The word palaver is a noun that may be described as “an improvised conference between two groups, typically those without a shared language or culture.”
Palaver is also the name of a journal created by Stevens students and faculty. Faculty such as HASS Teaching Assistant Professor Benjamin Ogden, who has spearheaded this year’s 2026 edition.
On Wednesday, April 22, the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences hosted a publication party and round table discussion in honor of this year’s edition of Palaver, the sixth journal of its kind. This year’s edition was centered around Dialogues of Trust.
They provided this year’s collection of student and faculty passages, previous editions of Palaver, and pens for all of the attendees. There was also an assortment of cookies and water for those who attended the discussion.
Once everyone was settled, they had prepared a slideshow of different artworks created for the edition. The artworks were created by different Stevens students, specifically Anna Tolmanov, a 1/4 Visual Arts and Technology major, Isabella Gabay, a 2/4 Visual Arts and Technology major, Shreya Modi, a 3/5 Business and Technology major, Ksenia Dontsova, a 4/4 Visual Arts and Technology major, and Issac Van Benthuysen, a 4/4 Physics major. These individuals were just a handful of the panelists present to discuss and unravel the complexity of trust. Artworks presented were a mixture of digital and traditional media. Some consisted of graphite and oil pastels, while others were digital depictions of trust.
Others in attendance include some of the participants in the dialogue. The roundtable discussion with crowd commentary was about an hour and a half long. Students and staff members alike discussed their respective prompts that revolved around the concept of trust.
A prominent theme throughout the event was the idea that you cannot trust an organization or a government, as trust requires a two-way relationship and more of a connection. It was discussed by many that the “trust” in organizations is, in actuality, faith.
As the discussion closed out, celebrating the completion of this year’s edition, the editorial board encouraged students to participate in the coming year of dialogue.
