Monday, June 7, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Final Explanatory Piece
Women in the Arts: Kalamazoo Students Forgetting Stereotypes and Working for Themselves
Antonio became Antonia. Gonzalo became Gonzalia. Adrian became Adrienne. Most importantly, Prospero became Prospera. Kalamazoo College put on the usually male-dominated production of The Tempest, but instead replaced the males with females.
“The Tempest is Shakespeare's most male-heavy play and there's only one woman, Miranda, and she's not one of Shakespeare's strongest female roles. This means that suddenly we've created a world in which women hold positions of great power, and the tyrannical Prospero is now a strong female matriarch,” said Laura Fox the senior dramaturge for the play. For Fox, this play was a way to change power dynamics between men and women. She doesn’t believe that the play is necessarily categorized as a feminist play, but it certainly works to gain new aspects of power and ways to view the female role in society.
On Kalamazoo College’s campus, women not only outnumber men in the general student population, but especially in the arts. This seems stereotypical for many campuses—females being part of the artistic, emotional departments. But the female students on this campus are part of the arts because it is what they are devoted to. “There are more women than man in the arts on our campus. And of course, a number of us want the arts to produce positive images for feminism. That’s important. But also, we love the theater and other arts on campus, and stereotypes aren’t going to stop us from participating,” said Fox.
In the theater department, women are not only participating but also working for positions of power. All but one director this year has been female: Rhinoceros (Liza Bielby), Suddenly Last Summer (Michelle Myers), Tragedy: A Tragedy (Emilia LaPenta), The Tempest (Karen Berthel) and Three Days of Rain (Anna Simmons and Georgia Knapp). Fox feels that this play is not necessarily about breaking stereotypes. “I don’t think women should fight these stereotypical roles because if that’s what a woman is then that’s what a women is. I think women should resist being put into stereotypes by other people but there’s nothing wrong with just being who you are,” said Fox.
Along with Fox and the theater department, other such contributors to the arts have made impacts for the women on our campus. Rachel Silander, a senior music major, focused her entire Senior Individualized Project (SIP) on music and sexual taboos, starting with the oppression of women in the 1920’s. “I don’t necessarily consider myself to be an extreme feminist. But I wanted to cover musical theater where women empowered themselves. I think it helps them to take a stand on certain issues that they might not be able to take by speaking out about it,” said Silander.
Silander believes that women in the music department are working to create a sense of unity. “Music gives a sense of power for women. They can gain a lot of respect from it. With two women's singing groups on campus I think it also creates a sense of solidarity among women,” she said.
Not only are they working together within departments but with other departments as well. Silander, not a theater major, still mentioned The Tempest when describing examples of how artists are positively portraying women at Kalamazoo College. This is what Fox wanted—to be heard and to make an impact on anyone and everyone. “I know that feminists on campus don't necessarily feel that their voices are being heard. So maybe they should give our theatre a try,” exclaimed Fox.
Like Fox, Laura Marshall, a senior art major, feels that the arts are a good way for women to express themselves, whether feminist or not. “I don’t think women should be worried about falling into stereotypes by participating in the arts. I don’t identify myself as a feminist but I still focused my art project on female body issues, and I think that’s important too—for women that aren’t feminists to also make a statement, ” she said. “For my project, I took a series of photos in the dance studio focusing on the image of the dancer looking in the mirror because that is where a lot of dancers’ insecurities come from. It seems lately that dance has become more about personal image and less about the movements created by the body. With this series I wanted to take the attention away from the dancer’s physical appearance and focus on the gesture.”
One of the most current events that each female mentioned, that seeks to unify the campus and the women involved in our arts is The Tempest. “It's pretty exciting to be in the audience as a woman, then, and see these incredibly powerful and three-dimensional women onstage,” said Fox. This has not been the only attempt at a female play; the theater department has also put on an all-female Hamlet. Karen Berthel directed both plays. “I think that she has done a wonderful job of breaking down stereotypes in theater through her innovative casting strategies and gender-bending productions,” said Gail Griffin, a women’s studies professor. But Griffin does not think that breaking stereotypes is the main point. “I don’t think women should work against stereotypes. I don’t think any stereotyped group should concentrate on breaking stereotypes. It draws energy from the main imperative, which is to work toward your own vision in your own way. If you’re constantly thinking about stereotypes, you’re constantly focused on what others think about you and your group,” she said.
Like Griffin urges, all of these female artists and their work have one thing in common: their passion. Whether feminist or not, Marshall, Fox, Silander, and the rest of the women in the arts departments all work for the arts because it is what they enjoy doing. Acapella, Photography, Theater, Dancing, Anything: The women of Kalamazoo College certainly are not worrying about stereotypes. They are just doing what they love to do.
Antonio became Antonia. Gonzalo became Gonzalia. Adrian became Adrienne. Most importantly, Prospero became Prospera. Kalamazoo College put on the usually male-dominated production of The Tempest, but instead replaced the males with females.
“The Tempest is Shakespeare's most male-heavy play and there's only one woman, Miranda, and she's not one of Shakespeare's strongest female roles. This means that suddenly we've created a world in which women hold positions of great power, and the tyrannical Prospero is now a strong female matriarch,” said Laura Fox the senior dramaturge for the play. For Fox, this play was a way to change power dynamics between men and women. She doesn’t believe that the play is necessarily categorized as a feminist play, but it certainly works to gain new aspects of power and ways to view the female role in society.
On Kalamazoo College’s campus, women not only outnumber men in the general student population, but especially in the arts. This seems stereotypical for many campuses—females being part of the artistic, emotional departments. But the female students on this campus are part of the arts because it is what they are devoted to. “There are more women than man in the arts on our campus. And of course, a number of us want the arts to produce positive images for feminism. That’s important. But also, we love the theater and other arts on campus, and stereotypes aren’t going to stop us from participating,” said Fox.
In the theater department, women are not only participating but also working for positions of power. All but one director this year has been female: Rhinoceros (Liza Bielby), Suddenly Last Summer (Michelle Myers), Tragedy: A Tragedy (Emilia LaPenta), The Tempest (Karen Berthel) and Three Days of Rain (Anna Simmons and Georgia Knapp). Fox feels that this play is not necessarily about breaking stereotypes. “I don’t think women should fight these stereotypical roles because if that’s what a woman is then that’s what a women is. I think women should resist being put into stereotypes by other people but there’s nothing wrong with just being who you are,” said Fox.
Along with Fox and the theater department, other such contributors to the arts have made impacts for the women on our campus. Rachel Silander, a senior music major, focused her entire Senior Individualized Project (SIP) on music and sexual taboos, starting with the oppression of women in the 1920’s. “I don’t necessarily consider myself to be an extreme feminist. But I wanted to cover musical theater where women empowered themselves. I think it helps them to take a stand on certain issues that they might not be able to take by speaking out about it,” said Silander.
Silander believes that women in the music department are working to create a sense of unity. “Music gives a sense of power for women. They can gain a lot of respect from it. With two women's singing groups on campus I think it also creates a sense of solidarity among women,” she said.
Not only are they working together within departments but with other departments as well. Silander, not a theater major, still mentioned The Tempest when describing examples of how artists are positively portraying women at Kalamazoo College. This is what Fox wanted—to be heard and to make an impact on anyone and everyone. “I know that feminists on campus don't necessarily feel that their voices are being heard. So maybe they should give our theatre a try,” exclaimed Fox.
Like Fox, Laura Marshall, a senior art major, feels that the arts are a good way for women to express themselves, whether feminist or not. “I don’t think women should be worried about falling into stereotypes by participating in the arts. I don’t identify myself as a feminist but I still focused my art project on female body issues, and I think that’s important too—for women that aren’t feminists to also make a statement, ” she said. “For my project, I took a series of photos in the dance studio focusing on the image of the dancer looking in the mirror because that is where a lot of dancers’ insecurities come from. It seems lately that dance has become more about personal image and less about the movements created by the body. With this series I wanted to take the attention away from the dancer’s physical appearance and focus on the gesture.”
One of the most current events that each female mentioned, that seeks to unify the campus and the women involved in our arts is The Tempest. “It's pretty exciting to be in the audience as a woman, then, and see these incredibly powerful and three-dimensional women onstage,” said Fox. This has not been the only attempt at a female play; the theater department has also put on an all-female Hamlet. Karen Berthel directed both plays. “I think that she has done a wonderful job of breaking down stereotypes in theater through her innovative casting strategies and gender-bending productions,” said Gail Griffin, a women’s studies professor. But Griffin does not think that breaking stereotypes is the main point. “I don’t think women should work against stereotypes. I don’t think any stereotyped group should concentrate on breaking stereotypes. It draws energy from the main imperative, which is to work toward your own vision in your own way. If you’re constantly thinking about stereotypes, you’re constantly focused on what others think about you and your group,” she said.
Like Griffin urges, all of these female artists and their work have one thing in common: their passion. Whether feminist or not, Marshall, Fox, Silander, and the rest of the women in the arts departments all work for the arts because it is what they enjoy doing. Acapella, Photography, Theater, Dancing, Anything: The women of Kalamazoo College certainly are not worrying about stereotypes. They are just doing what they love to do.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Responses to Pieces (Week 10)
Response to Andrea’s “Lisa Desmonde Profile”
I liked how you opened the piece with the redundancy of the homes and then showed how Lisa’s home was different. But then I wanted to know more of why she was different and what those things meant to her? Was she the only Obama follower in the neighborhood? What does the reef represent? Why doesn’t she smoke/want smokers?
Although the structure of the quotes got confusing sometimes, I liked the voice that they had. They definitely helped to develop her character. The quotes were interesting and tied the piece together. But along with this, I think that descriptions of Lisa and her daughter both would be helpful in imagining the scene.
Something in general to work on is transitions. Some paragraphs made large jumps (paragraph two talks about her daughter in the last sentence, then jumps to a quote by Lisa at the beginning of paragraph 3), so reworking those would make it flow better.
Overall, I was a little bit confused about the final message. Was it about Lisa’s struggles in life—MS, welfare, etc? Problems with education? I see where it’s going though and I can really tell that you asked the right questions and got personal with your subject.
Response to Simona’s “A Course in Michigan’s Migrant Housing”
This was a really interesting piece—I never even realized how much of a problem this is all over Michigan. I liked your break-up of explanation, statistics, and quotes. One thing though, is that I don’t see some of the quotes as crucial to the piece. For example, if you want to use the dialogue between Megan and Elizabeth at the beginning, then I feel like they need to be fleshed out as characters a little bit more, instead of us just seeing them speak two lines and then exit the rest of the piece. Maybe even their opinions on the class or why they are taking it or how it’s affected them would help.
I would also like to see more descriptions. How did the houses look that you actually did go into? I also don’t know how I feel about the “I” character. I think that the article could hold its own without a self-character. You could still describe the surroundings and then go even more in depth with what others feel and see—such as Megan, Elizabeth, or the workers for the program.
Response to Steven’s “Sunday Morning”
I enjoyed your descriptions in your piece—you paid close attention to all the details and that is what makes this piece interesting. But almost all of it is description until the end, so I think other voices and more interactions are necessary. There are the voices of a few characters at the end but they come so long into the piece that they are never developed. It would be nice to know who they are and what they look like earlier. Maybe this happened because it was written in semi-chronological order, like a story, but I think it would be better to break the descriptions up so we see more conflict from the start.
I liked your narrator voice in it because it made it seem like you were trying to immerse yourself in the church even though you were clearly standing out. Something that would be helpful is establishing what certain religious terms are. I know, for me, it was hard to follow all of the religious descriptions and narration because I am not religious so it took me longer to establish what scenes were. This also made the piece interesting though—I learned some new things and could tell you were also thrown into a completely new atmosphere.
I liked how you opened the piece with the redundancy of the homes and then showed how Lisa’s home was different. But then I wanted to know more of why she was different and what those things meant to her? Was she the only Obama follower in the neighborhood? What does the reef represent? Why doesn’t she smoke/want smokers?
Although the structure of the quotes got confusing sometimes, I liked the voice that they had. They definitely helped to develop her character. The quotes were interesting and tied the piece together. But along with this, I think that descriptions of Lisa and her daughter both would be helpful in imagining the scene.
Something in general to work on is transitions. Some paragraphs made large jumps (paragraph two talks about her daughter in the last sentence, then jumps to a quote by Lisa at the beginning of paragraph 3), so reworking those would make it flow better.
Overall, I was a little bit confused about the final message. Was it about Lisa’s struggles in life—MS, welfare, etc? Problems with education? I see where it’s going though and I can really tell that you asked the right questions and got personal with your subject.
Response to Simona’s “A Course in Michigan’s Migrant Housing”
This was a really interesting piece—I never even realized how much of a problem this is all over Michigan. I liked your break-up of explanation, statistics, and quotes. One thing though, is that I don’t see some of the quotes as crucial to the piece. For example, if you want to use the dialogue between Megan and Elizabeth at the beginning, then I feel like they need to be fleshed out as characters a little bit more, instead of us just seeing them speak two lines and then exit the rest of the piece. Maybe even their opinions on the class or why they are taking it or how it’s affected them would help.
I would also like to see more descriptions. How did the houses look that you actually did go into? I also don’t know how I feel about the “I” character. I think that the article could hold its own without a self-character. You could still describe the surroundings and then go even more in depth with what others feel and see—such as Megan, Elizabeth, or the workers for the program.
Response to Steven’s “Sunday Morning”
I enjoyed your descriptions in your piece—you paid close attention to all the details and that is what makes this piece interesting. But almost all of it is description until the end, so I think other voices and more interactions are necessary. There are the voices of a few characters at the end but they come so long into the piece that they are never developed. It would be nice to know who they are and what they look like earlier. Maybe this happened because it was written in semi-chronological order, like a story, but I think it would be better to break the descriptions up so we see more conflict from the start.
I liked your narrator voice in it because it made it seem like you were trying to immerse yourself in the church even though you were clearly standing out. Something that would be helpful is establishing what certain religious terms are. I know, for me, it was hard to follow all of the religious descriptions and narration because I am not religious so it took me longer to establish what scenes were. This also made the piece interesting though—I learned some new things and could tell you were also thrown into a completely new atmosphere.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Writing Process Post (Week 10)
This piece definitely had the most up's and down's out of all my pieces written so far. Here are some things that helped or hurt me:
Talking to Amy Rodgers is what sparked this piece and reading her responses from past interviews really helped. She talked about the female role and dance and in academia so passionately that this definitely inspired the topic.
Students are flaky. I started interviewing two weeks ago, getting in touch with students by email. But they are hard to get in touch with. I feel like I didn't get all the student representation that I wanted. Would it be too much to add more students? Or what about male voices? I also wonder if I should add any professors to the mix to get their take? But for me, the students seemed to be more open about their opinions with gender divides on campus because they actually are a direct part of it first hand. Is the authoritative role a good thing to add though?
I ended up finding that The Tempest is what connected all of my interviews together. It was really interesting because each one actually mentioned the play at some point or another. I thought this was a good connection but then did it focus too much on theater and not enough on the other arts?
I really did enjoy writing/interviewing for this piece though. Especially being involved in the arts on our campus myself, it was really interesting to see what people had to say. I would like to interview some males in the next few days as well though. I asked each student what their definition and meaning for feminism was and it was interesting to compare all of them. I think it would be interesting to find a male's perspective on this. I also realized that I need to add much, much more details and descriptions. My article is obviously for an Index audience, so how much detail is too much?
Talking to Amy Rodgers is what sparked this piece and reading her responses from past interviews really helped. She talked about the female role and dance and in academia so passionately that this definitely inspired the topic.
Students are flaky. I started interviewing two weeks ago, getting in touch with students by email. But they are hard to get in touch with. I feel like I didn't get all the student representation that I wanted. Would it be too much to add more students? Or what about male voices? I also wonder if I should add any professors to the mix to get their take? But for me, the students seemed to be more open about their opinions with gender divides on campus because they actually are a direct part of it first hand. Is the authoritative role a good thing to add though?
I ended up finding that The Tempest is what connected all of my interviews together. It was really interesting because each one actually mentioned the play at some point or another. I thought this was a good connection but then did it focus too much on theater and not enough on the other arts?
I really did enjoy writing/interviewing for this piece though. Especially being involved in the arts on our campus myself, it was really interesting to see what people had to say. I would like to interview some males in the next few days as well though. I asked each student what their definition and meaning for feminism was and it was interesting to compare all of them. I think it would be interesting to find a male's perspective on this. I also realized that I need to add much, much more details and descriptions. My article is obviously for an Index audience, so how much detail is too much?
Explanatory Narrative (Week 10)
Explanatory Narrative
Women and the Arts at Kalamazoo College (Working Title)
Antonio became Antonia. Gonzalo became Gonzalia. Adrian became Adrienne. Most importantly, Prospero became Prospera. Kalamazoo College put on the usually male-dominated production of The Tempest, but instead replaced the males with females, showcasing the powerful women of the campus, determined to show what feminism and the arts is really about.
“The Tempest is Shakespeare's most male-heavy play and there's only one woman, Miranda, and she's not one of Shakespeare's strongest female roles. This means that suddenly we've created a world in which women hold positions of great power, and the tyrannical Prospero is now a strong female matriarch. In this way, I feel that we've done our part to reclaim The Tempest for feminism,” said Laura Fox the senior dramaturge for the play.
Fox and her fellow cast mates have made strides in cementing the female role in the arts on Kalamazoo College’s campus. Although Fox said that the theater department is very open to females (the majority of the directors have been females in the past), she feels that this play certainly opens up new ideas of the female role and hopes that this is spread to the campus. “I don't think the theatre department harbors any biases against women and I'd say that it's an exceptionally feminist department. But in terms of our campus, I'd say that women are still fighting an uphill battle,” said Fox.
Along with Fox and the theater department, other such contributors to the arts have made impacts for the women on our campus. Rachel Silander, a senior music major, focused her entire Senior Individualized Project (SIP) on music and sexual taboos, starting with the oppression of women in the 1920’s. “I think women have to struggle a little bit more and be a bit more talented in order to live up to the [music] standard whereas men who may have a decent voice are more likely to go farther as long as they are entertaining,” said Silander. Given these divides, she wanted to find a SIP that would explore these struggles for women in the music industry, especially those in musical theater.
Although the music department is heavily female-weighted, Silander believes that women can always work to make a mark in the arts, such as music. “Music gives a sense of power for women. They can gain a lot of respect from it. With two women's singing groups on campus I think it also creates a sense of solidarity among women that you can't necessarily find elsewhere on our campus,” she said. These women are working together.
Not only are they working together within departments but with other departments as well. Silander, as a music major not a theater major, mentioned The Tempest when describing examples of how women are taking back the arts at Kalamazoo College. This is exactly what Fox wanted with the play—to make an impact on the entire campus with a fight for feminism, not just the theater department. “Ask most men (and even women) about their thoughts on feminism, and I don't think they would have very nice things to say. It's still a very misunderstood concept, not only at K but everywhere, and I know that feminists on campus don't necessarily feel that their voices are being heard. So maybe they should give our theatre a try,” exclaimed Fox.
Like Fox, Laura Marshall, a senior art major, feels that the arts are a good way for women to express themselves. “The art programs on our campus may attract more females but that makes sense given the gender breakdown in general. But I don’t think this should stop women from excelling and trying even harder to make a difference in the arts, especially on such a small campus. The more exposure the better,” she said. “I even see my art major working hand-in-hand with my psychology major at times. We discuss a lot of women’s studies in our Feminist Psychology class so I often bring up my work in the arts. It’s not just about within our departments but all the women in the arts programs working with the entire campus.”
One of the main events that each female mentioned, that seeks to unify the campus and the women involved in our arts is The Tempest. “In Shakespeare's time, women weren't even allowed to act, so men and boys played all the roles. Now, of course, there are more images of women onstage, although not always flattering or strong ones. Our production of The Tempest seeks to rectify this and create strong female roles out of historically male roles. It's pretty exciting to be in the audience as a woman, then, and see these incredibly powerful and three-dimensional women onstage,” said Fox. This play has positively affected the women on our campus, and Fox, Silander, and Marshall all hope it has done the same for men.
Whether theater, music, or the arts in general, the women on Kalamazoo College’s campus agree on one thing: equality. No matter the art, each woman strives for equal acceptance and equal representation. They all understand that this is not the current situation in societies, so their actions to propel Kalamazoo College in the right direction have been necessary and beneficial for all.
Women and the Arts at Kalamazoo College (Working Title)
Antonio became Antonia. Gonzalo became Gonzalia. Adrian became Adrienne. Most importantly, Prospero became Prospera. Kalamazoo College put on the usually male-dominated production of The Tempest, but instead replaced the males with females, showcasing the powerful women of the campus, determined to show what feminism and the arts is really about.
“The Tempest is Shakespeare's most male-heavy play and there's only one woman, Miranda, and she's not one of Shakespeare's strongest female roles. This means that suddenly we've created a world in which women hold positions of great power, and the tyrannical Prospero is now a strong female matriarch. In this way, I feel that we've done our part to reclaim The Tempest for feminism,” said Laura Fox the senior dramaturge for the play.
Fox and her fellow cast mates have made strides in cementing the female role in the arts on Kalamazoo College’s campus. Although Fox said that the theater department is very open to females (the majority of the directors have been females in the past), she feels that this play certainly opens up new ideas of the female role and hopes that this is spread to the campus. “I don't think the theatre department harbors any biases against women and I'd say that it's an exceptionally feminist department. But in terms of our campus, I'd say that women are still fighting an uphill battle,” said Fox.
Along with Fox and the theater department, other such contributors to the arts have made impacts for the women on our campus. Rachel Silander, a senior music major, focused her entire Senior Individualized Project (SIP) on music and sexual taboos, starting with the oppression of women in the 1920’s. “I think women have to struggle a little bit more and be a bit more talented in order to live up to the [music] standard whereas men who may have a decent voice are more likely to go farther as long as they are entertaining,” said Silander. Given these divides, she wanted to find a SIP that would explore these struggles for women in the music industry, especially those in musical theater.
Although the music department is heavily female-weighted, Silander believes that women can always work to make a mark in the arts, such as music. “Music gives a sense of power for women. They can gain a lot of respect from it. With two women's singing groups on campus I think it also creates a sense of solidarity among women that you can't necessarily find elsewhere on our campus,” she said. These women are working together.
Not only are they working together within departments but with other departments as well. Silander, as a music major not a theater major, mentioned The Tempest when describing examples of how women are taking back the arts at Kalamazoo College. This is exactly what Fox wanted with the play—to make an impact on the entire campus with a fight for feminism, not just the theater department. “Ask most men (and even women) about their thoughts on feminism, and I don't think they would have very nice things to say. It's still a very misunderstood concept, not only at K but everywhere, and I know that feminists on campus don't necessarily feel that their voices are being heard. So maybe they should give our theatre a try,” exclaimed Fox.
Like Fox, Laura Marshall, a senior art major, feels that the arts are a good way for women to express themselves. “The art programs on our campus may attract more females but that makes sense given the gender breakdown in general. But I don’t think this should stop women from excelling and trying even harder to make a difference in the arts, especially on such a small campus. The more exposure the better,” she said. “I even see my art major working hand-in-hand with my psychology major at times. We discuss a lot of women’s studies in our Feminist Psychology class so I often bring up my work in the arts. It’s not just about within our departments but all the women in the arts programs working with the entire campus.”
One of the main events that each female mentioned, that seeks to unify the campus and the women involved in our arts is The Tempest. “In Shakespeare's time, women weren't even allowed to act, so men and boys played all the roles. Now, of course, there are more images of women onstage, although not always flattering or strong ones. Our production of The Tempest seeks to rectify this and create strong female roles out of historically male roles. It's pretty exciting to be in the audience as a woman, then, and see these incredibly powerful and three-dimensional women onstage,” said Fox. This play has positively affected the women on our campus, and Fox, Silander, and Marshall all hope it has done the same for men.
Whether theater, music, or the arts in general, the women on Kalamazoo College’s campus agree on one thing: equality. No matter the art, each woman strives for equal acceptance and equal representation. They all understand that this is not the current situation in societies, so their actions to propel Kalamazoo College in the right direction have been necessary and beneficial for all.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Responses to Pieces: Workshop Pt. I (Week 9)
Response to Claire's "Michigan Smoking Ban: All Smoke and No Fire?"
I really liked this immersion-type piece. I liked how you would mention your pack of Camel cigarettes or yourself wandering a bar or cafe with your drink. I think these things made it believable for the reader to understand your point of view and see that you really put herself into the situations. One thing that threw me off at times was the transitions between locations. It just seemed to jump a little bit. As I read, I eventually understood the transitions but it took a second before I really felt like they flowed together. I also was wondering what happened with the Waldo's situation. Was there a bouncer or management member around to talk to? Did they say that they don't really enforce either? Or that they are half-assing it? I really liked the personal aspect that you put into the piece, so I was wondering if more of other voices could go in it as well? Or would that be too many voices? Overall, I really enjoyed reading your piece.
Response to Joel's "Meeting the Band Draft"
You can really tell that you spent time on your subject and invested yourself in them. I liked the quotes you put in because you really get a feel for the band. You did a great job of capturing the band's mentality and aura with the quotes and the descriptions. One thing that threw me off was the form/structure. You have a lot of longer sentences (lots of commas), so I would definitely rework them to make sure sentence structure is not too redundant. I really enjoyed the piece, but I was stuck when I tried to think of the exact conflict. Especially with the last few sentences at the end, I get a review/promotion type feel, trying to convince us to applaud them. So that threw the conflict off a little bit for me. Overall, I think this was a great draft and can definitely see your interest in the band.
Response to Jess'"Amidst Smaller Acceptance Rates, KAMSC Students are Still Getting In"
I really liked reading your piece. I thought the organization and flow of the piece was great--one section went to the next with meaning and purpose. You can definitely tell that you did a lot of reporting and really thought about how to structure all of it into the story. You included the information in a great way so it was easy to comprehend as a reader and apply to the story at hand. One thing that I questioned was that this felt like a very newspaper/news-y story. I liked when the student has a voice at the end but besides that it seems like a very straight-forward and news-focused story. I think the quotes definitely add to the narrative aspect of the story, though--because you get to hear Streeter's voice and you can tell he's a unique man. At times, the quotes did get a little confusing to read though (probably because of the conversational aspect of it). Besides that I think that your piece was well-organized and well-researched and that definitely impressed me.
Response to Anna's "Park Trades Center Draft"
I think that your piece was structured well--you gave good descriptions of each section. I wanted to see more of them tied together. I like when you mention the KBAC and Glass Center collaborating because that really adds to the sense of community in the Trades Center--so I think more of this feel would be great. Until the end of the last paragraph, it is mostly description of each section (which were great), and then we finally see what the conflict is/all of the different areas coming together. I think this could definitely be used earlier in the piece. You do this well with your physical descriptions (the staircase winding down and connecting all of the areas, etc), but I wanted to see more of the actual events that bring them together (like the two companies collaborating). Not to take away from the descriptions thought, because I thought they were fabulous!
Response to Myles' "Parchment's Abandoned Factories/Working Title"
I really loved all of your descriptions. I thought you did a great job of describing what you were seeing and how it was something that perhaps the rest of us have never seen before. I think that having these descriptions throughout the entire piece instead of mainly the beginning would be nice. In the first three paragraphs, you use a lot of semi-colons and em-dashes--so I would definitely rework sentence structure to break-up run-ons. All of your descriptions are so good that it would be a waste for them to get lost in one big, long sentence. I think that I would like more voices in the piece. Who is this affecting besides Curt Flowers. What about the people that live(d) there? Overall, I think there needs to be more conflict in the story: is it that the mills shut down? that Curt wants them back? both? I would have more of this conflict throughout the story and not just the end. I really like what you have so far, the descriptions are great.
I really liked this immersion-type piece. I liked how you would mention your pack of Camel cigarettes or yourself wandering a bar or cafe with your drink. I think these things made it believable for the reader to understand your point of view and see that you really put herself into the situations. One thing that threw me off at times was the transitions between locations. It just seemed to jump a little bit. As I read, I eventually understood the transitions but it took a second before I really felt like they flowed together. I also was wondering what happened with the Waldo's situation. Was there a bouncer or management member around to talk to? Did they say that they don't really enforce either? Or that they are half-assing it? I really liked the personal aspect that you put into the piece, so I was wondering if more of other voices could go in it as well? Or would that be too many voices? Overall, I really enjoyed reading your piece.
Response to Joel's "Meeting the Band Draft"
You can really tell that you spent time on your subject and invested yourself in them. I liked the quotes you put in because you really get a feel for the band. You did a great job of capturing the band's mentality and aura with the quotes and the descriptions. One thing that threw me off was the form/structure. You have a lot of longer sentences (lots of commas), so I would definitely rework them to make sure sentence structure is not too redundant. I really enjoyed the piece, but I was stuck when I tried to think of the exact conflict. Especially with the last few sentences at the end, I get a review/promotion type feel, trying to convince us to applaud them. So that threw the conflict off a little bit for me. Overall, I think this was a great draft and can definitely see your interest in the band.
Response to Jess'"Amidst Smaller Acceptance Rates, KAMSC Students are Still Getting In"
I really liked reading your piece. I thought the organization and flow of the piece was great--one section went to the next with meaning and purpose. You can definitely tell that you did a lot of reporting and really thought about how to structure all of it into the story. You included the information in a great way so it was easy to comprehend as a reader and apply to the story at hand. One thing that I questioned was that this felt like a very newspaper/news-y story. I liked when the student has a voice at the end but besides that it seems like a very straight-forward and news-focused story. I think the quotes definitely add to the narrative aspect of the story, though--because you get to hear Streeter's voice and you can tell he's a unique man. At times, the quotes did get a little confusing to read though (probably because of the conversational aspect of it). Besides that I think that your piece was well-organized and well-researched and that definitely impressed me.
Response to Anna's "Park Trades Center Draft"
I think that your piece was structured well--you gave good descriptions of each section. I wanted to see more of them tied together. I like when you mention the KBAC and Glass Center collaborating because that really adds to the sense of community in the Trades Center--so I think more of this feel would be great. Until the end of the last paragraph, it is mostly description of each section (which were great), and then we finally see what the conflict is/all of the different areas coming together. I think this could definitely be used earlier in the piece. You do this well with your physical descriptions (the staircase winding down and connecting all of the areas, etc), but I wanted to see more of the actual events that bring them together (like the two companies collaborating). Not to take away from the descriptions thought, because I thought they were fabulous!
Response to Myles' "Parchment's Abandoned Factories/Working Title"
I really loved all of your descriptions. I thought you did a great job of describing what you were seeing and how it was something that perhaps the rest of us have never seen before. I think that having these descriptions throughout the entire piece instead of mainly the beginning would be nice. In the first three paragraphs, you use a lot of semi-colons and em-dashes--so I would definitely rework sentence structure to break-up run-ons. All of your descriptions are so good that it would be a waste for them to get lost in one big, long sentence. I think that I would like more voices in the piece. Who is this affecting besides Curt Flowers. What about the people that live(d) there? Overall, I think there needs to be more conflict in the story: is it that the mills shut down? that Curt wants them back? both? I would have more of this conflict throughout the story and not just the end. I really like what you have so far, the descriptions are great.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Final Draft of Profile Piece
“Turning Points”
Amy Rodgers dreams of pirouettes even after her ballet career has ended—showcasing her skills and her tutu-fitting body line as she lifts her leg to her knee, spinning around gracefully on the tips of her toes. Pirouette is the step “to turn” in ballet terms—the number of turns increases as he or she develops their skill. “I still dream about it. Doing perfect turns or untying my Pointe shoes,” said Rodgers with a nostalgic smile.
Rodgers started her ballet career on the late side, two months from 13 years old, in New York. “When I was around 12, I saw Flash Dance and said, ‘Oh, I want to do this!’ It was because of that. Embarrassing, but absolutely true.” Throwing herself into the art at full force after her movie-inspired classes, she landed her first job by age 16 with the Washington Ballet. She then also danced at the Atlanta Ballet as a soloist until she tore a tendon in her foot, forcing her to take a year off. Although Rodgers attempted a return to ballet, she realized that she had other things to devote her life to.
“I waited tables in New York, mostly because my dad got annoyed I was watching T.V. at home,” she said with a smirk, “I met all these people who were writing and acting, and they’d all been to college. I thought they were the most interesting people I had ever met.” This propelled her to apply to and attend Columbia University at 24.
During college, Rodgers developed an interest for film, especially with her ballet background gravitating her toward another type of art: “I think there is something detail-oriented about dancers that has helped influence the way that I have worked with texts and films. Especially with ballet—your hand, or all the little details you have to be aware of all the time,” Rodgers said, “I spent so much time thinking about audiences and thinking about their point of view.” Finding her niche in film, Rodgers continued her studies in graduate school at the University of Michigan.
School helped Rodgers to start to develop her ideas on feminism. “I became aware of the movement when I went to college. I became conscious of what it meant other than what you hear on ‘School House Rock’ with women’s’ rights” she said laughing. A class at Michigan that emphasized these newfound thoughts was Gaylyn Studlar’s “Hitchcock and Feminism.” Rodgers became so enthralled with this concept, that she brought the class to Kalamazoo College where she is doing her post-doctoral teaching fellowship in order to become a professor at a liberal arts school.
Rodgers has fit right in with the Kalamazoo College crowd. “When I think about her virtues, I think others of my colleagues have those virtues,” said Andrew Mozina, head of the English department. “She is extremely energetic in the classroom. Her mind is really quick so she is very agile in discussions.”
She maintains composure throughout her classes. She split the class into smaller groups so they could discuss readings and the film. Rodgers inserted herself into a group, acting as a student rather than a facilitator. The only thing that separated her was her brightly colored floral capris that she is known for. She said that staying still is hard for her. “Walking around is my thing,” Rodgers said, as her vibrant pants flowed with each step.
“Amy is so energetic that she never struggles to hold the class's focus. And while she is incredibly intelligent, she never acts as if her insights are superior to a student's,” said Laura Fox, a senior in the class.
Rodgers combines her passion of teaching and of feminism and film to encourage the class in finding the importance of this discourse and why it needs to be talked about for them. “What does feminism mean to me? It means an awareness of how women exist in the culture that they occupy and ideally, it means making both men and women aware of that,” she said. “I want my students to engage with those ideas of feminism instead of just accept them. I hope for all to have a more creative understanding of what feminism is."
Now that Rodgers has developed her thoughts on feminism, she has been able to think back to her dancing days and think critically about that particular lifestyle. “I accepted the paradigms and aesthetics of ballet,” she said. “I certainly wanted my body to look like how I was told.” She aimed for the skinny waist, lack of breasts, and a bodyline that never faltered in any direction. Dancing has become a heated subject when it comes to feminism because of these body demands. Rodgers never really thought about feminism and dancing while she was a ballerina, mostly because she believed in her role as a dancer. But now she understands that there are issues.
“I think there is a problem in ballet that so many of the choreographers are male,” she said. Rodgers explained that male choreographers have a different sense of body image than females. Every day, dancers struggle with body issues and the ideal look, but she hopes that this will not remain. “There’s more to it than that. I think there are ways that dance, and ballet in particular, glorifies women.”
Times are turning, and Rodgers embraces feminism into both her past and her present life, whether focusing on film, pirouettes, or even family. “I’m surrounded by men! I have a husband and two little boys, and I’m very fortunate to have a husband that is supportive and does traditionally more feminine things,” she said. “I enjoy my kids, but I really enjoy my career.” Rodgers is trying to find ways to reconcile aspects of feminism with her life. “For me it means just trying to be comfortable with who I am, which I wasn’t always, but now I am a lot more, and anyone can always work on that.”
Amy Rodgers dreams of pirouettes even after her ballet career has ended—showcasing her skills and her tutu-fitting body line as she lifts her leg to her knee, spinning around gracefully on the tips of her toes. Pirouette is the step “to turn” in ballet terms—the number of turns increases as he or she develops their skill. “I still dream about it. Doing perfect turns or untying my Pointe shoes,” said Rodgers with a nostalgic smile.
Rodgers started her ballet career on the late side, two months from 13 years old, in New York. “When I was around 12, I saw Flash Dance and said, ‘Oh, I want to do this!’ It was because of that. Embarrassing, but absolutely true.” Throwing herself into the art at full force after her movie-inspired classes, she landed her first job by age 16 with the Washington Ballet. She then also danced at the Atlanta Ballet as a soloist until she tore a tendon in her foot, forcing her to take a year off. Although Rodgers attempted a return to ballet, she realized that she had other things to devote her life to.
“I waited tables in New York, mostly because my dad got annoyed I was watching T.V. at home,” she said with a smirk, “I met all these people who were writing and acting, and they’d all been to college. I thought they were the most interesting people I had ever met.” This propelled her to apply to and attend Columbia University at 24.
During college, Rodgers developed an interest for film, especially with her ballet background gravitating her toward another type of art: “I think there is something detail-oriented about dancers that has helped influence the way that I have worked with texts and films. Especially with ballet—your hand, or all the little details you have to be aware of all the time,” Rodgers said, “I spent so much time thinking about audiences and thinking about their point of view.” Finding her niche in film, Rodgers continued her studies in graduate school at the University of Michigan.
School helped Rodgers to start to develop her ideas on feminism. “I became aware of the movement when I went to college. I became conscious of what it meant other than what you hear on ‘School House Rock’ with women’s’ rights” she said laughing. A class at Michigan that emphasized these newfound thoughts was Gaylyn Studlar’s “Hitchcock and Feminism.” Rodgers became so enthralled with this concept, that she brought the class to Kalamazoo College where she is doing her post-doctoral teaching fellowship in order to become a professor at a liberal arts school.
Rodgers has fit right in with the Kalamazoo College crowd. “When I think about her virtues, I think others of my colleagues have those virtues,” said Andrew Mozina, head of the English department. “She is extremely energetic in the classroom. Her mind is really quick so she is very agile in discussions.”
She maintains composure throughout her classes. She split the class into smaller groups so they could discuss readings and the film. Rodgers inserted herself into a group, acting as a student rather than a facilitator. The only thing that separated her was her brightly colored floral capris that she is known for. She said that staying still is hard for her. “Walking around is my thing,” Rodgers said, as her vibrant pants flowed with each step.
“Amy is so energetic that she never struggles to hold the class's focus. And while she is incredibly intelligent, she never acts as if her insights are superior to a student's,” said Laura Fox, a senior in the class.
Rodgers combines her passion of teaching and of feminism and film to encourage the class in finding the importance of this discourse and why it needs to be talked about for them. “What does feminism mean to me? It means an awareness of how women exist in the culture that they occupy and ideally, it means making both men and women aware of that,” she said. “I want my students to engage with those ideas of feminism instead of just accept them. I hope for all to have a more creative understanding of what feminism is."
Now that Rodgers has developed her thoughts on feminism, she has been able to think back to her dancing days and think critically about that particular lifestyle. “I accepted the paradigms and aesthetics of ballet,” she said. “I certainly wanted my body to look like how I was told.” She aimed for the skinny waist, lack of breasts, and a bodyline that never faltered in any direction. Dancing has become a heated subject when it comes to feminism because of these body demands. Rodgers never really thought about feminism and dancing while she was a ballerina, mostly because she believed in her role as a dancer. But now she understands that there are issues.
“I think there is a problem in ballet that so many of the choreographers are male,” she said. Rodgers explained that male choreographers have a different sense of body image than females. Every day, dancers struggle with body issues and the ideal look, but she hopes that this will not remain. “There’s more to it than that. I think there are ways that dance, and ballet in particular, glorifies women.”
Times are turning, and Rodgers embraces feminism into both her past and her present life, whether focusing on film, pirouettes, or even family. “I’m surrounded by men! I have a husband and two little boys, and I’m very fortunate to have a husband that is supportive and does traditionally more feminine things,” she said. “I enjoy my kids, but I really enjoy my career.” Rodgers is trying to find ways to reconcile aspects of feminism with her life. “For me it means just trying to be comfortable with who I am, which I wasn’t always, but now I am a lot more, and anyone can always work on that.”
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