Veronica Mittnacht

What is it about storytelling that’s so compelling to us?

“The key to my success was informality,” Chilean writer and Columbia alumnus Antonio Skármeta told the undergraduate Hispanic New York class last Thursday. Judging by his immense success and the joy in his voice, this strategy still seems to be working.

The apprehension in Roone Arledge before the Veritas Forum began was plain. Religious clubs sat in groups, and students examined the handful of pamphlets and questionnaires they were given at the door rather than facing their classmates.