Isaac Amend
Staff Columnist
Author Archive
AMEND: I don’t belong in queer culture

While at Yale, I transitioned from being a pretty, long-haired Division I female cross country runner who wore pearl earrings to, by senior year, being […]

AMEND: In defense of the YDN

Herein lies the draw of the News. It is friendly to former columnists, and now, more so than my time in 2015 to 2017, has a more diverse staff — a talking point that was controversial years ago, when the paper seemed whitewashed. The News has an uncanny ability to pluck fine voices out of the student body, and also solicits non-university voices — something I witnessed when New Haven residents would write to me in emails. 

AMEND: Practice intimacy

Recently, I reflected on what I could have done differently at Yale, and what I can do differently as an alumnus to improve my life. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, scaling the ranks of academia or another field was not one of them. Nor was writing a good book. I’ve chosen to focus, instead, on intimacy.

AMEND: Speak Up and Divest Now

Before Dad worked at Raytheon, I was critical of weapons companies. But his salary helped pay for my college education debt-free. As a result, I was used to debating the ethical dilemma in being involved, in some way shape or form, with corporations that manufacture missiles, bombs, warplanes and other things. 

AMEND: Literature Keeps Me Alive

Students on campus are reading books for the wrong reasons.

AMEND: Three Morrison classes we need now

In a Jan. 26 column, I explained why Yale needs to teach more of Toni Morrison. Chief among a whole host of reasons is that […]

AMEND: The Queen’s Gambit

I founded a chess club in Fairfax, Virginia. My grandfather taught me how to play chess from the age of eight, and the game has […]

AMEND: Literature Makes the World Go Round

After graduating seven years ago, I’ve learned that making money in America revolves around knowing finance, data and science. Making money means understanding economics and ways to do business, and working in geopolitics. Writers and people who study good books rarely make a lot of money. But their literature is what makes the world go round. 

AMEND: Yale needs more Toni Morrison classes

In April 2015, I saw Toni Morrison speak at Harvard before her passing in 2019. My love for Morrison started after I read “Song of […]

AMEND: Watch your language

Five years after graduating Yale, I told a business colleague of mine that his language was heteronormative. “What’s heteronormative?” he said in confusion and disbelief. […]

AMEND: It’s time men speak up

Content Warning: This column contains references to sexual violence. SHARE is available to all members of the Yale community who are dealing with sexual misconduct […]