How Barnard Helped Me Meet Ntozake Shange (and other Guest Speakers)

With Ntozake Shange '70 during her visit to Barnard.

Barnard is an amazing place where women, like you, come to be immersed and nurtured in an environment totally dedicated to learning. We become women that go on to do amazing things in the world and sometimes even return to the Barnard campus to inspire future generations of amazing women.

When I met Ntozake Shange '70 in the spring of my first year at Barnard, I was awestruck. Here I was, a first-year who had aspirations of becoming a novelist and playwright, and I had the honor of meeting an accomplished novelist and a playwright! Her hands had created worlds for people and Barnard was giving me the opportunity to have lunch in her presence.



So imagine my even greater surprise when I was asked to perform a piece of art for Ms. Shange alongside some of my peers. I declined at first, nervous to speak my own words in front of a woman who made words into beautiful songs. But after plenty of persuasion, I wrote a monologue to perform at her luncheon and was terrified she would hate it. 

Oprah Winfrey and Gloria Steinem with President Debora Spar
during their visit to Barnard.

She was amazing! Ms. Shange spoke to us about her plays and her books of poetry, how Barnard influenced her, and how to make the most of one’s experience here. Then I performed. I received a round of applause from everyone, even Ms. Shange! After all of our performances, Ms. Shange told us that we were a group of talented women. She even came up to me personally and said that she enjoyed my piece, calling it “powerful.”

 

Only a place like Barnard could give me the opportunity to meet a novelist and perform my work in front of her. But Ms. Shange is just one example of the diverse and powerful guest speakers who have come to Barnard since I have been a student here. We have also had Oprah, Anna Quindlen, Gloria Steinem, and Zadie Smith, just to name a few. As a student here, you will collect your own stories about meeting and hearing from Barnard's amazing and distinguished guests!

Marquita

Author and activist Elie Wiesel speaking at Barnard