Class Notes Left to right: Elshtain ‘89; Burde ‘88; Jacobs ‘88; Neufeld ‘89 1987 “For years, I’ve been focusing my practice on consumer-protection litigation,” writes Brian Bromberg of New York City. “In 2001, I hung out my own shingle, opening the Bromberg Law Office, PC.” In November 2014, Brian was elected to the board of directors of the National Association of Consumer Advocates. 1988 Dana Burde’s new book, Schools for Conflict or for Peace in Afghanistan, demonstrates the effects—oftennotbeneficial—offoreign funding for education. The book cites how aid in Afghanistan led to violent conflict in the 1980s and 2000s, and how commonly held notions of what is considered appropri- ate aid often result in insufficient attention to educational needs. The book was awarded the 2015 Jackie Kirk Outstanding Book Award conferred by the Comparative and International Education Society. n Tilia Klebenov Jacobs’ new book, Wrong Place, Wrong Time, is a hostage drama set in the mountain wilderness of New Hampshire. Kirkuscalledit“anintelligent,thought-pro- Nardo ‘91 voking adventure story and a fine debut.” Tilia reports that she is “enjoying the glow of artistic satisfaction that comes from great reviewsandlousysales.”n ChristopherSahar is working toward a master’s in music compo- sition at Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College/CUNY in New York City. Christopher celebrated two milestones recently: A piece he wrote for gamelan orchestra and amplified piano in spring 2013 was performed at LeFrak Hall in Queens College, and two of his works were performed in September 2014 at the first Mental Health Awareness Concert held at the school. One of the pieces was written in response to his brother’s suicide several years ago after battling bipolar disorder for over a decade. [w]: www.soundclick.com/comporgan 1989 Eric Elshtain released his first full-length book of poetry, This Thin Memory A-ha. It is described as “an antic assembly of highly wrought hymns and Linnaean hexes in which memory narrows and billows ‘while we go headlong/to eat the arms of charlatans/ rescuing every rickety magician/from salvation.’” n Josh Neufeld has created a comic novella with Al Jazeera America reporter Michael Keller. Terms of Service: Understanding Our Role in the World of Big Data “examines the role of big data, privacy, and the implications of sharing personal BAR STRIKES OBERLIN CHORD IN BROOKLYN For many alumni, an Oberlin house party is hundreds of miles away and years in the past, but for New York City Obies, it’s as close as a subway ride. Christy Epstein Sheehan ’91 fashioned her music venue, Bar Chord, after the late-night get-togethers she frequented at Oberlin. “I wanted it to be like one of the Oberlin parties where I saw Aqua the Clown or Bitch Magnet,” she says. The Brooklyn bar, co-owned with her husband, Jonny Sheehan, features musicians almost every night of the week—from jazz to zydeco to folk rock— many of them Oberlin alumni from the 1980s to 2010. Bar Chord’s furnishings, from the bar to the couches, are made from recycled and reclaimed materials. Herbs for the drinks are grown in the backyard. Paintings by local artists decorate the walls, and, when there is no music, community groups use the space for meetings. The house-party vibe is palpable even from the front entrance, where bands play alongside the crowd under a display of for-sale vintage guitars, rather than in a sepa- rate back room. Unlike many city bars, which feature several bands to draw the maximum number of fans, at Bar Chord a single band plays for the entire night. Sheehan says she grew up at a time when music venues were all over the city, but she feels that time is dying out. “In a world that’s corporatized and sanitized,” she says, “I don’t want every artist to feel like they have to leave New York City to get exposure.” “It’s nice to discover this place after being thrust into the real world. And it doesn’t get more real than New York City,” says Jesse Sternberg ’07, guitar player, singer, and songwriter for Out of System Transfer. Since opening in May 2013, the bar has defied city survival rates and is almost always full. Sheehan attributes that success to the music. “At Oberlin, music is coming at you at all times. That stayed with me for so long,” she says. “Here, I’ve watched many, many people come in for a drink and just get caught up in the music.” —Kim Brown ’92 34