The Arts Make History: Gwendolyn Brooks and Your Identity in Art

By Bri Neves

Gwendolyn Brooks was a world-changer from the time she was born. Ambitious and dedicated to her craft, Brooks had around 75 poems published by the time she was 16.

Later on, in her adult life, she sought higher pursuits for her writing, eventually winning several prizes and fellowship for her writing, including becoming the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. In her lifetime, she had published over 20 books of poetry, a fiction novel, and several prose works, including an autobiography.

But besides this impressive list of accomplishments, how else is Brooks defined? As a “black poet”? A leader in the civil rights movement? Yes, but she was much more than that.

She was a poet, a conveyer of language, and contrary to popular belief, her works did not only explore racial issues. Embedded within many of her poems include religious themes, sexual issues (such as prostitution), and many of her poems, such as those in her Gay Chaps At the Bar poetry collection, depict life in World War I from soldiers’ perspectives.

Gwendolyn Brooks was someone who cared about many different things and those cares, along with her rhythmic lines and riveting imagery, were second nature to her. She used forms such as sonnets and ballads to get her point across and even experimented a bit with free verse. She had ideas and was moved to write them down.

Along with all of her success, Brooks led a relatively low-key lifestyle. She married her husband Henry Blakely in  1939 and had two children. She worked many odd jobs, including secretarial work, before she finally got a job as a Creative Writing instructor.

All in all, Brooks was an ordinary person with an extraordinary life fueled by her passion for the craft of writing. Which brings me to my next point…

How does your craft identify you? Look at your works. What do you write about? Or sing? Or play? Or paint? If somebody only were to know you based on your creative input, what would they have to say about you?

With your creative gift, you not only have the gift of impact, but a medium (or multiple mediums) in which to channel it from. You have a way to reach people. Use it. You may not become the next Gwendolyn Brooks, but one thing is for certain; the work you do will not be wasted.

Happy crafting!

 

 

 

Art Activist of the Week - Stanford Graphic Novel Project

By Whitney Gray

“Beware of powerful men: They may kill you if you refuse their advances. And beware of their wives: They may kill you if you do not.”

This warning was destined for a young girl, barely a teenager, with impoverished parents who were getting up in age (at least by Cambodian standards). She was compelled to drop out of the sixth grade to take up work and support her family. At the tender age of perhaps eleven or twelve, she began selling fruit shakes on busy intersections, even late into the night when most American preteen girls would be in the comfort of their bedrooms staying up late only to stalk their peers on Facebook.

Two years later, she was introduced into the life of a karaoke girl where she would saunter about in risqué outfits and flirt with cameras to make her living. Unfortunately she was even further introduced into the life of a mistress of one of the many prestigious older men who seek out these youthful girls already in a world too adult for them.

Lastly, she was forced into a situation that consequently altered her life forever. She couldn’t leave the married man taking advantage of her because of his threats, so she was brutally attacked with acid by his jealous wife and permanently physically and emotionally scarred.

This is the story of Tat Marina and many other impoverished Cambodian girls who have been seduced by older wealthy men and forced to face acid attacks from enraged wives. This is also the story that inspired the creation of “Shake Girl”, a massive collaborative effort between fifteen students and two instructors of the Stanford Graphic Novel Project and of journalist Eric Pape who interviewed Marina upon visiting her in 2001.

In the winter of 2008, this group worked vigorously to transform Marina’s experience into a graphic novel that would create awareness about the issue of violence against women in general, but would more specifically call attention to the horrifying acid attacks in Cambodia. It was also created to encourage donations to organizations that will strive to end human right violations in Cambodia and help establish women’s rights.

In a matter of weeks, their effort resulted in a heartfelt piece of literature that they hoped accurately captured the complexity of the lives of young girls living a world away from them. For their dedication and enthusiasm to make the story of these girls known, the members of the Stanford Graphic Novel Project are our Art Activists of the Week.

 Want to take a look? Check it out at http://www.stanford.edu/group/cwstudents/shakegirl/pageturn.html

Learn more at

http://www.stanford.edu/group/cwstudents/shakegirl/index.html

This Week in A.A.C. - Poetry Jamz

By Natalie Sharp

A.A.C. proudly presents September's installment of "Poetry Jamz @ Blackbird Coffee" in Milledgeville, GA. We are excited to welcome the wonderful and talented Shanai Prosser to the stage, but inquiring minds may want to know a little more about her.

Shanai is a graduating senior psychology student at Fort Valley State University. Born and raised in Irwinton, Georgia, she is a self-proclaimed southern belle. Prosser is a writer and poet who started to develop her craft in 1999. Says Shanai, "Pain is one of the reasons I call myself a poet; seems I write best whenever I am in my feelings." As the mother of a five-year-old son, Prosser claims that her son and her Rock sustain her in the midst of her everyday life.

Before Shanai goes on, there is an open mic for anyone with something to express. Are you a writer? Let that page meet the stage and be heard!

We plan to pack the house for Poetry Jamz this month, and we would love to see your smiling face in the crowd. Come on out this Wednesday, September 19 at 8:30 PM to Blackbird Coffee in downtown Milledgeville for an evening of poetry the likes of which you've never seen.

Tips and Truths with A.A.C. - Flash Fiction

By Melissa Cobb

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="240"] Which of these soda varieties does the least damage to tooth enamel? Scroll down to find out if your guess is correct in this week's random truth![/caption]

Flash fiction is a form of the short story that is very short, usually around five hundred words or less. Here are some tips when writing it:

1. Keep the story to one specific moment. What gives flash fiction its power is its ability to vividly describe a particular event or moment.


2. Stick to only one or two main characters. Because flash fiction is so brief, it’s best to stick to one or two characters because there is not enough time to develop more characters. Save stories with more than two characters for longer pieces, like short stories or novels.


3. Be picky when choosing a moment for your flash fiction’s setting. Because there is only so much time to tell your story, its best to pick a moment with staying power. For instance, you could write about a person proposing marriage to his or her significant other, a character finally finding something important to him or her, or you can use this format to write about a particular moment in an ordinary day. If you go with the last option, find something unusual or interesting in that ordinary day. For example, say your character is taking his or her daily walk and sees something there that they don’t usually see. It could be a person, place, animal; the sky is the limit, as long as you can make it believable.


4. Save your work! That way you can go back and revise it. Also, you can use the scenes you create in your flash fiction in longer pieces, like short stories or novels.


5. Flash fiction is also a great writing exercise if you are stuck or do not have a lot of time to write. Give yourself a specific moment and see what you come up with, keeping these tips in mind.


6. As always, have fun!

Happy Writing!

Random Truth of the Week: The soda that does the least damage to tooth enamel is root beer.

Art Activist of the Week

 

Madman #11, William Alexander (1941-2008)

By Whitney Gray

I truly believe that art has healing properties. Any creative manifestation of the self is an opportunity to reach out to others and leave an impact for society to enjoy for years to come. It is also a way of reaching inward to learn more about the person within and to convert any anger, fear, joy, or excitement into something tangible. The pride and satisfaction that comes with this can be a source of motivation for anyone, but it can be especially beneficial when a mental illness hinders one’s ability to cope with everyday emotions while attracting harsh judgments from those who lack understanding.

Fighting a mental illness is a struggle within itself, but fighting the social stigma that accompanies it is a whole other battle. The Awakenings Project, founded in 1996 by Robert Lundin, is a grassroots initiative that strives to do both. Lundin, a member of the board of directors of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Illinois (NAMI-IL) at the time, created this program in hopes of giving a voice to those who live with depression, schizophrenia, bipolar, and other psychiatric disorders, and this voice is the creativity that is within them. The Awakenings Art Show allows those who encounter a loss of motivation and self-identity to channel their talents with various forms of art so that they may gain a new sense of hope and purpose. When artists submit their fine art, music, literature, or drama to be displayed in these shows, there are opportunities for feedback and questions concerning their art as well as having poems, short stories, or scripts published. These contributions to our culture are beneficial for fostering creativity, but they also help give a face to mental illnesses and promote further understanding and acceptance of those who carry them.

In 2006, The Awakenings Project was awarded the "Outstanding Contribution to Recovery by a Non-Profit Organization" award from the Irwin Foundation at Celebration Recovery. It has also been awarded the “Stigma Busters” award from Ecker Center at the Elgin Country Club in 2010. For its efforts in utilizing art as a means to break barriers and promote social equality, today I dub Robert Lundin and all who are involved with The Awakenings Project Art Activists of the week.

 

Victim to Victor, Irene O'neill

For more information about this organization, visit http://www.awakeningsproject.org/index.shtml

This Week in A.A.C. - Artz Jamz

By Natalie Sharp



A hefty part of what we do here at A.A.C. is development—finding out which new programs and services will benefit the community to which we belong. Some ideas stay in the incubator a bit longer than others, until we can work out the kinks and figure out how to really do a program well because we don’t like half-steppin’ around here.

That said, the newest program fresh out of the box is A.A.C.’s Artz Jamz for Kidz. Just what is Artz Jamz? It is a program that allows local instructors in various arts areas—music, dance, visual arts, poetry—to bring their skills and knowledge to children ages 8-12. The first interest meeting was held here in Milledgeville at Georgia College on Monday, and the turnout was pleasing. It is certainly our hope that Artz Jamz will bring an outlet for creative expression to Baldwin County’s youths.

Interested in getting involved as an instructor or in bringing your kids? The next meeting for instructors will be held Monday, September 17 at 6 PM in the Georgia College Arts & Sciences building, Room 272. The first Artz Jam will be October 6, 2012 from 8 AM to 12 PM at Wray Homes in Milledgeville.

Tips and Truths with A.A.C.

By Melissa Cobb

Here are eight poetry writing tips for your personal enrichment, followed by a random truth also for your personal enrichment.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="340"] Cary Grant: Classic Hollywood actor. Arsenic and Old Lace. Eyes that gaze deep into your soul. And the subject of this week's random truth![/caption]

Tip 1: To get started, pick a specific moment and write about how it felt, or write about an object that is special to you, like a piece of jewelry or a card. Whatever you pick, just be sure its something that gives you a lot to say.

Tip 2: Use deliberate lineation- How short or long a poem is creates a certain atmosphere, and the length of each line affects this as well. Use shorter lines if you want to focus on specific words, and longer lines to explain the particular moment or object you’re talking about.

Tip 3: If you are writing a form poem, such as a sonnet, makes sure the subject matter fits the form of the poem so it doesn’t feel forced. For instance, to use the sonnet example, use that form to describe a specific moment or person that changed you in some way, whether its how you thought about something or your view of the world. This makes sense for a sonnet because the first part describes the situation, then the second part has a twist, and the third part tells what happened or changed as a result of the twist.

Tip 4: After you write your poem, read over it to make sure everything in it is there for a reason. Poems have limited space, so economy of language is important. You may want to do this a day or two after you write the poem so you can see it with fresh eyes.

Tip 5: Write as much poetry as you can, and save it. You have heard it a million times, but its worth repeating: The more you write, the better you will get, and the more you will understand how to convey what you’re saying. Also, saving your poetry will help you see the progress you have made.

Tip 6: Read lots of poetry. Doing this can give you ideas for future poems as well as show you how to effectively use figurative language and symbolism.

Tip 7: Show people you trust your poetry. The best way to tell if a poem works is to read it out loud to someone you trust, like a teacher, family member, or friend. He or she can tell you what works and what doesn’t, though for the best advice, go to someone you know who writes or teaches poetry.

Tip 8: Have fun! Experiment with different forms and subjects and enjoy what you learn from that.

Happy Writing!

Random Truth of the Week: Actor Cary Grant’s real name is Archie Leach.