είναι η άγκυρα Be the anchor. (We are in Greece!)

We got behind on our blog project. We've been busy seeing new places and meeting friendly faces, but we haven't been recording our experiences and interactions.

So, we're not really in Greece right now, but we were about a year and a half ago!

We visited Corfu, the Peloponnese peninsula, Santorini, Athens, and finished with four nights on a beachfront cabana on the quiet island of Paros, post-tourist season, zipping around on a motorcyle, risking our lives.

Let's talk about two perfect strangers we met first in Olympia then a few days later on a gondola in Santorini. Picture a "seasoned" couple, probably in their 80s. The man looks like Abe Vigoda. He wears a blazer with elbow patches and a Homburg hat, uses a cane, and walks doubled over from what appears to be severe kyphosis, also known as hunch back. "Abe" was struggling to get up some steep ancient stone stairs at the site of the first Olympics: Olympia. He tested the bricks a few times looking for a safe place to anchor his cane, his wife trying to help him to no avail.

I reached out my hand to him, not knowing if such a gesture is rude in Greek culture.  He frowned at my hand then at me. I smiled, and re-extended my hand; his eyes softened, and a smile lit up his face. He took my hand in faith, unsure if I'd be a dependable spotter. 

I have some experience in helping seasoned persons get around. Here's the trick. You put your hand or arm out and hold it steady. Don't grab their arm or hand, and don't try to hoist them. Let them do the hoisting. You be the anchor. 

I held my hand out firmly, and he hoisted himself up then said, "Thank you, young lady." I detected a New York accent. 

His wife stood on the bottom step, looking fretful about the climbing the steps. I held out my hand, and she knew just what to do.

I spent the rest of my time in Olympia on the look out for this "cute little old couple." In a museum, I heard a tour guide apologizing to her group that they had to move slowly so the elderly couple could keep up. 

I was a butt-inski and spoke for the group: "It's no trouble at all."

If you saw them, you might be tempted to say, "They are so cute." You would literally say, "Awww..." It's what I did: they fascinated and inspired me. They were an elderly--let's say "seasoned" couple in their 80s, traveling the world. You could say that physically, the odds were stacked against them. Yet here they were, determined to walk through the fabled panoramio, the arch leading to the first Olympic race track.

Panoramio

Site of first Olympics

Olympia, Greece

But "awww..." isn't really a term of inspiration, is it? In fact, it could even be a bit insulting. Would  you like someone to look at you struggling to get up some steps and say, "awwww...."? I sure wouldn't. Yet there I was.

Fast forward a couple of days later, and I see them in line for a gondola headed back to Fira on the island of Santorini. We ambled through the crowd and managed to get a place next to them. A word about Santorini. It is nothing but vertical, winding treacherous steps. This couple "with the odds stacked against them" made it just fine. 

They remembered us from a few days earlier, and we got to talking. This was their third such trip. The previous year they went to China. They travel with Viking Cruises because they get excellent service and tours.

He introduced himself, "I'm Phillip." His wife spoke up, "And I'm Muriel, but you can call me 'Mim.'"

Phillip and Mim have lived in Manhattan their entire lives. 

They work in the same building.

They still work? I thought to myself incredulously.

"I'm a corporate litigator," Phillip offered.

"I'm a psychoanalyst," Mim informed us.

They worked in the same office building when they met some sixty years ago, and now in their 80s, they work in the same building again, which is just across the street from their apartment.

Right about now, I felt like a real schmo for thinking them as being "cute." I suddenly pictured Phillip taking down IBM. I pictured Mim profiling a serial killer. 

Years ago, I was in a play, and my parents came to see it. A member of the cast later said to me, "Awww, your parents are so cute and little and old."

I got mad on all three counts. My parents are none of those. How dare he. (They are both 5'3", but they are not small, if you catch my meaning.)

So how dare did I?

I don't want anyone ever calling me cute.

So here's some advice for me and for you. Extend a hand. Be an anchor.

But keep your "awwwws" to yourself.

*******************************************

A note on talking to Perfect Strangers

In some ways, I find it easier to talk to strangers than to people I actually know, which is how I started this blog in the first place.

But interviewing Perfect Strangers is a bit different.

We've had mixed reactions from people. Some people can't wait to tell their story, while others can't figure out why we'd care. Some people we can't rid of, and some people can't get away from us fast enough. Is there something voyeuristic about this venture?

We've found that 100 percent guaranteed, artists, especially performing artists, want to talk about themselves. This is why we wound up with a disproportionate number of stories about artists. I love talking to artists, so it's a win for me, but there is no lack of public conversation about artists, is there?

But loving what you do, no matter what you do, is an art form too. Whether it be  painting, writing, acting, traveling, litigating, psychoanalyzing, gardening, running, hiking, star-gazing, sheep herding. We are drawn to people who are loving what they're doing.

Phillip & Mim seemed like perfect candidates with the perfect story. But we were so caught up in actually engaging with them that we forgot to chronicle it. And that's the paradox of social media: Chronicling an experience often occludes the experience itself.

I'd love to have a photo of Phillip and Mim. I enjoyed talking to them, and I appreciate the lesson they inadvertently taught me. One of these days, we're going to figure this out. Engage and chronicle and share. And not scaring our Perfect Strangers with our peculiar hobby!

We are Xenophiliacs and love to travel. We've been all over the world and should have been writing about our experiences. We write these stories to share, but really, its most useful purpose is to help us remember why we love it. Art is love. Love is art. 

If you write about something, you experience three times: First, when it's happening. Second, when you're writing about it. Third, when you read it again months or years later. It lives eternally. 

Disputed Play Makes Indy Premiere at OnyxFest

Three years ago, local playwright Lillie Evans was days from opening her new play about the life of Thomas Dorsey, a blues artist who became the Father of Gospel music in the 1930s, when she received a cease-and-desist letter from a grandson of the late Dorsey. Not prepared for the costs of a legal battle, Evans gave up her slot at OnyxFest, the annual theater festival for African American voices, sponsored by IndyFringe.

While IndyFringe investigated the validity of the cease-and-desist letter, Evans took time to reflect why she felt more relief than sorrow in pulling the show. “At first, I thought it was just a lack of confidence, but deep down I knew the play needed more work,” Evans explained. She put the script away to work on other projects, but her thoughts kept returning to it.

Years earlier, a local church had commissioned Evans to write a play about Thomas Dorsey.  “At first, I didn’t want to do it. I thought it would be boring! But when I learned that he had originally been a blues artist—that got my attention! How did someone go from being a blues artist—he was known as Georgia Tom on the blues circuit—to becoming the Father of Gospel Music? You see back in the 1920s, even up through the 1940s, Gospel music was very different than it is today. It was very staid, very traditional. There was no rhythm or enthusiasm and not even a hint of jazz—churches thought jazz was sacrilege! The more I learned about him, the more I knew that his story needed to be told,” the playwright offered.

Evans knows a little something about compelling stories. She and long-time friend Crystal Rhodes have published four mystery-comedies about a trio of retired grandmothers who solve a murder then go on to open their own private detective agency. The first book in that series, Grandmothers, Incorporated, was adapted for the stage and produced by the Billie Holiday Theater and enjoyed a twelve-week run off-Broadway. Their play Stakeout, was a top-seller at IndyFringe 2014.

Once Evans received the legal parameters of writing the Dorsey play, she revised the script to include a character who provides insight into Dorsey and some much-needed comic relief. “This is a heavy play. I created a character who hung out at nightclubs.” Her diligence paid off: the updated script was an official selection of the 2017 National Black Theater Festival produced biannually in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Evans described her experience at the festival with delight.

“My script was one of the forty selected of the 160 submitted plays. Except I didn’t know I had been selected until a few days before the festival! My writing partner, Crystal, had been selected, and I was so happy for her, but also sad that I wouldn’t be going. But then I got an email about the logistics of the festival, so I called them and learned that my notification was never sent. I asked local director Deborah Asante to direct, and the three of us went to North Carolina together. At this festival, you pick your director, then the director picks from a pool of professional actors. Deborah has always been great at selecting just the right person. The stickler was that the playwrights had to get their own audiences, so I hit the streets hard, talking to people about my show. It was exhausting, but it paid off. Audiences responded very well to it! After my play was done, we got to see other shows. We got to see the city. We saw the site of one of the first lunch-counter protests of the Civil Rights Movement. And at the end of the festival, the whole city came together, and they had a parade of playwrights and performers, marching about ten blocks through the city with bands and everything, New Orleans-style!” 

Satisfied with the response to her updated script, Evans once again submitted the script, now titled Take My Hand (A Blues Man’s Path to Gospel), to her hometown festival--OnyxFest, where it will be featured along with several other original plays, culminating March 29-31 at The IndyFringe Theater.

Born and raised in Indianapolis, Evans grew up on the East side, attending Arsenal Tech High School, a school she loves to this day. She went on to attend Indiana Central College, now known as the University of Indianapolis, and got a degree from the Indiana Institute of Technology. Before retiring, Evans was a district manager at the U.S. Postal Service.

Although Evans is retired and a grandmother herself, she explained that her books are based on her mother. “A long time ago, her niece went missing, and unhappy with how the authorities were handling the case, she literally put on a trench coat—I mean she actually wore a trench coat, like Columbo! She went around interviewing everyone. She was getting information no one else could get. She worked in government and just had connections. She did wind up finding her niece, but to this day no one knows how she did it.

“When I started writing the first book, I showed part of it to my friend Crystal. She read it and said, “This book needs to be a comedy! So, we started writing together.” Rhodes and Evans met at Arsenal Tech, by the way.

When not writing plays and books, Evans says she likes going to plays. "To relax, I like to go Holliday Park, but I don’t do that very often. I need a more serene life. So far, it’s not working at all! My children tell me I don’t know the fine art of retirement.” 

Evans prefers travel over relaxing. Her favorite destinations include Grand Cayman and the Grand Canyon, and later this year she has a trip planned to Mackinac Island.

Evans has enjoyed her tenure at OnyxFest this year and knows that pulling the play was the right decision three years ago. She had a full house on opening night last weekend, and the snowstorm the following day didn’t deter audiences.

She might not understand the fine art of retirement, but she certainly understands the fine art of entertaining! Welcome home, Lillie!

The cast and crew of Take My Hand gather around the piano during rehearsal.

Top L to R:  Myron El, Nicole Beverly, Henry S. Carter

Bottom L to R:  Carmen Batts-Porter, Joshua Owens, Lillie Evans, playwright; and Tamara Breeding-Goode, director.  Not pictured: Kevin Getter.

According to the IndyFringe website, OnyxFest was developed in response to the lack of diversity both on stage and in audiences of Indianapolis' theatres. IndyFringe actively embraces diversity in the Indianapolis theatre scene and began working with African American playwrights to change the Indianapolis theatrical landscape.

This year’s entries include:

Dear Bobby: The Musical Playwright: Angela Jackson Brown Lyrics: Music: Peter Davis

Judith Rosenstein and Annabelle Strong are two twelve-year-old girls from opposite sides of Indianapolis but their stories are similar. Both girls are growing up without their mothers and both have two very loving fathers and brothers. This play explores the very real struggles and successes of the Jewish community and the black community to unite as one in Indianapolis during this time. It explores in a larger scope, the tumultuous times everyone was living through as they watched in horror the assassination of their leaders.

Thursday Mar 29th, 7:00PM

Friday Mar 30th, 7:30PM

Saturday Mar 31st, 5:00PM

Take My Hand (A Blues Man’s Path to Gospel) Playwright: Lillie Evans

Thomas Dorsey, a self-confident composer and self-taught pianist is determined to make his mark. In his early twenties he was well on his way to being one of the most prolific composer in blues history and was sought after by some of the top blues artist of his time. But, what's gospel have to do with it? His vision is to marry church music with blues rhythms—it was called gospel. Pressured by those around him, he is unable to choose between the blues he loves and the secular music he was striving to change. The answer comes at a heavy price but heralds a song that anointed Dorsey as the “father of gospel music.”

Saturday Mar 31st, 3:00PM

Saturday Mar 31st, 7:30PM

Forever Moore  Playwright: Lanetta Overton

The holidays are quickly approaching, and the Moore family is planning to visit with one another. Ruby and Michael are anticipating the arrival of their three beloved sons. Tyrique is the eldest son, he is a lawyer who has worked hard to make partner at Lax and Chism Law firm. He’s in the right business, but he may soon need a lawyer of his own. Trent is the middle son who is currently in his last year at Notre Dame, his passion is football, but he has a love for something else which could lead to his demise. Lastly, the youngest son Jywan is a military man that has not always had a voice, but is in desperation of trying to be heard. The Moore’s will share more than good food and laughs over the holiday. It’s time for this family to show they will be there for one another despite the odds they may face.

Thursday 29th, 7:00pm 

Friday, 30th, 7:00pm

All shows are $12/$15 and will be performed at the IndyFringe Theater.

Bard Fest '16: Is Shakespeare Still Relevant?

October is a special time of year in Indianapolis, offering something for everyone: apple and pumpkin picking, corn mazes, the Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County, the Feast of the Hunters Moon in West Lafayette, the Headless Horseman festival at Connor Prairie, the Irvington Halloween festival, tours of the Indianapolis catacombs, various haunted houses, scary old movies on the big screen, and lots of theme-inspired live theater, such as Cabaret Poe and The Rocky Horror Show. Since 2015, Indy residents can also add Shakespeare Festival to that list of October offerings.

Bard Fest Indy was founded by local theater companies First Folio Productions, Catalyst Repertory Theater, and The Garfield Shakespeare Company to bring the community a professional quality, yet intimate, Shakespeare festival experience.

Bard Fest '16 is offering a fantastically diverse festival this year. First Folio Productions presents the heartbreaking family tragedy King Lear, directed by Carey Shea; Catalyst Repertory Theater presents the unflinching political brutality of Coriolanus, directed by Casey Ross; and Garfield Shakespeare Company presents a musical adaptation of Twelfth Night, directed by Chris Burton.

Perfect Strangers recently caught up with several key players of this year's festival as well as a patron of Bard Fest to get their take on performing Shakespeare for modern audiences.

First up is Glenn Dobbs, executive director and founding member of Bard Fest. Dobbs is an area physician who was born and raised in San Diego, CA, but has lived in Indiana for the past twenty years. Dobbs had long lamented that despite its rich theatrical offerings and being the fifteenth largest city in the country, Indy did not host an annual Shakespeare festival. 

A few years back, he shared his vision of a Shakespeare festival with some local directors and patrons and set out to fill that gap with Bard Fest.  Now in its second year. Bard Fest is quickly earning a reputation for bringing solid performances and a party atmosphere to celebrate whom Dobbs calls "The greatest playwright who ever lived." 

Acknowledging that many people see Shakespeare as off-putting and inaccessible, Dobbs hopes that through the intimate yet powerful performances in Bard Fest, locals will have the chance to see Shakespeare with a new sense of appreciation.  

"These are the greatest stories ever told, and not producing them deprives a city of education, history, beauty, and pageantry. Shakespeare can be compared to the worthiness of opera. Why offer opera when it's such a narrow slice? Because to not have it makes the world a smaller place," says Dobbs. "Poetry, love, beauty--these are things we stay alive for, and Shakespeare offers all of it in spades."

Bard Fest has enjoyed its stint with the Carmel Theater Company, but next year will move operations to the IndyFringe theater, which will offer more visibility and flexibility. (Unfortunately the theater that currently houses Bard Fest will be razed to put in additional parking for Woody's Bar. Cue Joanie Mitchell.) Dobbs hopes that within five to ten years, Bard Fest will rival any Shakespeare festival of any bigger city by continuing to expand its offerings. 

When he's not reading, performing, directing, or producing Shakespeare around Indy, Dobbs is a big fan of the local farmer's markets. Until recently, he and his wife owned Three Days in Paris Creperie in the City Market. He also loves local breweries. 

Bard Fest executive director, Glenn Dobbs, left, and artistic director, Casey Ross, right, wear many hats during the festival to ensure its success.  

Next we caught up with Carey Shea, who is directing King Lear, which is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year. "I chose Lear because it was my favorite Shakespeare play in college and because it's so rarely produced." Shea too voiced concerns that the works of William Shakespeare could be lost in modern times. "It's very removed from what we see in today's entertainment, and I'm not in a position to convince people that they need to see Shakespeare to live fulfilled lives. I have come to a point where all I can do is hope that my love of the language and themes can shine through. I simply trust audience members to see the value of the art for themselves."

To help audiences relax into the sometimes daunting language, his first step was to find the right length for the play. King Lear ran over four hours during Shakespeare's time. Shea has adapted the play to reduce it by a third, painstakingly discerning which scenes were crucial. 

Although the two other shows being performed in Bard Fest have each been adapted to a more modern telling, Shea has opted for a strictly traditional telling of King Lear. "This was a play written in medieval times about medieval people, and this adaptation stays true to that version. Its themes are love, hatred, betrayal, and jealousy--universal themes that are as relevant today as they were 400 years ago." 

Shea considers himself a Shakespeare connoisseur rather than a Shakespeare academic. (It turns out, however, that Indy is home to a premier Shakespeare academic--Terri Borrous, Professor of Shakespeare and Renaissance Drama at IUPUI, is the Director/Editor of the New Oxford Shakespeare Project.)  As a child he felt as though he liked movies and theater more than his peers, but by age thirteen, he knew he wanted to pursue theater for the rest of his life. The turning point came when his parents took him to a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at Navy Pier in Chicago, and he found himself interested not just in the characters, but also in the lives of the actors playing those characters. 

Shea thinks it's important for other connoisseurs of Shakespeare to admit some of their struggles in comprehending Shakespeare, which he believes will help those who find it overwhelming to relax. "It takes a while before I get into the language. When I first see a Shakespeare production I admit that I don't understand every word they're saying. When that happens, I take note of the beautiful rhythms and cadence of the words. I listen to the voices, watch the body language, interpret the emotions. It's like a song that you love. You might not know every lyric, but you know exactly what the singer is saying just by how it is being sung." 

He hopes that King Lear will leave audiences somewhat in awe of how little humans seem to change through the ages. "Our basic instincts and how we treat each other never changes, and no one captures that better than Shakespeare. I am proud to present some incredible actors who bring this language to life and who will make audiences laugh and cry. Lear is a terrible tragedy in which people act foolishly and learn in a drastic way the cost of their mistakes."

Shea says he hopes audiences approach watching Shakespeare with the same patience and diligence they would when reading a book. "When you read, you necessarily slow down, take in every word, allowing yourself to get lost in a new world. Maybe the book is not exciting 100% of the time, but when you are finished, you typically feel as if you've made a worthwhile investment; and if the book moved you, it will stay with you forever."   

Carey Shea, director of King Lear, programs the light and sound board.

Next up, we talked with Doug Powers, who portrays Earl of Kent in King Lear.

Doug grew up in Marion, IN, attended Wabash College, and has called Indianapolis home for all his adult life. A popular local actor in all types of theater, King Lear marks his fifth Shakespeare play. 

When asked why many people feel disjointed from the works of Shakespeare, Powers offered, "They were taught Shakespeare poorly. They were taught in a classroom, sitting in desks, reading from a book. Shakespeare is meant to be seen and heard by actors who can bring it to life. Most of the people who saw Shakespeare plays in Shakespeare's days were illiterate!" He noted some of Shakespeare's conventions that would help audiences discern the plot and motivations. Typically characters depicting royalty spoke in heightened, florid language, while those depicting the lower class often had not only the funniest lines, but also the deepest insight into human nature. 

Powers is a recent graduate of the Meisner Technique acting class, a two-year intensive study program, which he says he was sometimes tempted to quit. "The Meisner technique is about finding the truth of the emotional situation of each moment on stage. It's learning how to react truthfully in imaginary circumstances," Powers explained.

When asked why an amateur actor would want to put the time and effort into such a demanding class, Powers responded, "Theater is not my career, and I don't want to try to make it my career. I love theater, and I love acting. It's a passion. As with any passion, I want to learn to do it as well as I can. The training was difficult, and during those two years I went through incredible highs and lows in regards to my confidence as an actor. At times I felt inept. At times I did not think I had the strength to allow myself to be as emotionally raw as possible. At times I thought I was not up for that risk."

Powers continued: "But then there were those moments of passion--those times when I would be doing a scene with a partner, and I could feel the reality of the scene. When you're on stage, and suddenly you're no longer aware of being watched by a roomful people, but you feel a warm energy coming from the audience--a wave of electricity that helps fuel what is happening on stage. Only theater provides this level of immediacy to both the actors and the audiences." 

Powers posits that actors who portray Shakespeare characters have an immense responsibility to the audience to bring the language to life, not just to recite the words. Audiences are sometimes partially comprised of people who still remember the torture of being forced to read the plays in high school. "Shakespeare captures the human condition and human psychology. Actors must first convince themselves that they are in a situation before an audience can be convinced of it, which requires a powerful imagination and a vulnerability to let oneself pretend. The key between good Shakespeare and bad Shakespeare is the actor's ability to find truth. A director must take actors to task when they are not being true, even when that task is not pleasant." 

As far as preparing for a Shakespeare role, Powers doesn't find the language--Elizabethan language--to be much of a barrier, partially because he absorbs, feels, and most importantly enjoys the language. "I would much rather insult someone by calling him a cullionly barbermonger than by telling him he is preoccupied with looks," Powers illustrates. 

That being said, Powers also concedes that not every Shakespeare play ever written is entertaining or even good: "Hey, no one can be a genius all the time," Powers jokes. 

Powers cites As You Like It as his favorite Shakespeare play as an actor and a production of Romeo & Juliet at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario as his favorite Shakespeare play as a spectator.

Other than theater, Powers says his favorite Indy event by far is GenCon. His current favorite restaurant is Tinker Street. His favorite activity is to walk Mass Ave. with his daughter, Kat, where they inevitably wind up in IndyReads bookstore for hours on end.

When asked what is one thing he wished Indy had, he responded as thus:

"For its size, there are an awful lot of arts organizations and theater companies. I would like to see arts patrons expand their horizons a bit--past the musicals and tried-and-true comedies. I'd ask them to take in an obscure show, to take a chance on different types of shows, to see what else is out there." 

Actor Doug Powers portrays Kent, who remains loyal and selfless in the face of jealousy and danger, in King Lear. 

Following the Saturday 10/15 matinee, we caught up with audience member Ivey Long to get her take on King Lear, Shakespeare, and life in Indy. A longtime resident of Indy, Long currently lives in the Butler Tarkington area. Long says her favorite Shakespeare plays are Hamlet and As You Like It.

"I absolutely love Shakespeare--the language, the history, the storylines," Long offered. This is her first time attending Bard Fest.  "I've seen a lot of Shakepeare, but this is the first time King Lear has been offered around here as far as I know. I found it powerful and tragic. I was both frustrated with and heartbroken for the king for not being able to discern who really loved him and who was just using him. It was such a tearjerker at the end and will stay with me for a long time," Long concluded.

Ivey is what many would call a theater buff. She has been a volunteer at IndyFringe for all eleven years of its existence, and sees plays all over the city throughout the year. She also goes to Broadway twice a year, usually packing five shows into three days. In December, she's headed to Chicago to see Hamilton.

Besides theater, Long loves the live music venues around Indy, especially The Jazz Kitchen. Although she loves everything Indy has to offer, she thinks it is still lacking in walking and biking green spaces throughout the city. She'd love to see something like the High Line park in Manhattan in the many historical neighborhoods around Indy. "I'd like to see more connectivity between neighborhoods, such as Butler Tarkington and Crown Hill."  

Ivey Long is a long-time fan of Shakespeare, and called this production of King Lear "Fantastic, heartbreaking, and horrifying."

Barf Fest '16 continues weekends in October:

King Lear: Sat 10/22 8 pm; Sun 10/23 3 pm; Fri 10/28 8 pm; Sat 10/29 6 pm.

Twelfth Night: Thur 10/20 8 pm; Sat 10/22 3 pm; Sat 10/29 2 pm, Sun 10/30 8 pm.

Coriolanus: Fri 10/21 8 pm; Sun 10/23 3 pm; Thur 10/27 8 pm; Sat 10/29 9 pm; Sun 10/30 3 pm.


Bard Fest Indy would not be possible without the generous support of John & June Clair, Glenn Dobbs, and Andrew & Melody Burnett.

Abby Gilster, L, portrays Viola in Twelfth Night; David Mosedale, C, portrays Lear in King Lear, and Taylor Cox, R, portrays Coriolanus in Coriolanus in Bard Fest '16.

Butler U. Visiting Writer's Series: Yusef Komunyakaa: "I'd Rather Die a Poet Than a Warrior"

"The blank space says, 'Wake up, you Knucklehead. It's right in front of you,' but I wonder if I had different skin, would you read me differently? Would you press your nude body against the pages and breathe new life into the speaker?" --from a reading by poet Yusef Komunyakaa at last night's Vivian S. Dellbrook Visiting Writer's Series at Butler University.

To hear even a handful of Yusef Komunyakaa's poems, you can picture him as a young boy, dreaming his destitute Louisiana street block into mythical battlegrounds where evil is vanquished. You can hear the pulse of his youth, syncopating with street corner Jazz rhythms. You can feel the sweat drenching his shirt as young man, as he crept through the jungles of Vietnam.
"It's good to be back in Indiana," were his only opening words before reading selections from his myriad volumes of poetry. Despite his somewhat podium-shy stage presence, the Bronze Star recipient and professor at New York University (prior to that Princeton and Indiana University) kept the audience riveted, and at the denouement of each poem, you could hear a pin drop. With accolades, such as the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, and the Louisiana Writer Award, it is no wonder he maintains such a loyal following, even in his 75th year. (There is some confusion as to the exact year of his birth, with his Army discharge papers citing 1941 and his passport citing 1947.)

Yusef Komunyakaa read from his works and shared insight on keeping a fresh voice with an audience rapt in gravitas.

Komunyakaa was born James William Brown, a carpenter's son and the eldest of five children. He later adopted the name Komunyakaa, which was the name his grandfather had before his stowaway voyage to the U.S. from Trinidad. Raised in Bogalusa, Louisiana, before and during the Civil Rights era, he states that it "was a terrible place to grow up, really, due to poverty and racism, and also due to the vocational limitations for black men." Despite having his literary aspirations discouraged, he spent many of his childhood waking hours in the local Negro library, reading all manner and style of literature.

His works reflect a distinct musical quality, most notably jazz, and as he read from his volumes, he kept one hand in has pocket, methodically pounding out the rhythm on his leg. He explained that "Poetry is the primary medium I have chosen because of the conciseness, the precision, the imagery, and the music in the lines. I think of language as our first music."

His service in Vietnam is another of Komunyakaa's important (if also "terrible") sources for poetic material. He says that it was not until after he had returned from the war and written the poem 'Instructions for Building Straw Huts' that he felt sure of his poetic calling. Like so many of his other pieces, Komunyakaa's Vietnam poems blend compassion and aggravation, and create vivid images with a minimum of detail, 'watching some as though prisoners of war.'" (Source: "Yusef Komunyakaa." Contemporary Southern Writers. Gale, 1999. Biography in Context. Web. 25 May 2016.)

After humbly reading selections from Copacetic, I Apologize for the Eyes in My Head, Thieves of Paradise, Magic City, Neon Vernacular, Warhorses, and others Komunyakaa took questions from the audience. Perhaps the audience picked up a bit of his stage reticence, because at first no one raised a hand. Soon questions began pouring in from freshman English majors hoping to be poets themselves, to faculty members, to longtime fans. With each question, he gave a thoughtful response, and with each response, he grew more relaxed, his smile brightening a shadowy stage.

Questions ranged from "How can I be a poet too?" to "How does jazz inform your words?" to "Can you explain your process for writing a poem?" When a timid woman stood and spoke in a barely audible voice, asking if he had ever thought of returning to Vietnam, you could almost see his heart melt as as if reliving a painful yet treasured memory. He explained that he went back in 1990, and for that singular silent moment when he gathered his thoughts, you could swear he was composing a poem on the spot.

One entusiastic audience member requested a reading of his most famous poem, "Facing It." You have to wonder if poets are like rock stars who resent singing their greatest hits in favor of deep album cuts. No matter--he seemed genuinely touched by the request and read the poem in its entirety. "Facing It," a haunting poem about the reflections he saw on his first visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, (sometimes called "The Wall") might be the poem that put him on the map. "I'd still rather die a poet than a warrior," he mirthfully informed the audience at its conclusion.

(See poem and a link to audio of his reading at the end of this post.)

When asked how he finds inspiration to keep writing, decade after decade, he replied, "My definition of poetry is confrontation plus celebration, and it's better when it's a composite that contains more questions than answers. I like the idea of going between worlds. Sometimes, if we're lucky, those worlds can converge in a single place in the heart. Sometimes. If we're lucky.... I hope that by doing this, we are in a dialog to keep each other human. But as far as inspiration, sometimes you have to start without it. I'll quit writing when I can no longer surprise myself."

As the Q&A session wound down, someone asked for a recommended reading list, and he prescribed the poems of Robert Hayden whose work he claims made him the poet he is, and the one-act play Funnyhouse of a Negro by Adrienne Kennedy.

Now here are some terribly grainy photos of the evening. Please excuse my unwillingness to blind the speaker and annoy the people around me with an obnoxious flash.

The crowd eagerly  awaits he who "masters the the serpent quill."

Komunyakaa thoughtfully fields a question about the artist's process.

People of all walks line up to thank Komunyakaa for the influence his poems have had on their lives.

"Facing It" from his 1988 collection Dien Cai Dau (Vietnamese for "crazy in the head.") Hear Komunyakaa himself recite this beloved poem here. My black face fades, hiding inside the black granite. I said I wouldn't dammit: No tears. I'm stone. I'm flesh. My clouded reflection eyes me like a bird of prey, the profile of night slanted against morning. I turn this way—the stone lets me go. I turn that way—I'm inside the Vietnam Veterans Memorial again, depending on the light to make a difference. I go down the 58,022 names, half-expecting to find my own in letters like smoke. I touch the name Andrew Johnson; I see the booby trap's white flash. Names shimmer on a woman's blouse but when she walks away the names stay on the wall. Brushstrokes flash, a red bird's wings cutting across my stare. The sky. A plane in the sky. A white vet's image floats closer to me, then his pale eyes look through mine. I'm a window. He's lost his right arm inside the stone. In the black mirror a woman’s trying to erase names: No, she's brushing a boy's hair.

"La Fiebre!" Indiana Fever Superfan Lucy Brown Shares Her Love of Tamika Catchings and Forest Glen Elementary

Friday night we took in the WNBA Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky game at Banker's Life Fieldhouse. The Fever donned a special uniform of pink to honor its VIP guests: scores of local breast cancer survivors receiving a hero's welcome from the nearly eleven thousand rowdy fans. 

In another swift, on-the-edge-of-your-seat game, guard Briann January led The Fever with a season-high 20 points on 5-for-7 shooting, including the Fever’s last seven points in the final minute, not to mention six assists. Free agent guard Erica Wheeler sunk 16 points with a career-high three 3-pointers. The Fever edged out the Sky 95-88. With their win against the Washington Mystics on Sunday, the Fever has clinched its 12th consecutive playoff appearance--a record in the WBNA, and the third-longest active playoff streak of all major American professional sports leagues. Go, Fever!

All the players are a blur in crunch time. 

Fever games are always a party, bringing out a diverse crowd of young and old, kids, teens, families, and general sports fanatics. During playoff games, it is common to see the majority of the Indiana Pacers cheering on our 2012 World Champion Team. The Indiana Fever is a class act, and watching the fans is almost as fun as watching the action on the floor. Fever fans represent Indy's finest citizens—spirited, inclusive, and always up for a good time. But don’t take our word for it. Here’s what Fever head coach Stephanie White had to say about the Fever’s loyal fans:  “Our crowds are amazing. They give us a lift. They did that tonight. You could just feel the energy in the building when we needed a stop, and they got loud.”

Adding to the wizardry on the court and spirit in the audience are the gymnastic and comedic antics of Freddie Fever; the fun-packed audience contests; and the infectious groove of the Fever's Inferno Hip Hop Team. Attending a Fever game is always the winning ticket.

The electrifying Inferno Hip Hop Squad always brings the 'tude.

In the crowd Friday night was super-fan duo Lucy Brown and her father Steve, who have been cheering on the Fever for years. Lucy is a third grader at Forest Glen Elementary in Indianapolis. An aspiring journalist, Lucy is no stranger to media interviews. She recently interviewed her pediatrician for a science and speech project at her school and was excited to be a first-time interviewee. 

Steve Brown of Indianapolis with daughter Lucy enjoying a fun-filled Friday night in downtown Indianapolis at the Fever game. 

Lucy's favorite class at school is art because she loves to draw and paint. "She also loves to tell and write stories," added Steve. Maybe someday you'll grace the stage of a Jabberwocky: Storytelling Arts of Indiana event, Lucy! 

Lucy is an athlete as well as an artist and writer. She loves playing softball, and her favorite position is catcher. Her favorite Fever player is Tamika Catchings. When pressed with the age-old question, "What in the world is Freddie Fever?" Lucy replied, "He is a lot of animals rolled into one, but I think he most resembles a Phoenix." Sounds right to us, Lucy!

Lucy Brown and Freddie Fever discuss game strategy during a time-out.

Dad Steve had this to say about their night's choice of entertainment: "We just love going to Fever games, and I love spending time with Lucy. Tonight her mom took [Lucy's] brother to a football game." When asked what they love most about Indianapolis, Steve and Lucy both emphatically agreed: the schools. 

Lucy and her older brother, Henry, both attend Forest Glen, which is a language magnet school of MSD of Lawrence Township. At just nine years old, Lucy is already fluent in Spanish. At one point, she began speaking a mile a minute with great enthusiasm in Spanish, but I lost her after "¿Cómo está?" 

Steve explained that the school offers different levels of opportunities for both non-native and native speakers of Spanish. He added that Forest Glen is the number one Spanish immersion school in the country, and that college credit--namely a minor degree in Spanish--is awarded to those that graduate from the program. 

Lucy cheers on her favorite team, The Fever, while representing her favorite school, Forest Glen Elementary. 

We found the following information on the website of Forest Glen Elementary. Take a look and be amazed at some of the fantastic learning opportunities offered by our public schools: 

"The Full Immersion Program is available from kindergarten through grade 12, with kindergarten through 6th grades at Forest Glen. In grades K-2, students receive 80% of their instruction in Spanish and 20% of their instruction is in English.  In 3rd grade, students receive 70% of their instruction in Spanish and 30% of their instruction in English.  In grades 4, 5 and 6 half of the instructional day is taught in Spanish; the remainder is taught in English. By the end of elementary school, students in the Immersion Program are able to speak, read and write in both English and Spanish.

In Dual Immersion, half of the students in the class are dominant Spanish speakers and half are dominant English speakers.  Instruction follows the same percentages as the Full Immersion Program. In Dual Immersion, however, students are purposely mixed in the same classroom to assist each other in language development.  By the end of elementary school, students in the Dual Immersion Program are able to speak, read and write in both English and Spanish, as well.

Forest Glen teachers are fluent in the language they use for instruction, and in nearly all situations are dominant speakers of that language. Along with the language component, the school curriculum uses the Writers’ and Readers’ Workshops, which immerse students in reading and writing. The Five Easy Steps to a Balanced Math Program allows students to apply math skills and reasoning ability to solve real-life problems. The result: Lifelong readers who are able to articulate themselves orally and in writing, and confident mathematicians with a deep conceptual understanding of the subject."

“It’s been exciting watching Henry and Lucy help each other become bilingual,” Steve shared with us. “Our favorite restaurant is La Hacienda because all the employees always come greet us at our table. 'Enrique and Lucilla' are their favorite customers." 

Be sure to cheer on The Fever next Sunday, September 18, as they take on the Dallas Wings for their final game before playoffs. Incidentally, this game will mark Indy's beloved #24 MVP Tamika Catchings' final (regular series) game. Get tickets here.

Crowds will say a teary goodbye to #24 Tamika Catchings, ten-time WNBA All-Star, next Sunday. 

To learn more about Catchings' twenty-year career and her thoughts on her final Olympics and her final season with The Fever, check out her blog.

Tamika Catchings is a big fan of Indy's own Act A Foo Improv Crew! Here she was as the guest of honor at their Christmas show last year! Check out our recent story on Act A Foo here!

From left: Joshua Owens, Ennis Adams, Daniel Martin, Tamika Catchings, Joshua Short, and NEWLYWED Jocque Carey. (Congratulations Jocque and Le-Asiah!)