Annual programs

The Seven Up Series

March 29th, 2018: 7-Up on Blue

  1. Jessica Lowenthal - (02:27) - Introduction
  2. Jennifer Houser Wegner - (10:05) - Egyptian Blue
  3. Zoe Stoller - (06:28) - feeling Blue (depression/sadness)
  4. Amber Rose - (09:46) - Bluest Eye
  5. Ashley Codner - (07:33) - the Blues (Music)
  6. Gabriel Ojeda - (07:19) - Blue Jeans
  7. Kayla Bernstein - (05:28) - Blue Razzberry

April 19th, 2017: 7-Up on Break

  1. Jessica Lowenthal - (03:08) - Introduction
  2. Brooke O'Harra - (10:53) - Breaking the Fourth Wall
  3. Meerabelle Jesuthasan - (09:56) - Breaking Things
  4. Dan Spinelli - (13:27) - Breaking News
  5. Mary Osunlana - (05:47) - Line Breaks
  6. Hannah Judd - (08:45) - Break-Up
  7. Emily Guendelsberger - (10:43) - Work Break
  8. Mark Dong - (09:40) - Breakdancing


April 16th, 2016: 7-Up on Spirit

  1. Jessica Lowenthal - (02:11) - Introduction
  2. Dean Browne - (09:40) - Alcoholic Spirits
  3. Ayla Fudala - (07:43) - Spirited Away
  4. Rev. Michael S. Chen - (08:51) - Religious Spirit
  5. Nick Defina - (08:35) - Kant's Critique of Pure Reason
  6. Deidre Solis - (07:35) - Mediums and Spirits
  7. Zach Carduner - (11:12) - Smells Like Teen Spirit
  8. Kory Stamper - (09:25) - Webster's Dictionary Definition of Spirit


February 12th, 2015: 7-Up on Rush

  1. Jessica Lowenthal - (03:04) - Introduction
  2. Amanda Mauri - (07:23) - Founding Father Benjamin Rush
  3. Pablo Abrante - (06:58) - Rush (the band)
  4. Ryan Godfrey - (08:24) - Daily Rush Hour
  5. Cassandra Kyriazis - (07:07) - Rushing a Sorority
  6. Dick Polman - (10:26) - Rush Limbaugh
  7. Madeline Penn - (08:44) - Fast Talking
  8. Lily Applebaum - (09:48) - The Gold Rush


March 5th, 2014: 7-Up on Pound

  1. Madeleine Wattenbarger - (05:05) - twitter hashtag
  2. Waleed Yousef - (12:07) - the dog pound (or the anti-dog pound; Leash for Life)
  3. Kenna O'Rourke - (05:15) - the British pound
  4. Kristen Martin - (06:36) - pound cake
  5. John Michael Conway - (11:04) - pound of flesh
  6. Janelle McDermoth - (07:14) - weights and measures (weightlifting, bodybuilding)
  7. Bob Perelman - (10:23) - Ezra Pound


February 28th, 2013: 7-Up on Camp

  1. Lance Wahlert - (10:23) - "camp" as an expressive mode
  2. Kate Herzlin - (08:20) - summer camp
  3. Jeffery Saven - (16:53) - cAMP (scientific term)
  4. Anna Strong - (11:09) - internment camps
  5. Sara Diaz - (07:07) - camping / PennQuest
  6. Alli Katz - (16:39) - campers / RVs / family vacation
  7. Carrie Rickey - (08:57) - the campy movie "Camp"


February 23rd, 2012: 7-Up on Isolation

  1. Jessica Lowenthal - (04:59) - Introduction
  2. David Barnes - (07:12) - Lazaretto quarantine station
  3. Callie Ward - (08:18) - Geographic isolations
  4. Aaron Marcus - (07:15) - Criminality
  5. Al Filreis - (13:43) - Emily Dickinson
  6. Peter Schwarz - (12:54) - Isolation politics
  7. Jill Ivey - (07:47) - Working from home
  8. Anthony DeCurtis - (06:32) - "Isolation" by Joy Division

Full recording



April 11th, 2011: 7-Up on Seven

  1. Jessica Lowenthal - (02:50) - Introduction
  2. Lee Huttner - (08:00) - Dante's Magnificent Seven
  3. Randall Couch - (07:39) - Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
  4. Malcom and Caleb McCreary - (07:32) - On Being Seven Years Old
  5. Eric Karlan - (05:15) - Baseball
  6. Arielle Brousse - (06:59) - Seven Deadly Sins
  7. Zach Carduner - (7:27) - Septa #7 Bus
  8. Tim Corrigan - (06:28) - Seven in Films

Full recording



April 19th, 2010: 7-Up on Space

  1. Jessica Lowenthal - (3:31) - Introduction
  2. Mark Devlin - (10:05) - Outer Space
  3. Harris Steinberg - (10:38) - Urban Space
  4. Kate Watson-Wallace - (10:02) - Choreography
  5. Thomson Guster - (7:29) - The Space Between
  6. Chris Mustazza - (9:04) - Virtual Space
  7. Grace Ambrose - (7:50) - Sun Ra
  8. Greg Romero - (10:12) - Performance Space

Install the Flash plugin to watch this video.

February 19th, 2009: 7-Up on Trash

  1. Jessica Lowenthal - (4:12) - Introduction
  2. Cecilia Corrigan - (8:11) - Found art
  3. Fran Ryan - (8:51) - Philadelphia sanitation workers
  4. Robert Schuyler - (12:15) - 19th century trash
  5. Erin Gautsche - (9:39) - Composting
  6. Sue Dannenberg - (5:03) - Wasted urban space
  7. Faith Cole - (7:34) - Wasted urban space
  8. Isaiah Thompson - (9:54) - Scrappers
  9. Arielle Brousse - (10:53) -Trash TV

Full recording



March 3, 2008: 7-Up on Rock

7-up on Rock featuring Rock-paper-scissors, Rocky Horror, pop literacy, Rocky, alternative healing, rock DJ, stone soup (Dan McQuade, Matt Rosenbaum, Maria Tessa Sciarrino, Blair Borish, CA Conrad, Lauren Lipsay, and Sam Allingham) followed by: dirt cake, meatloaf, rock candy, rocky road, and (again) stone soup.

  1. Jessica Lowenthal (2:56) - Introduction
  2. Matt Rosenbaum (8:24) - Rocky Horror
  3. Blair Borish (8:44) - Rocky
  4. Daniel McQuade (8:37) - RPS (Rock, Paper, Scissors)
  5. CA Conrad (6:27) - Quartz crystals
  6. Lauren Lipsay (8:41) - Rock mix
  7. Maria Tessa Sciarrino (6:34) - Rock criticism
  8. Sam Allingham (7:02) - Stone Soup

Full recording (58:56)



February 22, 2007: 7-Up on Bitter

7-Up on Bitter features seven people speaking about bitter things: herbs, chocolate, breakups, personalities, cold, and taste-receptors. Featuring chocolate maker Kira Baker-Doyle, poet and hub member Julia Bloch, failed-relationship expert Meredith Broussard, Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann, philosopher and hub member Richard Lawrence, memoirist and hub member Jamie-Lee Josselyn, and Temple University Biology Department faculty member Dr. Greg Smutzer.

  1. Jessica Lowenthal (2:41) - introduction
  2. Julia Bloch (8:06)
  3. Richard Lawrence (8:57)
  4. Meredith Broussard (6:28)
  5. Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann (8:15)
  6. Greg Smutzer (13:56)
  7. Kira Baker-Doyle (12:50)
  8. Jamie-Lee Josselyn (8:21)

Full recording

Eric Karlan writes about this event as part of his "Notes from the Green Couch" series.



January 17, 2006: 7-Up on Ben

7-Up on Ben features seven members of the Writers House and Penn communities speaking on some aspect of Penn's multifaceted founder to mark his 300th birthday. Featuring Penn History professor Michael Zuckerman, Penn artist and print instructor Matt Neff, actress and hub member Sarah Giovaniello, poet and hub member Tom Devaney, Penn Professor of Religious Studies Ann Matter, and Writers House friend Jerry Rudisill.

  1. Al Filreis - introduction (8:01)
  2. Michael Zuckerman (7:08)
  3. Matt Neff (6:15)
  4. Sarah Giovaniello (12:16)
  5. Anne Matter (9:04)
  6. Tom Devaney (10:54)
  7. Jerry Rudisill (11:07)
  8. Al Filreis and Benjamin Franklin - conclusion (1:15)

Full recording

1) calendar entry
2) the city-wide celebration of Ben Franklin's 300th birthday
3) Penn-wide celebration



September 29, 2004: 7-Up on Gold

The Kelly Writers House, in conjunction with the Esther Klein Gallery's Color Project, present seven members of the Writers House and Penn community speaking, reading, telling stories, and singing for seven minutes each on the color gold. Gold and gold imagery abound in literature, art, and daily life so join us for a no-holds-barred program about this meaningful hue! Speakers include Talia Stinson, Professor of Earth and Environmental Science Hermann Pfefferkorn, Kelly Professor of English and Faculty Director of Kelly Writers House Al Filreis, Jenny Suen, The Kelly Writers House Director Jennifer Snead and archaeologist who specializes the Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean William (Brad) Hafford. Hosted and moderated by Tom Devaney.

  1. Tom Devaney (8:48)
  2. Hermann Pfefferkorn (12:08)
  3. Hannah Filreis (1:48)
  4. Talia Stinson (5:43)
  5. Brad Hafford (6:13)
  6. Al Filreis (13:26)
  7. Jenny Suen (6:01)
  8. Jennifer Snead (9:00)

The Pennsylvania Current covered this event.