Immigrant Arts Exhibit

By Josephine Wallace

August 15, 2018

Since July 18, The Corvallis Arts Center located in Central Park has displayed the exhibition “I Came from Far Away but I am Here Now,” a collection of multimedia pieces made by immigrants in Oregon.

Eighteen artists came together to display work from across the globe, from Europe, South America, Asia, the Middle East, and South Africa. The show takes up all of the main gallery, the walls covered in art ranging from paintings to pencil drawings to a collection of framed miscellaneous family objects titled “Before me… During us… After them,” constructed by an artist and Croatian immigrant, Elly Love.

The Arts Center curator, Hester Coucke, is responsible for making sure art is on the walls and has been working with the exhibition committee putting this show together for about a year now.

Given that the Trump administration has made this a focal point of discussion, Coucke and the rest of the committee found the idea to be relevant and valuable.

“At the art center, we feel it’s really important to show artwork that stands with two feet in society. In the bigger picture, it’s that we’re not… this isolated art-for-art’s-sake ivory tower but that we really make connections between what is happening in the world and how you can respond to that with art,” Coucke said.

“The goal of the arts center,” she said, is “not to tell you what to think, but that you should think-- And immigration is a part of that.”

The arts center put out a call to artists, giving them time to respond and create art if need be. Half of the artists were invited and the other half responded to the call.

Among selected applicants was Valeria Dávila, who submitted two photos from her “Winter Series,” depicting a snow-cloaked Corvallis. Dávila was born and raised in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, Dávila immigrated to the United States in 2016. “The Southern-most city in the world,” said Dávila, snow copiously occupies winter months in Ushuaia.

Dávila said that “... the locals warned me that snow here is very unusual. Therefore, when one wintry morning I woke up and opened the window I couldn't believe my eyes-- the garden was covered with snow. It was a moment of pure joy--magical--like suddenly being in Ushuaia again or inside of the scenario of one of my memories. I grabbed my camera, went for a long walk, and ended up producing this Winter Series.”

“Being part of the exhibition has been a beyond pleasing experience,” she said.

An immigrant herself from the Netherlands, Coucke wanted to be sure that different stories were represented. “There’s different races, different genders, different levels of education, different dreams and hopes and these are all individuals. That’s another statement we felt was important to stress -- that if you are an “alien” you don’t look all the same… You’re people.”

The People’s Choice Award was given to Artist and Photographer Greg Bal. Bal moved to Oregon four years ago from Iowa and migrated from India at the age of nine.

“A lot of what I think the immigrant population of the century is going through, regardless of where they’re from, are the same things that I experienced: discrimination.” Ball went on to explain the “fog” that is living in a new country without being able to speak the language.

Bal and Coucke both commented on the stress on the immigrant population due to the Trump administration-- and this reaches local terrain. Oregon Measure 105 will be voted on this November, determining whether or not Oregon will remain a sanctuary state. If passed, it will allow law enforcement agencies to use funds, equipment, and personnel to find and punish those in violation of the federal immigration law.

The intention and desire of the art exhibit, said Coucke, was to provide a basis for connection and to give immigrant artists a voice. “We feel that the more connected a people is, the better of a society that you can have and art is an excellent way of making those connections.”

Speaking to that same connection, Dávila said, All around the world immigrants face the image that they represent for others…a fantasized image that can be strongly rooted, and I think that getting to know the stories of those who come from afar generates empathy, bonding, and helps deconstruct that image.”

She continued, “There is also a plenitude we humans achieve by sharing, by bonding with others, and for the immigrant, this is crucial when it comes to relating to the new habitat.”

Coucke and The Arts Center encourage guests to “come and see the story behind people that all have something different to say about their experience, as being initially a stranger, an outsider, in a country.”

“I Came From Far Away but I Am Here Now” displays through August 31. The Arts Center is located in Central Park, Corvallis and open 12-5 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays.




Vȧleria Davila’s “Winter Series”




Chinh Le’s “Which way Home?”





Elly Love’s “Before Me… During us… After them”






Jose de Jesús González Campos’s “El Sueño Americano”

Beat the Heat at These Locations

August 22, 2018

By Josephine Wallace

Besides parking, there are some things to take advantage of in Corvallis during our sizzling summer days before summer comes to a close and fall begins.

Living on the Willamette River, Corvallisites are lucky to have the opportunity to float via inner-tube, raft, kayak, and air-mattress (it’s been done). The most common route is to begin the float in Willamette Park located in South Corvallis and exit at Michael’s Landing boat launch located towards the north side of Corvallis behind the Old Spaghetti Factory. All you need is a vehicle waiting for you at your exit area, a sound, reliable floating device, towels, sunscreen, and something to eat and drink.

If the water isn’t for you, or you need some serious space from the sun, you can utilize Corvallis’ array of air-conditioned spots. Cold iced coffee and free wifi isn’t a bad way to spend a baking hot day. Tried and True coffee has an urban feel with locations in South Corvallis and Downtown. Interzone café is located on Monroe Avenue near campus with a vegetarian and vegan menu and free poetry open mics the first Friday of every month at 7:30 p.m. Imagine coffee is located on Philomath Avenue out past the campus with a large space, gentle lighting, and a pleasant atmosphere with Celtic jams Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. -- not to mention piano with Bryson Skaar on Monday evenings at 7 p.m.

Additionally, you can always escape hot Corvallis through Escape Corvallis, our local escape room on Fourth Street. With friends, family, or foes, a group is placed in a room and you must use clues and puzzles, figuratively and literally, to escape. The imaginary situation you are placed in can vary from being agents with an hour to find the USB that will save American democracy in a safehouse you infiltrated belonging a Russian spy, to having an hour to find the vaccine that will save humanity from the zombie apocalypse. Your group must have at least four people in order to book a sound reservation. It’s $25 per would-be escape artist.

For a somewhat purely mental escape, pick up a book at the Book Bin downtown on Fourth Street or at Grassroots bookstore on Second. Take a seat and be swept away. Grassroots bookstore has regular author events as well for mental stimulation and an entertaining look at the authors that wrote the books on the shelves.

Looking for more air conditioning? Go to Corvallis’ only independent and locally owned movie theater, Darkside Cinema. Darkside is open every night with seven dollar tickets on Wednesdays and every day before 6 p.m. They show independent, foreign, and art films that you won’t find at the local mainstream theater.

If you’ve got any other spots or suggestions let us know!

For more information and details for events please see the Advocate calendar and event websites.

Finals: how to survive

Courtesy of UBC Learning Commons

Finals. ... Uhhhh.

Sitting in my math class on Wednesday, May 30, I found myself in a discussion with sophomore John West, who’s been doing well at LBCC for two years now, about finals: how to prepare, how to survive, how to do well. He mentioned the importance taking deep breaths, preparing, etc.

It is a stressful time for all students, regardless of their year in school, their grades, the classes they’re taking, everything. I decided to create a list of five things to remind yourself of as you make your way through week 10 and towards finals.

1) Breathe
Deep breaths go a long way. Remember to take a step back from your studying, note-taking, and testing to take a couple deep breaths. Harvard Medical School is one among many sources that state that deep breathing really is beneficial: it oxygenates your brain, allowing you to calm down and think clearer. Instructor Mark Weiss, retired counselor of 27 years at LBCC, teaches Psychology 101 and “Destination Graduation” and said “for short-term relief, nothing is better than taking 30 seconds and doing some slow, deep breathing. Breathing pumps oxygen into our system and restores our mental capacity.” Before a stressful test, during the test, and after, stop for a few seconds and breath. Do the same thing during your studying when things get overwhelming or when you go into overdrive from the avalanche of work.

2. Take Breaks

The stress of finals is enough to make you want to study until you can’t anymore, or spend a nice sunny afternoon sitting at the table with your eyes glued to your study guide. It’s okay to stop for awhile and give yourself a break before returning to your work. The American Psychological Association states that studying is more effective when done in shorter spurts rather than spending a two-hour period cramming. The Center for Accessibility Resources (CFAR) said “pace yourself throughout the day, taking regular breaks from work or other structured activities. During breaks from class, studying, or work, spend time walking outdoors, listen to music or just sit quietly, to clear and calm your mind.” LBCC counselor and adviser Cait Morgan also said to “Take breaks - this will make your study time more effective.”
Every 45 minutes or so of working, take 10 to go outside for awhile, play with your pet, go for a short walk, get a snack, or do anything fun and relaxing.

3. Work Hard

You have one week left until you can enjoy all the fun in the sun that you wish. A week is not very long to give it your all and study, study, study. It is important to distance yourself from large distractions that might take you away from your task at hand: to take your finals, do amazing, and then move on to your summer. CFAR said that “putting off assignments or responsibilities until the last minute can create more mental and physical stress than staying on top of them.” Remind yourself of the importance of doing well on your finals, moving you towards whatever your goals are, and put the effort in.

4. Eat, Drink, Sleep
Another effect of the finals-stress-overdrive is to find yourself up at three in the morning either studying or laying awake too stressed out to sleep. The same goes for being too stressed to eat, thinking you don’t have the time, or simply forgetting. Eight hours of sleep and three meals a day goes a long way. By sleeping, eating, and drinking you’re awarding your brain the necessary fuel and rest to get you through week ten at your best performance. Weiss said to “take care of your physical needs by getting enough sleep, doing some exercise, eating real food, and hydrating.” CFAR also recommended exercise and good sleep habits to help with stress.

5. “Don’t give up”... and Other Things to Tell Yourself

Stress can easily make a person think catastrophic thoughts or reach the point where they are so stressed they give up and become apathetic. CFAR recommended that students “recognize the role your own thoughts can play in causing you distress. Challenge beliefs you may hold about yourself and your situation that may not be accurate.” To combat whatever catastrophic thoughts might race through your mind, here’s a list of things to tell yourself from Weiss and the Accessibility Department:

“Exams do not have nuclear power. No matter how well or poor I do, no one is going to die from it. It only feels like a life and death issue, but it really isn’t.” - Weiss

“Remember that you are worthy. You are deserving. Meditate on that.” -Weiss

“I can and I will. Watch me.” -CFAR

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop” -Confucius (CFAR)

“You didn't come this far to only come this far.” -CFAR

At a glance:

• The advising office is in Takena Hall and is available for students to stop by and schedule an appointment from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They can provide faculty to talk with that are skilled in giving advice and wellness assistance. 

• Specifically, the wellness counselor Lisa Hoogesteger is available by appointment if you call (541) 917-4780 or by stopping by the advising office in TH. She can be reached directly by emailing hoogesl@linnbenton.edu. 

• Outside the CFAR office in Red Cedar Hall is a bulletin board put together filled with recommendations for stress management. 

Screw censorship at LBCC

On May 16, LBCC’s Board of Education discussed LBCC’s academic freedom policy -- the right of scholars and teachers to teach material without repercussions, whether or not is it considered appropriate by all political, religious, or other select belief systems.

The policy came under increased scrutiny following a string art display in North Santiam Hall featuring Andrew Douglas Campbell that sparked a vibrant discussion across campus about art.

After remarks were made by those in the LBCC community, the question arose: does art displayed need to be censored due to the reaction of certain individuals? Fortunately, LBCC has decided no.

Anne Magratten, art professor and faculty supervisor of student gallery coordinators, was glad the board policy passed the way it did because it supports academic freedom in the broadest possible sense.

Campbell’s string art piece, “... and then what will happen bent to what could happen,” was the catalyst for this ongoing discussion. Campbell is a 39-year-old artist currently teaching at University of Oregon’s College of Design, and is a colleague of Magratten’s from when they attended UO together. He graduated in 2017. His piece displayed intimate homosexual content, which sparked much judgment and antagonism from certain viewers. Following this reaction, LBCC’s Civil Discourse Club hosted a conversation where students were encouraged to express their views in a diplomatic fashion.

“I wanted to make work about how my desires are represented in the marketplace. I wanted to be frank about my thoughts. I wanted to avoid innuendo. I wanted to be honest even at the expense of politeness,” Campbell said. “I wanted to look at how desire is shaped by representation (books, tv, film, video games, porn,music, poetry, etc). I wanted to look at how representation is shaped by market trends. I wanted to look at how late capitalism dictates how we present ourselves. I wanted to look at how flimsy, tenuous, and transparent this structure is.”

“I think it really opened the door for a lot of art,” student artist and gallery coordinator Michael Bosch said of Campbell’s work. Bosch is the artist of a piece recently displayed in NSH titled “Frat House.” The painting displays a fraternity house with “RAPE” written in red greek letters on the front.


“I personally feel like, because I had my first solo show and I displayed my frat houses a couple times around school, that he kind of opened the door for me to not have to deal with backlash,” said Bosch, who was “really trying to highlight the egregious amount of sexual assault that takes place in fraternity houses.”

Following Campbell’s string art and Bosch’s painting, 18-year-old student artist James Harley-Parr’s multimedia piece, "The Incredulity of St. Thomas,” won the spring juror’s choice award, one of the most prestigious awards given at the spring juried student art show.


Harley-Parr wanted to bring attention to the representation of transgender individuals, specifically how sometimes their identity is invalidated when people want “proof” of the said identity. Harley-Parr said took the biblical story of St. Thomas demanding proof of Jesus being alive after his execution and used that as an analogy.

“I sort of laugh when people get mad at my art because it's sort of an accomplishment when people react with such strong emotion. If I hadn't painted the piece, viewers would have never seen the painting and possibly wouldn't have thought about transgender people next to religion,” Harley-Parr said. “I think that it's great that people are having such strong emotions! That's what art is for! Get offended, get angry, get sad. Feel something!”

“These are three independent artists that are pushing different boundaries with their work,” Magratten said. “Andrew Douglas Campbell I think is presenting work that has to do with a traditionally very marginalized community -- gay men. Michael I think is presenting work trying to provoke and trying to start a conversation about sexual violence in frat houses, and then James is wanting to ask questions I think about the representation of trans individuals.”

Bosch suggested that we look at what “controversial art” really means.

“Often what is initially considered controversial art is really art that is moving a movement forward,” he said, adding that this trend is shown in art history.

Campbell expanded on this idea: “I am being asked about controversy because people think my art is controversial, and if I entertain questions about controversy then I am accepting the label of 'controversial art' and I am admitting that I think my art is controversial. What if my art isn't controversial?”

We define whether art is “controversial” through our reactions to it. Campbell said no one is ever going to like all art, part of art is liking some and not liking others.

“It is okay that you don't like this art,” he said. “ Please let the people that like this art enjoy this art in peace, just as you have enjoyed the art you like in peace.”

When examining history, art that was considered immoral or that was demonized at first also was capable of advancing a culture by expanding the world of art within that culture. Through art we come to understand our society, what it readily accepts and what it doesn’t.

“Art provides an idea. It is the community's place to observe that idea and embrace it or reject it, or argue over it, or come to a consensus… Art that pushes boundaries is necessary for culture to understand its own values. If all art reinforced previously established values it would be incredibly difficult to communicate lacks and needs within a community,” Campbell said.

Sophomore and LBCC student artist Jess Ball said Campbell’s work is important because it helps normalize an underrepresented group. 

“I hope to see more like that in LBCC galleries in the future,” she said. “The artistic community at LBCC has really grown closer over this debate. We all know what is right, and that is the freedom to express what you need to express. People should not feel afraid to share their art; it is the only outlet for some of us,” Ball said.

“There’s a particular function of affirming norms through images. So we see this happen in the big rise in criticism of media and the fact that maybe there’s a particular way that women are presented … and how just exposure to those images repeatedly sets up a norm, and so introducing something that expands that norm is really exciting,” said Magratten.

Although Campbell’s work has been criticized, it’s fostered a healthy conversation in our community about art -- its place, what it means, when and where it should be displayed. This conversation has opened up a dialogue among students, faculty, and community members capable of creating change.

Which reminds me of a quote found in a notebook given to me:

“All boundaries are conventions… One may transcend any convention, if only one can first conceive of doing so.” -- David Mitchell, “Cloud Atlas”

# # #

At a Glance:

• Visual art will continue to be on display on the first and second level of North Santiam Hall throughout the end of the quarter.
• Andrew Douglas Campbell has his work displayed on his website andrewdouglascampbell.com along with a biographical statement, an artist's statement, and his full resume.
• The LBCC Commuter's website has multiple articles covering the art show and the reaction on campus dating back to the fall at lbcommuter.com. 

Marta Nunez: LBCC elects its next vice president

From Community Outreach Director, to Analee Fuentes Unity Award recipient, to SLC Vice President, Marta Nuñez is climbing the ladder of LBCC Student Leadership!

--
Sitting at LBCC’s Unity Celebration on March 7, anyone in the audience could recognize Marta Nuñez as she sat smiling in the back row … until she was surprised to be called up to receive the Analee Fuentes Unity Award. She made her way to the front with an even bigger smile.

“Actually, I was surprised,” Nuñez said. “I know that my hard work is seen by other people, and that it’s appreciated. They mostly saw my hard work, that I always wanted to help and reach out to other students throughout their troubles and everything.”

Nuñez has been the community outreach coordinator in LBCC’s Student Leadership office during this academic year, and she has been busy working closely with the event planners, organizing events to bring the community together and making sure that leadership outreach is running smoothly. During her career in student leadership she has reached out to communities within the larger LBCC community, such as the Latino community and the lower socio-economic community.

Nuñez has made herself available for students to come to directly with concerns, in addition to Barb Horn, the student government adviser and student activities coordinator.

Horn has known Nuñez for over a year now and works closely with her as an adviser.

“She has a big impact because of how she worked as an event planner, and then she was appointed to the community outreach director position. She cares about student rights,” Horn said.

Nuñez has coordinated a program called LBLB (Linn-Benton Lunch Box), where students can go to the Student Life and Leadership office to receive food. She is also involved with planning Study Jam, an event occurring on campus during testing weeks where students can gather to study and prepare for finals. SLC provides food and drinks during the event.

Nuñez also is involved with the Latino Club, which is called Estudiantes de Sol, and her Latino community. “She tries to represent her Latino heritage,” Horn said.

In July 2014 Nuñez was in a car accident and has been in a wheelchair for the last four years following that.

“Being in a wheelchair, and life experiences that I had when I was younger, has given me different points of view in life. When I was younger my mom would always try to reach out to places for food and things that she thought we needed. She always tried to provide for us, you know, and my mom is my great inspiration for everything,” Nuñez said.

“Her kindness has lead me to the person I am, and that’s why I do the certain things I do now.”

Horn also noted that Nuñez has strong family ties; family is very important to her. Nuñez lives with her mother, three sisters and four brothers, and says that they are everything to her.

Nuñez eventually would like to become an art therapist so that she can help people

through art. Her favorite type of art is street art because she grew up around it and found it to be a message to the community, but says that “art is art,” and that she likes all art.

“Being in two different positions in life, being able to walk and then being in a wheelchair, I have found that I have more power within me. I have learned that I can stand up for myself, and I have to speak up for myself no matter what,” Nuñez said.

Nuñez’s effect on the campus community does not go unnoticed. Javier Cervantes, director of institutional equity and student engagement, has known Nuñez since last academic year, when she first came to campus and works with her as a mentor and supervisor.

“Impact is measured by the people you connect with, the network that you create,” Cervantes said. “So she, by her mere existence on campus and telling her story, and showing people that things can be overcome, and doing so with an attitude that is inspirational, that is the measure of her impact. Her attitude is incredible.”

“She’s going to find a solution to any given challenge,” Cervantes continued.

Those busy working with Nuñez in the SLC office complement her humor, motivation, perseverance, leadership qualities, and, above all, compassion.

“She teaches me humility,” Horn said. “She’ll remind me of being thoughtful of others and I learn more from her than I think she learns from me.”

Cervantes said LBCC needs people who demonstrate that systemic barriers can be overcome.

“LBCC offers opportunity,” he said, “and Marta is an example of people taking advantage of the opportunities presented to them.”

Nuñez is preparing for her role as Student Leadership Council vice president, and based on her community, leadership and engagement, the student body can be assured that its new vice president will value diversity, strength, change and equality.

“Be ready,” Cervantes said with a smile.
. . .

At a glance:
Marta Nuñez
SLC Email: slcvp1@linnbenton.edu
Age: 21
Hometown: South-Central Los Angeles, California
Major: Art
SLC Resume: Community Outreach Director and Vice President
Career Ambition: Art therapist, or anything similar where she can help others

The Weeknd releases their new album, 'My Dear Melancholy'

It's new, and it's unique, and you have to listen to it!

Praised and increasingly popular, musical artist and pop-icon The Weeknd has released his first album in almost two years. The new album, titled “My Dear Melancholy,” consists of only six songs full of The Weeknd’s classic slow, hypnotic, R&B-pop fusion.

It has been a year and half since The Weeknd has released an album following his November 2016 hit album “Starboy,” and it is the topic of much excitement among fans and music lovers galore. “My Dear Melancholy” differs from the more pop-genre style of recent albums and listeners are anxious to dissect the regression back to the original R&B nature of his early music. This summer The Weeknd is touring in various music festivals and excitement is building for the new life of his music: "My Dear Melancholy."

Canadian singer Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, who goes by the stage name The Weeknd, began anonymously uploading songs to YouTube in 2010, and eight years later a song of his plays every time you turn on the radio for an hour.

Tesfaye’s hazy, drug-induced music has retained this nature from his earliest songs and throughout “My Dear Melancholy.” It is “downcast, bleary-eyed pop,” as Pitchfork magazine's review described it. Tesfaye came up with the stage name The Weeknd when crediting his high school dropout status, referencing the weekend he walked out of his home forever. What followed was a journey to musical fame, beginning with the moment he anonymously uploaded songs to Youtube that he produced with musical producer Jeremy Rose. In 2011, Tesfaye released his debut album “House of Balloons,” which was met with critical acclaim nearly immediately.

Following this were a few mix-tapes which are now considered the “Balloons Trilogy.” Tesfaye’s music career took off from here, as he began performing at international music festivals beginning with Coachella. In 2013 Tesfaye released his next album “Kiss Land” in collaboration with Canadian rapper Drake, among others. This quickly bumped Tesfaye up even higher on the popularity scale, topping number two in the U.S. Billboard 200.

Tesfaye continued to release singles for films landing him on the U.S. Billboard 200 repeatedly. In 2015, Tesfaye released his next album, “Beauty Behind the Madness,” followed by “Starboy” in 2016. With each album released, The Weeknd achieves even greater success and earns even greater fame.

Tesfaye has won three Grammy Awards and nine Juno Awards.

Following the pattern of an album release every year or two years, on March 30, 2018, The Weeknd released “My Dear Melancholy.”

“My Dear Melancholy” contains the classic, hypnotic, slow, pop and R&B influences that listeners return for. The songs on “My Dear Melancholy” continue to be dark in nature, and retain the hopeless romantic themes that Tesfaye’s music continuously revolves around. The album’s songs focus even more heavily on this nihilistic, romantic hopelessness. That said, the album is a calm backdrop to your homework or long drive to work. It is a fun fusion of electronica and R&B.

Pandora Radio describes the songs as having "modern R&B styling, electronic influences, and subtle vocal harmonies."

A multitude of reviews and fans, ranging from rapper Travis Scott, to Wikipedia, to music magazine “Pitchfork,” comment that “My Dear Melancholy” is a regression towards the original style that bordered more on R&B than on the trendy pop of Tesfaye’s recent music.

Tesfaye produced a “docupoem” (a video that pairs primary source material with poetry reading) titled “He was Never There,” referencing the song in the album “I was never there.” It follows his process of making the album. His anonymous musical collaborators talked throughout it, saying of Tesfaye, “It’s the most vulnerable I think he’s ever been on any record,” and “I mean to me it’s really like, kind of like, cultivating what’s in Abel’s head.”

Upon paying attention to the lyrics, the listener realizes the album is a dark, emotional whirlwind spiraling around the demise of a relationship.

The album begins with the single “Call Out My Name,” and has the other songs “Try Me,” “Wasted Times,” “I was Never there,” “Hurt You,” and “Privilege.”

"I said I didn't feel nothing baby, but I lied. / I almost cut a piece of myself for your life / Guess I was just another pit stop ... So call out my name (call out my name) / so call out my name ..." Tesfaye sings in "Call Out My Name."

The title “My Dear Melancholy” pretty much sums up the world of the album: a soft, R&B-style-acknowledgment of Tesfaye’s melancholia. It is a blend of emotion, calmness, and musical fun; a gentle, relaxing hum through your earbuds.

. . .


At a Glance:

• “My Dear Melancholy” released March 30, 2018.

• Available on Youtube, Pandora Radio, Spotify, and iTunes.

• The Weeknd is touring at the music festivals “Panorama” in New York City, July 27-29, at “Lollapalooza” in Chicago, Aug. 2-5, and at “Outside Lands” in San Francisco Aug. 10-12. 

LBCC seeks its next poet laureate

Are you fit for the job of being LBCC’s next poet laureate? Are you a catalyst of creative energy? Do you have a notebook filled with poetry? Are you passionate about increasing the appreciation of poetry on LBCC’s campus?

If so, you should consider applying to be the 2018-19 LBCC poet laureate.

What is that? Not very many people outside of the poetry community know.

A poet laureate is a poet appointed by a group or region who is granted the role of increasing the awareness and appreciation of poetry. The nation has a poet laureate, the state has a poet laureate, and our very own LBCC has a poet laureate.

LBCC is the only community college in the nation that has a student as the poet laureate, and this is a luxury, as poetry club adviser Robin Havenick, current poet laureate Shane Stanhope, and poetry club member Emily Ramsey explained.

Havenick, the poetry club advisor for the last 12 years, explained that what any poet laureate really does is “stand up for poetry in the community,” and bring poetry to people’s lives.

Our poet laureate changes yearly, and is picked not only because they are a talented poet, but also because they have a “love of working with students,” Havenick said.

It is that time of year: we are beginning spring term and as this school year comes to a close we are ready to begin looking for a new poet laureate.

The standing job of LBCC’s poet laureate is to run the poetry club, however the job really stretches beyond that. Havenick, Stanhope, and Ramsey all explained that the position includes planning poetry-related activities on campus, performing at the “Unity Celebration” that concludes Black History Month every February, commemorating LBCC events, and working on the “Life in Art” project, which brings poetry to the lives of under-represented groups in the community.

The poetry club is a workshop-based, fun and inclusive chance to share poetry. The job of running it primarily consists of coming up with prompts for the meetings, as well as organizational tasks. The poetry club meets weekly in the Diversity Achievement Center (DAC) on Tuesdays from 3 to 4 p.m.

Ramsey said that “Shane [is] the current poet laureate and he is most likely not aware but he has impacted me not only as a person but as a poet. I have been able to grow and have felt like I was in a safe space to share my poetry and anything else I had to say. I was recognized for more than just my hard working ethics and quietness and he has truly inspired me to grow as a poet.”

“This is a really wonderful opportunity for a student,” Havenick said. “You can make it extraordinary.”

LBCC’s poet laureate position began in 2008 when former LBCC President Rita Cavin and Havenick came together wanting a poet to commemorate the new science building, Madrone Hall. They agreed to have a student be the yearly poet laureate, and this was the beginning of the position.


It began as a smaller job, where the poet laureate was given a $250 stipend each term, but it developed into something much greater. As the poet laureates became more involved it lead to what is now an endowment fund each term of $1500 for the selected poet laureate.


A student becomes poet laureate by filling out an application, as Stanhope explained just as he was returning from a poet laureate meeting. The application includes submitting a simple form, six of your own poems, an essay discussing your passion for poetry and how you will enhance the poetry community at LBCC, and one letter of recommendation from a faculty member (file:///C:/Users/MKH207-24/Downloads/Poet%20Laureate%20poster%202018.pdf).


Stanhope has been the poet laureate since September and said, “It’s been a lot of fun.”


He and his colleague Dani Tellvik, who works in the LBCC Writing Center, created their own “zine” (short for magazine in the art/literature world) titled “Off the Record,” where students and local artists can submit their poetry, short fiction, and visual art.


“It isn’t as scary as it sounds,” Stanhope said of being poet laureate. There is an advisory board to support the poet laureate, and though there are challenging parts, “The cool thing is it’s really your vision.”


The poet laureate also gets to be part of a network with the poetry community outside of LBCC. Stanhope worked with Interzone Cafe’s spoken word poetry community in Corvallis, as well as working on producing the yearly “Word Mob” spoken word poetry event for the greater Corvallis-Albany area.


People should care, Stanhope said, because “the idea is to give a voice to people.” He said that through opportunities such as this you can get people’s voices out there, and this “build[s] a stronger community.”


There’s poetry all over LBCC thanks to our poet laureate, and this poetry “enriches this community in ways that are extraordinary,” Havenick said. “It’s about saving our lives. It’s about saving our souls. That’s what it’s about.”





. . .


At a glance:





Interested applicants can contact instructor and poetry club advisor Robin Havenick with questions:


-Email: robin.havenick@linnbenton.edu


-Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m.


Poetry club meets every Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the DAC


Remember: interested applicants, you need to have your complete application, six of your own poems, an essay on your passion for poetry and how you will use this to enhance the LBCC community, and your letter of recommendation from a faculty member ready and submitted to Robin Havenick by Monday, May 21.