Hi Everyone!
I’m your professor and colleague, Caroline Chamberlin Hellman, and my preferred pronouns are she/her. I’m really looking forward to meeting you all. A little bit about me: born in New York City, grew up in the Hudson Valley, went to Wellesley College (near Boston), then moved back to New York for graduate school. I have a PhD in American literature from the CUNY Graduate Center, and I’m very proud to share the CUNY connection with you. I’ve written two books on American literature, and now I’m shifting my scholarly focus to public education policy. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my new nephew, Sidney, who is currently 8 months old. You may get to meet him virtually! I like historic houses, fruit trees, and old musicals.
I’d like to share a simple space that has been important to me these past months. This is the window adjacent to the chair where I write and work, and it is my window onto the world (Red Hook, Brooklyn). Gazing out, you see people’s homes on the block and the church steeple in the distance.
The first photograph is the sunrise on March 10, 2020 one day before the college closed, and shortly before the pandemic fully bombarded the city. It reminds me of the reach of the cosmos and the natural world– as well as the beauty of New York–before the onslaught of sirens and loss. The second photo is the window this past winter. During this challenging time, I’ve tried to add some peace and calm to my space: paperwhites and amaryllis bulbs, a topiary from the grocery store. Right now I have a rosemary plant, which smells terrific! Each day I watch these plants grow, and their determination offers hope. I also like the idea that we’re all in this together; the apartments across the street hold folks who are probably looking for some hope and determination, too.
