Ting-a-ling. The room smells like a hospital–like the desperate attempt to cover up birth, death, and all the pain in between with cleaning supplies. A…
Posts published in “Byline: ACE DUFRESNE”
Compassion: A Conversation with Anita Peebles from OAR Tompkins County
For the last decade now, Anita Peebles ’89 has worked with Opportunities, Alternatives, and Resources (OAR) of Tompkins County to support individuals who have crossed…
New York Appellate Court Rules Halftown’s Tribal Court Decisions Cannot Be Recognized
On July 3, the New York State Appellate Court, Fourth Department, found that several rulings by the tribal courts of Clint Halftown’s Cayuga Nation could…
Rewind
You can near touch the minuteTime stopped tickingYour eardrums began to hum Oxygen dry in your throatYou view the worldThrough shards of unbroken glass You…
Content warning: colonialism, incarceration, sexual violence, domestic violence. If you have experienced relationship or sexual violence, or know someone who has, and want support or…
On Saturday, April 20, Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) and the City of Ithaca collaborated to host the 2024 Earth Day Festival on the Ithaca Commons.…
You Can’t Say No to YES: Empowering Ithacan Youth
A little over a year ago, I was interviewed for the Youth Employment Service (YES) Summer Jobs Program. At the time, I was a fourteen-year-old…
Today I Wade
The current’s force Roars my name Used to call to me Now I look away Blink twice My ears still ring Questions that Used to…
Lifeline
On our timeline It feels like days ago That I held you last Not long ago When we last fell together In loose laughter What…
Investing in Our Teachers—An Interview with ITA President Kathryn Cernera
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with the president of the Ithaca Teachers Association (ITA) Kathryn Cernera. For more than twenty years, she taught…
Breathe in
Trace my smile With open eyes Breathe it in And don’t look down Feel my grip Trust you won’t fall Know I’m here When you’ve…
Mirror
Tippy toes on tile floor Jump for a glimpseOf messy hair, but perfect skinRemember those days? Pose like you saw on TVWiggle your eyebrowsStick your…
Try and
Shade them from the grating wind, The thundering of collapsing trees Warm them with a loving embrace, Newborn snow on the tip of their tongue…
Grow up
Content warning: Self-harm Battle with your gap-toothed grin Your rosy cheeks Your unkempt hair Battle with your unbroken heart Your open creativity and Dreams of…
What Proposal 1 Means for Small City School Districts like ICSD
In order for a proposed amendment to the New York State (NYS) Constitution to make it to the ballot, it must first pass through both…
Climate Change, “Dirty” Banks, and Local Activists
Climate change is widely considered one of the greatest challenges of our time. The result of excessive burning of fossil fuels and environmental destruction, it…
The Rollout of Reusable Sporks in ICSD – A Step Toward Waste Reduction
ICSD’s cafeterias use approximately 268,740 single-use spoons and forks every year, according to Beth Krause, director of the ICSD Child Nutrition Program. A combined effort…
Ithaca’s Democratic Primaries for Common Council
The Common Council is the legislative body of the City of Ithaca and plays an important role in the lives of Ithaca’s residents. Its decisions…
For a Just Implementation of the Ithaca Green New Deal
According to the City of Ithaca’s website, the Ithaca Green New Deal (IGND) is a “government-led commitment to community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030 that focuses…
Reimagining Public Safety in Ithaca: An Overview
Against the backdrop of heightened public awareness ofpolice brutality, racism, and calls across the United Statesfor police and criminal justice reform, Ithaca’s CommonCouncil voted unanimously…
Tourism’s Problematic History By Caedmon Sethupathy It is difficult to set a start date for tourism in large part because it is such an ambiguous…
Loss, damage and COP27
“We have struggled for 30 year[s] on this path and today in Sharm el-Sheikh this journey has achieved its first positive milestone … It is…
Hurricane Ian: A Whirlwind of Climate Change, Politics and Destruction
On September 27, 2022, Hurricane Ian hit western Cuba, knocking out power all across the country, wrecking tobacco farms crucial to Cuba’s economy and killing…
An Asexual Critique of the Sex Positivity Movement
I’m a part of Gen Z, a generation growing up in the age of the internet, in which childhood innocence is impossible and we are…
Ghosts
The ghost’s whimper nested itself in the corner of Endi’s soul reserved for tradition and cobwebs. “Hello?” Endi asked, “Where are you?” He shone his…





