Last night, after I posted to you, I got an email from a State News reporter asking if she could interview me about "the Center for Poetry." I'm a shy person, so I wasn't really interested in being interviewed. My initial instinct was to say "no, I don't give interviews." But then I thought about the Center and how much they would appreciate my input, so I said yes.
When being interviewed today, it became clear that it was an interview about my research and my upcoming presentation. Oh. I mean, yes, I'm giving the talk for the Center for Poetry, but I was under the impression that she wanted to talk about what it was like working for them, not my other stuff.
Mostly, the interview went okay. I'll try to remember to post a link to the article once it comes out.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Presentation Preparation
Tonight, I went to a presentation about giving good presentations. I'm giving an academic presentation on my undergraduate thesis next week, and I was hoping for some good tips. I've given presentations before, but never this long.
Most of the stuff the presentation talked about was stuff I've already heard and strive to do. One of the things the presenter mentioned was that people are repelled by blue, so don't use it in your presentation. I had never heard of that. (My last presentation in my Feminism class was on Jean Rhys, and my partner and I had picked a blue layout in honor of her most famous novel Wide Sargasso Sea. Oops.) I also learned that the Writing Center has a program where you go and give your presentation to a reviewer who will give you tips. I probably won't have time to use that resource, but it's a good thing to know.
I'm hoping to get the presentation done in a few days so I can email it to my thesis adviser, Anita Skeen. Hopefully, she'll have some good ideas to make sure it's an effective presentation.
Most of the stuff the presentation talked about was stuff I've already heard and strive to do. One of the things the presenter mentioned was that people are repelled by blue, so don't use it in your presentation. I had never heard of that. (My last presentation in my Feminism class was on Jean Rhys, and my partner and I had picked a blue layout in honor of her most famous novel Wide Sargasso Sea. Oops.) I also learned that the Writing Center has a program where you go and give your presentation to a reviewer who will give you tips. I probably won't have time to use that resource, but it's a good thing to know.
I'm hoping to get the presentation done in a few days so I can email it to my thesis adviser, Anita Skeen. Hopefully, she'll have some good ideas to make sure it's an effective presentation.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Upcoming Poetry Readings for April
In the next couple of weeks, there are going to be a ton of things creative writing related going on around MSU. Everyone should definitely check some of this out, because it looks like it's going to be tons of fun. I'm planning on going to some, but probably not all, of these events, just because I have lots of schoolwork that I'm supposed to be doing.
April 6 Steve Healey 7 pm RCAH Theatre
Dr. Healey was one of my professors last semester, and I can guarantee that he is one of the nicest and mellow people around. He was a wonderful professor, and I'm really sad I'm not in his class anymore. I'm excited to hear his poetry because everyone tells me that his book Earthling is amazing.
April 13 Christine Rhein 7 pm RCAH Theatre
I've read two of her poems (both about the second World War). I'm partial to prose poems and poems based on family history, so I'm looking forward to hearing her.
April 20 Ruelaine Stokes 7 pm RCAH Theatre
I've interacted with Ms. Stokes a few times around campus, mostly during Center for Poetry events. She's a great technical writer and I hear she's also a good teacher.
April 23 Diane Wakoski and Jerome Rothenberg 4:30 pm MSU Library
I've seen Ms. Wakowski give poetry readings and lectures, and both were tons of fun. One of my favorite things to hear about is her interactions with other poets, so I'm interested in seeing her read with Mr. Rothenberg. It's hard for me to pick out a favorite Wakoski poem, but I love "Blue Monday." It's a perfect break-up poem.
All of these events are free and open to the public, so even if you're not currently a Spartan, you can hear these poets read. There are some other events going on this month that are poetry or creative writing related, and once I get a chance, I'll try to post some information. Hope to see you around.
April 6 Steve Healey 7 pm RCAH Theatre
Dr. Healey was one of my professors last semester, and I can guarantee that he is one of the nicest and mellow people around. He was a wonderful professor, and I'm really sad I'm not in his class anymore. I'm excited to hear his poetry because everyone tells me that his book Earthling is amazing.
April 13 Christine Rhein 7 pm RCAH Theatre
I've read two of her poems (both about the second World War). I'm partial to prose poems and poems based on family history, so I'm looking forward to hearing her.
April 20 Ruelaine Stokes 7 pm RCAH Theatre
I've interacted with Ms. Stokes a few times around campus, mostly during Center for Poetry events. She's a great technical writer and I hear she's also a good teacher.
April 23 Diane Wakoski and Jerome Rothenberg 4:30 pm MSU Library
I've seen Ms. Wakowski give poetry readings and lectures, and both were tons of fun. One of my favorite things to hear about is her interactions with other poets, so I'm interested in seeing her read with Mr. Rothenberg. It's hard for me to pick out a favorite Wakoski poem, but I love "Blue Monday." It's a perfect break-up poem.
All of these events are free and open to the public, so even if you're not currently a Spartan, you can hear these poets read. There are some other events going on this month that are poetry or creative writing related, and once I get a chance, I'll try to post some information. Hope to see you around.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
All Together Dead
Readers: Spoiler Alert! If you don't want to hear what happens in this book of the series or the tv show True Blood, don't read this review!
All Together Dead is the seventh book in Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Series on which the HBO show True Blood is based. I should probably state here, at the beginning, that I read several of the books before the tv show was announced, though I have seen and enjoyed the tv show. I should also state I’m Team Eric and a little Team Sam. I tend to enjoy these later books because we’ve already moved on from Bill, who becomes increasingly irritating, and because Sookie is a more intelligent and engaging character in the books than she is in the tv show, which seems to be better at highlighting its secondary characters.
The book follows psychic Sookie to a vampire conference outside of Chicago at a vampire-owned hotel. As usual, there are mysteries to solve and a few murders in between. The Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne, Sookie's employer, has recently been accused of murdering her husband, and faces a tense trial. At the same time, Sookie is forced to get closer to Eric, another vampire under Sophie-Anne.
If you’re also a Team Eric member, you’ll be happy to hear that Eric is featured in the novel, and that he and Sookie become closer. The more time we spend with Eric, the more I like him. He genuinely loves Sookie and is compassionate towards her.
As a feminist, the Southern Vampire Series is problematic, just because Sookie is always getting beaten up and saved by male characters. Here, there is a slight change. I
n the climax, Sookie realizes that a bomb is about to go off, and goes immediately to Eric to save him. Eric is able to fly enough out to prevent them from complete annihilation. So, they save each other, even though the idea of someone sliding down a pyramid hotel in a coffin strikes me as unbelievable.The tv show has highlighted the connection between vampires and non-heterosexuals, and in turn, the connection between the fictional anti-vampire groups and those evangelical Christian groups that are anti-LGBT. Having read the early books, I thought this wasn’t part of the book so much as a nice creation of Alan Ball’s for the tv show. This book actually changed my mind, since it featured a gay marriage between two vampire kings.
The book also finally asks a question that earlier book have hemmed at: when and how should Sookie use her psychic powers? Earlier novels have had her saving various characters using her psychic powers, including a young boy who they believe had been kidnapped. After the explosion, Sookie and her friend Barry work with rescue workers to find victims trapped under the rubble. Sookie decides that she doesn’t want to have to work for rescue teams on disasters. There’s something very pat about Sookie’s decision, which strikes me as selfish. I hope the subsequent books will explore this decision and make Sookie struggle with such a choice.
Overall, the novel is delightful. It's not as good as some of the previous books in this series, and not as tightly written, but it's still a fun romp through a fully developed world of vampires, weretigers, and psychics.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Red Cedar Review Paints the Rock
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Book Haul
So, apparently, haul videos are really big. I'm not much for clothes, but instead, I decided to write about the book haul I got at the book sale today. So here goes, in no particular order:
1. Chinese Handcuffs by Chris Crutcher
I'm a huge fan of Young Adult Literature, even though I'm no longer a young adult. I've actually read Crutcher's Ironman, and this looks like a similar story: a young athlete with family troubles, who struggles to watch other people in his life suffer through abuse and who falls in love with a broken, but still fighting, young woman.
2. Londonstani by Gautam Malkani
I once read an essay by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers discussing how you should buy albums every once and a while based on their covers. I've decided to adopt that same approach to books, since it has lead me to some great music. The cover looks like the kind of scribbles you'd expect to see in a teenager's notebook. It's apparently about a group of southeast Asian teenagers living in London. I'm also interested in postcolonialism, and this book looks like a teen version of that. Like other teen classics The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, it looks like different sections are narrated by different characters. Flipping through the book, I see there are mentions of Rude Boys, which bodes well. The book has a slight crease in the backcover, but basically, it looks like I bought it in a bookstore.
3. I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolf
I saw a Jon Stewart once interview Tom Wolf about this book, which is why I picked it up. It's apparently about college girls. Back when I saw the interview, I was still in high school and it sounded fascinating, especially since I was heading to college myself. The diaries and hearing Wolf saying "Wu Tang clan" were enough to make me remember the interview. The book is flawless, like I did actually buy it out of a bookstore.
4. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
I saw the Gillian Anderson movie some years ago, and I always feel bad about seeing movies based on books I haven't read. (I recently fixed this with the book Jane Eyre.) I loved the movie, especially since it seemed so quotable and witty and the ending was ironic, tragic and thought-provoking. I'm hoping this will be the same.
5. Dead Ex by Harley Jane Kozak
I love mystery novels, and since this book's cover had one of those dead body outlines, I knew I had to try to. When reading the back, I discovered it's also about soap operas and the drama behind them. This has to be one of the most delightful combination I've seen: murder and cheese. It appears that I picked up an early copy of the novel, so this is a total score from a collecting point of view.
6. A Concise History of South Africa by Robert Ross
Don't worry: this is the only textbook I picked up. My second major is in history. I'm taking an African history class, and we spent a month on South Africa, which was fascinating. I'm hoping to learn a little more about the place through this book.
7. Three by Flannery O'Connor
My friend Christine suggested O'Connor to me last year, and since this particular book was only 50 cents, I've decided to give it a whirl. This is definitely an older book, since the pages are yellow.
8. A Heinlein Trio by Robert A. Heinlein
I've always wanted to read Heinlein, since he's a science fiction master. The cover of this book is really cool is a psychedelic way. I'd actually like a poster of this original design.
So, that's it everyone. I managed to get eight books for 7.50. (For those of you not inclined mathematically, that's about 94 cents per book.) I'm excited to read these new books (if I ever find the free time to do so), and I feel good about spending my money at the book sale, since it supports the Red Cedar Review, which has been a wonderful organization. I'm so proud to be part of them.
1. Chinese Handcuffs by Chris Crutcher
I'm a huge fan of Young Adult Literature, even though I'm no longer a young adult. I've actually read Crutcher's Ironman, and this looks like a similar story: a young athlete with family troubles, who struggles to watch other people in his life suffer through abuse and who falls in love with a broken, but still fighting, young woman.
2. Londonstani by Gautam Malkani
I once read an essay by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers discussing how you should buy albums every once and a while based on their covers. I've decided to adopt that same approach to books, since it has lead me to some great music. The cover looks like the kind of scribbles you'd expect to see in a teenager's notebook. It's apparently about a group of southeast Asian teenagers living in London. I'm also interested in postcolonialism, and this book looks like a teen version of that. Like other teen classics The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, it looks like different sections are narrated by different characters. Flipping through the book, I see there are mentions of Rude Boys, which bodes well. The book has a slight crease in the backcover, but basically, it looks like I bought it in a bookstore.
3. I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolf
I saw a Jon Stewart once interview Tom Wolf about this book, which is why I picked it up. It's apparently about college girls. Back when I saw the interview, I was still in high school and it sounded fascinating, especially since I was heading to college myself. The diaries and hearing Wolf saying "Wu Tang clan" were enough to make me remember the interview. The book is flawless, like I did actually buy it out of a bookstore.
4. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
I saw the Gillian Anderson movie some years ago, and I always feel bad about seeing movies based on books I haven't read. (I recently fixed this with the book Jane Eyre.) I loved the movie, especially since it seemed so quotable and witty and the ending was ironic, tragic and thought-provoking. I'm hoping this will be the same.
5. Dead Ex by Harley Jane Kozak
I love mystery novels, and since this book's cover had one of those dead body outlines, I knew I had to try to. When reading the back, I discovered it's also about soap operas and the drama behind them. This has to be one of the most delightful combination I've seen: murder and cheese. It appears that I picked up an early copy of the novel, so this is a total score from a collecting point of view.
6. A Concise History of South Africa by Robert Ross
Don't worry: this is the only textbook I picked up. My second major is in history. I'm taking an African history class, and we spent a month on South Africa, which was fascinating. I'm hoping to learn a little more about the place through this book.
7. Three by Flannery O'Connor
My friend Christine suggested O'Connor to me last year, and since this particular book was only 50 cents, I've decided to give it a whirl. This is definitely an older book, since the pages are yellow.
8. A Heinlein Trio by Robert A. Heinlein
I've always wanted to read Heinlein, since he's a science fiction master. The cover of this book is really cool is a psychedelic way. I'd actually like a poster of this original design.
So, that's it everyone. I managed to get eight books for 7.50. (For those of you not inclined mathematically, that's about 94 cents per book.) I'm excited to read these new books (if I ever find the free time to do so), and I feel good about spending my money at the book sale, since it supports the Red Cedar Review, which has been a wonderful organization. I'm so proud to be part of them.
Book Sale
The Red Cedar Review today had a book sale to raise money. Hopefully, you got out there to support us and to get some cheap books. I have classes all day on Thursday's, so I didn't get a chance to check this out until later in the day, but I do have some pictures, which I've decided to post for everyone to enjoy. One of the things we had to do last night to prepare was to design posters. This picture above is the one Ashley did. I love it.
Kim designed this sweet looking poster for the event. She's such an amazing artist. We're definitely putting this up in the office.
Look at some of the awesome books we had. Most of them were high literature, but a few, like the one in the corner, was knock-knock jokes for kids.
Natalie, Emily, Katie and others actually selling or buying books.
Here is Amelia and Rachel. These two were on rock duty at the time. We decided that in addition to having a book sale, we were going to paint the rock. Most universities have a rock, and MSU is not different in this regard. The painting rules are clear: You have to guard it all day, then you can paint it after nightfall. If you leave it in the night, it's fair game to paint again. Once it's dawn again, you can't paint. I love this picture because Amelia is playing harmonica and because Rachel looks like the sun is killing her. (Also, she's holding Ashley's poster!) I've always enjoyed hanging with both these girls. I feel like I would love to watch a sitcom about the two of them, since Amelia's random and Rachel's fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)