FDU Alum Reads at Open Mic

RACHEL YECCO

Senior Editor

Published in The Pillar: Feb 25. 2011

On Feb. 14, students gathered in the Bottle Hill Room for an Open Mic event that celebrated Black History Month, Valentine’s Day and the works of FDU alum H. Lloyd Weston.

The event, organized by Katie Singer, featured a poetry reading from Weston. He read from his new book, “Many Silences of Love: Contemporary Love Poems.”

Before Weston began the reading with his poem, “Be My Valentine,” he said, “Love comes in so many forms and guises.”

Weston also read a selection of short love poems including, “Hi-Tech Love,” a poem about modern-day romances, “Because I Love You,” and “To Be in Love.”

According to the Editorial Review on Amazon.com, “Many Silences of Love: Contemporary Love Poems” is “a compelling new collection of poetry that brilliantly captures the subtleties and heartbreaks of love in our digital age.”

Weston’s book combines old-fashioned literary passion with modern-day humor to create a bubbly book, perfect for his Valentine’s Day reading at FDU.

Weston’s readings of his poetry reflect the passion in his book.

“As you can tell, he really enjoys what he is doing. It’s really inspiring,” said Singer. “It’s so clear Mr. Weston has a story he wants to tell us.”

Weston graduated from FDU in 1974 and began experimenting with  the written word and contemporary expressionist art.

Before his success a writer, Weston was an established painter.

His paintings of New York and his native Jamaican landscapes have been displayed in galleries all over the world, from New York to London and from Tokyo to the walls of FDU.
Weston’s work even landed him the opportunity of a lifetime in 1989, when he presented one of his paintings to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, at Grosvenor House in London, according to Weston’s website.

Following the Open Mic event, Weston was available for a quick book signing.
Working within the theme of Black History Month, as well as Valentine’s Day, FDU students were given the opportunity to read their own works of poetry, or the work of other artists, to celebrate African-American history.

Students read the poetry of famous African-American poets such as Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks and Maya Angelou, in addition to others.

African-American music was also a large part of the day, with one student sharing the song, “Black Butterfly,” by Deniece Williams, and another student’s reading of Notorious B.I.G. lyrics.

There were also passionate readings of student poetry that touched themes of love, the taming of a girl’s hair and heart, and what it is like to grow up African-American.

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The White Stripes Duo Calls it Quits

By Rachel Yecco

Senior Editor

Published in The Pillar: Feb. 17, 2011

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Musical powerhouse duo Jack and Meg White of the Detroit, Mich., underground alternative music scene called it quits on Feb. 2 after an incredible 13-year career as The White Stripes.

The news ended an era that can only be described as one of “De Stijl” (translated to the name of their second album, “The Style”).

Known for their chalky white skin, jet black hair and red accents, The White Stripes birthed six beautiful records between 1998 and 2007.

These albums included songs such as “Fell in Love with a Girl,” “Seven Nation Army” and “Blue Orchid.”

The news hit the web via The White Stripes’ website through a letter written by the pair to their fans. They wrote that they “hope this decision isn’t met with great sorrow.”

Also in their letter, they said, “The reason is not due to artistic differences or lack of wanting to continue, nor any health issues.”

While Meg focused only on The White Stripes, Jack explored options outside of the duo.
In 2004, Jack White contributed to the soundtrack for the movie “Cold Mountain,” winning a Grammy for his work. He also formed the alternative band The Raconteurs in 2005, who are also from Detroit. Though Jack expanded his music capabilities outside The White Stripes, he and Meg continued to make music during this time, releasing “Get Behind me Satan” in 2005 and “Icky Thump” in 2007.

The White Stripes first gained acclaim at the 2001 South by Southwest Music Festival in Texas.

It wasn’t just their peculiar appearances, Meg’s cymbal explosion, or Jack’s hypnotic guitar riffs that caught the attention of the music world.

Rather, it was the attitude of their song “Fell in Love with a Girl,” which jolted them onto the Billboard charts and into the public eye.

As their success spread like chicken pox, rumors began to surface of Jack and Meg’s relationship; rumors stretched from brother and sister, to married couple, to a brother who married his sister. But the brother-sister myth was put to rest in 2001, when their 1996 marriage was uncovered, along with their 2000 divorce.

The duo won a surplus of awards during their career, which they describe as “intense and incredible.”

Among their awards included three from the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards for their contagious song, “Fell in Love With a Girl.”

Their album “Elephant” earned four Grammy nominations in 2003 and won Best Alternative Music Album and Best Rock Song. Their albums “Get Behind Me Satan” and “Icky Thump” also won Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album in their respective years.

Over their 13-year career, Jack and Meg White collected a total of 14 awards from 50 nominations for The White Stripes.

With a music era at its end, Jack and Meg left on their website last wishes for their fans: “The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack anymore. The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want. The beauty of art and music is that it can last forever if people want it to. Thank you for sharing this experience. Your involvement will never be lost on us and we are truly grateful.”

Jack continues to make music with his band The Raconteurs, but the future music plans for Meg are not known.

What is known is that the legacy of the White Stripes will certainly inspire current and future musicians in all genres for decades to come.

For more articles, visit www.fdupillar.com

MTV Program Shows Too Much 'Skin'

By Rachel Yecco

Senior Editor

Published in The Pillar: Feb. 10, 2011

The MTV show “Skins,” based on the U.K. program by the same name, follows the fictional secret lives of high school kids. According to the show’s MTV website, “ ‘Skins’ is an emotional mosh-pit that slams through the insanity of teenage years.” Though teenage years are generally nothing more than an awkward encounter with peer pressure and social defiance, the image this new MTV series advertises is not one of the average American teenage life, but a lifestyle revolving around sex, drugs, and alcohol.

In the most recent episode, aired Jan. 31, viewers follow Chris (Jesse Carere), a male enhancement pill-popper whose mother abandoned him. Chris deals with the abandonment by popping more pills, throwing a party and flirting with his high school psychology teacher, Tina.

Those feelings of loss are where the realistic portion of the show ends. Later in the episode, Chris gets locked out of his house, naked, by a homeless man and decides the most logical thing to do next would, of course, be to break into Tina’s car and ask if he can stay with her. Because it’s the world of  “Skins,” Tina accepts.

But it’s not the male enhancement pills, or Chris’s storyline, that has viewers up in arms, but rather the vulgar language, unnecessary nudity and glamorization of substance abuse and sex, which can be persuasive to the show’s 1.2 million viewers under the age of 18, said Examiner.com.

“Skins” also fits the definition of child pornography, which is “the visual depiction of minor children under the age of 18 engaging in sexual acts, such as sexual intercourse, masturbation, or oral sex.” The show’s youngest actress, Eleanor Zichy, is only 16 years old, and four other actors are 17. With themes like sex and masturbation of minors, “Skins” could be considered the first airing of child pornography on cable television.
Characters Stanley, played by Daniel Flaherty, and Cadie, played by Britne Oldford, are both underage on and off the set. In “Skins,” they pretend to have sex with each other to fit in with their group of friends.

According to the Huffington Post, “The show is littered with sexually suggestive poses and half-exposed breasts.”

One scene from episode three shows Michelle, played by Rachel Thevenard, asking quiet and shy Stanley what he thinks of her “tits,” utilizing word choice not preferred by the parents of the show’s young audience.

Underage drinking is also a major player is the show’s controversy. When Chris realizes his mother is gone, he spends all the small amount of money she left for him on a lavish party.

Since this takes place during high school, all characters are under the age of 21. Off the set only one actor, Ron Mustafaa, who plays Abbud, is over the legal drinking age. At this party, all the characters are holding onto some alcoholic beverage. Cadie walks into the party with a bottle of vodka, countless others with cans of beer.

Though the episode airs on Mondays at 10 p.m., it can be viewed 24/7 on MTV’s website, where viewers can also watch streaming video diaries of the main characters, and unseen footage.

The partial difference between watching “Skins” online versus on television is that the website requires a date of birth verification that the viewer is over the age of 18.


For more articles, visit www.fdupillar.com

Senior Writing Project Crunch Time

The first thing they teach you about writing, is to write what you know. Figures, most people will have some common knowledge and be able to relate. That was my logic at least when I began thinking about my senior writing project, to write what I know and cross my fingers that someone finds my work readable.

So what do I know? I know I’m 21. I know that after nine years of piano lessons, I play mediocre version of “Desperado” by The Eagles, which I am very proud of. I know, I’m not the neatest person, but granted, few emerging 20 year olds are. And I know I can bake the meanest cupcake, this side of Mount Laurel, NJ has ever seen. However, none of this is engaging enough for the required 70+ page thesis. Delicious, though. 

I thought about drawing 70 smiley faces with happy words written underneath like “babies” or “Jimmies.” “Sprinkles” for those who cannot accept that “Jimmies” do exist. If you visit the Kohr Brother’s at the Ocean City Boardwalk, it’s written blue as day, “Jimmies: $.75.”  It would be creative and isn’t that what I decided to major in? Creative writing.

I took a lot of heat for declaring creative writing as my major. I catch myself still mumbling it under my breath when people ask me what my major is. It isn’t the most, what’s the word? It isn’t the most secure career path to enter, especially considering most college students don’t pick up one of the x number of books that cost them almost $500.00 to buy each semester. If young people can’t pick up a book required for class, why would they do so for their own enjoyment? I guess part of me wants to change that in young people, seeing as I am a young people and would be depending on their love of reading to fund my future electric and water bills. I want people to read. Specifically, read my books at a Twilight-like pace. And make them into Lifetime movies, maybe big screen movies, staring Emma Stone and Penn Badgley because she’s corky and endearing and he’s, quite frankly, grating cheese on those abs and I haven’t met a cheese I didn’t like, especially with a face like that.

I think people still want books because stories are one of the only things in life that are permanent. Though I hate to admit it, 50 years from now, Lifetime channel may be taken over by Oprah and she’ll be too busy airing episodes of her dogs bathing in gold that no one will know gems like, “The Pregnancy Pact” or “The Boy She Met Online” ever existed. However, 50 years from now, Harry Potter will still be in the hands of every child because it is the “new classic.” It is the new “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Both started off controversial, both being banned form schools and libraries, but both still finding their way into children hands and hearts. Stories can’t get cancelled because they don’t have enough viewers. Stories can’t get censored by the FCC because someone described a little nip slip during the Super Bowl. And stories can’t get lost in the abyss that is the Internet.

I’ve derailed a bit. I have five days before I need to come up with something I know and present it as a strong start to a thesis. I thought strong, timeless and relatable. I thought Poppy. My Poppy was nothing but strong. His life, nothing but the timeless story of an American boy. And his attitude, nothing but what any person should hope to relate to. He is too good for Oprah and Lifetime, and the Internet, but he is perfect for the shelves that hold Huck Finn and Harry Potter.

So I chose Poppy. Maybe someday soon, what I write about Poppy will be on the New Arrivals table at Barnes and Nobel. Maybe a girl, who thinks she hates reading, will pick it up before vacation and while sitting poolside, discover that she loves reading. Maybe a boy will come back to school one September and have written a book report on it. I like to think that maybe I can change the way people read if they read about a person as enjoyable and relatable as Poppy. And it is only natural as humans to want to relate to something.

Found Object Project- Spring 2009

Van Gogh's Recycled Sunflowers
Photos by Judy Moonelis and featured on Fairleigh Dickinson University's Visual and Performing Arts website


Materials:
- TV Frame
- Canvas
- Wire Rack
- Hot Glue Gun Glue
- Acrylic Paint
- Cans
- Can Soda Tabs
- Broken TV Light
- Push Pins

Your Complete Totally Cool Camp Guide- SJ Magazine Feb. 2010

This article was featured in the February 2010 issue of SJ Magazine.

Your Complete, Totally Cool Camp Guide
It’s already February, so you know what that means – time to think summer!

By Rachel Yecco

Okay, it may be freezing outside, but really – it won’t be long before school’s out, the sun is burning and you’ve got kids complaining they’re bored. To keep your kids happy and occupied this summer, begin planning now. Area camps have started registering kids, and many offer discounts for early registration. So ignore the chill in the air and get ready to choose the perfect camp so your little (or big) camper has a totally cool, totally fun summer.

SJ parents have plenty to choose from when reviewing summer camps for their kids. Just know your child’s interests and start searching for that right fit. “There’s a summer camp out there for every child,” says Sean Phillips, executive program director of the YMCA of Burlington County.

The first-time camper
Parents may wonder how old a child should be to attend summer camp, but “there is no right age,” says Phillips. “It’s more about what’s right for the individual child.” Though most camps start accepting children around age 5, whether your child is ready for camp is your call. “If your child isn’t ready, don’t send them,” adds Phillips. “Wait until you know they are.”

But even if you are certain your child is ready for camp, she may still experience some apprehension. To ease any fears, visit an open house, suggests Phillips. “Open houses are not only helpful for parents, but they can prepare your child for camp. Children can meet the counselors and other children, and discover activities at the camp. Once they know who is going to help them, who they are going to play with, and what activities they will be doing, the mystery and all-around fright regarding summer camp usually goes away.”

The open house is also your chance to ask questions. In fact, Phillips suggests preparing a list of questions in advance, like: Can my child contact me while at camp? What happens if he is sick or injured? Can you accommodate my child’s food allergies? “These are important questions to ask, because your child is thinking about these things, too,” says Phillips.

Choosing the right camp
“My father forced me to go to a two-week, overnight camp when I was 12,”
says Andy Pritikin, owner/director of Liberty Lake Camp. “I didn’t want to go, but it turned out to be the best two weeks of my life.”

Pritikin now helps kids of all ages have the same positive experience he had. “Summer camp can be one of your child’s greatest childhood experiences,” he says. “There’s something we call camp magic, because campers feel a sense of community and spirit. There’s nothing like it.”

Today, many camps specialize their activities, and offer programs geared to your child’s particular interest, like sports or theater. Before selecting a camp for your child, have a good idea of what he loves to do, says Danielle Wiest, director of school-age childcare at the YMCA of Burlington County. “Ask your child lots of questions, including ‘What camp would you like to go to?’”

Once you have a good idea of what kind of camp you are looking for, do some research, Wiest says. Search online and talk to friends and neighbors for their advice on area camps.

The returning camper
“Parents always assume returning campers fall right into it,” says Wiest. “But there’s a lot of ‘ifs’ for them. They may be wondering if they will be with old friends and have the same counselor. A new summer brings a new camp scene, and it is important to prepare your child for possible changes.”

Wiest suggests making “new and different” a definite, not an option. “Prepare your child for the fact that things may be a little different,” she says. “Let them know they must try new activities this year.” Once your child experiences a change, she adds, he will be less intimidated when another new experience comes along.

Camp vs. babysitter 
In today’s economy, many parents are taking a closer look at the cost of camp, and considering if a summer at home is the better choice. Liberty Lake’s Pritikin says money spent on camp is an investment in your child.

“People who have sent their child to camp, understand the investment,” he says. “Keeping your child at home with a babysitter won’t help your child grow. In camp, your child is mentored by a trained counselor. We provide a culture where they learn to swim and play outdoors, and they experience a culture that promotes respect for others. They learn to make friends and interact with each other.”

Pritikin thinks parents are recognizing the benefit of children getting away from the television to have a camp experience. “I call it nature-deficit disorder,” he adds. “Most kids don’t play outside like they used to. I think there is a backlash against that. We’re seeing young adults in their 20s who have no appreciation for the outdoors. I think parents are realizing kids need to do more than play video games.”

Parents should look for summer activities that entertain and educate, says Pritikin. “We call it edutainment,” he says. “People pay to go to Disney World, and I say, ‘why?’ We may not have Mickey, but your kids won’t be waiting in line here, and they’re learning. In SJ, a lot of camps offer a great value. We get creative with packages, offering fewer weeks and discounts.

“Bottom line is: you want to find a camp that keeps your child happy and safe. But you also want your child to come home having grown.”

“I like the freedom, and the friends. You meet people who have the same interests as you, and you just click.” – Maureen, 14, Merchantville

“Everyone is welcome at camp. The counselors are always there to help. If you have a problem or you need something, you just ask them.”– Brett, 15, Moorestown

Camp Considerations
Be sure you know the answers to these questions before selecting a camp for your child.

What is the counselor-to-camper ratio?

What is the camp’s philosophy?

What is the camp director’s background?

How are behavioral problems handled?

What training do counselors receive?

What percentage of counselors returned from last year?

Can parents visit the camp?

Source: American Camp Association

Graphic Novel Movement Comes to FDU- Nov. 1, 2010

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RACHEL YECCO

Assistant Editor

Published in The Metro: Nov. 1, 2011

“We’re catching up to a worldwide understanding that people enjoy being told stories through words and pictures,” said George Cochrane, a graphic novelist and professor of visual arts at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

It started when former student Doug Atkins, an advanced senior art major, came to Cochrane with an idea to do an independent study on comic books. In the process, he was not only inspired to create his own graphic novels, but also started a graphic novel movement on campus, which had the following of both students and faculty.

In Fall 2008, the Graphic Novel Society formed, with the goal of creating original student work from both writing and art students. In its first year, it generated about 50 pages of student work, however, it never was assembled into a printable format.

The Graphic Novel Society is unknown to some students. Last year, Cochrane spent much of his time in the classroom or working, displaying and publishing his developing 24 graphic novel series. This caused the club to lose its “robust cohesion,” he said. “But this year we’re bringing it back.”

He has plans to work with the group Scribblers, which credits students’ original work. Scribblers member Valerie Salmon said, “Scribblers has been in contact with Cochrane, and the idea has been floating around that if Scribblers Magazine becomes big enough, we may publish some of GNS’s work, but no comics/ graphic novels have been submitted thus far.”

Salmon was also involved in the Graphic Novel Society during its first appearance on campus. She explained that “writers and illustrators paired off and began working on stories.”

In addition, she recalled one student documenting the society’s progress on an online site. The group was also heavily involved in learning about the graphic novel itself.The graphic novel is a medium that is expansive in terms of subject matter. Cochrane said the “cultural phenomena that the graphic novel has, if you look across society, has enjoyed a greater level of recognition and respect from people who previously may not have thought it worth their time.”

Cochrane credits The New York Times with doing weekly book reviews on graphic novels. “If The New York Times is paying attention to it [graphic novels] then the rest of America is paying attention to it,” he said.

The graphic novel goes beyond the cinematic superhero dramas and touches on some of the most sensitive subjects like the Holocaust in Art Spiegelman’s “Maus,” and homosexuality in “Stuck Rubber Baby” by Howard Cruse, a graphic novelist whom Cochrane plans on inviting to campus in the spring.

“Today’s reality is the graphic novel is treating every subject that you can imagine,” he said. “If you want to learn about the beat writers like Jack Kerouac, there’s a graphic novel about them. If you want to read about what’s going on right now in Palestine and in Israel and places like that you can go read a graphic novel by someone who’s there and writing it.”
He attributes the graphic novel’s worldwide success to the notion that people like to be told stories, but they like to be told stories through words and pictures even more.

Cochrane’s current project is a semi-autobiographical, 24 series graphic novel, which is a combination of James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” Homer’s “Odyssey” and the unreleased (until several days ago) song “Long Time Gone” by Bob Dylan, after which he named his fourth graphic novel.

Though it seems like a lot of intermixing inspiration, Cochrane put it very simply: “My goal is to inhabit a story that is already there before me.” He continued, “The story is, very simply, I get up in the morning very early, I leave my home, I go to my studio, I work, I spend the day working. Perhaps I’ll come out and teach if I’m teaching that day and then I’ll go home, which is the story of Odysseus. He goes out, he has adventures, he comes back. It’s the classic story.”

When the series is complete, there will be 24 books. Each book takes place in one hour of time, so, altogether, the series will take place during one day. He estimated a decade to complete the final piece.

His graphic novel series has been such a success that Dewey’s Comics along Madison’s main street sells his novels.
However, some of his success is attributed to his daughter Fiamma, 8, co-writer and illustrator, and the youngest person to be displayed at the MASS MoCA, where his series was displayed for the museum’s 10th anniversary gala.

Cochrane described the moment when the director of MASS MoCA got on stage to introduce his daughter. There was a big party and it was great honor to be displayed there. The director thanked the artists and then “stopped everybody, made them listen to him and he introduced my daughter as perhaps the youngest ever exhibiting artist at MASS MoCA. It was priceless,” he said.

His daughter contributes her original stories and illustrations, which are as personal as when her dwarf hamster bit her, a segment seen in “Long Time Gone.” He said her experience of displaying her work in an adult world is different than other children her age, seeing as she began working with him at five-and-a-half years old.

A few days after the exhibition, Cochrane said, his daughter asked him “what it would be like going to school when you’re famous.” He said he assured her that she wasn’t, though surely there aren’t many 8-year-olds who have their work bought at comic book stores.

With all Cochrane’s success, he remains modest and passionate about his work, which has affected students both in and out of the classroom. He was already invited to teach the writing process to Professor David Daniel’s creative writing classes and will be guest teaching two of Professor Nandita Ghosh’s contemporary world literature classes.

Also in the classroom, Cochrane displayed the early stages of his work to students. Former student Eric Schroeter described Cochrane as unbelievably passionate and said of his work, “every frame a Rembrandt.” “Any part of art he will step into it and be completely open to it,” Schroeter said.

Teaching students the process is what drives Cochrane to do what he does. As for his piece, he can reveal one thing for sure: “I already know how it ends. I come home.”


For more articles, visit www.fdumetro.com