iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

These are just some of the works of Priscilla Otani ’74, a San Francisco-based artist and curator whose own experiences as an immigrant and feminist have steered what she creates and shows. Much more of her work is available to view on mrpotani.com. (See the alt text for titles and descriptions.)

“Just Because,” a mixed-media piece examining life in 2026, with objects representing current headlines grounded by a tattered and repaired U.S. flag

One half of "Alien American: Asian American,” a mixed-media piece reflecting Priscilla Otani's life as a Japanese American. The overall impression is that of a Japanese flag, with a white background covered in Japanese calligraphy and a red fabric center circle surrounded by small red origami kimonos and an image of a Japanese passport.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Gloria Steinem visited Mills during Women’s History Month in 2007, conversing with students in an intimate setting; gathering with alums and community members at the Mills College Art Museum; and speaking about her lifetime of activism in Littlefield Concert Hall.

Gloria Steinem in the midst of a conversation, surrounded by other women, in a room with wooden bookcases.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Our big summer feature was inspired by HUE, the magazine of the Fashion Institute of Technology . Editors there gathered alum sketchbooks for a 2024 edition, so we naturally had to try the same thing…though the Mills version evolved in a slightly different way: quarterly.mills.edu/in-process/.

quarterly.mills.edu

In Process

We reached out to nearly 200 Mills artists with a simple question: Would you show us what your work looks like… deconstructed? Whether that meant sketches, models, diagrams—the idea of seeing creat…

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

The summer 2026 issue of the Quarterly is on the way and should be hitting your mailbox soon—but you can check it out online now! Visit quarterly.mills.edu.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

When we conducted our most recent reader survey, a number of respondents asked for updates on particular members of the Mills faculty. Much to our surprise, the tenures for most of them overlapped in the 1990s! So, for the “Catching Up With…” column in our spring issue, we found quite a few.

A black-and-white photo of Cynthia Scheinberg, a white woman with curly dark hair wearing big drop earrings and a crocheted sweater vest over a turtleneck.

A black-and-white photo of Elisabeth Siekhaus, a professor sitting at a desk in an office, talking with a student with dark hair wearing dark clothes just off to the side.

A black-and-white photo of Robert Anderson, a white man with white hair wearing white shirtsleeves and a loose tie, looking at the camera with his hands folded.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

For our spring education theme, we returned to a previous topic: pandemic effects on the classroom. Now that everyone's back to in-person instruction, how did teaching remotely help educators and administrators improve learning outcomes for students of all abilities? Click below for the story.

quarterly.mills.edu

Back to School?

These Mills-affiliated educators take stock of the state of learning post-lockdown Words By Rebecca Bodenheimer It was six years ago when the world came to a screeching halt, sending everyone home …

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

It’s no exaggeration that the history of the Children’s School and education programs at Mills in our spring issue was a monumental undertaking! The first mention we could find for a formal education program was in the 1898 Mills College catalog. quarterly.mills.edu/held-in-high...

quarterly.mills.edu

“Held in High Esteem”: The History and Legacy of Education at Mills

Words by Allison Rost Is it even possible to capture the magic of teaching education at Mills into one story? We’re certainly going to try. We count at least 1,600 living graduates of graduate educ…

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

One week from today, on Thursday, May 7, family and friends of the late Professor Emerita of History Marianne Sheldon will gather at the Mills Hall fountain to come together and share stories, as well as to dedicate a bench and a tree in her memory.

A photo of Marianne Sheldon, a white woman with brown shoulder-length hair, wearing a white blouse, a gray cardigan, and gold earrings and necklace.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Spring is here...in more ways than one! Our latest issue is online at quarterly.mills.edu. Click over for stories about education and previous faculty members, a letter from Mills dean Beth Kochly, and an excerpt from an alum's latest collection of short stories—and much more.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Kate Swartz-Means ’08 is many things: a volunteer archeologist, an illustrator (including for @millsquarterly.bsky.social), a hostess for Mills alum events, and a tobacco researcher—a path she started while working on a health psychology project in the quiet of Mills Hall at night.

A white woman with dark hair and eyes wearing a red stole and veiled wide-brimmed hat.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

We thought about posting these last week, but we didn’t want them to get confused as an April Fools’ prank. These 1960s/70s advertisements for hormone therapy were all too common, treating menopause like an affliction to be cured. (Thanks to @eblinglibrary.bsky.social for the ads!)

A vintage advertisement for Premarin (conjugated estrogens) that shows a white woman with white hair wearing a sparkling white dress, smiling while surrounded by men in tuxedos. The tagline reads "help keep her this way."

A black-and-white advertisement showing a white woman with short light hair smiling at a kitchen counter with eggs, butter, a mixing bowl, and various utensils in front of her. The tagline reads "Obviously calm and controlled."

A vintage advertisement showing an older woman standing at a window in an elegantly appointed living room, looking lonely. The tagline reads "The Menopause: Does she just have to live with it?"

A vintage advertisement showing a white woman with blonde hair that's pulled back looking forlornly at the camera. The tagline reads "Premarin (conjugated estrogens tablets U.S.P) helps relieve emotional symptoms of menopausal estrogen deficiency because it gives her back something she's lost."

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Before graduating from medical school, Suegee Tamar-Mattis ’95 participated in street patrol groups walking the Castro. Early in her years of practicing osteopathic medicine, she worked with the Sonoma County Indian Health Project and founded a transgender clinic in that area.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Now online: the winter 2026 issue! This edition is themed on medical and scientific research, featuring Mills alums who put hours into pushing forward treatments for everything from cancer to depression to menopause. Check it out at quarterly.mills.edu.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Our thanks to Angélica Navarro ’21 for her gorgeous illustrations in our fall 2025 feature “The Business of Giving Back”! She created the likenesses of (in order) Idalin Bobé, MBA ’13; Vanita Lee-Tatum, MBA ’13; Charlene Harrison ’96, MBA ’08; Naima McQueen, MBA ’18; and Joanne da Luz, MBA ’13.

A strip of five painterly illustrations of five women of color, all wearing business-appropriate clothing.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

Mechanical engineer. Management consultant. College professor. Social entrepreneur. Darcelle Lahr, MA ’17, EDD ’18, has held a variety of different jobs, but they’ve all led her to a life spent helping those the system has left behind through “transformative social action.”

Darcelle Lahr, a Black woman, wearing graduation regalia and holding a blue Mills diploma cover against an outdoor stage and walkway.

A Black woman in a white polo shirt, jeans, and white helmet standing on a platform at an industrial site in Southeast Asia.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

The fall 2025 issue has landed! This issue is themed on social entrepreneurship (and how it's interpreted among Mills alums!). Spoiler: a quote from Professor Darcelle Lahr, MA ’17, EDD ’18: “I see social entrepreneurship as the vehicle through which individuals and communities can build hope.”

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

Wrapping up our coverage of the summer issue as we prep to put the fall edition online brings us this pic from 1917. When we decided on a performing arts theme for summer, we knew that we had to include an image illustrating the deep roots they have on the Mills campus.

A black-and-white photo from 1917 that shows a troupe of about two dozen performers posing in a partially wooded outdoor setting. They are wearing various fantastical costumes, like sprites and fairies, with one actor dressed in a long gown with a beard.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

Samantha Lake ’17 was originally going to major in computer science at Mills—that is, until she tried out a campus theater workshop. Years later, after switching programs and trying out film acting, she finds herself a puppeteer in Los Angeles, working at the renowned Bob Baker Marionette Theater.

A young white woman with brunette hair pulled back in a ponytail and bangs to her eyebrows, wearing a collared red button-up shirt and holding an elaborate puppet with a yellow and orange outfit and red nose. The puppet's strings are faintly visible against a red backdrop.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

Now premiering: our summer issue! Visit quarterly.mills.edu for coverage of Commencement 2025 as well as a variety of Mills alums who make their living in the performing arts.

An animation showing various pages from the summer 2025 issue of Mills Quarterly.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

The research process for the spring Throwback, about alum memories of going off-campus for extracurricular activities, took us to the Oakland History Center. At the link below, read recollections about "The Ave," as well as other memories about going off to Berkeley and San Francisco.

quarterly.mills.edu

Throwback: The Ave…& Other Off-Campus Locales

THE ORIGINAL Mills campus originally stretched much further southwest than current borders show—nearly all the way down to Foothill Boulevard in East Oakland. When the College sold off that tract o…

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

The surreal world of “The Sims” includes a score of jazzy, New Age-style piano pieces that Vice in 2018 said is “likely one of the most widely heard album-length collections of music to be released so far this century.” The composer, Jerry Martin, earned his MFA at Mills in 1981.

quarterly.mills.edu

The Sound of Sims

Soundtracking one of the most enduring computer games Words by Jessica Lipsky JERRY MARTIN, MFA ’81, isn’t a gamer, but his influence has been felt—and most certainly heard—by a generation of compu…

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Professor Cliff Lee began teaching in the Mills School of Education in 2019, and he now also instructs future video game developers through his joint appointment with Northeastern’s College of Art, Media, and Design, building off his dissertation on teaching programming at an East Oakland school.

Cliff Lee, an Asian man with a black beard, wearing a blue button-down shirt, black cardigan, wood-bead necklace, and a black fedora, posing for a photo.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

It’s happening!!!...later than we’d expected, but spring 2025 is finally online. Visit quarterly.mills.edu for features about gaming, looks back at off-campus hotspots and the origins of fencing at Mills, and celebrations of the season through photography and poetry. Print edition arrives soon!

quarterly.mills.edu

Mills Quarterly

The alumnae magazine of Mills College

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

Elwin Cotman, MFA '12, is on this list! Cotman's book of short stories, "Weird Black Girls," came out in 2024, and he has a novel scheduled for release later this year. Congratulations!

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Thanks to the Mills College Art Museum for allowing us to feature the work of Professor Emerita Hung Liu in our winter issue! Tomorrow at noon PDT, join Museum Director Stephanie Hanor for a virtual tour of MCAM’s 100-year history. Register here: eventregistration.northeastern.edu/event/7315a5...

Hung Liu, “Sisters,” 2000, Lithograph with chine collé on paper, 22 in. x 29 7/8 in., Gift of the artist, Collection of the Mills College Art Museum.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

For the winter 2025 issue, we caught up with members of the Mills cross-country teams from 2009 to 2011. One of our newest columns checks in with a different student group from over the years and sees what sticks with them even now: quarterly.mills.edu/legacy/catch....

quarterly.mills.edu

Catching Up With…

Catching Up With…: Cross-Country 2009-2011 Cross-country at Mills navigated a tough course as the Aughts came to a close. The team reached the national championships in 2009 under the coachin…

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

The website www.poetsreadingthenews.com is the brainchild of Elle Newton '12. She began the project in 2016 after finding herself dispirited by increasing numbers of mass shootings in the U.S. With input from writers from around the world, the site's offerings are more and more poignant these days.

poetsreadingthenews.com

Poets Reading The News - Journalism in Verse

Journalism in Verse

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

These gorgeous, hand-drawn illustrations by Kate Swartz ’08 accompanied our winter 2025 feature on alum authors who have found comfort or catharsis (sometimes both) through their writing.

A drawing of a red and orange fire rising up from a green landscape, with one flame morphing into a pencil and two others coming together to form a hand that's holding a white flower blossom.

An arm intertwined with a green being that initially seems to be a snake but turns into a fountain pen as it reaches the fingertips.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

“With self-publishing, you can protect your voice!” . When we spoke to alum authors who put out their works beyond the traditional paradigm, this is what we heard. In our latest issue, they spoke about the journeys they took—and we outlined terms and processes that aspiring authors should know.

An illustration of a tiny woman using a giant pencil to write on a sheet of white paper she's also standing on.

A cyan line drawing of a woman writing with a pencil in a journal.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Even in this era of book bans, Young Adult (YA) literature is exploding in popularity—and according to Mills alums who are YA authors and fans, the topics that have made these titles controversial to some also draw readers of all ages.

A collage of various YA book covers, from famous titles like "The Hunger Games" and "Divergent" to those written by Mills alums, such as "Starling" by Isabel Strychacz ’17 and "Peas and Carrots" by Tanita S. Davis, MFA '04.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

The fires that have devastated the Los Angeles area over the past two weeks are difficult to comprehend. We now know of at least nine alums who have lost their homes, and the psychological impact on everyone affected can’t be overstated.

Downtown Los Angeles from afar against an orange, smoky sky.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Our winter issue is online! Visit quarterly.mills.edu for all sorts of stories relating to writing and literature: Mills YA authors, self-publishing, writing through trauma, and much more.

An animation showing various pages from the winter 2025 Mills Quarterly.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Another change we made to the new Mills Quarterly is the more intentional use of campus and archive photography. For the first edition, that meant autumnal images of the Music Building. (Though the colors are likely similar to the look of campus right now; these photos were shot last December!)

The ornate front entrance of the Music Building with out-of-focus orange leaves in the foreground.

Autumn leaves in yellows, oranges, and reds on branches, backlit against a bright sky.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

When we set out to cover alums working in agriculture, we weren’t sure what we'd find. “What Starts in the Garden Can Heal the World,” in our fall issue, discovered that those folks are optimistic about the future—as long as things stay small. Read more: quarterly.mills.edu/what-starts-....

Julia Dashe, a white woman wearing a straw hat and the director of the Mills Community Farm, kneeling in a field with green plants to examine a specimen.

A branch of red apples growing against a vibrant blue sky.

A young woman of South Asian descent wearing a gray sweatshirt and red track pants shoveling a pile of mulch with stacked hay bales and green grass behind her.

The hands of a Black student holding a green lettuce leaf.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

This poem by Jazkia Phillips '24 first appeared in the fall 2022 issue of The Womanist and is the inaugural entry in Salon, our new section for creative writing and artwork by Mills alums and professors. To submit your work for consideration, email us at mills.quarterly@northeastern.edu!

A poem:

i don't usually do things in half measures,

and it's not enough to wear
my heart on my sleeve.

mine is under my tongue
and halfway down my throat.

it coats the roof of my mouth
and slides along my gums.

by the time i have to speak a word,
the thing is falling out and into my hand.

blood between my teeth,
i smile the widest i ever will.

i couldn't swallow her if i tried.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

“We didn’t want to be a normal little restaurant. We wanted to offer oysters to people who had never tasted them,” says Romney Steele ’02, MFA ’04, co-owner of The Cook and Her Farmer in Old Oakland. Read the fall 2024 story about her on our website: quarterly.mills.edu/community-at...

quarterly.mills.edu

Community at the Center

How a beloved Oakland restaurant is bridging gaps Words by Arya Samuelson, MFA ’19 / Photos by Megan Bayley Romney Steele ’02, MFA ’04, is no stranger to the power of community. Growing up in …

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

For the fall issue, we gathered three alums working in food—Jovida Ross ’00; Malena Lopez-Maggi ’13, MFA ’15; and Roberta Klugman ’74—to talk about sustainability and the various ways the concept shows up in their work: quarterly.mills.edu/three-paths-....

quarterly.mills.edu

Three Paths, One (Deliciously Sustainable) Destination

These Mills alums all work in the food industry in different capacities but face the same concerns. Earlier this year, we sat down with three Millsies working in food—a maker, a publicist, and an a…

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 01/11/2024

One of the biggest changes in the Quarterly's redesign is the addition of three new sections that are open to reader submissions! Visit quarterly.mills.edu for Salon (writing and artwork), Throwback (Mills memories), and Catching Up With... (what Mills groups have been up to since graduation).

A Gif that reads "Salon. Throwback. Catching Up with...We want to hear from you!"

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 09/10/2024

It’s here! It’s here! The redesigned fall 2024 issue of the Quarterly and is now available to peruse online. Click here to read more about our design process: quarterly.mills.edu/redesign/. And click here for the ISSUU version, which best reflects the print experience: issuu.com/millsquarter....

quarterly.mills.edu

A Guide to the Updated Quarterly

Welcome to the New Mills Quarterly! This updated version of the magazine aims to honor the illustrious past of both Mills College and the publication itself while showcasing the varied lives of our…

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 02/10/2024

And here's our new cover! 1.) The redesigned magazine is bound like a book, so the stripe on the left borders the front and back covers. The color will shift with each issue! 2.) Domaine Display is our cover font, and it will also be used in headlines inside the magazine.

The front cover of the fall 2024 issue of Mills Quarterly. Against a sandy background, there's an illustration of a woman's hands holding a plate of food and chopsticks. There's a red stripe along the left side, and the words Mills Quarterly Fall 2024 stacked in the top right corner.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 19/09/2024

A look at how Quarterly covers have evolved over the last 114 years! We'll be offering a sneak peek at the updated fall issue next week at Reunion, in the Rothwell black box theater at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, 9/27. Register for Reunion here: eventregistration.northeastern.edu/event/millsr....

A GIF showing the evolution of Mills Quarterly covers from 1918 to present.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 10/09/2024

A refreshed, updated Mills Quarterly is coming your way soon! We can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on over the past weeks and months—even years.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 22/08/2024

Faculty Village: a gathering place. A playground. Classroom. And most of all, home. For the summer issue, we dug deep into the archives and talked to former residents about the unique spot on campus.

A collage of four vintage photos of Faculty Village: Spanish-style homes with white exteriors and tile roofs.

A street sign showing the intersection between Darius Milhaud Ln. and Faculty Circle.

An early blueprint from the construction of one of the Faculty Village houses.

A modern-day photo of a house in Faculty Village with flora and fauna in the foreground.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 02/08/2024

As we enter August, we're looking back at Commencement 2024, which—amazingly—took place more than three months ago! Check out our coverage on the Q website: quarterly.mills.edu/commencement...

quarterly.mills.edu

Commencement 2024

A momentous day for a momentous class.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 10/07/2024

The Supreme Court, you say? In our summer edition, we spoke to Assistant Professor Sahar Abi-Hassan about the research she's been conducting into the organizations that file and bankroll the amicus briefs that are filed with the nation's highest court: quarterly.mills.edu/prof-studies...

The exterior of the United States Supreme Court. Photo by Kjetil Ree.

Sahar Abi-Hassan, a West Asian woman with shoulder-length black hair wearing a black leather jacket.

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Mills Quarterly @millsquarterly.bsky.social · 19/06/2024

Associate Adjunct Professor of Public Policy Ashley Adams is a descendent of early settlers in Nicodemus, Kansas, a historic Black town founded in 1877 post-emancipation. That legacy informs her work now, as she helps preserve Allensworth, a similar settlement in California.

Ashley Adams, a Black woman wearing braids, a black jacket, and eyeglasses, standing by a wall with a poster advertising an 1878 departure for African Americans to seek homes in the southwest.

Three Black women -- Ashley Adams and her aunt and mother -- wearing sunglasses and hats while attending a family reunion in a wooded park in Nicodemus, Kansas.

An archival shot of Nicodemus, Kansas, showing four Black settlers in late 1800s clothing standing in front of a wooden cabin.

An archive photo of Reverend Allen Allensworth, the namesake of the historically Black town of Allensworth, California.

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