Marketing the Macabre

From a vampire-slaying-sword auction to wine tastings with fans, Leslie Esdaile Banks W’80 has used her Wharton training (and an almost supernatural business sense) to promote her bestselling book series.

The Next, Next Thing

If serial entrepreneur Elon Musk has his way, sending a payload—and eventually, people—into space will be handled commercially, more like UPS than “the Right Stuff.” (At least if you leave out the part about settling Mars.) Oh, and the rest of us here on earth will be able to tap affordable solar power and drive fast, efficient, cool-looking electric cars.

Proof of Concept

Four years after Amy Gutmann set out to reinvigorate the interdisciplinary ethos at Penn, a new kind of professorship is on the ascendant.

Lady Marilyn’s Wing

In much of her own work, the poet Marilyn Nelson channels African-American history. As the founder of Soul Mountain Retreat, an artists’ colony in rural Connecticut, she is nurturing the next generation of writers.

Living the Lesson

Taking his first live snap in the NFL, a rookie field-goal kicker—who also happens to be a 43-year-old sportswriter—learns about pressure.