REVIEW: What Happened, Miss Simone? by Ony Ratsimbaharison

 

One interesting thing about being an artist is the dichotomy that exists between producing one’s art and then performing or releasing it for audiences to experience. Much of the time, the production of the art comes from a place of isolation and comfort-seeking. The performance aspect then sometimes comes as a need to support oneself, as in the case of Nina Simone, the classically trained pianist, who was forced to sing and perform other styles of music to support herself financially.

Something for which we will always thank her.

What Happened, Miss Simone? follows the life of the illustrious Nina Simone who was revered as an exceptionally talented singer, pianist, and civil rights activist. She put everything she had into her music and it showed. Like many artists, her portrayal is often tragic, but she was more than just a “tortured artist,” she was a dynamo.

Many things came to mind as I watched this film, directed by Liz Garbus and released in 2015. As a musician, I am always interested in observing the way famous musicians and artists are treated and portrayed in the media. Oftentimes their lives are far more nuanced than are the images we are offered of them, but this documentary, which opened the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and went onto be nominated for the Academy Award, does an admirable job of showing the viewer as much of the artist’s dynamic life as possible in an hour and forty minutes.

What happens when the spotlight becomes just too much for someone? Once producing art becomes someone’s livelihood, is it then their responsibility to keep making and performing their art for audiences, even when it’s hurting them? And what is our responsibility to artists, like Nina Simone, who may be affected by mental illness? These are just some of the questions I asked myself after watching this film.

It is important to remember Simone as not just as an artist, but as an activist as well. She was a black woman songstress living during the middle of the Civil Rights movement, who joined forces with many of the other key leaders of the movement, including Malcolm X, Betty Shabazz, and Martin Luther King. She was never quiet about who she was and how her black identity shaped her life and the lives of those she loved. I was pleased to see this aspect was not left out.

To see a musician portrayed as genuinely as they experience life, is rare in the media, but this documentary is successful at showing us the true Nina Simone. She was a star in her own right, and made her presence timelessly known. But only she truly knows “what happened,” as the title asks.

SIX BANDS AND WHAT I OWE TO A GUY NAMED DOUG: Summer 6s with by Ray McManus

I often joke about how I didn’t grow up with poetry in my house so I had to steal it.

If only it were a joke.

But I always had music, for better or worse, to define the world I was trying to live in or run from. Looking back, I can see how there were six bands who served as a catalyst and a touch stone for discovery that ultimately shaped me as a person and a writer, for better or worse, still living, still running. This list is no way a “best of” list or an argument for the greatest. There were many other bands, then and now, and millions of songs in between. Just six bands and my attempt to break everything I touched to see how it works on the inside. I have forgotten more than I remember.

AC/DC

Let me start off by saying I have no real affinity for AC/DC with Brian Johnson. Yes, Back in Black was an album I cut some teeth on, probably French-kissed a girl while it played in the background. But it was sixth grade. We were on a fishing trip in North Georgia. I went with my best friend Kevin. His brother Brian and his brother’s friend Bryan were older and much cooler than we were and Bryan played Highway to Hell on this giant boom box at the back of the camper. I was in love with the first riff. It didn’t take long to fall in love with the rest: High Voltage, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Let There Be Rock, and Powerage. The shrill in Bon Scott’s growl oozing sex. The hard driving guitar of Angus Young running around like a madman in a school boy outfit. Malcolm Young holding steady on a kind of cool I didn’t think could be possible. The rest is periphery.

I can’t hear “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)” without thinking of the back of a camper, or the backseat of a Chevy Nova, or a pool table in a basement. There was the time I sat in the principal’s office while he questioned how I could wear an AC/DC t-shirt and a cross on a necklace around my neck. The lyrics were fresh in my mind then, as they are today:

It's animal

Livin' in the human zoo

Animal

The shit that they toss to you

Feelin' like a christian

Locked in a cage

Thrown to the lions

On the second page

-- from If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It) by AC/DC

Give me “Riff Raff,” “Love Hungery Man,” or “What’s Next to the Moon” any day. AC/DC is for transforming the awkward preteen. For getting high, for punching concrete, for the courage to fuck everything. See also: Led Zeppelin, CCR, and Black Sabbath.

-->Video: If You Want Blood (You've Got It) by AC/DC

The Clash

Stuck in rural Lexington county with nowhere to go, no prospects for a future, just single-file lines to football practice for nothing, to baseball practice for nothing, to plow or be plowed under for nothing. But then “Janie Jones” is cranking, and suddenly I’m not afraid to put my mouth where my muscle is, and push back against the man.

I’m 16, driving down dirt roads or through Main St blasting that first album as loud as an 85 Toyota standard speaker system could handle. I wore that cassette out. It broke somewhere on “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais.” Of course Give ‘Em Enough Rope and London Calling got its fair share of wear too. But not like that first album. Not like “I’m so Bored with the USA,” “Hate and War,” and “White Riot.”  I’m not sure what turned me on more, Mick Jones’ riffs or Joe Strummer’s ethos, but what I heard in that band shaped the spectrum of pretty much who I am today -- the punk aesthetic, the smooth dub, the charge of the DIY politic. I’m quite sure I misappropriated all of these things (perhaps still do), but as Joe said, “sometimes you have to be a little bit stupid.”

What The Clash taught me was simple: a) the old men in the factories want to steal away the best years of our lives, and b) “he who fucks nuns, will later join the church.”

All the power's in the hands

Of people rich enough to buy it

While we walk the street

Too chicken to even try it …

…Are you taking over

or are you taking orders?

Are you going backwards

Or are you going forwards?

-- from White Riot by The Clash

It’s hard enough to be a teenager, much less to be a teenager in a wasteland of fields and old buildings where old men get their kicks by using what little authority they had to bully down change. I wanted nothing more than a riot. A riot of my own. See also: The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Buzzcocks, and Wire.

-->Video: White Riot by The Clash

Hüsker Dü (and the Pixies… and Sonic Youth)

Maybe it was because I worked around chainsaws and wood chippers so much. I got to where I loved hearing noise and trying to make music out of it. I didn’t know then that I was embarking on the very practice that would make me a poet. I was just bored. Chainsaws and chippers have three distinct pitches: idle, rev, and bite. I could play some mean throttle, work the revs in succession. But bite was tricky. I was probably hard to work with.

New Day Rising by Hüsker Dü came out in in 1985, but I discovered it (and them) in 89, shortly after the Pixies Surfer Rosa and Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation came out. I would hang out at this place called the shed. Bryan and two other guys, Doug and Scot, would jam there. They were good. It was fun. And now we’re deaf. But some nights I’d come by and only Doug would be there. We’d talk about music, the punk scene of the 70’s. Doug was going to USC. At the time I didn’t know anyone who went to college. I certainly didn’t know anyone cool going to college. He had cool music and he hooked me up. This was a wonderful year of noise and occasional screaming, but I’ll be honest, I don’t remember much of it. Smoked out in the whir behind a wall of sound. I remember blasting “Terms of Psychic Warfare” in Glen’s truck on our way back to the store, towards the end of our lunch break. A memory that I just can’t let go.

And whereas Sonic Youth and the Pixies played a bit more lyrically, Hüsker Dü was straight forward with their sound. Straight up guitar, bass, and drums; sometimes I couldn’t even hear Mould singing. The sound was primal, swift, and hardcore, wrapped in a welcoming fuzz. Like two guys railing against the county on a Friday night in a burned out shack on a dirt road. Sometimes my ears still ring and I can’t remember why.

But I remember this: if you stand up in the breakroom and yell “THESE ARE THE TERMS,” no one will know what you are talking about.

I guess they couldn’t hear Mould singing either.

It's not about my politics

Something happened way too quick

Bunch of men who played it sick

They divide and conquer

It's all here before your eyes

Safety is a big disguise

That hides among the other lies

They divide and conquer

-- from Divide and Conquer by Hüsker Dü

-->Video: Divide and Conquer by Hüsker Dü

 

R.E.M.

Somewhere before the late 80’s – early 90’s, I thought there was singular definition to being Southern – a truck, a pair of boots, a Billy Ray Cyrus, a Brooks and Dunn. And I raged against it. Too much. I needed something to balance it all out. I need something to expand my definition of the world. I needed less “us vs. them” and more “us.” R.E.M. did for me and more. I came late to the party. Document had just been released, and the single “The One I Love” was getting some airplay. And while everyone in my circle was railing against it, and the band for that matter, because they thought it sucked, I was listening to Murmur, Reckoning, Fables of the Reconstruction, and Life’s Rich Pageant. I didn’t care what my friends at the time were saying. This band had poetry. It redefined (for me) what it meant to be Southern – what it meant to be us. Even well into the 90’s and into the 21^st century, whether floating in a pool or singing on the porch at Tim’s house, I felt like I belonged, as if I could begin the begin again, like I was included for a reason and not by accident.

But it wasn’t just the music of R.E.M. that moved me, or the poetry of Stipe, or the inclusion and celebration and understanding of the necessity to queer the world, it was the further exploration of so many other bands musicians I had never heard of at the time: Tom Waits, Patti Smith, Velvet Underground, Gram Parsons, T. Rex, Flying Burritos, etc. Just as my musical taste blossomed, so did my understanding of the fucked up world I was living in. Through Stipe, I found a voice that walked unafraid. Through the band, I found a harmony that I didn’t think could exist. And suddenly I found myself in college no longer ashamed of where I came from, though still angry at politicians and baby boomers (that seems to never change), and perhaps most important of all, to stop trying to always make sense. To “believe in coyotes and time as an abstract” and to “explain the change, the difference between what you want and what you need” (I Believe).  Dark and light, sense and no sense, pop and folk and at times heavy, political and apolitical, queer and straight, mainstream and underground, quirky and sublime, R.E.M. is convergence. They carried that from Murmur to Collapse Into Now with a few songs here and there that should have never been cut for an album. But that is part of the brilliance. The staying power. The “holy shit I can’t believe this band is still playing and still has it” power. I am grateful to Doug for plugging me into it.

Disturbance at the Heron House

A stampede at the monument

To liberty and honor under the honor roll

Just a gathering of the grunts and greens

The cogs and grunts and hirelings

A meeting of a mean idea to hold

When feeding time has come and gone

They'll lose their heart and head for home

Try to tell us something we don't know

-- from Disturbance at the Heron House by R.E.M.

-->Video: Driver 8 by R.E.M.

 The Pogues

I wasn’t born punk. That, I grew in to as mater of necessity to minimize confusion. However, I was born Irish, and I grew up in typical Irish American, working class house with lots of God in it.  But growing up Irish in the South presents its own sense of confusion. Hell, most don’t even know they are Irish beyond their last name, and if they do, they automatically think they are Scots-Irish. Or worse, when everyone saw Braveheart and suddenly wanted to be Scottish. I remember pointing to my Irish flag license plate on my truck (I forget the context), and a guy asked me if that was the “gay flag or did I pull for the University of Miami.” Just absolute cluelessness.

Doug told me I’d like the Pogues. It came out of a conversation when we were talking about this videotape I had of England in the 70’s and the birth of the Punk Rock movement. In the video, jumping up and down in a skating rink at a Clash concert, was a young Shane MacGowan, ears and all, but most of his teeth still intact. From the moment I first heard Red Roses for Me and Rum Sodomy & the Lash and If I should Fall from the Grace of God and Hell’s Ditch (yes, I left out Peace and Love on purpose), I was in love all over again. This is Irish music (that didn’t sound anything like the Planxty and Phil Coulter my dad listened to) and punk merging together. Where the fuck-it-all and die-hard could co-exist. Where pain and misery could co-exist in celebration. Also whiskey and pints. Lots of whiskey and pints. Where the roughshod could stand up and say drink with me for the love of it, for the love of all of it. For the empty pocket. For the blisters. For the friends I had to bury (first Kevin, then Glen). For the birth of my son. For the birth of my daughters. For the divorce. For the marriage. For still having empty pockets. For everyday I’ve lived despite it all.  Fuck all. All of it. Fuck it.

I have cursed, bled and sworn

Jumped bail and landed up in jail

Life has often tried to stretch me

But the rope always was slack

And now that I've a pile

I'll go down to the Chelsea

I'll walk in on my feet

But I'll leave there on my back

I am going, I am going

Any which way the wind may be blowing

I am going, I am going

Where streams of whiskey are flowing

-- from Streams of Whiskey by The Pogues

-->Video: Waxie's Dargle by The Pogues (lo-fi quality)

See Shane MacGowan and the Popes. See Flogging Molly. See Dropkick Murphys.

 

Uncle Tupelo (+ Son Volt + Wilco + Whiskeytown + Trampled by Turtles?)

The 90’s started to die somewhere around 94-95. The rest of the world has been slowly dying since. It was easier in my youth to fight against everything older and established simply because all those things seemed hell bent on ignoring who we were and where we wanted to be. Bush (#2) came to the Whitehouse, and hell followed with him. That hell we still live in today. Somewhere in the middle I had this cd called No Alternative, a mix of alternative bands that were breaking through. On that cd was Uncle Tupelo. Doug said he thought I would like them, that I can’t be angry all the time. So I unplugged, bought Anodyne. And in doing so, I found connected to the country that I was brought up to believe didn’t exist. From fields in Minnesota to the dusty heartland to the triangle of North Carolina (which might as well have been just as far), there was a connection.  Uncle Tupelo and, by extension, Son Volt and, by extension, Wilco and, by extension, Whiskeytown and, by extension, Ryan Adams and, by extension, newer bands like The Avett Brothers and (one of my new favorites) Trampled by Turtles started to shape a better narrative for me. It was narrative still fueled by the restless punk (think Uncle Tupelo’s remake of the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog”) and the desperate need to speak (think “Whiskey Bottle,” “Graveyard Shift,” and “Chickamauga.” But there was a new current of inclusion for the backroad, the small town, the desolate and the matter of fact. And where R.E.M. helped me to secure and balance, these bands did too.

Influenced by the Americana of our parents, Uncle Tupelo (and the like) helped carve a space for my generation to connect and shape. Whereas I wanted to rebel against the established themes from country music (and by some extension The Grateful Dead) that didn’t seem to represent me or who I wanted to be, Uncle Tupelo (and the like) helped me to see more of the similarities than I was at first willing to admit and what I had conveniently forgotten. And it was simple. A banjo. A fiddle. A mandolin. A guitar (both acoustic and electric). Melody. Harmony. A retold story with young characters facing modern challenges. The celebration of the success and failures of those challenges and all the shakedowns in between. This became the folk movement of my generation. A movement uncorrupted by coffee houses and big orange couches in New York City. A movement free from corporate sponsorship. You could find these bands in small venues packed with college students under a cloud of smoke where everyone was, simply put, getting down. This was, and still is, a welcome escape from so much of the cookie-cutter bullshit we hear today. Thank you Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy. Thank you Ryan Adams and Caitlin Cary. Thank you boys from Minnesota.  You’ve helped make so much of my world relevant.

So much of my life I spent running from ghosts or trying to tackle them. So much of my life I spent charged and angry with what I was born with and into. And because of Uncle Tupelo (and the like) I’m not so angry as I am charged. Rather than running from those ghosts, I’m singing with them.

Appalachian, so patient

The lessons we've traveled

As soon as we're out, we're kicking our way back in

Fighting fire with unlit matches

From our respective trenches

No authority can clean up this mess we're in

A miracle might point the way

To solutions we're after

And avert our chronic impending disaster

Chickamauga's where I've been

Solitude is where I'm bound

I don't ever wanna taste these tears again

from Chickamauga by Uncle Tupelo

See also: Old Crow Medicine Crow, Langhorne Slim, The Jayhawks, anything but Mumford and Sons

-->Video (sort of): Whiskey Bottle by Uncle Tupelo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ray McManus is the author of three books of poetry, Punch, Red Dirt Jesus, and Driving through the country before you are born, and co-editor (with R. Mac Jones) of Found Anew. His poetry and prose have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. Ray is an associate professor of English at the University of South Carolina Sumter.

Summer 6s with Larry Hembree - "Listen.Watch.Read.Drink."

Jasper asked local arts leaders to name their 6 favorite summer arts indulgences--ways to spend the kind of fancy-free time that only comes on those slow, sweltering, Southern summer days. Larry Hembree, whose past has seen him employed by or in charge of almost every major arts organization in town, (think Trustus Theatre, the Nick, Columbia City Ballet, SC Arts Commission, and more), chose two each from Jasper's top editorial subjects. His caveat was that each and every arts endeavor also required a little liquid lubricant to either bump up or smooth out the experience.

Here's how the good Mr. Hembree recommends you spend your next lazy summer afternoon.

Listens

Showing my age, I always like to revisit Carole King’s “Tapestry,” the 1972 Grammy Album of the Year and one of the bestselling albums of all time. In my past life as a hula-hoop champion (Wham-O produced competitions across the country in the summertime,) I had my most successful freestyle routine to the first cut on the first side (yes, a real album), “I Feel The Earth Move” until the hoop slipped from my hand while practicing one day and cracked the album. Currently, the award winning “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” is running on Broadway and sporting a national tour, which stops in Greenville in February. Listen to this album while sipping good red wine.

Speaking of Broadway, there has been nothing more exciting in many years than the soundtrack to “Hamilton,” oddly enough based on the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton (and I loathed history classes.) The show just won eleven Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A very diverse score (and that’s an understatement), you’ll want to play it over and over, maybe accompanied by an Old Fashioned or Manhattan or both. This show will run on Broadway forever. There are no tickets available for the near future.

 

Watches

Like I needed another television series to get hooked on, I checked out the Netflix series “Bloodline,” mainly because a former UGA theatre student and fellow actor friend, Kyle Chandler stars in it. I was hooked halfway through the first show. A rich narrative, great characters and with an all-star cast including Cissy Spacek, made for plenty to pull one in. The second season has just been released.  It takes place in the Florida Keys so it’s summer friendly. Tequila is perfect with this one.

And then there’s “America Ninja Warrior,” the NBC summer series that’s so hot it makes Famously Hot Columbia feel like Antarctica. Nothing else to say. Just watch it. A case of PBR or Budweiser and/or cheap box wine for this guilty redneck indulgence.

Reads

“The Magus,” a 1965 postmodern novel by British writer John Fowles. This is a book that I revisit a lot.  I read it first when I fell in love with John Fowles' popular novel and film of the same title, The French Lieutenant’s Woman.  The novel’s setting is exotic, roaming from Greece to France to the isolated forests of Finland.  The plot’s twists and turns are riveting and Fowle’s pacing is masterful. Accompany this read with ouzo, for sure.

Hiding My Candy: The Autobiography of the Grand Empress of Savanna, by the Lady Chablis. Let’s just call this little read a very sassy autobiographical account of former West Columbia resident and prominent figure in the book and film Midnight in the Garden of  Good and Evil. If you don’t know who she is, dig in to the book. This is a summer must-read for folks who might need some sensitivity training. It’s a quick read and if the narrative is offensive, don’t worry; she also includes beauty tips and recipes.  Prosecco is mandatory for this one and will kill two birds with one stone; use it to make a toast to the power of diversity.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Summer Sixes - Poet Len Lawson Shares his Favorite Films for Summer

"You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes." 

"Show me the money."

"What business is it of yours where I'm from, friendo?”

"It is the dismal tide. It is not the one thing."

"Don't ever argue with the Big Dog, because the Big Dog is always right."

"Aw, man. I shot Marvin in the face."

"You had me at hello."

"Are you not entertained?"

"I'm gonna get medieval on your ass."

℘

 Like every other American obsessed with pop culture, I love these kinds of rankings. Unlike every other American obsessed with pop culture, I probably take these rankings much too seriously because I am passionate about films. I try to go to the movies as a normal person enjoying the theatre experience. I end up thinking I’m Siskel and Ebert giving movies stars or taking them away for this nuance or that wrinkle.

I have maintained this top list of movies for about two decades now, and it is very competitive and tough for new films to break into it. I do give new films a fair trial to enter the lauded pantheon of my top movies. Usually however, they fall to the wayside farther down rankings. (The last movie to really break into the top list after much deliberation made it all the way to the number one spot, so that’s encouraging for new films.)

For example, I would be inclined to add last year’s epic, bone-chilling film The Revenant to this list, but it has to stand the test of time. Moreover, it would have to knock off the other greats here from their respective perches. I really try to avoid the instant reaction of giving the hot new movie the top spot. This is a long process of analyzing characters, cinematography, musical score, drama, and other factors I think I’m qualified to address. I am an educator after all, so I’d like to think I’m good at crafting rubrics.

I know no one likes reading the introductions to these lists, so without further ado, here they are in descending order. Have fun! - Len Lawson

#6 Gladiator

I’m a sucker for Shakespeare, so this film has all the feels of a Shakespearean tragedy: the setting of Rome, the monarchy, suspense, death, high drama. Maximus Decimus Meridius is the quintessential Shakespearean lead character. He totally puts me in mind of Hamlet or Macbeth. Maximus is the general of the emperor’s army and likely heir to the throne because the emperor Marcus Aurelius believes Maximus is more fit to assume the throne than the emperor’s own son Commodus, a sniveling, weaselly, spoiled brat who consequently kills his father the emperor to quicken his pace to the throne. Maximus is not having it, so he goes AWOL only to find that Commodus has destroyed his home and his family. Maximus is then sold into slavery and forced to compete in the gladiator games in Rome where he again meets up with now Emperor Commodus whose reign is not well-received by the Roman senate nor by his sister Lucilla thriving for her own survival in her evil brother’s kingdom.

Russell Crowe is an endearing Spanish slave who as a former general can rally any Roman to his cause. His famous line Are you not entertained?? has become a rallying cry in sports, especially in MMA and professional wrestling. The drama sets up classic coliseum battles and dangerous alliances. I would love to teach this as a play to college students!

#5 The Matrix Trilogy

I’m pulling a notorious rankings move and including three movies in one spot because it is my list and because one Matrix movie teases the pallet for much more. This movie changed cinematography forever. How many films can you name where a martial arts maneuver or dance move is named for the title? The first film appeared at the turn of the century when the world was still in fear of Y2K (ask your parents). The themes of the film made us think that the actual matrix was a reality and not fantasy. The trilogy has that groundbreaking feel not only on film but on pop culture like the insurgence of the Star Wars films. Personally, as a person of faith, I can make so many spiritual connections to the Matrix films that it blows the mind. The plot is a bit complex for a summary, but once the end of the first film hits you, you’re taken to another place beyond movies. Furthermore by the last film, you are left with more questions than answers, and the answers won’t come unless you watch the movie again and again. The layers are endless. To quote my own poetry, “your mind capsizes.” I would watch any movie if you promised me it would have that kind of lasting effect on me.

 #4 Pulp Fiction

This will forever be Quentin Tarantino’s best work. If you put two gangsters, their mob boss, his wife, and a boxer in a blender, then Pulp Fiction (by definition of this term shown at the beginning of the movie) is what you get. For extra fun, Tarantino jumbles the three acts of the movie out of order, so the heart of the film is not even the storyline. The core of the film is the characters themselves. This cast is awesome: Uma Thurman, Ving Rhames, Bruce Willis, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, and more. After you watch the movie, you want these characters to be in your life for better or worse forever, and you definitely never want Samuel L. Jackson to leave the screen. His dialogue alone has become pop culture gospel. For example, Do you read the Bible, Ringo?...Say what again! I dare you! and before you leave this earth, you better remember Ezekiel 25:17.

This movie is too real for average people like us to watch. You get windows into parts of life you should know nothing about, which is why it keeps us coming back to it.

 #3 Jerry McGuire

A successful sports agent as he says “eats frozen pizza and grows a conscience” one night and basically destroys his career, leaving him with one scrappy, bottom-feeding NFL player. The two develop a dubious friendship outside of their business relationship that changes both their lives for respective purposes.

I am not a real Tom Cruise fan, but I liked him in this movie only because he was stripped of his usual cocky, arrogant Color of Money, Cocktail, Top Gun persona and put into an actual domestic role. It is fun to watch that persona be stripped away scene by scene in character, no less. His awkwardness is endearing when the character Jerry Maguire is out of his element.

Each character has his or her own memorable quotes here. Several breakout stars are in this film: Renee Zellweger as Dorothy Boyd, the frumpy, girl-next-door, widowed mother looking for love (You had me at hello); Jonathan Lipnicki as her cute son Ray (Did you know bees as dogs can smell fear?); and of course Cuba Gooding, Jr. as the embattled football star Rod Tidwell with the classic line Show me the money! It is cool to see Regina King and him as husband and wife both after being in Boyz n the Hood and other unheralded black films.

This is the first and only movie to make me cry. I watched it in the theatre when it first debuted, but one day as a teenager sitting at home watching the scene where Jerry and Dorothy are having issues before Rod’s big game made me tear up. She says, I have this great guy who loves my kid, and he sure does like me a lot. And I can’t live like that. It’s not how I’m built. Wow! She had me at hello!

An extra good scene is where Rod and Jerry are fed up with each other after hanging on by a thread in their respective roles during the football season. Each tries to counsel the other in the areas they are lacking in their lives. I always laugh when Jerry tells Rod, Just shut up! Play the game! Play it from your heart, and I will show you the Quan. And that’s the truth, man. That’s the truth. Can you handle it?? (an obvious allusion to Cruise’s movie A Few Good Men).

Well, I laugh and cry, but the movie has sports, comedy, drama, suspense, and black characters not as stereotypes. Therefore, I’m in for the long haul. Show me the replay! I’ll watch every time.

#2 The Fugitive

My favorite actor is Tommy Lee Jones. He can make any movie great by being the same character in each one! He is always the take-charge, semi-surly, no-nonsense leader who lives by the moral compass of a Batman character. I was first introduced to him in The Fugitive.

The first time I saw the movie was when my high school played it in every classroom throughout the day on the last day of school (gotta love those '90s education standards). I couldn’t wait to get to my next class when the bell rang to see what would happen to this doctor who was convicted of murder for the death of his wife, claiming a one-armed man was the killer. Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble is the anti-O.J. Simpson in this movie.

You are hooked in this movie after the epic train scene which was a huge deal in the '90s. After Kimble escapes the wreckage from the convict transport train crashing, the chase is on for Jones as U.S. Marshall Deputy Samuel Gerard goes on the hunt for Kimble. As a fugitive from the law, Kimble even has the audacity to look for the man who killed his wife and solve the mystery of why. You root for both Gerard and Kimble throughout the movie.

This might be the best cat-and-mouse chase movie ever if it weren’t for my number one. The way Jones as Gerard leads his band of deputies is endearing so much that, again, you want the characters to be with you always. This is also why I love the sequel film U.S. Marshals just as much if not more. I would love to see Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones do a sequel where they just share a beer and remember the old days of chasing down killers and dodging bullets in Chicago. Hopefully, both will make it to this meeting; they’re both getting up in age.

 #1 No Country for Old Men

Again I say, I love Tommy Lee Jones, but in this movie, he is older, slower, and even wiser and cagier than his character U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in The Fugitive. In this film, he is not the slick, dominant leader. He is the wily veteran Sheriff Ed Tom Bell trying to keep up with the drug trade and violence in his Texas county. He is also trying to keep up with two younger, swifter, more brazen characters: Josh Brolin as Llewelyn Moss, a hunter who finds a briefcase with $2 million in a drug deal-gone-bad and Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh, a ruthless sociopath hired to retrieve the briefcase.

There are so many layers to the film. Chigurh (pronounced like sugar, stress on the second syllable) has his own code of ethics and kills on his terms. He is a character for the ages in film on the same level with The Joker but colder, not as maniacal. He even allows his victims to call it on a coin toss to reveal their fates. His air pump is a unique weapon used originally to kill cattle before the slaughter. His shotgun with the silencer on the end shatters victims’ bodies without prejudice. This man should not be roaming free on the streets anywhere. He always taunts his victims with probing questions, yet he never sees reality by their terms, only his. He is sick, but he is brilliant at his skillset, a chilling prophet spreading his gospel of right and wrong in blood. He confronts one of his victims in the film with this epic question: If the rule you followed brought you to this, of what use was the rule?

Llewelyn tries to keep out of Chigurh’s reach throughout the movie with his own military veteran skillset. Each tries to outwit the other with Sheriff Bell always one step behind. The most amazing part of the film is that none of these three main characters EVER come face to face with the other. Brilliant! It is a thriller without much dialogue. The pictures tell the story with genius.

Although it is a masterful film based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy with the title taken from a William Butler Yeats poem “Sailing to Byzantium,"* the scene where Sheriff Bell almost catches up to Chigurh in an El Paso hotel always irks me. If Chigurh can escape Bell, then why doesn’t he kill Bell like the rest of his victims? The sheriff coming back for Chigurh would certainly upset Chigurh’s “code." The sheriff would be very vulnerable returning to the hotel. There are many theories to this scene. This is just another layer to the classic.

The lifestyle of violence portrayed in the film catches up to all three main characters, but each responds to it in different ways. It either consumes them, overcomes them, or surrenders them. The great line by Sherriff Bell and the El Paso sheriff toward the end speaks to the warning of the title: It is the dismal tide. It is not the one thing.

℘

What have we learned from this list? They all have arguably white male-dominated main characters. All but one has gun violence and horrific death scenes. Obviously, I like suspense, thriller, and drama films. I like my movies well-rounded with a little bit of each genre, but these three keep me interested. As a writer and poet, I am always considering elements of fiction in films. I usually can predict a film’s outcome before the halfway point which is no fun for anyone I watch with, but I usually keep these things to myself. I try to lose the critical eye in movies, but that wouldn’t make me an artist, would it?

Len Lawson is the author of the upcoming chapbook Before the Night Wakes You (Finishing Line Press) and co-editor of the upcoming Poets Respond to Race anthology (Muddy Ford Press). He has been accepted to the Ph.D. in English Literature and Criticism program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Len is a 2015 Pushcart Prize & Best of the Net nominee and a 2016 Callaloo Fellow.  His poetry has been featured in Fall Lines, Jasper Magazine, Charleston Currents, and Poems on The Comet. He teaches writing at Central Carolina Technical College, and his website is www.lenlawson.co.

*Sailing to Byzantium

by William Butler Yeats

That is no country for old men. The young In one another's arms, birds in the trees – Those dying generations – at their song, The salmon‐falls, the mackerel‐crowded seas, Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long Whatever is begotten, born, and dies. Caught in that sensual music all neglect Monuments of unageing intellect.

An aged man is but a paltry thing, A tattered coat upon a stick, unless Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing For every tatter in its mortal dress, Nor is there singing school but studying Monuments of its own magnificence; And therefore I have sailed the seas and come To the holy city of Byzantium.

O sages standing in God's holy fire As in the gold mosaic of a wall, Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre, And be the singing‐masters of my soul. Consume my heart away; sick with desire And fastened to a dying animal It knows not what it is; and gather me Into the artifice of eternity.

Once out of nature I shall never take My bodily form from any natural thing, But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make Of hammered gold and gold enamelling To keep a drowsy Emperor awake; Or set upon a golden bough to sing To lords and ladies of Byzantium Of what is past, or passing, or to come.

Summer 6s with The SC State Library's CURTIS ROGERS

"I vividly remember being on an airplane while reading the part about the ebola victim who was on an airplane while the hemorrhagic fever began to cause him to bleed from multiple orifices. I put down the book and slowly began to look at the other passengers around me for signs of hemorrhagic fever."

- Curtis Rogers

Jasper asked some of our community arts leaders their advice on the SIX best literary, visual, and musical indulgences for the sweltery summer months in Columbia. Here's Curtis Rogers' recommended summer reads ...

 #1

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

One of my favorite recollections from childhood and probably the first time I remember being completely engrossed in a book. This was probably the first time I read a chapter book and I remember initially being disappointed it didn’t have that many images. I used to be the kid who would judge a book by how many pages had images on them so that it wouldn’t be that many pages to have to read.

#2

Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

My first sci-fi book! This was also the first time I vividly remember reading the book then watching the movie and having the thrill of knowing what was going to happen next. I think this was the book that hooked me on science fiction and also gave me a big interest in virology.

#3

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

This was a summer read and I can’t remember where I was vacationing but I vividly remember being on an airplane while reading the part about the ebola victim who was on an airplane while the hemorrhagic fever began to cause him to bleed from multiple orifices. I put down the book and slowly began to look at the other passengers around me for signs of hemorrhagic fever. Thankfully, no one sneezed or was coughing.

#4

Robopocalypse by Daniel Wilson

Cars with computerized components begin killing humans as the robots begin their rise against humanity. What more could you want in a book? This book will really make you think critically about owning a car without a computer in it. Even computerized toys become part of a collective consciousness in their rise to power over humans.

#5

The Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot

Sometimes I don’t read science fiction. I really like poetry, too, and if you like poetry, and I mean really long poetry, this one is for you. It’s the national epic poem of Finland that explains creation through Scandinavian mythology. You’ll enjoy it if you can get around the long Finnish names like Väinämöinen and Lemminkäinen. The Kalevala's metre is a form of trochaic tetrameter that is known as the Kalevala metre. It’s quite rhythmic and I remember that it was a quick read. It’s not for everyone but will certainly make you more interesting (or maybe more boring) at dinner parties.

#6

House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds

On my second trip to Germany, while waiting for my colleague to get off work (she is the librarian for the Hamburg Parliament), I wandered into the Taschen bookstore and found the English language section. After browsing through some titles, I came across this one and was immediately engaged! It’s a story that takes place over 6 million years. It’s a forbidden love story between two “shatterlings” who were cloned from Abigail Gentian millennia ago. Something is trying to eliminate all of the shatterlings and the big question is who?

 etcetera

On another note, I just finished reading John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War and highly recommend it if you’re into science fiction and looking for a great summer read. When you turn 75, you can enter the Colonial Defense Forces and serve for up to ten years but that’s all you know before you sign up. It’s interesting to find out what really happens to those who enlist and go offworld. Let’s just say genetic manipulation plays a big part and you also get introduced to some pretty intense alien races from whom the CDF fights to protect human colonies across the galaxy. You’re also introduced to skip drive technology and how spaceships travel at faster than light speed.

Dr. Curtis R. Rogers is the Director of Communications for the South Carolina State Library and Coordinates the South Carolina Center for the Book and has been working in the library and information science field for 27 years. He has worked at the Union Carnegie Library, the Charleston County Public Library and has taught courses at the USC School of Library and Information Science.  He received a Bachelor of Arts in Geography, Master of Library and Information Science, and Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of South Carolina.  In 2001, he completed the University of the Azores Summer Study Course in Azorean Portuguese Culture and Language and in 2002 completed the Certified Public Manager credential. In 2008, he was President of the SC Library Association.  Rogers developed a national library survey on library use of social media for public relations and has presented this survey’s results at the 2009 German Library Association Conference and at the State and University Library of Hamburg. He currently serves as secretary of the SC Academy of Authors, and chairs the USC School of Library and Information Annual Literacy Leaders (ALL) Awards committee.

Summer Six(es) with Gillian Albrecht

 

It’s summer in the city and sometimes during this time of year we find ourselves with the weird sensation of (gasp!) free time on our hands.  Rather than letting this phenomenon catch you unawares on some stray Saturday afternoon, Jasper has you covered with our summertime series alliteratively called the Summer Sixes in which we ask members of the Columbia arts community to share their favorite top 6 films, reads, albums, or TV series binges.  We’ll be bringing you this throughout the summer so pay attention to What Jasper Said to learn more about what your friends and neighbors like to do with their spare time, and maybe get some ideas of what to do with yours.

We asked Broadway veteran Gillian Scalici Albrecht to help us out with her top 6 in any of the above categories and she -- like other folks to come -- was kind enough to help us out in almost all the categories. Read Gillian's responses below, then check out some of her work at the end of the post.

Summer in SC is for me about staying out of the heat than anything else. I usually use the summers for my travels to new and exciting places, where for the most part it’s cooler but also since it is a quieter time in Columbia and have kids in school; it’s a good time to go and see the world. I am not a big television watcher and have not succumbed to all the reality shows as I am not interested in other peoples’ lives and all the talent shows are fun; but give me a good Broadway show anytime with hard learned talent and terrific productions! When I do watch it’s usually crime stories with real actors and good plots where I can disappear for an hour in a story of partial truth that is usually heart wrenching. I cry very easily and a good story gets me each time.

That said, I love travelling in Europe and am a person who loves seeing all the places that fill our history books. My choice of reading is generally anything that is filled with historical facts and a good story so it’s usually a good fiction novel based on history. I lived in Germany for many years and am fascinated with stories of World War II and love good stories and stories about families and survival. One of my favorite books is Sarah’s Key. Some of my favorite reads are “The Invisible Bridge” by Julie Orringer, the books by Philippa Gregory about Henry the VIII and his many wives and the lifestyle and historical facts surrounding it, like “The Other Boleyn Girl”, “The Virgin Lover.”  I can’t think of a more profound and moving film which says all of this like “Life is Beautiful” and “The Pianist.” A more recent film involving history and brilliantly done is “The Imitation Game.”

Stories filled with struggle, sacrifice and success also like The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls keep life in perspective and are fascinating reads. More books I have enjoyed are “The Sandcastle Girls”, “Having our Say”, “The Help”, “My Sisters Keeper”, and “Water for Elephants”,

Contrary to what most people would think, I don’t listen to Broadway soundtracks. I don’t like the feeling of having to concentrate and think I have to study something but just want the pleasure of listening. I am an R&B fanatic. Love Quincy Jones, Lou Rawls, George Benson, Lionel Richie, Al Jarreau,  Pattie Austin and James Ingram, Natalie Cole, and can’t get enough of Whitney Houston and her amazing voice and some of the oldies like Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne and still love Diana Ross and the Supremes to sing along with.

And my all-time favorite is a good old piano bar with great jazz and a glass of wine looking at the ocean! Happy Summer!

Check out Gillian in her salad days!

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9b3ppgqUFo[/embed]

Read more about Gillian in the current issue of Jasper Magazine and check out her latest project Broadway at USC.

Tuesday is MAKE MUSIC DAY brought to you by One Columbia and friends

 

This Tuesday, June 21, Columbia will take part in its second annual Make Music Columbia event. Music will be played just about everywhere, from Five Points, Main Street, the State House, Lexington and more. It’s a perfect indoor and outdoor event for music-lovers of all ages to experience all sorts of music, happening from 9 am – 9 pm. There will be music of all styles, from rock, hip hop, folk, jazz, experimental and anything in between.

Make Music Columbia is part of a broader network that is the Make Music Day Alliance. The first Make Music Day was in France in 1982, and it is now a worldwide event, with over 700 cities in 120 countries participating. It happens each year on the summer solstice, a great way to celebrate the longest day of the year.

Anyone is free to participate in Make Music Columbia, and there will be a number of mass appeals, which are large groups of people playing the same instruments together. These will take place at the State House, and anyone is welcome to walk up and join in. They’ll have ukulele songbooks, harmonicas and more for the crowd. No musical skill required!

There will be buskers all around the city along with other organized concerts, which are all free and open to the public. People are also welcomed and encouraged to sign up to either host or perform. This is primarily a collaborative effort, made possible by the committed work of One Columbia, Rice Music House and WXRY FM.

OVER 64 ARTISTS!

MORE THAN 25 VENUES!

ANOTHER CITY-ENHANCING EVENT FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT ONE COLUMBIA

Most performances can be caught in Five Points, Main Street, and The Village at Sandhills, and there will be outdoor concerts at Tapp’s Arts Center and The Lula Drake on Main Street. There are still a lot more places to enjoy performances, and these can be found at makemusiccolumbia.org.

“The idea is to create so much music that people encounter it during their daily activities,” says Ashleigh Lancaster, Office Manager at One Columbia. “The idea that you can fill a whole city with performances like that is really exciting… It makes the streets feel so alive.”

Lancaster believes this is a great event for Columbia to be able to participate in a worldwide event while also enjoying the stress–relieving qualities of music. It can put a smile on people’s faces, and give them the opportunity to let go during the week.

THREE MASS APPEALS:

• First up – Join the Sound Circle!  Led by Girls Rock Columbia, make music using your voice – strange noises, bleeps, boops, even screams come together to create a unique chorus! Starts around 6pm.
• Then – Learn the Harmonica! Thanks to Hohner, we’ll be handing out 100 free harmonicas! Walk right up and learn how to play – then we’ll try our new skills as a group. Starts around 6:30pm.
• And, then – Uke it Up! The Cola Ukulele Band will perform their sweet tunes for you, but not before teaching you a few things they’ve learned! Be sure to bring your ukulele. There will be some books on hand with sheet music. Starts around 7:15pm 

So no matter how talented or less-than-talented you feel in your musical abilities, Lancaster and all the other good folks organizing Make Music Columbia invite you to make or just enjoy some music this Tuesday, June 21. It’ll be a great way to celebrate the summer solstice, and join the worldwide Fête de la Musique (meaning both “festival of music” and “make music” in French).

-- Ony Ratsimbaharison

BOOK REVIEW: Patti Smith's M Train by Mary Catherine Ballou

 

“I stood in front of the fence on tiptoe and peered through the broken slat.  All kinds of indistinct memories collided.  Vacant lots skinned knees train yards mystical hobos forbidden yet wondrous dwellings of mythical junkyard angels” (Smith 136).

M Train (Alfred A. Knopf, 2015), the latest book from acclaimed musician and poet Patti Smith, takes readers on a dreamlike journey of her adult life, chronicling both the profound and the mundane.  Throughout, Smith manages to elevate her grounded, daily routine of drinking black coffee into a ritual that serves as a stepping-stone to ethereal destinations encompassing her past, present, and future.

Documenting trips across the globe, Smith constructs a portrait of her intensely private yet at the same time professional life, from the early stages of her marriage to Fred “Sonic” Smith – including an account of their trip to an abandoned penal colony in French Guiana in homage of Jean Genet – to her pilgrimages to the burial sites of esteemed authors and artists.

While Smith continues to enjoy success in the professional field, M Train provides readers with an intimate depiction of her private existence, leaving few quirks behind.  Yet while she portrays herself as an artistic recluse of sorts, her curiosity and wanderlust takes her in many directions, including Casa Azul, the former home of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo; the Tokyo graves of authors Akutagawa and Dazai; and, the New York landscape of the Rockaway Beach boardwalk, where she purchases an abandoned bungalow just before Hurricane Sandy strikes.

Combined with the central role of memories and dreams, M Train incorporates both prose and poetry-laden accounts of Smith’s sundry encounters with friends, acquaintances, locations, and objects.  Whether unveiling imaginary or real-life occurrences, M Train absorbs the reader from the start, weaving a tapestry of philosophical and geographical quips unique to Smith.  “I had a black coat,” Smith writes.  “A poet gave it to me some years ago on my fifty-seventh birthday.  It had been his --- an ill-fitting, unlined Comme des Garçons overcoat that I secretly coveted” (160).  She continues, “Every time I put it on I felt like myself…The pockets had come unstitched at the seam and I lost everything I absentmindedly slipped into their holy caves…I loved my coat and the café and my morning routine.  It was the clearest and simplest expression of my solitary identity” (160).  Smith’s effort to understand and forge her own identity remains one of the most prominent themes throughout this book.

While the topics in M Train, including Smith’s black coat and her obsession with obscure cafés, detective shows, and deceased authors, each serve as personal anecdotes, the stories transcend her individual life to strike universal chords relatable to readers, ranging from the drudgery and pleasure derived from daily routines or losing precious belongings in airports or torn pockets, to weathering great storms, reconnecting and reminiscing with friends, and learning to cope with life’s tragedies.

A hybrid of poetry, prose, and photography, M Train exposes both the surreal and real, while Smith transforms the reader into a confidante who can share these experiences with her.   Throughout this book, Smith reveals that she is more than a rock star – she’s an artist, mother, wife, daughter, sister, muse, and inspirer.  M Train exemplifies her efforts to come to terms with the mysteries of life, while her own trajectory through it all draws upon experiences in the personal and public arena.  Most importantly, Smith’s experiences lend M Train a philosophical dimension seldom found within celebrity culture.

REVIEW: The Lobster by Olivia Morris

 

"Lobsters live for over one hundred years, are blue-blooded like aristocrats, and stay fertile all their lives," David explains, wedged between a floral bedspread and a flat-affect hotel manager.  The characters exist in shades of blue and gray, with their drab clothing and the hotel's muted decorating scheme.  A suited man stands silently in the corner, his head cut out of the frame.  David's voice is monotone as he explains why he would want to be transformed into a lobster, if it came to it.

Colin Farrell stars as David, the central and only named character in the recently released film, The Lobster, whose wife has just left him after twelve years of marriage.  By the laws of this dystopian universe in which the film takes place, any adult person without a partner is required to move into a hotel for six weeks, in order to find another spouse.  If they fail to find a suitable partner, they will be changed into an animal of their choosing.

In this dark comedy, Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos examines the highly inorganic aspect of modern relationships.  On Tinder, people make snap decisions about potential partners, depending on their appearance or the few character cues that can be explained in under 500 characters.  In real life, an adult who has never been married is considered odd or antisocial.  Teenagers feel an immense amount of social pressure to secure a date to prom.  Lanthimos takes these cultural imperatives to the extreme and places his characters in dire situations if they don't have a mate.  The characters cautiously revolve around each other, not looking for love, but rather looking for someone with whom a relationship might seem convincing, at best.  They are attracted to each other because of miniscule details, like something as silly as both individuals being prone to nosebleeds, and even then some of the idiosyncrasies are cultivated. But Lanthimos does this with such an exacting formality that the viewer is left finding humor in the absurdity.  David is completely serious as he explains that he would like to be a lobster because he "like(s) the sea very much."

Lanthimos has been elevated into the class of visually compelling, emotionally provocative sci-fi filmmakers, reminiscent of the work of Spike Jonez, Charlie Kaufman, and Michel Gondry.  Lanthimos gives the dystopian film a sense of contained surrealism.  The most science-y aspect of the film, transforming humans, is left almost entirely untouched.  The overarching tone of dystopia is largely just a catalyst for exploring the real and superficial aspects of human affection, with cutting cynicism.

The brilliance of the movie comes from its perfectly balanced juxtapositions.  From start to finish, from the weather to the wallpaper, from the forest to the city, the color palette of the movie is incredibly bleak.  The colors are muted and underwhelming, in a way that makes every scene seem drained of livelihood.  In a similar fashion, the characters speak clearly, matter-of-factly, and in emotionally blunted tones, blundering awkwardly through comically literal conversations.

In contrast though, the film splices in several scenes of dramatic slow-motion, while Beethoven bursts through the speakers.  There are highly disturbing, bloody scenes that caused half the audience to cover their eyes during.  This disjointing of tonality is intentionally funny, but also adds another layer of creativity.  The overly dramatic scenes are clearly superficial and disjointed, like the relationships in the movie.

The audience had a deeply divided reaction in the theater I was in.  Some left, understandably so.  The movie gets incredibly dilated at points, seeming to stretch and repeat itself unnecessarily.  Rachel Weisz's narration is jarring and doesn't enhance the movie in any direct way.  However, these formulaic, almost robotic tendencies are exactly what thematically anchor the movie.  You cannot go into this film expecting to be blindly entertained or emotionally manipulated.  This movie will not make your heart race.  It won't make you jump or cry.  However, it will make you think intensely about what it means to fall in, be in, or lose love, and whether or not you've ever actually done any of those things.

-- Olivia Morris

The lesson that night

Here, in its original format, is the beautiful poem Jasper's literary arts editor -- Ed Madden -- wrote for The State, published June 17, 2016. We're sharing this iteration here simply to preserve the correct formatting for posterity. 

The lesson that night

for 17 June 2016

     “And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground.” – Mark 4:16

     “Who are we now?” – Nikky Finney, “A New Day Dawns”

How hot it was that sun-beat week,

watering the yard every day,

the curled leaves and dry ground,

green wings of zinnia breaking the soil.

They sat together around a green table,

prayed, sang, then opened the gospel—

the lesson that night was seed sown

on stony ground. What can we know

of the human heart, entangled in all

that we’ve been taught? A boy from here

sat with them about an hour,

then aimed his hate and opened fire.

~

How quick we were to act,

focused on that festering flag,

quick to take it down

and move forward, move on—

these aren’t the same.

After weeks of heat, it rained the day

the governor said to take it down.

Are we somehow different now?

How would we know?

~

We furled a flag. We furled a flag.

A girl was slung across a room,

a man who ran shot in the back.

The broke and broken schools remain.

What has changed, beyond that square

of empty sky where it once flew,

the opened door of clouds and blue?

~

The lesson that night was stony ground.

Not birds, not thorns, not the good soil.

What grows up quick among the stones.

What has no roots, what withers away.

A friend calls change a perennial plant.

A second year takes nurture and luck.

If it comes back another year,

a better chance that it will stay.

Water well the just-sown and just-up.

Water long in morning light.

Water long and soak the roots

to learn the lesson of that night.

Learn the lesson of that night.

REVIEW: Columbia Children's Theatre presents The Commedia Hansel and Gretel by Melissa Swick Ellington

Columbia Children’s Theatre presents a delightful summer treat with The Commedia Hansel and Gretel. Following numerous other commedia summer shows produced by CCT, Hansel and Gretel benefits from the collaborative nature of the Italian theatre tradition commedia dell’arte. Innovative director Jerry Stephenson aptly describes the entertaining characters as “beloved, rag-tag, fame-hungry players,” and audiences of all ages will enjoy their mischief.

The “Spaghetti and Meatball Players” include five commedia characters (Columbine, Pantalone, Arlequino, Punchin, and Rosetta) who take on multiple roles within the story. As Columbine, Mary Miles becomes an amusing Gretel, tap-dancing and pouting her way through the forest. Paul Lindley II’s Arlequino plays her long-suffering brother Hansel with charm and verve. The fairy tale siblings achieve effective rapport with the young audience through interaction that feels both genuine and satisfyingly silly. In the role of Punchin, Baker Morrison delivers a hilarious performance as two iconic stars of Food Network fame, while Noah Barker’s Pantalone succeeds as the humorously incompetent fairy tale father and other roles. As Rosetta, Kaitlyn Fuller does double duty as stepmother and witch; she skillfully creates distinctly memorable characters who menace Hansel and Gretel with flair. (At certain performances, alternate actors will play the following roles: George Dinsmore as Pantalone, Taylor Diveley as Arlequino, Julian Deleon as Punchin, and Frances Farrar as Rosetta.)

As audiences have come to anticipate, CCT puts forth first class production quality. Vibrant flag banners liven up the stage, which features a useful proscenium for backdrop changes in Patrick Faulds’ attractive set. Jim Litzinger’s lighting and sound design choices work beautifully to support the production, and Stevenson and Donna Harvey score a big win in the costume department with colorful creations that highlight appealing use of shape and texture. Company/stage manager Candice Fuller keeps everything on track in what must be a riotous backstage experience.

This high energy performance successfully combines popular culture and entertainment with classic fairy tale conventions. While some of the comical references will not be familiar to young children, there are plenty of jokes that make sense to the littlest audience members as the older crew snickers over references to the Kardashians, Paula Deen, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, among many more. The engaging actors capitalize on the improvisational aspect of the commedia tradition as they incorporate audience responses with quick-witted confidence. As the latest installment from the Spaghetti and Meatball Players, Hansel and Gretel is a welcome addition to the clever commedia tradition at Columbia Children’s Theatre.

Performances of The Commedia Hansel & Gretel at the Columbia Children’s Theatre will run through June 19 (Saturday at 10:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m.; and Sunday at 3:00 p.m.). Ticket prices are $10 for children three years old through adult, $8 for seniors and active duty military, and $5 for all tickets on Saturdays at 7:00 pm only. Tickets may be purchased from the box office (803-691-4548) or online at www.columbiachildrenstheatre.com.

-- Melissa Swick Ellington

Summer 6s - with Khris Coolidge

It’s summer in the city and sometimes during this time of year we find ourselves with the weird sensation of (gasp!) free time on our hands.  Rather than letting this phenomenon catch you unawares on some stray Saturday afternoon, Jasper has you covered with our summertime series alliteratively called the Summer Sixes in which we ask members of the Columbia arts community to share their favorite top 6 films, reads, albums, or TV series binges.  We’ll be bringing you this throughout the summer so pay attention to What Jasper Said to learn more about what your friends and neighbors like to do with their spare time, and maybe get some ideas of what to do with yours.

We're starting with Khris Coolidge, the cover artist for the current issue of Jasper that's out on the shelves right now. Here's what Khris had to say about his top 6 choices for Summertime Songs.

When I was a junior in high school, I took up the guitar, and the first songs I learned were by James Taylor, a popular singer/songwriter during the 1970s. I went on to sing his song “Rainy Day Man” at my high school talent show. I got a kiss on the cheek after that show, so I figured JT must know a thing or two about touching people’s hearts. However, not long after, I moved on to musicians like Bruce Springsteen and The Clash who thrashed out their songs, maybe not warming hearts so much as rocking people’s worlds. I never got back into JT, and eventually I put down my own guitar, but Taylor has kept on making music up through the present day. I’ve chosen six of his tunes that are likely not well known, but they speak to the thread that runs through JT’s work all these years: the significance of relationships with friends, family, lovers, children, and dogs.

• “Nobody But You” (Album: One Man Dog, 1971)

In this song JT expresses his appreciations for those who stuck with him through all his ups and down. He sings “You can talk about bands of angels/And they think you come with your soul in your hands to set their children free/But you talk about little bit of understanding, things that happen day to day/Some of you folks sure enough have been good to me.” One of the traditions at my workplace is starting Wednesday morning staff meetings with appreciations to colleagues for the work they’ve done and the support they’ve given. That’s a swell way to get a day going.

• Sarah Maria (Album: Gorilla, 1975)

Time to time Taylor has written about fatherhood, and this is a sweet ode to a daughter. In these few lines he captures a simple moment that captures a father’s heart: “Well you know about the sugar cane/That comes from way down south/She’s got one end in her hand/She’s got one end in her mouth/Sarah, Sarah Maria.”

• If I Keep My Heart Out Of Sight (Album: JT, 1977)

This is JT’s foray into lounge music, but he gets at the vulnerability that sometimes comes with loving someone when he sings “If I slip and tip my hand/I’m certain to scare you away.”

• “The Frozen Man” (Album: New Moon Shine, 1991)

This is Taylor’s tale of a man brought back to life after lying frozen for a century and re-fitted with some body parts, who discovers he would’ve rather stayed dead without his loved ones to live with. The frozen man sings “I thought it would be nice just to visit my grave, see what kind of tombstone I might have/I saw my wife and my daughter and it seemed so strange/both of them dead and gone from extreme old age/See here, when I die make sure I'm gone, don't leave 'em nothing to work on.”

• Another Day (Album: Hourglass, 1997)

“Wake up Suzy/Put your shoes on/Walk with me into this light/Finally this morning/I’m feeling whole again/ It was a hell of a night/Just to be with you by my side/Just to have you near in my sight/Just to walk a while in this light/Just to know that life goes on.” Who hasn’t had those tough times when we sought out the reassurance that comes with the mere presence of some trusted other?

• “Montana” (Album: Before This World, 2015)

JT’s lived the dream, had lots of success, but in this song he expresses the wisdom that it’s all about being with somebody you’re close to. “I'm not smart enough for this life I've been livin'/A little bit slow for the pace of the game/It's not I'm ungrateful for all I've been given/But nevertheless, just the same/I wish to my soul I was back in Montana/High on my mountain and deep in the snow/Up in my cabin, over the valley/Under the blankets with you.”

Through Flesh and Stone : An Interview with Sara Schneckloth By Mary Catherine Ballou

Through Flesh and Stone, the most recent exhibit by artist Sara Schneckloth, opened at 701 Center for Contemporary Art on Friday, June 10.  Inspired by Schneckloth’s visits to the canyons of New Mexico, Through Flesh and Stone features both drawings and an interactive installation, translating Schneckloth’s topographical studies into abstractly kinetic pieces that invite visitors to connect with the artwork on a multidimensional level.  Through Flesh and Stone animates Schneckloth’s interpretive drawings, challenging viewers to analyze and manipulate the fluid pieces inspired by Southwestern terrains.  As a professor of Studio Art at the University of South Carolina and an artist whose work has been featured internationally and nationally, Schneckloth kindly agreed to answer some questions regarding her vision and artwork in Through Flesh and Stone.

Jasper: What inspired you to create Through Flesh and Stone?

Schneckloth : I've made three long visits to New Mexico starting in Fall of 2015, each for several weeks.  During these trips, I have been drawing from the landscape, both literally and abstractly.  At the heart of my interest and excitement are the slot canyons throughout [the] northern part of the state.

So many elements of the landscape there excite me, endlessly - the color, the light, the surreal geology, the feeling of being in the midst of deep time that is still slowly unfolding.  It feels like all the senses are activated and enhanced while I'm there, not just vision, but touch, sound - my whole body is brought into how I take in the environment, and I feel actively changed by encounters with the land and the sky.

Through Flesh and Stone includes drawings I made in New Mexico and a new set of drawings from Massachusetts.  All the drawings are an exploration of the intersections of biology and geology, working through different interpretations and media.  In the interactive piece, I'm experimenting with creating the sensation of going through a Southwestern slot canyon, a tight and constricted space that is alive with color and texture.

Jasper: Please explain the interactive portion.

Schneckloth : The interactive piece is a 20-foot long, 12-foot high constricted tunnel made of spandex fabric. The drawings are put in motion and projected on to the large flexible screens that move with your touch as you traverse the tight space.  In addition to the tunnel piece, there will be over twenty drawings displayed.

Jasper: How do you think people will react to this exhibit?

Schneckloth : With the interactive canyon piece, my hope is for people to share in the sense of mystery that I experience in these spaces; whether it's fear, or wonder, or being put into a different state of awareness about time and the body.  The canyons, for me, are places to feel incredibly young, connected to processes that have endured for ages, beyond simple understanding.

Jasper: What mediums are featured in your pieces?

Schneckloth : The drawings combine ink, watercolor, colored pencil, graphite and wax on synthetic paper.  I combine these regularly to get surfaces and effects that don't immediately give themselves up to easy interpretation, but are rather layered and combined to create new effects.  For the video, I scanned and animated all the drawings, so as to create movement and flow.

Jasper: Do you have a favorite piece?

Schneckloth : I don't have a favorite as such, but I am excited about showing a series of ten new drawings that came from a residency at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art last month.  These are another take on the intersection of biology and geology, but coming from a different geographical perspective, looking at the industrial Northeast in contrast to the desert environment of the Southwest.  It's interesting to me to see the differences in palette and feel between the two sets of drawings.

Our Interns Review: Ony Ratsimbaharison on bell hooks' Wounds of Passion

As part of Jasper's summer intern experience we asked our interns to write about-- and even review -- books, films, paintings, ART -- that have been influential to them in their journeys. Heck, we invite you all to do this, as well. We hope you enjoy Ony Ratsimbaharison's review of the always radicalizing bell hooks' 1997 Wounds of Passion :  A Writing Life. For more on hooks, please visit the website for the bell hooks Institute at Berea College.)

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“Writing is my passion. Words are the way to know ecstasy. Without them life is barren. The poet insists Language is a body of suffering and when you take up language you take up the suffering too. All my life I have been suffering for words. Words have been the source of the pain and the way to heal.” –bell hooks, Wounds of Passion

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If there’s question as to how and why bell hooks has written so much in her life, it is clear from her heartbreaking experimental memoir Wounds of Passion A writing life (H. Holt, 1997) that writing was her most vital coping method.

The prolific black feminist and social activist author intertwines the story of finding her writing voice with finding a sense of purpose and love, both following the most troubled times of her childhood and as well as during a long-term relationship with another writer. It’s a great read for anyone interested in experiencing the life of a writer through their own critical eye. The title describes the work best—these aren’t just memories but her wounds being reopened and once again healed through the power of writing.

In the preface, hooks explains that the root word for passion is patior, which means to suffer. She insists that pain cannot be avoided if one feels deeply, which she quite evidently does. Many of the memories presented are unpleasant ones, each marked by hooks’ suffering. She describes the hurt she felt in her childhood, for being the subject of ridicule for being too much like herself. She found comfort in words and in poetry from a young age. During her 15-year relationship with another writer she calls Mack, hooks is again and continually the subject of someone else’s pain-infliction. The details of her struggles are often difficult to read because the pain is so apparent.

The most rewarding part of reading Wounds of Passion is seeing first-hand how hooks develops her writing voice in the midst of all her suffering. It is clear that words and writing are her passion, and hooks makes note of people who influence her to be dedicated to her craft. Her descriptions of people she admires are so loving and inspiring (examples?) that it’s hard not to admire them too.

Another interesting component of the book is the use of both third and first person perspectives. The first person narrator is hooks experiencing the pain at the time. She wants to make her sometimes chaotic relationship work, despite all the hurt she feels from it. The third person narrator is the hooks after all the chaos, who now sees why they were doomed from the start.

Wounds of Passion is great for anyone seeking to experience the power of words during troubled times. For someone familiar with the work of bell hooks, this book provides more context to her life as a writer, making all her previous work even more powerful. It's a book about pain and honesty, and how some wounds can ignite passion. -Jasper intern Ony Ratsimbaharison

SPOLETO REVIEW: A reflection on festival curation, with mini-reviews of chamber music, Old Crow Medicine Show, & Brandi Carlile

By: Kyle Petersen

I saw three musical performances as part of Spoleto USA over Memorial Day weekend: the raucous old-timey string band Old Crow Medicine Show, the sleek and powerful pop-rock singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile, and Program II of the Bank of America Chamber Music Series curated by Geoff Nuttall.

In 2016, that list is hardly surprising, but it wasn’t too long ago that those first two names would have drawn pause from longtime festival patrons. Spoleto made its reputation on cutting-edge but cosmopolitan “high” art performances, bringing in a fascinating and eclectically curated selection of theatre, opera, dance, and chamber, symphonic, choral, and jazz music. You’ll notice that rock, pop, folk, blues, and country didn’t quite make the cut.

That seems to have shifted (as far as I can tell), in the mid-2000s, when the festival loosened its strictures to allow some favored roots, soul, and folk artists to its stages, sliding them into their Jazz series, closing night finales, and, eventually, as part of their regular music programming.

I used to read this evolution in two ways, both fairly cynical: 1), that the festival was just following the interests and tastes of their older and more staid demographic, both of which had changed considerably since the inaugural Spoleto USA in 1976; 2), that they were trying to be a kind of shortsighted arbiter of contemporary music, selecting the most conservative and retro-minded on of popular contemporary music, in stark contrast to their mostly forward-thinking selections elsewhere.

As snide as that assessment is, it never stopped me from enjoying the high caliber the festival booked in past years, but this year I think I had a change of heart about the why of it.

If you flip both of those assumptions on their head and try to see the positive, forward-thinking rationale behind the curation shift, you seem something fundamentally different. After all, what Spoleto proves year after year is that aging, no-longer mainstream art forms like dance, opera, classical music, and (to a lesser extent) theatre still have an artistic vibrancy to them, that they are creative expressions very much worth keeping around precisely because we still have gifted artists still capable of reinventing or reframing them in a way that’s entertaining and edifying to contemporary audiences.

It’s Geoff Nuttall who probably deserves the most praise for this realization. As a curator and master of ceremonies for the chamber music series he is without compare, capable of bringing ample doses of humor, wit, and expertise to an expansive selection of compositions that he can breathe new life into for the audiences. Program II was bookended by Mozart’s Concerto in B-Flat Major, K. 191, which served to showcase the tremendous talents of bassoonist Peter Kolkay, and Maurice Ravel’s gypsy-derived Tzigane, which saw violinist Livia Sohn blazing away at entrancing melodies and derivations alongside Stephen Prutsman’s piano accompaniment.  There was awesome an easy homerun in there with a few Gershwin tunes sung by contratenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, something this Porgy & Bess-obsessed audience lapped up with glee.

My personal favorite of the program, though, was the Kreitzer Sonato. Based on a Leo Tolstory novella that was itself based on a Beethoven sonata, there's an exaggerated sense of theatre and drama built nicely on top of a string quartet that makes for a highly engaging piece of music. Nuttall walked the audience through the story before beginning of the piece, often pausing to note what musical phrases denoted what/when in the action of the story, essentially establishing the vocabulary of the composition in a breezy, accessible fashion that utterly upends the sense of inscrutability classical music performances can occasionally have.

That ability to make classical music sound not only contemporary but almost urgently relevant, I think, is the through line to the festival’s larger curation goals.

Of course, Americana and folk-tinged pop-rock have hardly risen to “high art” status and are far from the relative irrelevancy facing many of the other art forms Spoleto champions, but they are trending down. EDM, hip-hop, “indie” rock and stadium country are the most popular musical forms today, there’s no mistaking it, particularly among younger audiences. And yet there’s so much good, vital music being made outside of those categories.

Old Crow Medicine Show is a prime example of this reality. Although they benefited enormously from the post-O Brother Where Art Thou? folk and old-timey boom (something which seems to have indirectly led to those musical styles’ introduction to Spoleto), they also felt like a band steeped in tradition that was startling new, crafting original songs and sounds out of the most venerable of parts. And even setting the success of “Wagon Wheel” aside, they’ve charted a fascinating path towards wider mainstream acceptance and awareness.

Their sold-out Friday night performance at the Cistern Yard (they also played Thursday) was a work of consummate showmanship, making wonderful nods to the setting, region, and the weekend (a veteran’s shout-out before the anti-war “Levi”) that never felt forced yet always came across as professional. Their battery of singers and ability to slide a radio hit as rock ‘n’ roll as “I Won’t Back Down” into a nicely balanced selection of originals was noteworthy. There was plenty of frenzied fiddling and even some gratuitous hee-haw two stepping, but these guys are truly charting their own song-driven course. They played “Wagon Wheel” of course, to immense enthusiasm to their crowd, but they weren’t owned by it, not by a long shot.

Brandi Carlile, who was forced into TD Arena instead of the Cistern because of the weather, plays with a similar passion. Her milieu is a bit different—she namechecks Crosby, Stills & Nash as inspiration, and the twin giants of Stevie Nicks and Melissa Etheridge hang over her alternatively bittersweet and bombastic folk-rock sound—but you can’t help but be in awe of how much life she breathes into her performances. Flanked by Tim and Phil Hanseroth, two side players who would hardly be notable if they weren’t twins (excepting their rich harmonies), Carlile wills herself into rock god status, with a soaring falsetto one moment and a throaty holler the next. Her pivots from commercially polished pop-rock to gritty blues-tinged grooves and 70s coffeehouse singer/songwriterisms always feel natural yet innervating, as if she’s a great student of rock ‘n’ roll who is occasionally capable of transcending the masters.

Both acts are incredibly able live talents, with seasoned performance styles built for the kind of grueling tour schedules they now need to maintain to make a living at this racket. But I’m drawn most to the idea that they are doing something with traditions that might now feel like they should be a bit solidified—you know, the way we think of jazz, theatre, dance, opera, and all of the other forms Spoleto champions. And that’s when I realized how much I am not only a fan of Spoleto USA as a bounty of artistic riches, but that I’m fully invested in the value system that seems to underpin their curation.

Even if they probably won’t bring in Chance the Rapper next year.

A CASE FOR THE ARTS - an essay by Jasper Intern Olivia Morris

 

Art is a celebration of humanity's emotional and technical intelligence. It is what we build ourselves from  and what spills out of us, personal and universal at once. However, art has been pushed aside in favor of STEM subjects in schools. The Republican Study Committee has suggested the arts budget be eliminated entirely. In a world that devalues the emotional and intellectual value of art, an argument can be made in terms everyone can understand — money. Art is money. Areas with art make money.

Artistry-rich areas have a competitive advantage compared to cities without sufficient artistic activities. These areas attract visitors and businesses.  Increased art and culture in a region increases both the amount of foot traffic and the amount of money spent in the area.

In 1905, The Crane Company Building inPhiladelphia was erected as a cast concrete emblem of modernizing architecture. Built in the manufacturing district of northern Philadelphia, the building transformed to meet the shifting American demands, first as a plumbing manufacture, then as a seafood processing plant.  After years of reeking of draft horses and half-frozen shrimp, the building closed and became dilapidated through the twentieth century.  In 2004, a group of local artists restored the building and established Crane Arts, a gallery space for established and emerging artists in Philadelphia. Crane Arts's 'Icebox' art projects have garnered international attention and were mentioned in Lonely Planet's article on top ten U.S. destinations. This is one of the numerous examples of how fostering artistic expression can lead to increased visibility and visitation of a region.

Stories like Crane Arts don't only exist in major cities. In Columbia, The Nickelodeon Theater hosts an annual arts and culture festival called Indie Grits. Andy Smith, the Executive Director of The Nickelodeon, shared the figures on how much this one festival contributed to the economy. Indie Grits had 10,267 attendees this year, all in one weekend. 38 percent of those people come from out of town, and therefore increased the profits going towards hotel and restaurants. On average, attendees spent $30 outside of the festival, mostly within a mile radius of the The Nickelodeon.  That is roughly $300,000 dollars being pumped into the non-arts sector over the course of one weekend.

Additionally, arts and culture jobs proliferate into jobs for other sectors. For every arts job that was generated in 2012, 1.62 other non-arts jobs were created as a result. The arts are constantly pumping more into the economy than they are taking out. For every $1 invested in the arts, there is a $1.69 in total output. The nonprofit arts industry creates an average of $135.2 billion every year, resulting in $22.3 billion in tax revenues across the national, state, and local levels. Lee Snelgrove, the Executive Director of One Columbia, brought the Arts & Economic Prosperity IV report on Columbia to our attention. It outlines the economic impact that the nonprofit arts and culture organizations have in Columbia. In the greater Columbia area, total industry expenditures total at $35,898,074.  Columbia alone generates revenues of $1,773,000 to the local government and $2,154,000 to state government.

When 97% of employers report that creativity matters to them when looking for an employee, the fostering of art is not only important to individuals, but also to businesses. South Carolina's economy is one of the most sluggish in the nation. According to Business Insider, South Carolina ranks as one of the most economically struggling states, the fifth worst in the nation. Instead of eradicating the arts, it has proven already to be more effective to bolster them. Arts and culture invigorate the economy and are vital to placemaking. The arts are not a part of the problem, but rather a part of the solution.

SPOTLIGHT ON POET MONIFA LEMONS BY OLIVIA MORRIS

"When I think about where I was, it was just me, and my daughter, and a hundred flyers," says Monifa Lemons, co-founder and director of The Watering Hole, a South Carolina-based poetry collective dedicated to poets of color. When she moved South Carolina, Lemons felt displaced from the creative scene in her hometown of New York City. Lemons, then a working, single mother of a seven year old, was determined to create the change she wanted to see. She secured an open-mic night venue at the Jamaican restaurant This, That, and the Other in Five Points and Cool Beans Coffee Company. Lemons and her daughter walked down Main Street together, posting flyers for the spoken-word scene she had created. That was 1998.

Today, Lemons directs The Watering Hole (TWH). Started as a Facebook group with just eighteen people, TWH now serves as a safe space to over 500 members. In 2016, TWH was invited to present at James Madison University's Furious Flower Poetry Center, the first center in the nation to be dedicated to African American poetry. This poetry conference only occurs every ten years. Furious Flower has honored nationally revered poets such as Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, and in 2016, Rita Dove. TWH also offers an annual Winter Retreat, where they offer expert education to Southern poets at economical prices. "I don't create it if I can't buy it," explains Lemons.

Lemons has also has recently been published. Her work has been chosen for an anthology of Southern poetry entitled Home is Where, edited by Emmy award winning poet Kwame Dawes. Lemons's poetry, like herself, is incredibly dynamic. In the beginning, she was strictly a spoken word poet. Also an accomplished actress, Lemons would jot down poems between scenes, drawing inspiration from 90s-era hip-hop. Presently, however, she has focused her poetry to reflect the many facets of herself. She writes about motherhood, specifically what it is like to be a single, black mother. She also writes about womanism (a form of feminism that emphasizes women's natural contribution to society, used by some in distinction to the term feminism and its association with white women) and injustice. Her spoken word poetry is ever-changing. She reworks one piece in particular, "For Brown, for Rice, for Garner," every time she performs, putting her poetry in a perpetual state of metamorphosis. In "Black Girls," (below) she talks about her daughters praying over cereal and hoping for decorated pencils. In "B's and H's", she provides a cutting condemnation of misogyny in the music industry. Lemons is a poet who can do it all, and do it all well.

When ask if her poetry is confessional, Lemons responds, "it is confessional, but it speaks for a sect of people who are not represented well." Lemons has dedicated much of her time and craft to bringing to light what much of the poetry world ignores. Lemons is continuing the adroit work of her inspirations, Nikky Finney, Patricia Smith, and Roger Bonair-Agard. Though Lemons is a New York native, she also has a bracing Southern perspective in her work. In her youth, she spent her summers raising hogs and feeding chickens at her grandmother's farm in Camden, South Carolina. "I've always been a kindred spirit to South Carolina ... when opportunities came up to move back to New York, I never would," she says. With Lemons's recent publication, she is adding to the rich literary legacy of South Carolina, while also providing her own idiosyncratic commentary on motherhood, hip-hop, and injustice.

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Two Poems by Monifa Lemons

Black Girls    

I know Black Girls

Black girls running around in panties.

Black girls praying. Even over cereal.

Black girls bouncing. or sitting on stairs.

Black girls lit at the gift of notebooks and decorated pencils.

I know black girls

Black girls who hug with the wholeness of their arms

Fast black girls. Free.

Black girls who smile at no one.

smile

I know black girls who pass mirrors and do their own hair.

Black girls showing off.

Black girls screaming.

I know black girls who silence when grandmothers speak.

I know them.

Black girls.

I know black girls who arch backs to drum beats and sax who make it truth because they say so they told them on the way here to us black girls who believe in their sisters hood who don’t ask for black dolls they expect them black girls who strut through your space and whip their hips passed newsstands they know they know they know they know black girls who blow and hush and hum and rhythm and concoct and draw and spell and conjure up you and you and you and you. i know them. I know them black girls and they comin’ for you.

Weight

You look good. You. Look good. Yeah Good. Looking good. What are you doing? Now what are you doing? You

Look good. What have you been doing? What. What have you not been doing? What were you not doing? When did you care? When did you care about looking good? When you do that, you look good. Look. Look, you are good. You are good. Now. You care now. You now care. Care has been taken. Now. What were you doing? What have you done? You care. Now. We'll care now look at you. We care to look at you. You look good. Now.

Censored Art Exhibit: An Interview with Amanda Ladymon By: Mary Catherine Ballou

Opening on Friday, June Third at Frame of Mind Gallery, Censored showcases pieces by local artists inspired by social media’s impact on body image.  Curated by visual artist Amanda Ladymon, in conjunction with photographer Jim Dukes, Censored challenges and questions the influence of technology-drenched culture on body perception, revealed through various mediums and perspectives.  Contributing artists include Jarid Lyfe Brown, Jim Dukes, Diana Farfan, Alejandro Garcia-Lemos, Jennifer Hill, Julie Jacobson, Michael Krajewski, Amanda Ladymon, and Whitney LeJeune.  Ladymon, a local artist, educator, writer, parent, and owner of Ladybug Art Studios, kindly agreed to share her insight on the motives behind Censored.

Jasper: What was the impetus for creating the Censored exhibit?

Ladymon: “Some photos of my semi-nude three-year-old daughter were reported by an unknown Facebook friend, which temporarily shut down my account.  I was shocked and confused by this (because let's face it - children all look exactly the same from the waist up when they're that young - we all have nipples and a belly button) - but also quite amused! … While my photos were not in violation of the [Facebook] policy, it left me really puzzled, why are Americans so uptight about the human body?!  And even further, why are Americans so uptight about things that they may not relate to or understand?!  My friend and fellow Artist Jim Dukes and I immediately started messaging and talking with each other about what had happened and the spark for a group art exhibition happened … Together we compiled a list of artists we had either exhibited with previously or artists I had worked with on exhibitions … I have the great privilege of knowing so many amazing artists and it was easy to find a handful of willing participants whom would appreciate our vision.”

Jasper: What role does Jim Dukes play in the event?

Ladymon: “He's sort of my right hand man.  He helped me construct the mission statement for the show, he has brainstormed frequently with me, done some photo shoots, and created the fantastic Exhibition Image for Facebook.”

Jasper: How do you think people will react to this exhibit?

Ladymon: “I anticipate it's going to be a mixed bag - some may be shocked, some might laugh, and some might be disgusted.  Overall I just hope it makes people stop and think about how social media has controlled and shaped our way of thinking in the 21st century.”

Censored highlights the different perceptions regarding the human body.  Ladymon reflects on the “veil over everything”, connoting ubiquitous filters and Photo-shopped images.  An exhibit that one will not likely forget, Censored forces viewers to question their own perspectives as well as prevailing societal norms. It also confirms the universal impulse to explore, highlight, and celebrate the wonders of the human form.  Censored will be available for viewing at Frame of Mind, 140 State St., West Columbia, through the last week of July, with tentative plans for a closing reception and panel discussion.  Free and open to the public, this event is restricted to an 18 and older audience.

Girls Rock the Block at First Thursday by Ony Ratsimbaharison

On Thursday June 2 at 6 pm, Girls Rock Columbia will host a block party at Boyd Plaza in front of the Columbia Museum of Art. The event, called Girls Rock the Block will be held as part of First Thursday on Main, Columbia’s monthly arts event on Main Street. It’ll be a free event with live music and food by the Wurst Wagen. All proceeds will go to benefit Girls Rock Columbia, so that they can continue to enrich the lives of our community’s youth.

If you haven’t heard, Girls Rock Columbia is our local chapter of the Girls Rock Camp Alliance (GRCA), which is an international coalition of organizations that aims to empower women and girls through music education, to foster confidence and self-esteem. GRCA was founded in 2007 in Portland, OR, and now has over 60 camps worldwide.

This will be Columbia’s 4th annual Girls Rock Camp, and it will be bigger than ever. I spoke with Mollie Williamson, executive director of Girls Rock Columbia, about this event and all of the organization’s exciting developments.

Instead of the usual one-week camp they’ve had in the past, this year Girls Rock Columbia will launch its two-week teen leadership program, where teens ages 13-17 will have camp the first week and return as teen leaders for the general camp the following week, which is for campers ages 8-12.

“They’ll be acting as peer mentors—repairing gear, facilitating workshops, and just largely contributing to things running smoothly,” Mollie said. “We’re super excited to give them the opportunity to lead!”

Girls Rock Columbia has also started an internship program this year and implemented their first board of directors in January. The camp itself has also grown; there will be 24 teen campers in the first week, and 84 during the general session, a huge jump from the original 17 campers its first year. In the past, campers were offered 10 workshops, and this year there will be 40.

With all these changes, Girls Rock needs as much help from the community as possible. The block party on Thursday is one way people can get involved, since proceeds will go to Girls Rock to help with programming. Live music will be performed by Jacksonville, FL electronic group Tomboi, and locals Can’t Kids and Paisley Marie, all of whom have been involved with Girls Rock.

“We’ll have a table at Girls Rock the Block, so stop by and shoot the breeze with us!” says Mollie.

For more information on Girls Rock Columbia and this fun event, check out girlsrockcolumbia.org

SPOLETO REVIEW: Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company Perform Modern Dance Classic

In its fourth year of performing at Spoleto (1989, 2001, 2006, 2016) the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, known for its innovative approach to contemporary dance, did not disappoint in their performance of two unique pieces of choreography on Saturday, May 29th. As the lights went down at the beginning of the first piece, titled Story and choreographed by Jones in 2013, the 9 member dance company posed on stage with one member of the Spoleto Festival Orchestra who then took his place onstage alongside three other quartet members accompanying the dancers.

Purposeful, athletic, and classically modern are some of the descriptors Bonnie Boiter-Jolley, soloist with Columbia City Ballet and contributing dance editor to Jasper, used to describe the dance, adding that the choreography had almost a tribal or animalistic feel to it. Sparse group vocalizations added to the totemic ambience of the piece, sometimes catching the audience off-guard and reinforcing the reality that a corps of dancers of this caliber can easily and seamlessly sequence from performing as unique individuals to performing as a single unit--a hive-brained organism with grace and finesse.

"There is no meaningless movement," Boiter-Jolley says, as she traces the formula of the phraseology being used. "Each section had its own vocabulary and each dancer knows and uses that vocabulary throughout the choreography. There is nothing random--it's all very specific."

Boiter-Jolley points out the quote from Jasper Johns that introduces the first piece of choreography in the program, "... take something and do something to it, and then do something else to it ..." and notes how it explains the creation of the dance, explaining that this common technique was used frequently when she danced with Spectrum Dance Theatre under Donald Byrd in Seattle, as well as with Columbia's Wideman-Davis Dance, Thaddeus Davis having trained under Byrd himself.

The second act of the performance found the orchestra in the pit and the dance company performing D-Man in the Waters,  a classic piece of modern dance. First created in 1989, D-Man in the Waters is dedicated to Demian Acquavella, a 32-year-old company member whose valiant fight against AIDS inspired the piece. Acquavilla died in 1990 but the piece has continued to be performed by various companies, including Alvin Ailley, over the decades, always introducing the multi-faceted spirit of Acquavilla onto the stage. It should also be noted that Arnie Zane, Jones's partner in dance and life, had died of AIDS in 1988, as well.

Set to Mendelssohn's Octet for Strings, the dancers are costumed in cammo fatigues to symbolize the ongoing battle against AIDS. Much of the phraseology focuses on mutual assistance with dancers tumbling across one another and clinging to one another to stay afloat. The final sequence depicts the corps of dancers tossing a featured dancer high into the air as the lights go out. Powerful stuff indeed.

Company members include Antonio Brown, Rene Butler, Cain Coleman, Jr., Talli Jackson, Shane Larson, I-Ling Liu, Jenna Riegel, Christine Robson, and Carlo Antonio Villanueva.