Steve Hermanos

College of Arts & Sciences

Tell us about what you're doing with your life
"Going, Going, Gone!" my most-recent novel, was published in 2022. Kirkus Reviews named it one of the Best Books of the year. It's a time-travel baseball novel. My quest was to write the most exciting baseball novel of all time. It took four years to write and six more to be published.

After Cornell, I did a Masters in English/Creative Writing at University of Colorado, Boulder. Wonderful & quite relaxed.

After that, I opened a sports bar in Manhattan, The Polo Grounds Bar. It was a great time. Mickey Mantle stopped by before he opened his bar. Mickey stole two of our waitresses!

In the '90s, I went to film school at Columbia. It was another awesome experience. I founded a sketch comedy group, TunnelVision. We performed at most of the comedy clubs in NYC.

For some reason, I decided not to go to Hollywood, but instead to S.F.

What was your favorite class at Cornell, or the one you found most useful?
Astronomy 341: Life In The Universe. Taught by Professor Frank Drake. Guest lecture by Carl Sagan. It was the most fascinating course I ever took. Since I'm lousy at advanced math, I had to take the class pass/fail. During the prelims, Professor Drake would stop my desk and cross out the math-heavy questions. I think he appreciated that there was a dreamer in the class who could bring a bit of a different perspective. I wonder where my classmates are now! NASA? JPL?

Also, I learned so much about creative writing, and teaching, from Lamar Herrin! The best!

What is your favorite memory of your time at Cornell?
In '81, with a cohort from U-Hall 5, dumping the banner "Fight The Hike!" to extend out of the clocktower. Nevertheless, tuition was raised 18% and one of my favorite people at Cornell, Kevin Paul, couldn't afford to return for Sophomore year. Where are you now, Kevin?

Which Cornell classmates do you keep in touch with?
Geoff Potter, Adam Klausner, Scott Knapp, Tracy Dutton, Al Shulzycki, Molly Klein, Greg Somerville, Adam Klein, Arthur Orduna, Pete Wollinsky--basically everyone who hung out the Royal Palm bar, except Dino (R.I.P.).

How has your time at Cornell influenced you since you graduated?
It made me think long and hard about big decisions in life.

What extracurricular activity or hobby from your time at Cornell was most meaningful?
The aforementioned time at the Royal Palm. Watching Cornell varsity hockey. Taunting the Army players was great.

If you could change anything about your Cornell experience, what would it be?
I've always thought that Cornell should be on the quarter system. Ithaca is wonderful in the summer.

What advice would you give to a student starting at Cornell?
When you step onto campus, you are entering one of the most challenging academic environments in the United States. A lot of Cornellians thrive in it. Some tread water to survive. Some really don't like it and grind against it the whole time. There are a thousand colleges in the U.S. 990 of them are less pressurized. More than half have better weather. Don't torture yourself if attending Cornell is like putting on a pair of shoes that hurt. Life is too short to be miserable for a bunch of years. You'd be a star at a less challenging school.

What are you most looking forward to at Reunion 2024?
Realizing that all my tests and final papers have already been turned in. And seeing old friends, and hopefully, Professor Lamar Herrin.

Thanks for this fun questionnaire!