Alex Leader-Smith

A note to the culinarily inept

I’m not a great cook. In fact, I’m downright incompetent in the kitchen. Over the years I’ve left in my wake dozens of bags of burnt popcorn, several mangled tuna fish cans, and one particularly ill-f…

Getting Spiked

Twenty-one words undid my existence. I opened the paper and just like that I was gone. “The Poenis has recently run several columns by ‘Alex Leader-Smith.’ It has come to our attention that no such pe…

A passivist finds his place, sort of

I’d spent the month immersed in civic engagement. I voted. I told friends to vote. I watched debates. I watched the Daily Show. I watched attack ad after attack ad after — ooh, Emerald Nuts ad! — afte…

Saving Mother Earth, one thermos at a time

There I was, poised to take part in a tactical strike of epic magnitude. For years I’d tolerated the public’s wasteful, profligate consumption, but now I was their friend no longer. Those glass-trashi…

Feminist fun: I love women, too

The Vagina Monologues discussion was going well. “If you haven’t read it and you’re a feminist, it’s a really affecting piece.”

“It changed the way I thought about myself as a woman.”

Th…

The search continues

Sunday afternoon. A calm breeze. The late summer sun breaks through the clouds, bathing eager first-years in its soothing, radiant warmth. They’ve journeyed from across the globe to find this place, a…

Columnist infiltrates Student Council

A cold December night. Winter’s harsh onset tiptoeing nearer. Semester ending soon. Papers! Exams! Presentations! Looming like there’s no tomorrow! A crowded cafeteria. Walls lined with paper snow. Pe…

It's not always easy to become a brother

Fraternities. Those dark, mysterious houses on the edge of Swarthmore college life, those clandestine organizations home to all sorts of arcane ritual, those hubs of esoteric custom, bathed in traditi…

Club watch

[Disclaimer: Any generalization herein regarding any Swarthmore club, group or organization represents only complete and unfounded speculation. Any suggestion of my lack of interest in your group deno…

No more veal bar at Sharples?

It was going to be tough, but patty-grilla bar needed to be forsaken. Normally, I’d have jumped at the chance for juicy, tender, sumptuously grilled Sharples chicken breast. But on that Thursday eveni…

A SWIL Valentine's Day

From the moment SWIL co-presidents Jillian Waldman ‘06, Mark Handler ’05 and Mai Pucik ’06 called the meeting to “disorder” amidst a cacophony of hollering, table-banging and howls, I knew I was in fo…

Learning to cast on the loops

Grannies around the world, stand up and take a bow. You’ve gained my newfound respect. You see, it wasn’t until this past week that I realized knitters must be some of the world’s most talented people…

Dreaming of Jeopardy

Alex Leader-Smith ‘06 is looking for his niche. He’s been at Swat for a year and a half, and he still hasn’t found that one activity, that one group, that one organization that really calls out to him…

Your wildest dreams -- published

Guilt Without Sex: The virginal hallways of Parrish East. We’ve all heard the stereotypes about sex-less Swatties, but two recent Swarthmore graduates are turning that idea on its head. “Simone” and “…

Feeling sheepish

I don’t have a home, but I think my quest to find the perfect campus group is coming to an end. It’s not that I have nowhere left to visit. I’m sure Swarthmore Christian Fellowship would happily sprea…

Wiffling with the best of them

“Shingo Murata, YOU are my nemesis!”

This was my thought as I stared down the Wiffle Hall legend.

“Shingo Murata, you will be bamboozled by my sliding-whirling-floating fastball of doom!”

This…

Intrepid reporter infiltrates Phoenix lair

Superman never knew how good he had it. True, I doubt he enjoyed constantly thwarting the plots of nefarious evil-doers. But at least after a long day of saving the planet, he had his fame and reputat…

A banquet at every meeting

Campus groups are the bread and butter of Swarthmore life. They provide eager students with opportunities to pursue significant causes. They challenge students’ minds, bolster their pride and give the…

Added to the mix

Pride, dignity and one a cappella fan’s never-dying love was all on the line as I cleared my throat and prepared to delight Mixed Company with my subtle grasp of Evanescence. I couldn’t believe I was …

Boy meets Boy Meets Tractor

It’s embarrassing to admit, but occasionally I try to be funny. Buried within my epic tales of glory and misadventure are witty little tidbits like this (on the Animal Rights Coalition): “The last tim…

The Nelson in you

I marveled awestruck at the god before me. Nelson, Nelson, NELSON!!! Here in the flesh was the iconic rebel, the stalwart enemy of corporate malfeasance, the valiant David to Diebold’s ugly Goliath. S…