimed actors Matt Damon, Cillian Murphy, and Jack Quaid. Perry included various student reactions, ranging from surprise to excitement to downright awe. My favorite reaction was the student who yelled, “Dude, I’m so missing class for this” and “It’s Christopher f***ing Nolan!” I’ll be on the lookout for this familiar setting when the movie comes out, and I’ll definitely be bragging about this to my friends back home for many years to come.

— Kerrie Liang
Head Prospect Editor

Apr. 22

Between two communities: Being queer and Muslim at Princeton

The end of the spring semester saw the publication of a special print and digital issue, titled “Queer Remembrances, Queer Futures.” The issue sought to more strongly reestablish a public archive of queer life at Princeton as a foundation for present and future stories of queer Princetonians and featured this urgent Self essay from an anonymous student. This essay offers a powerful depiction of the struggle to internally reconcile external tensions. Pushed away from both Muslim and queer spaces, the author describes being left suspended between two communities near to their heart. This essay sits among those I’m particularly honored to have edited: it is both a delicately personal story and a moving reminder of the progress hoped for by students caught between their own communities.

— José Pablo Fernández García
Head Prospect Editor

May 11

In my Didion-girl-reading-in-firestone-overalls-baseball-cap-wearing era

With one of the boldest and most enjoyable closing paragraphs to any Self essay we published this year, Steph Chen’s essay is certainly one worth reading. Through coming-of-age reflection, this essay tackles how one goes about defining oneself — ricocheting between one’s own ideas and aspirations and the predetermined, suffocatingly defined images of others. A fun read, this essay is also an ever-timely reminder of the necessity for compassion in how people and particularly women, as the focus of Chen’s writing, regard themselves. We editors were certainly in our reading-Steph-Chen’s-essay-and-being-left-speechless era this past May.

— José Pablo Fernández García
Head Prospect Editor


Get Pitbull on the phone, because this summer, The Prospect was serving serious Mr. Worldwide energy. Through dispatches, our writers shared their experiences outside of the Orange Bubble in brief snapshots. Associate Podcast Editor Eden Teshome started off in Washington, D.C. She reflected on the silence that comes with living alone for the first time, and learning how to embrace solitude. After publishing dispatches from our writers in New York, Los Angeles, and Barcelona, Head Editor José Pablo Fernández García finished our international journey in Paris. With beautiful pictures, he takes us with him to some artsy landmarks — the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay — before venturing through the vibrant streets of the city.

— Kerrie Liang
Head Prospect Editor


The end of summer marked a time of reflection for many of our writers. In his piece, Head Editor José Pablo Fernández García opened up on the tenth anniversary of his father’s death. He remembered both the sadness and the fond memories, both the avoidance and the confrontation of his loss. Most importantly, he looked back on the happy moments he’s made for himself since then, and looked forward to many more. Meanwhile, former Features editor Ellen Li reflected on reconnecting with her childhood piano teacher during her time on medical leave. To pass time, she picked up practicing the piano again and started learning Russian. Depicting these experiences and her experience with chronic fatigue syndrome with such vulnerability, Li invites us to think about moments that we cherish in our own fleeting lives. These two pieces are a reminder of the voices we give a platform to at The Prospect, and they make me immensely proud of the work we do.

— Kerrie Liang
Head Prospect Editor

Sept. 26

Award-winning filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi visits Princeton

In 2021, director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi released “Drive My Car,” a Japanese drama film based on a short story from Haruki Murakami’s collection “Men Without Women.” In 2022, Hamaguchi came to Princeton to lead a series of creative writing workshops. While on campus, he spoke at the Belknap Global Conversation, which Contributing Writer Tyler Wilson attended. In this article, Wilson recounts Hamaguchi’s reflections on authentic storytelling, directorial choices, and writing dialogue in a stunning analysis of Hamaguchi’s visit.

— Cathleen Weng
Associate Prospect Editor

Oct 9.

Tierra y memoria

I’ve often commented to my friends that editing Self essays — especially those from guest contributors — is part of the work I’m most proud of at the ‘Prince.’ It’s always an honor to be trusted with someone’s voice and to champion its amplification. This is unquestionably true for Rodrigo Córdova Rosado’s essay “Tierra y memoria,” the leading story for the special web issue centering the voices and experiences of Indigenous peoples at Princeton. It’s a beautifully written essay that calls on us all to grapple with our place and our history in relation to this land.

— José Pablo Fernández García
Head Prospect Editor

Oct. 13

Too much Styles, not enough substance: “Don’t Worry Darling” review

Some of the most fun I’ve had at the ‘Prince’ has begun with a Slack DM from Head Sports Editor Wilson Conn, asking to review a movie. And it’s often been the most fun when he tears apart a movie with both insightful critique and snappy zingers. His review of Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Darling” is just that. The biting headline is just the beginning of a review that has one racing to the movie theater, if only to revel in viewing the pitfalls Conn identifies in this movie.

— José Pablo Fernández García
Head Prospect Editor

Nov. 1

Middle of the night, middle of the road: A review of Taylor Swift’s “Midnights”

October 2022 saw the release of Taylor Swift’s much-awaited 10th studio album, “Midnights,” which, as Taylor Swift albums do, drew mass amounts of discourse and buzz. In this “Midnights” review, Head Editor Kerrie Liang boldly announces her takes on the album — its highlights, its low points, and most prominently, its mediocrities. The impact of the album itself, though, is not all that Liang gleaned from the “Midnights” experience. Instead, she criticizes the fan discourse surrounding “Midnights” to offer a sharp, evocative, and topical analysis of gatekeeping, personal interpretation, and fan culture as a whole.

— Cathleen Weng
Associate Prospect Editor

Nov. 28

Arepas at Princeton: Reflections of a Colombian-American

In November, The Prospect published a project highlighting Hispanic and Latine members of the Princeton community. Guest Contributor Sophia Colmenares ’24 contrasts her childhood in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood with Princeton, which has only 12 percent Hispanic undergraduates. From watching “Encanto” to making arepas in college kitchens, Colmenares reflects on the small moments in which she shares her culture with the people she cares about.

— Kerrie Liang
Head Prospect Editor


The mission of The Prospect is “to cover the personal, artistic, and cultural side of Princeton.” This year, we have made it our mission to broaden what this side of Princeton includes — aiming our coverage at Princetonians that may not have previously seen themselves in our pages as an open-ended invitation for continued future engagement and conversation. We closed out the year with a dazzling mosaic of articles covering Black art and artists on campus as part of a final special print issue of the 146th Managing Board. From Isabella Dail’s eye-opening review of “Samuel Fosso: Affirmative Acts” on display at Art on Hulfish to Eden Teshome and Regina Robert’s joyful joint review of Dorobucci’s recent show and Auhjanae McGee’s powerful feature on a recently-formed Black student artist campus collective, these articles are each a tour de force in arts and culture journalism. All worth a read, they also will hopefully serve as inspiration to The Prospect as it faces a bright 2023 ahead.

— José Pablo Fernández García
Head Prospect Editor

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