Happy Holidays, GW Law! As the academic year draws to a close, students, faculty, and staff alike gearing up for the holiday break and well-deserved relaxation. In the spirit of capturing the diverse holiday experiences within our academic community, we reached out to some GW Law faculty and staff to see what they'll be doing during the winter break. Here's what they said:
Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew
Over the break, I will be reading: "The Right Call: What Sports Teach Us About Work and Life" by Sally Jenkins
My favorite holiday song is: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
A special holiday tradition in my family is: I put recipe cards up around the kitchen and everyone picks one to make as Motown Oldies blast throughout the house all day.
Dean Steven L. Schooner
Over the break, I will be reading: The graphic novel "The Grande Odalisque" by Jérôme Mulot, Florent Ruppert, and Bastien Vivès. I was smitten by the Netflix movie Wingwomen (2023, French, but dubbed), which is being unfairly pigeonholed as a modern Thelma and Louise. As for books I read and enjoyed in 2023: in non-fiction, I loved so much about Suzanne Simard's "Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forestz, one of the non-fiction inspirations for the sublime, fictional "Overstory" the Pulitzer Prize winner by Richard Powers whose Bewilderment is, to my mind, sublime; for historical fiction, I was glad the movie adaptation led me to Paulette Jiles's "News of the World," and, in terms of pleasant surprises, I really enjoyed Taylor Jenkins Reid's "Carrie Soto Is Back," which shouldn't have surprised me, because I adored "Daisy Jones & The Six" and, to a lesser extent, "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo." Also, in manga, I really completed (and recommend) the full run of "Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist."
My favorite holiday song is: Depends upon my mood, but it's a good bet to start with the classics: "Dominick the Donkey" and "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer."
Dean Anthony D. Tiberio
My favorite holiday song is JD McPherson's "All the Gifts I Need!"
Professor Joan E. Schaffner
My favorite holiday song is: As a percussionist (and loved playing the snare drum) in my prior life, my favorite holiday song (which I played every year throughout school at Christmas time) is "Little Drummer Boy."
Professor Chas Tyler
Over the break, I will be reading: "Five Little Monkeys Jumping On the Bed" (over and over and over and over, to a two-year-old)
My favorite holiday song is: "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey (obviously)
A special holiday tradition in my family is: A punch made of Sprite and Lime Sherbet (it’s as unappealing as it sounds)