Kylee Pastore Asirvatham
Faculty in the Division of Humanities and the Arts at City College of New York continue to lead the way in scholarship, creative production, and public engagement. This academic year, their achievements ranged from prestigious book awards and international exhibitions to groundbreaking research, media appearances, and innovative classroom initiatives. Below is a cross-disciplinary roundup of standout accomplishments from H&A faculty during 2024–2025.
Annie J. Howell (Media & Communication Arts)
Distinguished Lecturer Annie J. Howell’s independent film Little Boxes—which premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival—was re-licensed this year by Tribeca Films and is now streaming on Apple TV, Amazon, and other platforms, with a Blu-ray release forthcoming.
Anna Indych-López (Art)
Professor Anna Indych-López received a $50,000 Arts Writers Grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for her book project Mexico City: Spatial Politics in Art at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century. She was one of only 30 recipients selected from over 500 applicants.
Bryan Stanton (Theatre)
Assistant Professor and Aaron Davis Hall technical manager Bryan Stanton continues to advance inclusive education through their podcast and nonprofit Teaching While Queer. They will host a global virtual conference for queer educators and students on October 11, 2025.
Carl Fudge (Art)
Professor Carl Fudge presented Techno-Abstraction, a solo exhibition at Galerie Richard in NYC (Dec 14, 2024–Jan 18, 2025), showcasing his signature blend of digital technology and traditional media in vibrant, abstract works.
Chan Harris (Theatre)
Professor Harris received the 2025 Faculty Service Award from the CCNY Alumni Association and co-launched PROJECT: NEW PLAY to mentor students in original theatrical production.
Christian Kelly-Sordelet (Theatre)
Stage Combat Instructor Christian Kelly-Sordelet won a 2025 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Fight Choreography, bringing professional-level craft to CCNY's performance training.
David Groff (English)
Professor David Groff was interviewed by Forbes Magazine about his poetry collection Live in Suspense and his advocacy for queer literary voices.
Deirdre Fishel (Media & Communication Arts)
Professor Deirdre Fishel’s documentary Facing the Wind premiered at DOC NYC in November 2024. The film follows two women navigating love and caregiving in the face of their husbands’ dementia.
Diana Guerra (Art)
Adjunct Assistant Professor and CCNY alum Diana Guerra was named a 2024–2025 Social Practice CUNY Fellow, supporting her work at the intersection of art and social justice.
Elizabeth Mazzola (English)
Professor Mazzola’s letter to The New York Times (April 8, 2025) defended the teaching of politically resonant texts like Macbeth and King Lear, emphasizing the value of classroom discourse in democratic societies.
Emily Raboteau (Black Studies)
Professor Raboteau published the environmental essay “Daylighting Tibbetts Brook” in Pioneer Works Broadcast, and her essay “Gutbucket” will be featured in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2025. Her book Lessons for Survival was named a finalist for the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award.
Emmanuel Lachaud (Black Studies)
Professor Lachaud was featured on the radio show Person Place Thing, sharing personal and professional insights through the lens of people, places, and objects.
Isabel Estrada (Classical & Modern Languages and Literatures)
Professor Estrada was Principal Investigator on a $500,000 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant, released her book Democrazy in Spain (Liverpool University Press, Nov 2025), and co-organized the 2025 CUNY Conference on Undergraduate Research.
Jervette Ward (Black Studies)
Dr. Ward appeared on CUNY TV’s Black America, discussing the Five Demands movement, the reestablishment of Black Studies at CCNY, and the PBS documentary The Five Demands.
Keith Gandal (English)
Professor Gandal released Firsthand with University of Michigan Press (July 2024) and discussed the book on the New Books Network podcast.
Laurie Woodard (Black Studies)
Associate Professor Woodard appeared on CUNY TV’s A Slice of New York, highlighting Harlem’s historical significance and CCNY’s place within it.
Lou Marinoff (Philosophy)
Professor Marinoff’s trilogy Fernando: Beethoven of the Guitar was re-released in a single volume, and he was featured in the Brazilian documentary The Fantastic Factory of Sanity.
Lyn Di Iorio (English)
Professor Di Iorio’s novelette Maritza and Carmen was published in The Georgia Review. The story is part of her upcoming collection Let Me Take Care of You, supported by a PSC-CUNY Research Award.
Massimo Pigliucci (Philosophy)
Professor Pigliucci’s new book Beyond Stoicism: A Guide to the Good Life with Stoics, Skeptics, Epicureans, and Other Ancient Philosophers was published in January 2025 by The Experiment, offering practical wisdom rooted in classical philosophy.
Salar Abdoh (English)
Professor Abdoh’s novel A Nearby Country Called Love was shortlisted for the 2024 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing, and his translated work in Women Life Freedom contributed to the book’s win of the Bread and Roses Award for Radical Publishing.
Soraya Palmer (English)
Guest Faculty Soraya Palmer received the NYSCA/NYFA Fellowship in Fiction, recognizing her emerging contributions to contemporary literature.
Tara Nachtigall (Theatre)
Alongside Chan Harris, Professor Nachtigall co-founded PROJECT: NEW PLAY, guiding students through the development and performance of new plays by CCNY faculty and alumni.
Yaari Felber-Seligman (History)
Assistant Professor Felber-Seligman published Fashioning Inland Communities: Trade and Popular Culture in Central East Africa, a study that centers precolonial African social and trade networks and expands discourse on gender and queer histories.
From prestigious book releases and national awards to original theater initiatives and socially engaged scholarship, H&A faculty continue to shape the intellectual and creative life of City College and its surrounding communities. Their work this year reaffirms the division’s commitment to excellence in teaching, research, imagination, and the public humanities.