Month: February 2012

By Michelle Reed

Contributing Writer

Poetry, one of the most powerful literary forms of all time, has the ability to create personal connections between writer and audience.

On Jan. 31, Mark Doty enchanted the audience in Bucknell Hall with a reading of poems from his National Book Award winning collection, “Fire to Fire.” Seven students had an even closer encounter with Doty’s poetic prowess: a master class.

During his time as The Stadler Center for Poetry’s 2011-2012 poet-in-residence, Doty taught two advanced poetry workshops at the “Poet’s Cottage” on campus to a small group of students. These writers were required to submit a portfolio of their work well ahead of Doty’s visit to be considered for a spot in the class.

Along with the two three-hour workshop sessions, members of the class were able to meet with Doty one-on-one to discuss their writing. Lauren Krichilsky ’12 found the conference time with Doty especially rewarding.

“Meeting Mark on a personal level to discuss a few of my works enabled me not only to better understand myself as a writer, but also to edit to near completion a poem with which I was struggling,” Krichilsky said. “In fact, I have since submitted that poem to a contest.”

Students who took the workshop enjoyed the informal setting.

“Doty promoted a casual atmosphere by opting to conduct class not in a classroom,” William Bonfiglio ’12 said.

Bonfiglio also took The Stadler Center for Poetry’s poet-in-residence master class last spring with poet Natasha Trethewey.

“Bucknell provides a unique opportunity each spring to work in an intimate setting with an established poet,” Bonfiglio said. “I’ve found that any experience shared with a published writer can be beneficial. Each has his or her own stories and advice to share, and they’re eager to offer guidance.”

Students described Doty’s master class as an “unforgettable” experience, noting the benefit of collaborating with a community of writers.

“The Mark Doty workshop was an amazing way to connect with other Bucknellians who share a passion for poetry,” Krichilsky said. “I hope that master classes will more occasionally be available to Bucknellians. That way, students can realize the true importance of poetry and its relevance today.”

By Jen Lassen

Arts & Life Editor

The thought of performing in front of peers, family and faculty members typically makes most people’s crawl … especially if the performance includes singing.

For Emily Lattal ’12, this type of performance is a piece of cake.

On Sunday, Feb. 19, Lattal gave her senior recital, the culmination of all of her studio voice lessons she takes for class credit each semester. Lattal, who studies under the direction of associate professor of music Catherine Payn, credits her as being a “wonderfully talented and supportive mentor.”

Last March, Lattal performed a junior recital for an audience at the University, and ever since then she has been practicing for her senior recital.

“I was able to choose some of the music myself, and the rest had been assigned to me gradually since then. I practice about one and a half hours per day throughout the year, and two to three hours per night for the weeks leading up to the recital,” Lattal said.

Obviously, Lattal is not one to shy away from the limelight. Having performed at countless classical voice and opera experiences, Lattal has also thoroughly enjoyed singing with the University’s all-female a cappella group, the Silhouettes.

As a current college senior, it is only appropriate that Lattal look back on her musical journey that led to her culminating senior performance.

“I had participated in musical theater and choirs from sixth grade through high school and loved experience of performing! Through voice lessons, I discovered that my voice is most appropriate for classical music. I wanted to explore performance through college, but it was important to me that I receive a strong liberal arts education as well,” Lattal said.

Since Lattal values the University not only for the vocal opportunities it afforded her, but for the education she has received.

“There is a special place in my heart for my freshman hallmates from the Arts Residential College. The common interest housing really helped us develop a lasting bond. My most exciting experience has been my work at the Nueva Vida Health Clinic in Nicaragua with the Bucknell Brigade,” Lattal said.

As a music performance major, Lattal plans to continue studying classical music in addition to performing, yet she wants her career to be focused on the administrative side of performance.

“I would love to work in development, marketing or outreach for an opera company or another performing arts organization,” Lattal said.

To her delight, Lattal’s senior recital accomplished the goals she set for herself from the start.

“My main goal in performing my senior recital was to pull together all I have learned about vocal technique, acting, language study and musicality over the last four years. I do believe that I demonstrated my improvement in these areas and I truly enjoyed giving the performance,” Lattal said.

Certainly, there’s nothing better than putting in hard work and having it pay off; figuratively, and literally for those who attended her performance, it sounds like this is what happened for Lattal. We can look forward to hearing more from this talented senior in the near future, but in the mean time, we can all only hope to imitate the same work ethic and dedication that allowed Lattal to put on a stellar performance after days and months of hard work. In Lattal’s case, practice does truly make perfect.

Rob O’Donnell

Columnist

I could start this column with a series of lame jokes about The Tallest Man on Earth’s actual height. Trust me, I tried a few out on my friend, and I’m lucky he’s so nice. Instead, I’m just going to jump right into reviewing the Swedish singer-songwriter’s album, “The Wild Hunt.”

The Tallest Man on Earth’s real name is Kristian Matsson, and based on his biography, I assume English is his second language. When you listen to his music, you wouldn’t believe it. His lyrics are absolutely original. My first language is English, I am an English major, and I still would have no chance at matching him. His style is very abstract, so it took me a few listens to truly understand most of the songs. But once you start dissecting them, they start to make more sense. Each song is an intensely personal story, so it has to be dealt with individually. I believe abstraction is his way of distancing himself from pain so he can sing with intense emotion and not break down.

He recorded all of the songs at his house by himself, yet the quality is flawless. It’s hard to describe the music, as it’s like nothing I’ve ever heard before. His guitar is fiery and complex, but breaks your heart at the same time. He is one of those rare musicians like John Frusciante who can tell you their emotions just by playing the guitar. It’s acoustic folk guitar but feels like a full band.

The vocals are probably what draw most people in. I would say he’s a cross between early Bob Dylan and Robert Johnson, the infamous blues musician. But at the same time, he is so distinguished it’s almost unfair to compare him to anybody else. His work is rasping and cutting, yet incredibly delicate when he wants. The last song, “Kids on the Run,” is him on a piano, and the result almost made me laugh the first time I heard it. The juxtaposition of the soft, sweet piano and his razor blade voice is unnerving at first, but now it is easily my favorite song on the album.

It takes a little while to get used to his style, but once you do, he has no equal. You truly believe every word he sings, because he sings with such passion he could not possibly be superficial. So when he says “Rumor has it that I wasn’t born, I just walked in one frosty morn’, into the vision of some vacant mind,” I believe him. Because that’s what I imagined when I first listened to his album.