A Principled Man

Nathan Mossell M1882 overcame great odds to become the first African-American graduate of Penn’s School of Medicine. He went on to found Philadelphia’s first black hospital—an achievement he never really wanted.

The Greatest

F. Scott Fitzgerald died a failure, but now The Great Gatsby sells a half-million copies a year (even when there’s not a movie). In So We Read On, alumna and Fresh Air book-critic Maureen Corrigan explains how this happened—and why it’s right that it did.

Jamming with Trane

As a freshman at Penn, Steven Knoblauch C’70 soloed in concert alongside John Coltrane. In response to a newly discovered recording, he spoke with us about that night.

Salamishah Tillet’s Journey

The Penn alumna and English professor—survivor of two rapes while an undergraduate—has become a lauded scholar and teacher and a leading activist in the effort to end violence against women and girls.

The Lightning Rod

Robert Lanza C’78 M’83 has racked up a slew of scientific accolades—and generated an equal amount of controversy—for his pioneering work on cloning and stem cells.