More than 100 staff members work in the Division of the Humanities. We’ll introduce you to our staff in this continuing series.

Annie Diamond

Academic Affairs Coordinator

Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC)

What do you like most about your job?

I live in Hyde Park and have since I moved to Chicago; one of my favorite things about my job is that I can walk to it! Within my job, I like that I get to experience the administrative side of academia after having been a student for most of my life. It’s pretty fascinating to see on this side of the curtain, so to speak. My role as academic affairs coordinator for the Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC) department is a new one (I am the first person to have it) and I am frequently getting feedback from professors that they are very grateful I’m here and doing my job; that’s the best, to be acknowledged and to feel actually helpful and useful.

What was the last good book you read?

The last good book I read is called Bridge of Words: Esperanto and the Dream of a Universal Language by Esther Schor. It’s a nonfiction book about the history of Esperanto, the most successful constructed language in the world, and its inventor, Ludwik Zamenhof. It combines history and memoir; Schor writes of her own experiences as an Esperantist as well as the political, organizational, artistic history of the language. I first learned about Ludwik Zamenhof in 2017 when I was living in Poland and have been fascinated with him ever since; he was a Polish Jewish ophthalmologist who lived from 1859 to 1917 and believed that an international language would help rid the world of war. He was nominated 12 times for the Nobel Peace Prize. This book has gotten me to start learning Esperanto on Duolingo!

You might work with me if …

You might work with me if you have been newly hired in NELC, if you are working on a NELC search committee, or if you are a job candidate for a position in NELC who has been invited for a campus visit. I am involved with all the administrative aspects of faculty searches and faculty reviews in NELC, but my role is not student-facing at all.

What kinds of programs or activities do you gravitate towards at UChicago or beyond? Why?

Off the clock, I am a poet, and trying to publish my first book right now. I spend a lot of time writing and reading and submitting my work. I like to attend readings and lectures on campus related to poetry and literature. I also love to cook and spend a lot of time thinking about my next cooking projects. I am grateful that Hyde Park has so many good grocery options, though I am sad there is no Asian grocery store here. My favorite thing about Chicago is the lake, and swimming in the lake is pretty much my favorite activity; I want to become one of those hardcore people who swims year-round!