Alumni hosts Melody Hahm ’13 and Andy Serwer ’81, P’16, P’20 welcomed alumni, parents, students, and friends to an evening of conversation, learning, and fun at Yahoo in New York City.

Bowdoin’s Arielle Saiber, Associate Professor of Italian, delivered a captivating and humorous talk on Dante’s Divine Comedy accurately titled “Hell, yes! Dante in Contemporary American Satire”. From countless re-imaginings of Dante’s nine circles of punishment to the famed invitation (slightly altered here) “Abandon News, All Ye Who Enter Here” that hung above the doorway to comedian Jon Stewart’s recording studio in New York, the modern world finds questionable behavior and eternal retribution entertaining and useful. Using these and many more examples, Professor Saiber illuminated what’s so funny to contemporary Americans – and to a great number of New Yorkers – about Dante’s Comedy.

Emma Pyle, Bowdoin Club of New York Board Member and Class of 2012, introduced Arielle Saiber, her former professor. In polling the audience, many of the guests had taken classes with Professor Saiber while at Bowdoin. The evening sparked intellectual curiosity, entertained, and reminded alumni what they missed most about Bowdoin. To see more photos of the evening, visit the Bowdoin Club of New York Facebook Page.