Category: Campus Events

Christina Oddo
Assistant Arts & Life Editor

In all the images that surround us, there is poetic possibility. For writer and poet Naomi Shihab Nye, she finds inspiration in both the seen and unseen.

Nye spoke of the apparent appetite for language across the globe, as well as the poetic possibility embedded in the images that surround us, in her Q&A session on Sept. 4 in the Willard Smith Library.

Nye spent 37 years traveling around the world and has written and/or edited more than 30 volumes.

Born to a Palestinian father and an American mother, Nye additionally held a poetry reading in Bucknell Hall about her family history as well as how her memories and knowledge of this history shape her work and are translated through her poetry.

Nye’s work is guided by a sort of hope, as she described during the session, in a way that she is able to abandon some work and move on, viewing half-baked texts as part of a bigger project. She believes the text is ultimately working to find us.

“Perhaps more than anything I remembered the necessity of remaining hopeful,” Professor Shara McCallum said. “Ms. Nye is one of the most optimistic people I’ve ever encountered.  I think for anyone who attended her events yesterday, some of the radiance of being in her presence is still with us.”

As Nye traveled through Pennsylvania on her way to the University, she wrote down road signs that, to her, seemed unordinary. Lines and names, she explained, are full of poetic possibility and are given to us in our surroundings. Details fill many places and create a rich environment. Nye finds these opportunities to soak in this richness and later display it through language to be imperative.

Nye, in her attempt to encompass and answer the question, in poetry, described poetry as a voice through which meaning is transported with care. We should see our lives as stories, and that the narrative has a sort of preciousness linked to it. In fact, life is a continuous text, and we should work to find and evoke images.

For Nye, writing specific lines feels like a confession, a relief from pressure. Also, a poet need not know exactly where a piece is going because language is a process of speaking, creating and solving.

Nye’s poetry reading in Bucknell Hall was well attended. Nye spoke of her experience of taking a tour of the Poetry Path and how she enjoyed being featured as part of this “generous gift to the pedestrians” of Lewisburg. Nye was humble and grateful, repeating several times that speaking at the University was not an opportunity she would take for granted.

“Ms. Nye’s humour, honesty, and warmth in her delivery–as well as her poems themselves, which carry such wisdom–together made for an extraordinary reading,” Professor Shara McCallum said.

Throughout her talk, Nye spoke of her son, about mistakes, about her father and more. Nye also recited a brand new poem and poems regarding situations in which people are suffering more than you are.

Moreover, Nye emphasized the importance of note keeping. This importance was made apparent through her final story, a prose-based poem full of detail and humor.

“I really liked Nye’s advice about taking notes throughout your life,” Jennifer Fish ’14 said. “Notes would not only bring clarity to numerous old memories, but she suggested that memories make great triggering subjects for poems.”

Elaine Lac
Contributing Writer

Not many people truly understand the effects of racism on higher education. For Dr. Robin DiAngelo, an expert in whiteness studies, her awareness of racial issues has led her to confront the issue head-on.

On Aug.  23 at the Elaine Langone Center Forum, DiAngelo explained that racism is very much a part of society, but in a different context than during the Civil War era. Now, there is an unwillingness to mesh different racial groups.

“It’s hard for white people to get into this conversation, and like [DiAngelo] was saying, white people usually see it as a problem, but not as a personal problem. I think changing the lens from racism to whiteness makes it clearer that it is white people’s business which gets them into the conversation,” said Coralynn Davis, director of Women’s and Gender Studies.

DiAngelo used her teaching experience as an example; students who lived in predominately white areas wrote about their experience with racism. The responses generally came back as: “I was really lucky. I grew up in an all-white neighborhood, so I didn’t learn anything about racism.”

DiAngelo replied that this lack of exposure is the problem. She asked, “What if a person of color was introduced to the community?” They might respond, “We didn’t have this terrible thing [racism] until another race came. Just because there isn’t exposure doesn’t mean the problem doesn’t exist. Being closed off from multi-racial relationships leaves people uninformed, and only reinforces this ‘new racism’ where instead of being aware of race, people ignore it.”

The influence of white culture can be found everywhere. In education, which is DiAngelo’s main focus, 90 percent of teachers are white and the statistics are not shifting. In popular movies such as “The Lord of the Rings,” DiAngelo pointed out that 100 percent of the mythical creatures are white, while the enemies are portrayed as dark-skinned, indigenous looking monsters.

Her point was that racism still exists, but it doesn’t demonize people. Instead, people should be aware of other races and work to understand each other. In her last slide, she put up a picture of a cat stepping on a hot tin roof, symbolizing that people have to be careful about what they say since awareness is the first step towards the solution.

“It was interesting to see a woman who wasn’t of color giving a speech, and trying to point out the difference between the oppression that existed and trying to tell other people about white supremacy,” Aida Woldegiorgis ’16 said.

“I would like to see two things. I would like to see [the University] be more diverse, in all areas including students and faculty. I would also like us to be more competent as a community where everyone’s voices can be more easily heard,” Davis said.

Heather Hennigan
Contributing Writer

On Aug. 25, the University welcomed the Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble (UAD) back to campus as a part of the second annual “Arts. Everywhere.” festival. The UAD performed during last year’s festival and was delighted to return to campus to share more original African dances and songs.

“We are honored and we appreciate being invited back to Bucknell to perform for the students again,” said Robert Dickerson, who founded the UAD with his wife, Wanda, in 1984.

The UAD is headquartered in Camden, N.J. and includes members from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Africa.

Carmen Gillespie, professor of English and the current University arts coordinator, discovered the UAD as a consequence of their international reputation.

“We are fortunate to have a world class group performing on campus and are grateful to the community for supporting the event by showing up in such large numbers,” Gillespie said.

The UAD is passionate about representing the authentic and genuine beauty of African culture and performance and values family above all else. Last year, the UAD mesmerized the campus crowd with traditional African songs, instruments, dance and drum. The performance, which took place on the Science Quad, even featured a stilt-walker.

Wanda Dickerson also shared a little secret with the crowd–all members of the UAD are trained martial artists. This group activity helps the ensemble stay focused and disciplined, and serves to keep the group bonded and working smoothly as a team.

“Our performance is not just a performance; it is a workshop in which students can be educated and learn the value and the beauty of African culture. Africa is very important in a global sense, because it is one of the richest countries in terms of resources–it provides oil, minerals, copper, diamonds and many other vital assets. So much comes from Africa that it actually helps the world. We are privileged to show the beauty of African culture and hope that everyone appreciates the aesthetic and educational components of what we bring to our performance,” Robert said.

By Courtney Bottazzi

Staff Writer

What happens when two a capella groups mix? Beyond Unison found out for themselves to create a new type of melody.

This past Sunday in Trout Auditorium, Beyond Unison hosted the all-male a cappella group, VoiceMale, from Brandeis University.

VoiceMale, founded in 1994, won many awards over the years and was nominated for four CARA’s (Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award) in December.

“It’s always exciting to sing with a cappella groups from different schools because there is so much we can learn from each other. It is really cool to see the different styles and techniques that every group has to offer. VoiceMale is a very talented group. They just released an album that has been nominated for several awards and there are only seven of them, so each of them has a lot of responsibility musically,” said Annie Schulenburg ’13, Beyond Unison’s musical director.

The seven boys of VoiceMale changed the energy of the auditorium in a moment’s instance, from jumping and clapping to arousing excitement with songs like “Marry Me” by Train.

“Brandeis’s VoiceMale reached out to us and asked if we would be willing to host them at Bucknell during their spring tour. We gladly said yes, particularly since this group is very talented. They’ve been featured on many highly sought-after collegiate a cappella compilation albums and have won numerous awards. I thought the performance went great. VoiceMale’s style and sound are very different particularly because of the small size of the group. Each person only sings one voice part which gives the group a very distinct and unique quality,” said Ryan Tomasello ’12, president of Beyond Unison.

The alternating of the two different sounds from each group became one of the most exciting parts of the performance.

“When we performed at Bucknell, we alternated taking the stage for every other song.  This allowed for some back-and-forth between our groups, which made the performance that much more humorous. It’s awesome to hear a bunch of different group’s music,” VoiceMale member Jason Sugarman said.

The audience was able to witness this exclusive yet harmonious a cappella camaraderie between the two groups. Flirtatious dedications went out from VoiceMale to members of Beyond Unison while the two groups intertwined comedy into their performances. “Your move!” was shouted from one of VoiceMale’s members as they took their seats and gave Beyond Unison the stage.

This unusual performance was like the University’s very own friendly rendition of the Sing-Off; VoiceMale auditioned for this and was able to make it to the top 30 groups being considered.

Until the next round of auditions, VoiceMale will continue to establish itself by touring around the country during time off from school.

“So far touring has been exciting, exhausting and definitely worthwhile. We get to experience different parts of the country, different styles of a capella and meet some great singers. We’d like to thank Beyond Unison for a fun show and for being such amazing hosts, and we had a great time staying at Bucknell,” Sugarman said.

By Nicole Della-Cava

Contributing Writer

Originally a columnist for collegehumor.com, Steve Hofstetter took the stage at the Bison Wednesday night to amuse and surprise students and faculty.

Hofstetter, who has performed at the University several times over the past few years, began his performance with confidence and repose.  To break the ice, he started on diversity on campus and in Lewisburg.  He transformed such unoriginal and recognized statements into a series of jokes that got the audience going.

Hofstetter included the audience by taking a survey and asking all the Jewish people to raise their hand. Surprisingly, and to prove his point, there were no Jewish people in the whole cafeteria.  Taking this discussion to another level, he said people always ask him if he is both Irish and Jewish.  He is Jewish, but just because he has flaming red hair and pale skin does not mean he is Irish.

Hofstetter has a black adopted sister and speaks openly on the subject.  This became one of his discussions about race that showed the audience that it is acceptable to talk about these subjects.  He included his personal anecdote to make his performance unique and alluring to the audience.

“I liked the abortion and racist jokes.  They are serious issues but he is very talented to be able to do that,” said Blandine Manteau, an exchange student from France.

Hofstetter also related Lewisburg, with its rural setting and plentiful fields of crops, to Farmville.  That was definitely unexpected which made the audience even more amused and interested.

Hofstetter’s jokes are focused towards more mature viewers. His comedy and sense of humor are known around the country because of his popular website and books and frequent travels to universities and nightclubs.

“My favorite part was the closing; Steve engaged well with the crowd, ” Danny Wallace ’14 said.

Ending the night, he thanked the crowd for not bothering him with claps. The audience was caught off-guard and was probably expecting him to thank them for laughing at his jokes or being a good crowd.  He exited the stage with the audience still laughing.

By Katie Monigan

Arts & Life Editor

The best way to describe Shepardfest is a hodgepodge: this weekend’s series of four plays could not have been more varied, almost as if they were not written by the same man.

But they were. Sam Shepard was named the 2010 Janet Weis Fellow in Contemporary Letters, but was unable to come to campus to accept his award. In his honor, and because of stage director Gary Grant’s passion for his work, this fall’s acting showcase was a diverse series of Shepard’s plays and short stories.

Inside Tustin Theatre’s small performance space are four risers with chairs, enough room for 30-40 people and six circular tables that create a café atmosphere. There were even plates with cheese, crackers, grapes and water on each of the tables.

The first of four plays this weekend, “Just Space,” which according to the program is a dramatization of a short story, was only a few minutes long and had two cast members. In the play, a mother does not understand the daughter now that she has moved away and married. She repeatedly refuses to acknowledge her daughter’s husband as her “husband,” instead calling him her “beau.” While mostly serious, it had a couple one-liners that made the mood less grim. On stage, two screens, one on each side, set the scene: the mother’s was a tidy living room, and the daughter’s was a much messier and basic one. Stephanie Walters ’11 played the daughter while a convincing Emily Singleton ’12 played the mother.

The second play, “Cowboy Mouth,” was much longer, almost too long.  Set in a messy apartment, the play features a drunk man and woman who scream, sing and crawl around the stage. The entire play is very intense, with almost no lulls. There are some funny moments, like when they order lobster and a man in a red leather lobster suit delivers it. Just like the first play, though, the comedic breaks are no match for the intensity and sadness of most of the play. Katharina Schmidt ’13 and Eddie Pailet ’11 both delivered impressive performances.

After a much-needed intermission, the tone completely turned in a lighthearted play about a woman who thinks her head is going to explode while she is skiing, a maid learning to swim by practicing on a bed and a man who suffers a 10-year affliction with crabs. The play is bizarre and entertaining, with especially compelling acting by Christina Cody ’12, who played the maid.

The final play in the series was by far the most abstract. It included the entire cast of Shepardfest and was broken into three groups of people: six people in chairs with blankets on their laps who were illuminated one at a time with spotlights, four drummers hiding behind the chairs of the speakers and an entirely-female chorus dressed in dark colors who ran around and danced. They all spoke in a chant-like manner, and eventually ran up into the risers where the audience sat to further extend the atmosphere.

Overall, Shepardfest seemed to be directed at an audience other than the student body. In fact, of the few people in attendance last Sunday night, about five were students, most of them greeting cast member friends when the show was over. It was enjoyable to watch, but nothing special, and seemed more to be a tool for acting growth rather than for viewing pleasure of University students.