A wolf interval occurs in the circle of fifths in certain temperament schemes. It is dissonant in the face of harmony. It is the interval whose imperfection makes the other fifths perfect. Tradition holds that its discord sounds like a wolf howling.
Editorial Introduction - Volume 15
Welcome to Volume 15 of The Wolf Interval: A Multimodal Journal of Student Work at Juilliard. With each edition, we reaffirm our mission to celebrate the diversity of scholarly and creative voices that belong to our student community. This journal provides a platform for students to share their achievements across disciplines, showcasing the wide breadth of student talent enabled by our curriculum.
This year’s edition coincides with the 40th anniversary of Juilliard’s Liberal Arts Department, whose courses invite students to discover, reflect, and think critically. Our contributors’ works emerge from conversations that take place in our classrooms. This journal offers readers a window into that learning environment and a glimpse of our approach to ethical questioning about the world.
Several essays in this volume investigate contemporary culture through a critical lens. Seah Yu’s “Progress on the Edge of Sustainability” examines the documentary A Crude Awakening as a meditation on the belief systems that sustain a fossil‑fuel‑dependent civilization, asking what happens when myths of endless progress break down and how research might lead to radical solutions. Joie Kuo’s “Monkeying with Authority” interprets Curious George through Jack Halberstam’s theory in The Queer Art of Failure, showing how a children’s television show both stages and softens challenges to adult power, turning rebellion into “marketable cuteness.” Tenzin Niles’s “Got to be Real: Examining the Body as Text in Jennie Livingston’s Paris Is Burning” examines ballroom culture and the ways Black and brown queer and trans performers negotiate safety, visibility, and self‑definition in the face of oppression.
These entries are just a sampling of the achievements featured in this year’s volume. Together, these works exemplify how critical inquiry, poetry, and visual arts enrich our lives, offering ways to engage and learn in pursuit of deep understanding and meaning.
As always, The Wolf Interval is a collaborative endeavor. This volume reflects the labor of our student authors and creators, as well as the care of faculty mentors and staff whose work makes this publication possible. I extend my sincere thanks to all our contributors and remain especially grateful to Sarah Bobrow, whose dedication as co-editor and graphic designer has shaped this volume.
We hope this edition sparks conversation, reflection, and inspiration. Now, settle in and enjoy the creativity and effort our students have poured into these pages.
in bocca al lupo!
(into the wolf’s mouth!)
Robert Wilson
Director of the Writing and Communication Center
Coyote-in-Chief, 2026