The Bucknellian

By Sarah Bookstein

Writer

The comic and mundane mingled with the humorous and the sad when visiting poet Mary Ruefle gave a reading of her poetry on Nov. 2 in Bucknell Hall.

In a poetry reading hosted by the Stadler Center for Poetry, Ruefle mixed comical elements with mundane ones, as in her piece “Mary’s Hot Dog,” which Ruefle described as “the earliest extant example of my writing.” The work was a recipe for preparing frozen hot dogs for dinner.

Ruefle read two poems about childhood entitled “Provenance” and “Middle School.” While some poets comment between readings, Ruefle joked that she likes to save all her banter for one shot. This made the poetry flow pleasantly and without disruption. Her poetry has a repetitive feel.

Ruefle also read from her more recent books, including poems “The Bunny Give us a Lesson in Eternity,” “Hold that Thought,” “The Day” and “Dodo.”

“Hearing Mary Ruefle read her poetry gave her works a unique, distinct voice,” Mary Coyne ’11 said.

Ruefle has published 10 books of poetry, one of prose and a comic book titled “Go Home and Go to Bed.” She has received many awards for her writing, including an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Whiting Writers’ Award and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Ruefle published her work in such magazines as “The American Poetry Review” and “Harper’s Magazine,” and in the anthologies “Best American Poetry” and “Great American Prose Poems,” among others.

Ruefle read from a “sample exam” for her students, inspired by a nineteenth-century penmanship workbook. Instead of rewriting the sample sentences, she followed them up with imaginary exam questions for her students. For the sentence, “Every cloud has a silver lining,” Ruefle wrote, “Think of exceptions to this statement, and write about them in an upbeat tone.”

She is known for her quirky style, as in her poem “The Estate of Single Blessedness,” written on the shell of an egg. She currently teaches in the MFA program at Vermont College.

“Ruefle was humorous, refreshing and creative. The way she ended the poetry reading showed the audience that she could work humor into her poetry as well as sadness and everyday events,” Elizabeth Macmillan ’12 said.

By Nicole Della-cava

Contributing Writer

Many University students and Lewisburg children got their versions of “How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World” signed by a popular author last Friday evening.

Marjorie Priceman, children’s book writer and illustrator, held a book signing at the Barnes & Noble at Bucknell University bookstore last week. Priceman, originally from Long Island, now lives in downtown Lewisburg.

“How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World” features an array of colors, and the informative yet fun plot makes this children’s book enjoyable for all readers. A little girl travels around the world looking for ingredients to make an apple pie. On the inside cover, a printed map shows the destinations the little girl visits throughout her travels. Each destination shows the ingredient that is native to and available in that area.

Priceman has been illustrating children’s books for 20 years and is still in the business. Some of her other illustrated books include “Paris in the Spring with Picasso,” “Hot Air,” “Emeline at the Circus” and “The Brand New Kid.”

“Illustrating has a lot of freedom in it–the authors hand me a manuscript, then I use my imagination to draw the sketches,” Priceman said.

According to Priceman, the illustration process takes a long time; after Priceman sends the writers her illustrations, the authors send back the sketches with Post-It note comments. More and more illustrators are turning to the computer to save time in the work process, but Priceman draws her illustrations freehand.

Her hand sketches make the books look vibrant and robust. She thinks illustrations done on the computer look flatter.

The Barnes & Noble Bookstore at Bucknell University frequently holds book signings. On Family Weekend, the University welcomed two other authors.

By Laura Crowley

Writer

Since the Community College Scholars program began at the University in 2007, 83 students from local community colleges have come to campus.  This fall, 17 students were admitted to the program.

Kelly McKenna ’12 came to the University this fall in pursuit of a psychology and anthropology degree.  Prior to attending the University, McKenna worked a number of jobs in retail that she found unfulfilling.  As a massage therapist, she said she was simply “pampering someone’s life” when she really wanted to be a “champion for autonomy.”

McKenna realized that she could fulfill this desire by working with the disabled population as an occupational therapist. “As an occupational therapist, you really help to create a greater sense of self worth and self-reliance in your clients,” McKenna said.  She said that her education at the University is setting her down the path to fulfill this dream.

With the price of higher education so high, McKenna said that “a financial elitism” is created.  “This scholarship is amazing because it allows [individuals to receive an education] who could never afford this caliber of higher education but who are beyond mentally capable to achieve their academic aspirations,” she said.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation selected the University in 2006 as one of 80 selective colleges in the Community College Scholars program.  The foundation has given the University $800,000 in the past four years to fund the program.  It offers full-tuition scholarships.

Students in the University’s program are recruited from five local community colleges: Lehigh Carbon Community College, Community College of Philadelphia, Garrett College in Maryland, Harrisburg Area Community College and Montgomery County Community College.

Admission into the program is competitive.  Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 at their community college.  Those admitted must first attend a six-week summer program to acclimate themselves to the demands of the University.  Of the 30 students enrolled in the summer program this year, only 17 were admitted to enroll full-time at the University.

Tricia Suveg ’12 graduated from beauty school in 2006 and enrolled in classes at Lehigh Carbon Community College after she became disinterested in the field of beauty.  One of her professors at LCCC suggested that she apply to the University’s scholarship program due to her high academic standing.  She is now a sociology major with a certification in education.

Suveg is thankful for her opportunity. “[The University] offers a broad education, enabling students to study a wide variety of subjects, rather than just one specialized field,” Suveg said. “[This education] is a gateway to be involved in almost anything you want as far as internships, organizations, research and so forth.”

Suveg hopes to attend graduate school to earn a Masters degree in Sociology.  “I see myself being an educator. I truly love to learn, and I think my passion for education will translate to students,” she said.

The Community College Scholars program benefits the University as well as its members. McKenna believes it brings diversity to our community.  “Even if you didn’t know my background, it comes out in the interactions I have in class and with fellow students,” she said.

The Community College Scholars program provides students like McKenna and Suveg the opportunity to fulfill their dreams. “Bucknell will open doors I could never have imagined,” Suveg said.