The Sidney Harman Writer-In-Residence Program
remembering sidney harman
1918-2011
A Personal Recollection
of Sidney Harman
by Roslyn Bernstein
Sidney Harman, keynote speaker, at Baruch College's 44th Commencement.

Edward Albee with Harman students in Mason Hall.
Hear what students say about the program...
The Sidney Harman Writer-in-Residence Program brings distinguished writers to the Baruch College campus every semester. Whether they are poets, playwrights, novelists, journalists, essayists or critics, the Harman Writers-in-Residence enrich the Baruch environment, creating a lively literary salon for students and faculty. Funded by alumnus Dr. Sidney Harman (’39), the Harman Residency reflects his belief that “good writing is revelatory. It is not merely a transference of fully formed material from brain to paper. Writing is an act of magical creation; writing is discovery.”
“The terms of the national debate have subtly, insidiously shifted. What used to be called liberal is now called radical; what used to be called radical is now called insane. What used to be called reactionary is now called moderate, and what used to be called insane is now called solid conservative thinking.”
— American ThingsTony Kushner
Harman Writer-in-Residence
Spring 1999
The Harman Program relies on an intense workshop design, where visiting writers teach small classes and hold individual conferences. Students are encouraged to hone their personal styles and to find their own creative voices.
Jhumpa Lahiri
Harman Writer-In-Residence Fall 2011.
photo by Elena Seibert
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2011, 5:45 PM:
A reading and conversation with Jhumpa Lahiri in the Newman Vertical Campus at Baruch College, Room 14-220; co-sponsored by Poets & Writers.
He turned to face his sleeping grandson, the long lashes and
rounded cheeks reminding him of his own children when they were young. He was suddenly conscious that he would probably not live to see Akash into adulthood, that he
would never see his grandson’s middle age, his old age, this simple fact of life saddening him. He imagined the boy years from now, occupying this very room, shutting the door.
It was inevitable. And yet he knew that he, too, had turned his back on his parents, by settling in America. In the name of ambition and accomplishment, none of which mattered anymore, he had forsaken them.
—From Unaccustomed Earth
Visit Baruch College's Digital Media Library to watch full readings by Harman Writers-In-Residence.
Hear what writers say about the program.
For information about residency, email Prof.
Roslyn Bernstein or visit her homepage.
Phone: (646) 312-3930
Current Writers-in-Residence
- Jhumpa Lahiri
Fall 2011 - Laurie Sheck
Spring 2012
Past Writers-in-Residence
- Edward Albee
- Agha Shahid Ali
- Yehuda Amichai
- Paul Auster
- April Bernard
- Susan Choi
- Anita Desai
- William Finnegan
- Francisco Goldman
- Philip Gourevitch
- Major Jackson
- Ben Katchor
- Jane Kramer
- Mark Kurlansky
- Tony Kushner
- Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
- Colum McCann
- Lorrie Moore
- Carol Muske-Dukes
- Sigrid Nunez
- Joseph O'Connor
- George Packer
- Richard Price
- Francine Prose
- Charles Simic
- John Edgar Wideman
Shortcuts
- For Students
- Declare a Major
- Declare a Minor
- Academic Appeals Forms
- General Information
- Faculty/Staff Directory
- Weissman Site Map
- About this Site


