May 2008 E-Letter

Bryn Mawr Club of New York City Events

• May Day Celebration (May 4)
• Alice Mitchell Rivlin, '52, addresses the Club's Annual Meeting (May 13)
• Inside The New York Times: Tour Renzo Piano's Times Tower Headquarters (May 18)

Bryn Mawr Club of New York City Connections

• Bryn Mawr Women Running the World: Brooklyn Half Marathon (May 3)
• Cabaret with Robin Beckhard, '79 (May 10-18)
• Project Common Bond Cocktail Reception hosted by Tuesday's Children in partnership with Bryn Mawr and Haverford (May 20)
• The Bryn Mawr Book Club discusses Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf (May 21)

Bryn Mawr Club Events On the Horizon

• A Tour of Brooklyn's Prospect Park with "Wildman" Steve Brill (June 8)
• Finding Your Way as a Mother, a discussion led by Magda Pecsenye, '94 (June 14)

Classifieds

• Cat-Sitter/House-Sitter Needed for Summer 2008 (July-August)

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Bryn Mawr Club of New York City Events

May Day in New York - Sunday May 4

It is not too late to reserve a spot at the Club's May Day celebration this Sunday for your annual dose of strawberries and cream, flowers and champagne, old friends and new. Children of a minimum of high school age are welcome. All attendees must RSVP to be included on the building security list. RSVP by e-mail to Erin Slonaker, '99, at erin.slonaker@gmail.com no later than Friday, May 2.

If the May Day image shown here and in last week's e-blast bring a smile to your face, smile even more: by Club request, the photographer, Amanda Cegielski, '09, has set up a Cafe Press store where you can buy notecards, posters or t-shirts that display her May Day images. Go to Cafe Press's May Day section.

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The Annual Meeting of the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City, May 13

Alice Mitchell Rivlin, '52, former Federal Reserve vice chair and MacArthur Foundation "genius" fellow, will address the Annual Meeting of the Bryn Mawr Club of New York City on Tuesday evening, May 13, 2008. Currently a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, where she previously directed the Economic Studies Program, Dr. Rivlin is an expert on fiscal, monetary and social policy, as well as urban issues. Her direct experience at the highest levels of government, where policy and politics converge, makes her a particularly appropriate speaker for a year of economic uncertainty and national elections.

The Annual Meeting will be held at the Cornell Club starting at 6:30 p.m. RSVPs are required; space is limited to 75, and only a few seats are left. To reserve your space, contact Virginia Kassel at virkassel@aol.com or 212 860 4025 as soon as possible. Bryn Mawr alumnae may attend free of charge; a limited number of spaces have been reserved for non-alumnae guests at a charge of $20. When RSVPs exceed 75, respondents will be placed on a waiting list and notified of vacancies.

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Inside the New York Times:
Tour Renzo Piano's Times Tower Headquarters

The skyline of Manhattan has changed dramatically in recent years, and one of the most notable recent additions comes from world-renowned architect Renzo Piano and his re-imagining of the The New York Times headquarters as a Modernist tower of glass and steel.

Visit this new architectural landmark on Sunday, May 18, with Aparna Swarts Mukherjee, '95, host for this event and the head of the Times' new online education unit. The visit to the Times' new offices will feature a multimedia presentation of the building's architectural and "green" features. We will also take a brief walking tour that will offer an insider's glimpse of the workings of the Times, including Pulitzer Hall, the newsroom, the Times Center, the cafeteria and the Page One conference room where the paper is planned every day.

Light refreshments will be provided at the end of the tour. This event is limited to the first 20 RSVPs, so reserve your spot soon by May 15 at the latest.

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Bryn Mawr Club of New York City Connections

Bryn Mawr Women Running The World

Put on your running shoes and start training!

Join fellow Mawrtyrs in the New York City Brooklyn Half-Marathon on Saturday, May 3, as part of the Spring 2008 Bryn Mawr Women Running the World program. The run will begin on the Coney Island Boardwalk and end in Prospect Park. Next month join the New York Road Runners Mini-10K (a women-only race) on Saturday, June 7 in Central Park.

For information about the May 3 Brooklyn Half-Marathon, contact Janice Fuld, '88, at jfuld@mindspring.com. For information about the June 7 New York Road Runners Mini-10K, contact Michele McEnroe, '97, at michele.mcenroe@verizon.net.

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Cabaret with Robin Beckhard James, '79, May 10-18

Robin Beckhard James, '79, will present a new solo cabaret show this month, donating a portion of proceeds from Bryn Mawr attendees to Bryn Mawr scholarships. Rendezvous at The Metropolitan Room to revel in the songs of Cole Porter, Noel Coward, Charles Trenet, Kurt Weill, Christine Lavin and others, as Robin extols the joys of travel with and without the one you love. Robin will be performing Saturdays, May 10 and May 17 at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 18 at 4:00 p.m. There's a $20 cover and a two-drink minimum. RSVP at 212 206 0440 and be sure to mention Bryn Mawr when you reserve. In the meantime, you can hear clips of Robin's music at http://www.robinjamescabaret.com/.

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Project Common Bond Cocktail Reception, May 20
Hosted by Tuesday's Children in Partnership with
Bryn Mawr College and Haverford College

Please join Tuesday's Children, the 9/11 family service organization, for a special cocktail reception to celebrate the launch of Project Common Bond. Project Common Bond is a unique international initiative that brings together teens from across the globe who have lost an immediate family member through an act of terrorism. Project Common Bond's inaugural program will take place this August at Bryn Mawr College with the participation of Haverford College's Center for Peace and Global Citizenship. Reception attendance is free of charge.

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The Bryn Mawr Book Club Discusses Beowulf, May 21

On Wednesday, May 21, the Book Club will meet at the home of Elizabeth Holloway, '86, to discuss Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf, the classic Old English epic poem dating back to 8th-century Britain that has become the cornerstone of English literature. The poem depicts the Germanic warrior society of Anglo-Saxon Britain and follows the exploits of its hero, Beowulf, as he defeats the dreaded monster Grendel, does battle with Grendel's vengeful mother, and, finally, faces down an unnamed dragon.

With his best-selling translation, Nobel-Prize-winning Irish poet Seamus Heaney made what was once considered a dry and daunting literary work accessible to modern readers while preserving the rhythm, tone and spirit of the original Old English text. Heaney's rendering of the classic epic into modern English won the Whitbread Prize in Britain and quickly became the gold standard for Beowulf translations.

Even if you can't attend the Bryn Mawr Book Club meeting, reading suggestions are always welcome - just send an email to Elizabeth Holloway, robinsonholloway@gmail.com.

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Bryn Mawr Club Events On the Horizon

Tour Brooklyn's Prospect Park with "Wildman" Steve Brill, June 8

The Bryn Mawr Club will be taking a tasty, fun-filled walking tour of Brooklyn's Prospect Park led by "Wildman" Steve Brill on Sunday, June 8. As we make our way through the park, we will learn about and sample a variety of edible greens and other plants, including corn-flavored chickweed and a variety of mushrooms and mustard leaves. The tour begins at 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, June 8 at the Park's Grand Army Plaza Entrance.

You may want to bring plastic bags, paper bags and plastic containers in which to store the natural treats you gather during the tour. It is recommended that you wear sneakers or comfortable walking shoes, not sandals. Also bring drinking water with you so that you can keep yourself hydrated. The tour is open to both adults and children (admission is $15 for adults and $10 for children under 10).

Note: This tour is open to the general public by reservation. The Club has reserved a block of spaces on the tour for Club members and their guests. Advance registration is required by May 26.

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Finding Your Way as a Mother, June 14

Due to the excellent response to the Finding Your Way as a Mother event held in January, we are running the program again, this time on Saturday, June 14. As a pregnant woman or mother of an infant or toddler, it is challenging to navigate all the advice you receive from experts, family and friends. The pressure can be overwhelming, especially if you belong to a multi-cultural or multi-ethnic family and are negotiating between contradictory messages and expectations coming at you from diverse cultural traditions.

Magda Pescenye, '94, writes AskMoxie.org, an internet advice column for parents. She will lead a discussion on figuring out who you are and who you want to be as a mother in the middle of a constant stream of conflicting messages. Come share your own stories and listen to others' at this non-judgmental discussion about honoring yourself and your children in the face of society's expectations.

Lap-babies welcome. Light refreshments will be served. Cost is $5 at the door.

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Classifieds

Cat-sitter/house-sitter needed for lovely one-bedroom apartment in terrific neighborhood on New York's Upper West Side. Considerably reduced rent in exchange for cat care. Located one-half block from the Central Park reservoir and one block from the subway. DVD player and internet connection. Available July 1 through August 23; dates are flexible; cat-sitters who can stay the entire time period specified are preferred, but shorter stays may be possible Seeking non-smoking, cat-loving, considerate, respectful, very responsible individual. References and deposit required. If interested, please e-mail Emily-Greta Tabourin, '84, at FrenchEmilyT@gmail.com.

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THE BMC OF NYC E-LETTER
The Bryn Mawr Club of New York City E-letter is submitted to the Alumnae Association for distribution on the first business day of each month. Items for the e-letter should be submitted to the e-mail address below by the 27th of the prior month. If you have news to share with the New York City BMC alumnae community, if you would like to have information about an upcoming event included, or if you just have a question for the Club, please contact us at brynmawrclubnyc@gmail.com. For address changes, go to http://www.brynmawr.edu/alumnae/updates.htm.