A Lunch with Michael Lewis, the Navigator, and the Pioneer

A+Lunch+with+Michael+Lewis%2C+the+Navigator%2C+and+the+Pioneer

A couple weeks ago, Isidore Newman welcomed The Big Short author Michael Lewis ‘78 to join the Navigator and Pioneer teams for lunch. The unexpected power outage that Friday did not put a damper on the lunch – through much perseverance the lunch was hosted in the Foyer. Thanks to the natural sunlight that shone through the window, no one was left to eat in the dark. Students sat at a dining-hall-like table with white cloth, which was a stark contrast to the usual every day cafeteria lunch. There, Mr. Lewis sat at the head of the table more than happy to answer people’s inquiring questions about his writing process as well as his life at Newman. Students gained memorable insights from this enlightening conversation with the Newman alumni. Editor-In-Chief of the Navigator and Copy Editor of the Pioneer, Isabelle Plaisance ‘23, stated that she was “inspired by his storytelling abilities both in his non-fiction work as well as in his conversations with the teams.”  Other students like Mia Mancheski ‘23 (a Resident Artist for the Pioneer) and Henry Hamilton ‘23 (a Copy Editor for the Pioneer) were in awe of how down to earth he was. Mancheski saw him as a chill guy whose story-telling ability went beyond the confines of his work. Other students like Hamilton observed that Mr. Lewis was a down to earth guy that was willing to reconnect with students from his alma mater. In a perfect summary, Hamilton stated, [Mr. Lewis] is just a cool guy.” Reese Kenwood (an Editorial Assistant for the Pioneer) added that it was “an interesting experience to hear from a professional author.” And by hearing from a professional author, student writers like Caitlin Estrada ‘23 (Staff Writer for the Navigator) found it interesting that writing was never his main goal or career path, which perfectly fits Mr. Lewis’s profile as an easy going human being. This chat with Mr. Lewis was a “very inspirational moment” and calming especially in a hectic junior year according to Estrada. The conversation between the groups showed students like Kenwood that there is a possible career path in the literary field. This lunch was the perfect opportunity to collaborate and facilitate discussions between Newman’s campus publications. And students like Kenwood look forward to more opportunities to collaborate between the publications in the future.