Sterling Notes Newsletter | Volume 5 Issue 2 by Sterling Notes

Sterling Notes Volume 5, Issue 2

Spring 2010

Sterling Notes Welcome

Volume 5, Issue 2

Welcome to the spring 2010 edition of Sterling Notes. As we ap proach the end of another rigorous semester at the Mecca, I would like to say how privileged I feel to have served as the Sterling Allen Brown English Soci ety (SABES) president for the 2009-2010 academic year. This semester we have embarked both on our traditional events, such as the annual Hearts Day, and on new events. While the Sterling Allen Brown Eng lish Society has always been dedicated to preserv ing the legacy of its name sake, we have taken it to new heights by bringing Dr. John Edgar Tidwell, a Sterling Allen Brown scholar, to come speak with us. Although the de tails of his lecture will be

discussed later on in the issue, the English Society was highly delighted in re discovering the very man for which we are named. Despite the fact that the semester is on the verge of conclusion, SA BES is ambitious and is fulfilling three more pro jects. By the time you read this issue, we will have hosted another movie night with Dr. Hampton in Foun ders 300A, where we will be viewing the controver sial District 9. To celebrate the last day of classes, SA BES will be hosting an outdoor poetry reading at Sankofa on April 22nd from 4:00 to 7:00pm. Finally, to commemorate the late Sterling Allen Brown, the society will meet for lunch on his birthday, May 1st, to

remember and celebrate his life and contributions to literature and society. I am very proud to present to you our ffrst newsletter of the new decade but the last for the 2009-20 10 school year. With the recent elec tion of new SABES presi dent Britney Wilson, I am confident that the Sterling Allen Brown English Soci ety will continue to live up to the legacy in its name. —Catherine Saunders, SABES President

Inside this issue:

Heart’s Day Gala

The Common Text Project

Aidridge and Shevchenko

Creative Writing at Howard

Critical Piece on Thomas Horriot

Critical Piece on Native Son

Opportunities for Majors

SABES OFFICERS • Catherine Saun ders, President

Congratulations to... Zahra Gordon Britney Wilson for tying for first for her scholastic place in the Furious publishing. Flower Poetry Sum mit poetry contest. ...

• Landria Buckley, Vice President

Catherine Saun ders for being ac cepted into an MFA program to study creative writ ing.

• Brandon Graham, Recording Secre tary • Alanna Casselle, Corresponding Sec retary • Zahra Gordon, Treasurer

The Heart’s Day Gala: Celebrating the Legacy of Zora Neale Hurston Just before the curtain rose in Ira Aidridge Thea ter, someone began to sing “Amazing Grace.” As others gradually began to join in and to sing quietly to themselves, the initial singer, who seemed to be a member of the audi ence, encouraged everyone to sing along enthusiastically. When people’s voices began to falter around the less popu lar verses of the song, the mysterious leader encouraged everyone to continue or even to hum along in order to invoke the spirit of Zora Neale Hurston into their midst and to give her the tribute that she deserved. The English Department and the Department of Theatre Arts re sponded to this call as they came together to bring the story of Zora Neale Hurston to life on stage.

African stories of Americans, like the ones she knew from her home, in their local b Afterwards, dialects. the mood of the show changed as newspaper clippings were dis played in the back ground with headlines that detailed Hurston’s later financial hard ships and death in poverty and relative obscurity.

Howard alumna, actress Lynn Whitfield, played the role of fellow Bison Zora Neale Hurston. The play be gan in Hurston’s hometown of Eatonville, Florida. A church scene explained the origin of Christ’s Church as “one pieced-up rock,” a compilation of stones gathered by various people. A preacher simulated a sermon as members of the congregation played tambourines and waved church fans, and a choir sang and provided musical accompani ment throughout the production. A young Zora reflected on scenes that were reminiscent of the descriptions of every day African American life in the South that would later be found in her works.

Hurston received an impromptu eulogy from a member of the audience during her funeral scene. The eulo gizer commented on Hurston’s legacy, the legacy of How ard, and the responsibility of current the Howard commu nity to continue it and to build upon it. He urged the choir to continue to sing behind him, and the audience acknowl edged his sentiments. The show concluded as the preacher gave closing remarks and a marching band played “When the Saints Go Marching In” while the cast circled the stage and the theater. The unique and vibrant tribute fulfilled its purpose, and Hurston’s spirit seemed to fill not only the theater but the hearts and minds of all those influenced by her works.

Whitfield’s performance of Hurston’s experiences at Howard showed both poignancy and pride. Whitfield told of Hurston’s excitement about moving to the big city and the opportunities it had in store for her and about her pride in being able to attend the most prestigious institu tion for the education of African Americans. She discussed the founding of The Hilltop newspaper and her membership in Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Current Zeta members hon ored their predecessor with a step. Dressed in a graduation cap and gown, Whitfield expressed Hurston’s sadness at having to leave Howard as well as her appreciation for the ways that it had changed her as the choir bid her farewell by singing the “Alma Ma ter.”

—Britney Wilson

On the 24th of March, the Sterling Allen Brown Eng lish Society (SABES) hosted a lecture by Professor John Edgar Tidwell entitled “Regenerating the Art and Life of Sterling Allen Brown.” Focusing on the importance of the life, work and legacy of famed author and former Howard professor Sterling Allen Brown, the event attracted a modest crowd of students, profes sors and visitors alike. Speaking at the lecture was Dr. John Ed gar Tidwell, a prominent Sterling Allen Brown scholar and a professor at the University of Kansas.

Hurston went from one big city to a bigger one when she left Howard and moved to New York City. Whitbrightfield’s flashy, colored wardrobe and energy conveyed the spirit of the Harlem Renais sance. Hurston studied Anthropology at Barnard College and became inter ested in collecting the

Despite his success as a writer, Brown has been quoted as saying, “I am a major teacher and a minor author.” This state ment came as a shocking surprise because much of his work contributed greatly to African American literature. According to Dr. Tidwell, one of the many contribu tions that Brown has given to African American litera ture has been the establish ment of the idea of oral his tory, something that some scholars today take for granted.

In order to make Brown’s contributions to literature known to a larger body of people, Dr. Tidwell stressed the im portance of Brown’s papers being made more accessible to stu dents. He also encouraged his audience to take an active role in the fight to make Sterling Allen Brown better known to the pub lic. One of the ways in which he encouraged his audience to do this is by sponsoring “read-ins” and “teach-ins” of Brown’s work in order to demonstrate that his literature still has relevance to today.

Sterling Notes

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Dr. Tidwell began his lecture with a short introduction to Brown’s life and accomplishments. Brown, who was a Wash ington, DC, native, graduated at the top of his high school class, received his Master’s degree from Harvard University, and de voted 40 years of his career as a college professor to Howard. Brown was also an acclaimed author, becoming DC’s first poet laureate in 1984 and winning the Lenore Marshall Prize for his collection of poems in the early 1980s.

Brown’s contribu tions to African American literature did not end here. In fact, his many contributions were at the heart of Dr. Tidwell’s argument that Brown’s work not only deserves to be studied but that it has to be studied. Like the work of Zora Neal Hurston, which was revived by feminist critics after her death, the time has also come for Brown’s work to be revived.

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The John Edgar Tidwell Lecture on Sterling Allen Brown

Volume 5, Issue 2

The most pervasive point of the lecture was to get people to realize that Brown, “the major teacher,” lives on. According to Dr. Tidwell, once peo ple are able to understand this, then, and only then, will Sterling Allen Brown’s work and contributions to African American literature be fully recognized by a wider number of people. Dr. Tidwell’s argument was very compelling to his audience, which was shown during the question and answer period that followed his lecture. Some members of the audience were especially curious about why Brown’s work has not been made easily accessible to students, while others wanted to know how students can get information about Brown to people who are not associated with colleges and uni versities. One can only suspect that more events about the life and work of Sterling Allen Brown will surface around Howard’s campus as a result of this lecture.

—Brandon M. Graham

Professor John Edgar Tidwell

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—Britney Wilson

Sterling Notes

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The John Edgar Tidwell Lecture on Sterling Allen Brown

Volume 5, Issue 2

—Brandon M. Graham

Professor John Edgar Tidwell

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The Inaugural Performance Piece by the August Wilson Society and the Common Text Project What should you do with your legacy, and how should it be put to use? This question was presented to the audience and appeared to be the premise of the Inau gural Performance Piece presented by the August Wilson Society and the Common Text Project on March 4, 2010. The chosen interdisciplinary text this semester was Ihc Piano Lesson by August Wilson. The question proved to be extremely relevant as Howard University is currently undergoing an academic renewal, where 30% of its pro grams will be cut or merged. With almost 1/3 being at risk, a heated forum was sure to ensue about Howard’s infamous “legacy.” However, Dr. Sandra Shannon, Chair of the August Wilson Society, strategically stepped up in the nick of time to introduce her student Damell Alman zar, an English major in the Graduate School, and his skit “Conversations between Boy Willie and Barack Obama.” Quentin Warren, a senior Acting major, gave a riveting performance as the ghost of Boy Willie visiting Barack Obama, played by junior political science major Dorian Blathers, in the White House. Set in the l930s, The Piano Lesson is centered on a family in Pittsburgh, PA and their fight over the possession of a family heirloom: a piano. However, the piano is not just any piano, but one that was 137-years old and hand-carved by their slave ancestors. Boy Willie argues and fights with his sister, Berniece, because he wants to sell the piano to buy land for the family. How ever, Berniece, although she does not play the piano, decides that she does not want to part with it as it was made with the blood and sweat of her family. Both brother and sister are inheritors of the “legacy” and nei ther is right or wrong in their choice. In the end Boy Willie, recog nizing the power ful legacy within the piano, relin quishes his por tion to Berniece.

the first Black President, and is able to woo the with President stories of his past. The two find out that although they are from different generations and dress and speak A differently, there is an unspoken corn monality between the two. Boy Willie sees President Obama is the living legacy of what he and other Black people fought so hard to achieve the previous century. After enjoying a beer with the President, Boy Willie tells Obama about the piano and how he learned not to go around “trying to sell his legacy away.” Once Boy Willie leaves, President Obama cannot help but to recognize the value in his lesson and before he can continue with his duties, he calls for his two young daughters so that he can share the lesson of legacy with them.

Refugee This poem is for Derion Albert, who was killed in September 2009.

here, urban decay.

—-

The event was brought to a close with an invigorat ing discussion between both professors and students concern ing the exchange of “legacy.” Are we holding onto the Howard University legacy but not contributing to it? How do we collec tively and individually contribute to the legacy? Are we having conversation with the legacy and spirit of our ancestors here? The general consensus was that Howard depends on its legacy and both students and faculty must show reverence in order to understand their true purpose and to be living legacies in their own right.

gang violence, death: refuge chaotic streets, south side violent altercation plaguing Chicago, danger die: third teenager in one month seven more shot teddy bears: corners throw sneaks: electric wire street memorial: refuge

eleven year olds executed by fellow gang members: refuge children on police blotter 2016 will bring change? obituaries one hundred and sixty three headstones: dead children first friends cry, then continue

—Alanna Casselle

still need twenty one headstones here. urban decay. gang violence, death: refuge

President Obama is shocked to see the ghost of Boy Willie in the Oval Office, and threatens to call security. But Boy Willie is insistent upon seeing and conversing with

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Poetry Corner

chaotic streets, south side violent altercation only innocence: refuge

—zahra gordon

Sterling Notes

Volume 5, Issue 2

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Refugee This poem is for Derion Albert, who was killed in September 2009.

here, urban decay.

—-

—Alanna Casselle

still need twenty one headstones here. urban decay. gang violence, death: refuge

President Obama is shocked to see the ghost of Boy Willie in the Oval Office, and threatens to call security. But Boy Willie is insistent upon seeing and conversing with

Page 4

Poetry Corner

chaotic streets, south side violent altercation only innocence: refuge

—zahra gordon

Sterling Notes

Volume 5, Issue 2

Page 5

Kindred Spirits and the Language of Friendship: Ira Aidridge and Taras Shevchenko, by Dr. Alla Tovares in my cruel age I lauded freedom. —Alexander Pushkin Barak Obama has made history is the United the first African American president. For the as States in its history, Ukraine has been an independent time first for more than eighteen years. These achieve country in ments the development of both countries were fore shadowed by two great individuals and friends who used their lives and art to promote the ideals of freedom and equality: African American theatre actor Ira Aldridge and Ukrainian poet and artist Taras Shevchenko. The remark able friendship of these two talented men is analyzed here against the backdrop of history, humanity, and art. Shevchenko and Aldridge first met on Novem ,, ber 12, 1858 in St. Petersburg, Russia, in the home of Count Fjodor Tolstoy, the cousin of the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy (Kulinych 23). Ira Aldridge—a renowned tragedian and the first per son of African ancestry to enjoy unprecedented popu. larity in Europe as a Shakes pearian actor—traveled to Russia to perform Othello, King Lear, and other plays. It was oniy a few months after Shevchenko’s early release from the forced life-long military service/exile that was imposed on him after he published pro-Ukrainian poems critical of the Rus power. imperial sian Banned from returning to his native Ukraine, the poet resided in St. Petersburg (Corbett 143). .

After years of intellectual deprivation, Shevchenko was impatiently anticipating the performance of “the African Roscius.” Even though Aidridge acted in English for the Russian audience, one of the Russian actors who worked with Aldridge, Davydov, observed, “his mimicry, gestures were so expressive that knowledge of the English langauge for the understanding of his acting was not needed at all” (Vickery-Bareford). After the very first performance of Othello, as Katherine Yunge— one of Tolstoy’s daughters—reminisced, the audience was in “such an indescribable state of ecstasy” that everybody wanted to meet the incredible actor. People cried, some kissed his hands, “his noble, black hands” (Marshall and Page 6

Stock 234). So it was not surprising that even before Shevchenko met Aldridge in person, the talent of the tragedian already captivated the poet. A remarkable thing happened that evening: only a few minutes after they were introduced to each other, Shevchenko and Aidridge became close friends, even though they did not speak each other’s languages and used Tolstoy’s daughters as interpreters. Yunge recalls, “Shevchenko could not help becoming his [Aidridge’s] friend. They had very much in common: both were pure, honest souls, both were real artists, both had in their memories of youth gloomy pages of opression” (Marshall and Stock 220). Although Aidridge and Shevchenko conversed through the interpreter, they understood each other perfectly: they sang songs; Shevchenko painted the portrait of Aidridge (Dzverin 327, Corbett 147-148). Indeed, art was the language of their As Yunge communication. were both “they observed, that they and meant artists, (Marshall and observant” were In 1859, January Stock 243). when Aidridge’s engagement in St. Petersburg was over, “the theatrical world, entire 3hevchenko, and many others accompanied him to the sta tion” (Marshall and Stock 244)

When Aldridge was leaving Russia, he did not know that he would not see his friend again. Taras Shevchenko died in 1861, before the tragedian returned to Russia in 1862. After touring Russia and Ukraine (as he promised Shevchenko) and before his third tour of Russia, Aidridge got sick and died in the Polish city of Lodz on August 7, 1967. The story of the incredible connec tion between the poet and tragedian, however, does not end with their deaths. When in the late 1 950s the decision to erect a monument to Shevchenko in Washington, DC, was debated in Congress and in the press, “mindful of the Aldridge-Shevchenko friendship,” Howard University’s president James M. Nabrit Jr. “most graciously volunteered to make a spot for Shevchenko’s monument available on the Howard campus” (Bilinsky A18). Eventually, the decision to erect Shevchenko’s monument on public grounds was reached, and on June 27, 1964, former Presi dent Eisenhower dedicated the monument. A few years later, on August 27, 1967, the Washington Shakespeare Society pre sented Howard University with the portraits of Ira Aidridge and Taras Shevchenko (The Washington Post, August 28, p. B2). Sterling Notes

The remarkable friendship that lin transcended guistic, cultural, and racial barriers has served as a powerful example of the highest level of humanity and understanding between two peo ple. On November 22, 1994, during the official visit of .1 I the Ukrainian president Kuchma to the United States, President Clinton, during an exchange of toasts, referred to the great friendship between Shevchenko and Aidridge as an example of the two people who shared common ideals of freedom, “above all the dream of freedom for all people” (Remarks by President Clinton and President Kuchma in an exchange of toasts. State Dining Room. November 22, 1994). In 2009 the Ketrerer Kunst gallery in Munich, Ger many, sold the newly (re)discovered painting “Ira Aldridge in the Studio of Taras Shevchenko.” The artist was the French painter Louis Picard (1861-1940), who apparently learned about the friendship between Aidridge and Shevchenko from the publications of the French critic and novelist Theophile Gautier, who was in St. Petersburg in 1958. This is another example of how Aldridge and Shevchenko, their art and friendship, have inspired generations of artists all over the world. In Art and Answerabiltt-y Russian literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin (1990) writes that art and everyday life “gain unity only in the individual person who integrates them into his [or her] own unity’ (1). Bakhtin’s concept of answerability under scores the mutual responsibility of art and life to influence each other and points to the intimate connection between aethetics and ethics. Both Shevchenko and Aldridge used art as an influential tool to challenge the dehumanizing institu tions of slavery and serfdom. Critics of Shevchenko’s collection of poems Kobzar (I 840)—a symbol of the Ukrain ian literary and national rebirth—labeled the work “peasantlike” because of its “vernacular” language and themes (“Encyclopedia of World Biography” 368). Some even went so far as to compare writing in Ukrainian, instead of Russian, to “mischief and whim” and lamented that “talented people (Shevchenko] can engage in such nonsense” (Polevoy 836). Aldridge’s style of acting was considered “more realis tic than the general trend. He does not rant or exaggerate, he plays no stage tricks he believed in what he was doing, and

thus gave reality to his role” (Marshall and Stock 84). More over, his portrayal of black and white characters prompted discussions of race and ethnicity. For instance a British newspaper noted, “we sincerely trust that no ungenerous prejudice against his color or his race may be permitted to interfere with his professional progress, or that historic lau rel which, we believe, he is destined to enjoy. Genius is not confined to any race or country: it is of all complexions” (“Scrapbook,” Folger library, n.d.). In Russia and Ukraine, where the Jewish population suffered discrimination, Aidridge’s interpretation of Shylock as “a human being in general, oppressed by the age-old hatred shown towards people like him” was not only triumphant theatrically, but it also was met with sincere gratitude from the Jewish popu lation (Marshall and Stock 234). It is reported that in the Ukrainian town of Zhitomir, a Rabbi led a procession to the theatre to thank Aldridge for this portrayal of Shylock. Aldridge and Shevchenko promoted a new democ ratic type of art, art that was reflective and, more importantly, transformative of real life, art that was the language of their friendship. Notes: I. An earlier version of this paper was pre sented at the VI Inter national Scientific C on f e r e n c e “She v c hen k o’ s Spring.” Kiev, Ukraine, March 20, 2008. 2. Shevchenko was a former serf. In the raAldratge a, OtheSe ,nSt. Pet.r.burg, 1858 1858 Russia, the vast majority of population “lived in a condition of serfdom, either as Crown peasants or as virtual slaves of individual landowners” (Marshall and Stock 220). Aldridge, although born to free African American parents, experienced dis crimination in the United States, and “in England preju dices against the people of a darker race” were sometimes manifest as well (Marshal and Stock 104). 3. For more information about the painting, visit the web site of the Ketterer Kunst gallery at http:// www.kettererkunst.com / details e. ph p? obnr= 10090 11 69&anummer=355 -

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Works Cited Bakhtin, Mikhail. Art and answerability: Early philosophical essays, ed. by Michael Holquist and Vadim Liapunov; translation and notes by Vadim Liapunov; supplement translated by Kenneth Bros rrom. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1990. Print. Bilinsky, Yaroslav. “Kindred spirits in Ukraine.” Washington Post 23 September 1995: A18. Print. Corbett, Demetrius M. “Taras Shevchenko and Ira Aldridge: The Story of Friendship between the Great Ukrainian Poet and the Great Negro Trage dian.” Journal of Negro Education 33.2 (1964): 143150. Print. Dzverin, I. (Ed.). Cnoaôu npo Tapaca LUe6qenKa. [Remembering Taras Shevchenko]. Kyiv: Dnipro, Print. Kulinych, Ivan.

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LLleezieuKo i Aüpu OJiôpiO3lca. [Poet and tragedian: A histo’rico-Iiterary sketch of the frienship between the great artists-Taras Shevchenko and Ira Aldndge]. Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, 1964. Print. Marshall, Herbert, and Mildred Stock. Ira Aldridge: The Ne gro Tragedian. Washington, DC: Howard Univer sity Press, 1993. Print. Polevoy, N. “Ko63apb”. [“Kobzar”]. Cbzu Omeecmea [Son of the Fatherland], vol 2. 4 1840: 836-837. Print. Shevchenko, Taras. Ko63ap. [Kobzar]. Typographia Fishera, 1840. Print. Vickery-Bareford, Melissa. “Ira Aldridge”. The African Ameri can National Biography. Oxford UP, 2005. Mywire. Web, March 31, 2010.

Poetry Corner

A Book Review of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

The Young Ones

When Junot Diaz sat down to write The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, his first novel and winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize, he drew inspiration from the unspo ken dialect of his childhood—the omnipresent family se crets, the thoughtful pauses in between stories, and the ter minally unanswered questions. Though not autobiographi cal, Diaz creates a novel that inextricably [inks his rich Do minican heritage to the invisible American dream, a story with a theme that has been repeated and nuanced in nearly every shape and form in literature. However, never before has it been done in the way that Diaz has done it: taking his reader on a Diasporic escapade through the miserable life and history of Oscar de Leon, the prototypical nerd in over weight Afro-Latino American form with a penchant for science fiction and comic books, Raw yet humorous, the novel has a crucial historical element containing interesting footnotes of the typically unknown history of the Domini can Republic, particularly as it pertains to the monstrous dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Monila. Unaware of this critical element in his family’s history and conse quently uninterested, Oscar is embarrassingly and tragically doomed.

—Sterling Allen Brown With cotton to the doorstep No play to play; No time: what with chopping cotton All the day. In the broken down car They jounce up and down Pretend to be steering On the way to town. It’s as far as they’ll get For many a year; Cotton brought them And will keep them here. The spare-ribbed yard dog

Universally appealing, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao especially strikes a chord with descendents of the African Diaspora. The tragedy begins with the explana tion of the fuku curse: “They say it came first from Africa, carried in the screams of the enslaved; that it was the death bane of the Tainos, uttered just as one worLd perished and another began. ..specifically the Curse and Doom of the New World.” Containing both a spiritual and folkloric element, fuku is the convenient and appeasing answer to all Dominican societal ills, much like in African-American culture, in which the “devil” is an illusory character taking the blame for the actions of an op pressive white he gemony. Not ac cepting fuku for an answer, the narra tor takes on the task of exploring the family history of the grotesque geek in hopes of understanding ex actly why his com rade is so unsuc cessful in complet ing the first ma chismo steps of Latino masculinity: getting laid.

Has gone away; The Kids, just as hungry, Have to stay. In the two-roomed shack Their mammy is lying, With a little new brother On her arm, crying. Another mouth to feed Another body to bed, Another to grow tip Underfed. But their pappy’s happy And they hear him say: “The good Lord giveth, And taketh away.” “It’s two more hands For to carry a row; Praise God from whom All blessings flow.”

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Sterling Notes

Volume 5, Issue 2

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for

Junot Oiaz The BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE of OSCHR WHO ixn,it. aIqinal and npi rised. i in wrt,en will, hnq. anerqq

anti heart.

It Diaz also spends time developing the characters sur rounding Oscar, namely Oscar’s mother, Hypatia Belicia Cabral. Although a highly-desired dark-skinned beauty of per fect anatomical proportions, when Beli (as she is nicknamed in the novel) is unofficially exiled from the Dominican Repub lic due to her connections with the Trujillo regime, she be comes the stereotypical angry black woman living in Paterson, New Jersey. To Lola and Oscar, her children, she is an emo tionless workaholic with an evil temper and a mean streak. If she had shared the story behind the gruesome scars on her back or had spoken about her elusive family background, Beli could have possibly forged a loving and beneficial relationship with her children. However, because of her intentional si lence—a hidden dialect available to the readers but unbe knownst to Oscar—she loses touch with her daughter and costs her son his life. By developing and creating strong stories surround ing the people in Oscar’s life, Diaz shows just how communal and spiritually linked an oppressed people can be. However, when personal histories are not shared, even painful ones,, a legacy cannot link or grow and is thus dismantled, as demon strated in the case of Oscar. Spanning from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 1944 to northern New Jersey in 1995, the freshly written novel, with its atypical hero, is sure to in troduce readers to another branch of the African Diaspora in the Latino community and encourage readers to seek their own family history that lies dormant in between the silences. —Alanna Casselle

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Poetry Corner

A Book Review of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

The Young Ones

Page 8

Sterling Notes

Volume 5, Issue 2

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for

Junot Oiaz The BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE of OSCHR WHO ixn,it. aIqinal and npi rised. i in wrt,en will, hnq. anerqq

anti heart.

Page 9

A Long and Winding Road: The Journey toward a Concentration in Creative Writing in The Howard University Department of English —Dr. Ann Kelly, Chair, Curriculum Committee of the Department of English

There may have been conversations about Creative Writing in the Department of English before I arrived, but I will focus on the dialogue that occurred after I came to Howard. Over three decades ago, Eugenia Collier—a scholar of African American literature and a short-story writer—pressed the idea that the Department of English have a Creative Writing minor or concentra tion, but the idea got little traction at the time. Over the years, though, the English Department and other units of the university were able to bring esteemed writers to cam pus—among them, John Killens, Julian Mayfield, Robert Hayden, Sonia Sanchez, Angela Jackson, Clarence Ma jor—to teach Creative Writing courses or hold workshops. ‘When we undertook a thorough overhaul of the curricu lum of the English Department in 2001, we discussed the idea of having more creative writing courses, but again, no new courses specifically in that area were introduced. The Re-formed curriculum of 2001 did, however, introduce a host of other writing courses, such as “Writing Critical Re views,” “Critical Editing,” and a sequence called “Topics in Writing.” At that point we envisioned the possibility of a writing concen tration within the English Major, but not one focused primarily on creative writing. Fast-forward to the 2 1t Century. Not long ago, Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure Committee, the in collaboration with the Department Chair, Dr. Eleanor Traylor, hired Dr. Tony Medina specifically to teach Crea tive Writing in the Department, along with other as signed courses. This was the first time that the Depart ment had deliberately recruited a tenure-track professor to take on the responsibility for Creative Writing courses. Once on board, Dr. Medina started asking about an ex pansion of the program, and when he was elected to the Curriculum Committee of 2008-2009, the issue was put on the agenda. In the Curriculum Committee that year, we debated whether or not we should have a separate Creative Writing Minor or a Concentration in Creative Writing within the Major. With active support of the student members (Kelly McCray and others) of the Cur riculum Committee, outlines of both options were drawn up and developed in preliminary ways. The work of the Curriculum Committee continued this academic year (2009-20 10), with the enthusiastic participation of stu dent representatives (Catherine Saunders, Landria Buck ley, and Alanna Casselle) as well as Professor Medina and Professor Elam, who is currently teaching Creative Writ ing: Fiction. Because of bureaucratic, budget, and staffPage 10

ing issues, the Curriculum Committee decided that it was neces sary to begin modestly, with a Concentration in Creative Writ ing within the Major. We surveyed numerous similar programs across the country to get a sense of “best practices.” After hours of research, discussion, and document drafting, the Curriculum Committee completed a proposal, which will be submitted for approval to appropriate committees within the English Depart ment, and which then must be approved at the College and Uni versity levels as well. So what is contained in the Creative Writing Concen tration proposal? The “Focal Areas” of the Concentration are Poetry, Fiction, and Creative Non-Fiction, which will be offered within the Department of English. With prior approval, courses in other departments, such as Playwriting (Drama—COAS) or Script-writing (Radio and TV—Communications) can comple ment the focal areas and may be used as electives, Courses in the Concentration in Creative Writing will be open to all Eng lish Majors, with ENGL 104 and ENGL 105 as prerequisites. To maintain opportunities for students majoring or minoring outside the Department of English to take a creative writing course, an “Introduction to Creative Writing” course numbered below 100 will be added to the curriculum. The course requirements for English Majors with a Concentration in Creative Writing are as fol lows: A. Five (5) Core Courses—Sophomore Seminars I and II, African-American, American, and British Literature Foundations (15 credit hours); B. One (1) Genre or Linguistics Foundation Course (3 credit hours); C. Three (3) courses in the student’s chosen Focal Area—an introduction, a workshop, and a thesis course (9 credit hours); D. Three (3) Elective courses (9 credit hours) chosen from creative writing courses outside of the student’s focal area as well as from a list of other approved complementary courses, including cross listed courses in other schools, departments, or divisions in the university. Total=36 credit hours. English Minors may take courses in the Creative Writing concentration after they have completed Sophomore Seminars I and II. With the approval of an English Major with a Concen tration in Creative Writing, Howard will be an exemplar in the field. A review of the HBCUs that offer such a concentration revealed that while Xavier and Spelman offer the minor in Crea tive Writing, only North Carolina A& T has an established (in 2006) Creative Writing Program. A concentration in Creative Writing will allow Howard to fulfill its responsibility in provid ing the world with future generations of African American crea tive writers, as well as sophisticated and demanding readers. In the future, we have hopes of expanding Creative Writing into a full-fledged Major or Program, but right now we are pleased to be able to take this modest step forward in times of budgetary restraints. Sterling Notes

Howard Students Attend Furious Flower Collegiate Poetry Summit planet.” In attendance at this second conference were such poets as Nikki Giovanni, Rita Dove, Yusef Komunyaka, and E. Ethelbert Millet.

The time cracks into furious flower. Lifts its face all unashamed. And sways in wicked grace.

“The Second Sermon on the Warpland” —Gwendolyn Brooks From March 18 to 20, 2010, six students from the English Department, accompanied by Dr. Tony Medina, at tended the Furious Flower Collegiate Poetry Summit at James Madison University (JMU), Harrisonburg, Virginia. The three-day conference included workshops, panel discussions, poetry readings, open mic, and the first Furious Flower Poetry Contest for partici pants in which one student was awarded a prize. The six students included under graduates Christine Singh, Jeffery Walker, Khalid Rashid Muhammad, Omore Okhomina, and Zahra Gordon, and graduate student Vanessa Evers. This conference was the third such gathering organized by JMU English professor and Executive Director of the Furious Flower Poetry Center, Dr. Joanne Gabbin. The first conference was held in 1994 and dedicated to Gwendolyn Brooks. The title “Furious Flower” comes from the Brooks poem “The Second Sermon on the War pland” (quoted above). According to Gabbin, this was meant to be the first and last conference because of the historic na ture of the event. However, just as the Furious Flower Center is dedicated to the advancement of the genre of African American poetry, these conferences continue to be held and are used to honor the pioneers of the genre. The conferences both pay homage to those with es tablished names and careers—such as Gwendolyn Brooks, Amiri Baraka and Sonia Sanchez—but also draw in up and coming poets as well. These are the two major elements of the conferences—honoring the elder writers and creating a space for the young writers. “This is for you, the emerging poets, to come here and honor your elders but also for you all to grow,” said Gabbin. She also mentioned poets such as Natasha Tre thewey, who read her works there in 1994 and went on to win numerous awards and fellowships.

This year the participating poets were Claudia Emerson, Nikki Giovanni, Major Jackson, Quraysh Au Lan sana, Haki Madhubuti, Jon Pineda, Lyrae Van-Clef Ste fanon and Kevin Young. While Dr. Medina and Professor Opal Moore of Spelman University were not on the line-up, they both provided short readings of their work. The over 75 participants included students of both graduate and un dergraduate levels from Chicago State, Johnson C. Smith, Lincoln University, Penn State York, Spelman College, and University of Texas. Activities began on 18 March with a wel come given by Gabbin. This was followed by the panel “Crafting a Poetic Future,” in which students were able to learn about MFA programs and publishing from Dr. Quraysh Au Lansana. There was a poetry reading by Claudia Emerson and an open mic for the student participants. Day two began with the workshop “The Rose That Grew from Concrete: The Ur ban Landscape and the Black Experience.” This workshop was lead by Major Jackson. The next workshop, lead by Lyrae Van Chef Stefanon, was entitled “Love Me True: Passion and Poetry.” After lunch, students were given a question and answer session with both workshop leaders. That afternoon all par ticipants were taken into Charlottesville for dinner and the Virginia Festival of the Book with readings by Nikki Gio vanni, Haki Madhubuti, Major Jackson, Lyrae Van-Chef Stefanon, and Kevin Young. The final day’s activities included a question and “The Word on Campus: The College Liter session, answer poetry readings by Quraysh Au Lansana and ary Magazine,” final gathering was lunch, during The and Jon Pineda. poetry contest were announced of the winners which the place with a JMU student. tied for first and Zahra Gordon —Zahra Gordon

Furious Flower Collegiate Poetry Summit

The second conference was not held until ten years later, in 2004, when there was a call for another convening of black American poets. This conference, however, was dedi cated to Lucille Clifton. According to Gabbin, Nikki Fenney calls the Furious Flower Poetry Summit the “black poetry Volume 5, Issue 2

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The time cracks into furious flower. Lifts its face all unashamed. And sways in wicked grace.

Furious Flower Collegiate Poetry Summit

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flu mas Harriot’s Problematic Account of the Indians, by Irandon N’I. Graham In Thomas Harriot’s “A Brief and True Report o the New Found Land of Virginia,” one is presented with a descriptive account of England’s first Virginia col ony. Though commonly cited as an early history of the settlement, Harriot’s peculiar focus on the land’s Native American population more accurately places this seem ingly optimistic report into the category of a statistical survey. This is to say that Harriot’s piece is rio more an accurate depiction of the Native American people than a biased political po1i is an accurate depiction of a U.S. presidential election. For too long, readers and scholars alike have allowed the text’s positivity towards the Native Americans to mask what should be considered Harriot’s spurious attempt to promote the exploitation of the na tive people’s naiveté. By only explaining those characteris tics of the Native Americans that demonstrate their gulli bility to the settlers, Harriot is able to encourage more settlers to immigrate into the colony. Thus, by remember ing that the accounts of the Indians are unfairly given by Harriot to propose ways in which to take advantage of the natives, one is better able to understand the intended purpose for this report. A good example of one of Harriot’s biased Na tive American accounts comes after he and his men real ize that the Native Americans have developed a curiosity for European technology. Upon noticing this curiosity, Harriot comes to the following conclusion: “[Bly how much they upon due consideration shall find our manner of knowledges and crafts to exceed theirs in perfection..., by so much the more is it probable that they should de sire our friendship and love, and have the greater respect

for pleasing and obeying us” (38). Hidden behind flowery and optimistic wording such as “love,” “friendship,” and “pleasing,” this passage at first glance may appear to be Harriot’s positive attempt to envision a future where the native people and the white settlers will one day live peacefully together. However, after a more critical look at this passage, one is able to look past the wording and see the passage for what it really is: a statement made by Harriot to confirm that the primitive technology of the native people in no way exceeds that of the Europeans. Thusly, as this passage also asserts, the exploitation of the native people will be a much easier task once the natives realize that their abil ity to improve their way of life with European technology de pends on their willingness to obey the white settlers. Continuing in this vain, Harriot’s most important dem onstration of Native American exploitation comes once unex pected benefits arise after getting the natives to doubt their own religion and take interest in Christianity. By doing this, Harriot and his men succeed in not only getting some of the Native Americans to want to learn all there is to know about Christian ity but also in getting these natives to place so much fear in the English God that even the slightest mishap in their community becomes means to believe that they are being punished by God for committing some kind of offense towards the settlers: “There could at no time happen any strange sickness, losses, hurts, or any other cross unto them, but that they would impute to us the cause or means thereof for offending or not pleasing us” (41). By not instructing the natives of other possible causes for such dreadful events, Harriot and his men feed into this belief. After all, by exploiting the Indians’ fears of the English God, Harriot and his men are successful in getting these natives to provide them with food and other means for survival.

whites is the best protection from getting sick. Knowing this could possibly encourage some Indians to return to their “brutal” acts against the settlers. Such a situation would weaken Harriot’s chances for promoting a sense of naiveté among the native people, which in return would discourage any future im migration into the new colony. This and other forms of the report’s textual disconti nuities and hidden misrepresentations of the Native American people are only made recognizable after one refrains from allow ing the optimistic language of the text to blind one from Har riot’s actual motives for writing the report. While Harriot re frains from utilizing harsh depictions of the Native Americans that other authors utilize during this era, his subtle undertones, masked by words connoting images of positivity, still paint a negative picture of Native Americans as inferior to whites. The moment scholars are able to read Harriot’s report in this light will be the very moment that scholars view the accounts of the Native Americans for what they really are: biased opinions used by Harriot to promote the exploitation of the native people in an effort for English settlers to gain easier access to and an easier understanding of the peculiar lands of the New World. Work Cited Harriot, Thomas. “A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia.” The Norton Antholo2v of American Litera ture Volume 1. 7th ed. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W. W. Nor ton, 1979. 37-42.

Poetry Corner From “Memphis Blues” —Sterling Allen Brown

Nineveh, Tyre, Babylon, Not much lef Of either one. All dese cities Ashes and rust, De win’ sing sperrichals Through deir dus’ Was another Memphis Mongst de olden days, Done been destroyed in many ways. Dis here Memphis It may go; Floods may drown Tornado blow; Mississippi wash it Down to sea— Like de other Memphis in History. *

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This form of exploitation continues, more noticeably, in a second part of the text in which Harriot explains what hap pens to those natives who go against the white settlers: “There was no town where we had any subtle device practiced against us... but that within a few days after our departure from every such town, the people began to die very fast...” (41). Harriot goes on to write that “[t]his happened in no place... but where we had been, where they used some practice against us” (41). However, earlier in the text, Harriot describes an incident regarding an Indian chief who is not only friends with the English settlers but who also catches the same or similar disease contracted by the unruly Indians. With an understanding of the text’s actual pur pose, it becomes clear that the reason Harriot refrains from mak ing a connection between the illness of the friendly Indian chief and the illness of the unruly natives is because such a connec tion would highlight that no Indian is safe from God’s wrath. Accordingly, as more “faithful” Indians get sick, the less likely it will be that the Indians will continue to believe that pleasing

Sterflng Notes

it;

III Memphis go By Flood or Flame; Nigger won’t worry

All de same— Memphis go Memphis come back, Am’ no skin Off de nigger’s back. All dese cities Ashes, rust.

De win’ sing sperrichals Through deir dus’.

Volume 5, Issue 2

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Poetry Corner From “Memphis Blues” —Sterling Allen Brown

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it;

III Memphis go By Flood or Flame; Nigger won’t worry

All de same— Memphis go Memphis come back, Am’ no skin Off de nigger’s back. All dese cities Ashes, rust.

De win’ sing sperrichals Through deir dus’.

Volume 5, Issue 2

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The Exploitation of “the Example” through the Power of Perception, by Catherine Saunders Power is perhaps one of the most abstract no tions in human existence. Present in a variety of forms, power is the object desire for most, if not all. Although commonly associated with a figure of authority, power is seen in its most influential form through the govern ment, which establishes laws that determine how an in dividual should act, including how individuals should act towards one another. Although law creation and en forcement are crucial aspects of a government, this is not where the government demonstrates the peak of its strength. The height of government strength is depicted in its dealings with those who violate the dominant ide ology. The consequences for those who violate the laws are just as important as establishing the laws. Those who dismiss the law embody the concept of “the example” because, inevitably, that is what they become. “The ex ample” bears the consequences not only for his or her damage to society, but also for the threat he or she poses to the power of the government. Thus, this “example” becomes the site—body and mind—for punishment, as a means to maintain the authority of the government. The idea of “the example” is thoroughly explored in Richard Wright’s Native Son and in Michel Foucault’ s Discipline and Punish.

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presents his audience with a hierarchical society that is domi nated not only by class but by race. In said society, whites are dominant over the blacks, who are placed at the pit of this hier archy. As a means to both establish and maintain their power, the whites exploit the blacks, as a reminder of their status (or lack of status) within society. This exploitation is demonstrated through the living situations presented within Native Son. The novel opens with the sound of an alarm that is to wake indi viduals who must all sleep in the same room: Bigger Thomas, his younger brother, his sister, and his mother. In fact, all must also dress within the same space: “Turn your heads so I can dress”, says the mother. We later learn that this is a common state of being at this time for Chicago’s black citizens, most living below the poverty line yet many still paying more rent than whites. Through the statement made by the mother, read ers see that the level of intimacy that the blacks are forced to have with one another is not only uncomfortable but also detri mental to the pride of all involved. The exploitation of the blacks, who are made the ex ample within Native Son is embedded so deeply within the minds of the African Americans that it becomes almost impos sible to erode. What allows for an individual or group of people to be “the example” lies in the ability of society to make that person or group their own attacker. People can never escape their own surveillance; therefore, in order for people to be “the example,” they must, in essence, turn on themselves. Wright

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illustrates this very phenomenon, through his protagonist in Native Son. Wright’s novel centers upon the poverty-stricken Bigger Thomas. On the surface, Bigger a young African American male who is born into the poverty and oppression which provide for the basis for his downward spiral. Below the surface, Bigger is representative of the overall rebel of society, in this case, a black rebel. On a larger scale, Bigger represents the universal rebel. In his introduction Wright asserts, “If I had known only one Bigger then I would not have written Native Son.” Bigger is born: into a facet of power known as oppression. In fact, the oppression of African American families, like that of Bigger, represents a form of “the example.” Without the oppression of African American families, those at the top of the hierarchal structare (in this case, whites) would have to endure competition in the workplace, for mates, and so on, and thus they would not have complete power. “The example” receives what is left over from or not wanted by those at the top of the structure. The society in which Bigger dwells would not be able to be dominated by whites if it were not for the oppression of blacks and other minorities. The African Americans serve as “the example” and are the have-nots in said’ society. This society sees to it that the lives of “the example” consist primarily of dead ends, as a seen in the case of Bigger Thomas. In Discipline and Punish, Michel Foucault discusses “the example” in regards to the penitentiary system. Foucault’s principles of power are quite similar to the principles presented within Native Son, particularly when he discusses the history of government consequence, or punishment. Once a gory, painful, public spectacle that was geared towards the body, Foucault notes a change not only in practice of government consequence but in intent: Punishment, then, will tend to become the most hidden part of the penal process. This has several consequences: it leaves the do main of more or less everyday perception and enters that of abstract consciousness; its ef fectiveness is seen as resulting from its inevi tably, not from its visible intensity; it is the certainty of being punished that must dis courage crime; the exemplary mechanics of punishment changes its mechanisms. (Foucault 9)

Richard Wright dismisses this notion of free will in his novel Native Son. Within this novel, Wright

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Sterling Notes

towards the soul, the individual is can be controlled completely. Oppression is an example capitol conse quence (punishment) that seeps beneath one’s skin and makes one vulnerable enough for total control. The societies depicted within texts by Wright and Fou cault reveal a variety of societies that are dominated by a fabricated sense of power. Fou cault’s gruesome depiction of the prisons and the evolution of punishment on the surface are horrifi ing, but below the surface, they depict a desperate plea from a crumbling society. The Ancient Egyptians, through their concept of holism, would argue that there is no true power gained or maintained through oppression. The Ancient Egyptians believe that we are all intrinsically connected and are placed on an equal level in society. The ideals of equality are main tamed even in areas of crisis. For the Ancient Egyptians do not believe in the alienation of an individual based on their supposed insubordination. A society of true depth and structure has no need to alienate those who compose it because there is no deed that cannot be handled. The Ancient Egyptians would argue that prisons are a last resort for societies who do not lead by example but through examples. Societies like these tread the paths for people like Bigger Thomas, who go against a life that was already laid out for them. :‘

RICHARD WRIGHT aiive Son

ABflIflGE tUITION uea 94O Tu

Capitol punishment is no longer geared towards the body, al though it is still affects the body. To explain, Foucault quotes Mably: ‘Punishment, if I may so put it, should strike the soul rather than the body’ (326). This attacking of the soul rather than the body supports the idea that power lies in control of the mind rather than in control of the body. By gearing punishment Volume 5, Issue 2

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Richard Wright dismisses this notion of free will in his novel Native Son. Within this novel, Wright

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Sterling Notes

RICHARD WRIGHT aiive Son

ABflIflGE tUITION uea 94O Tu

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Poetry Corner

But with every taste, It makes me feel like the bitterness is worth it because my sweet tooth is loving it, and when I don’t have it, I’m only left with a craving— lovin, and being A craving for kissin’, huggin, talkin, laughin, fightin, wreslin, romancin, carin, needin, touchin, rubbin, cuddlin, close too. I’ve poured all I have into this recipe, Put my sweat and tears and over a year into trying to make it right.

Cooking up Something —Landria Buckley I take a bite of our past and The memories we have .are... bittersweet. They leave a taste in my mouth that can’t be described, Something making me wanna give it another try, Attempting to convince myself that the taste will get sweeter with every bite. Or maybe if I add some sugar or shoulda Or chocolate or coulda into the ingredients, Next time it’ll turn out just right. . .

I’ve gotten so use to the taste, It’s hard to start over and try something new. So what do I do? I can stay in this kitchen for years. Trying to remake this formula, Trying different methods to cook it, Trying to reorder the steps, Trying to be Top Chef. Add this, change that, a little more, a little less, I can cook it up as many times as I please, But I’m afraid it’ll always be, Bittersweet.

But it’s hard to figure out where the bitterness comes from, ‘Which part of the recipe isn’t mixing in, Is it a piece of me or a piece of him? Do I take out a part of me or change a part of him? How do I leave the fights, arguments, and irritation out But make sure to keep the love, affection, and trust in? No matter how I change the contents the outcome remains the same... Bittersweet, Or sweetly bitter.

Sometimes sweetly bitter. I’ve been cooking for way too long. It’s all or nothing. I can’t take anything out anymore.

But it always looks so good, So appetizing, so fulfilling. Like everything my body needs is in it— Vitamin A, B, C, and D, with some Omega 3 and Protein. Right before I taste it, I’m always hit with this strange feeling. Knowing it’s going to be amazing when I sink my teeth in it.

I’m throwing it all in the pan, and if it don’t work, I can’t try again. I’ll just throw everything away and head back to the grocery store, Maybe pick up some things I’ve been over looking or never seen before, Making sure I leave some things on the shelf this time. And hopefully it won’t be bitter, Just sweet.

The aroma in the kitchen is unlike anything I’ve ever cooked. Have people walking past my window, stopping to get a look, Wanting to know what it is I’m cooking, wishing they could have something like it. And when I take that first bite, This time it’s just Ri—....Bitter! You are what you eat, And we’ve been becoming more bitter with every bite, The increasing of fights and lonely nights, Trying to make something that turns out right.

Is it salt that I’m missing or is it pepper? Maybe a little more seasoning will make it better? Is it lightening up that I’m forgetting or is it too much sensitivity? Maybe a little more stimulating conversation is what’s missing. Or is it just too cold? If I put it in the oven and let it bake for a little longer will that improve the taste? Or is he just too closed off, and if he opened up a bit, everything else would just take? A little more of this and a little less of that— All equaling the same fact... It’s.. .still. .Bitter. .

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Sterling Notes

Volume 5, Issue 2

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Poetry Corner

Sometimes sweetly bitter. I’ve been cooking for way too long. It’s all or nothing. I can’t take anything out anymore.

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Sterling Notes

Volume 5, Issue 2

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subject line should follow this format: as an attachineni. Mitrosoh Word documents (.doc) files are acceptable. The Genre/First & I as Naiiic. lntail all submissions to amistadjournal@gmail.com.

Opportunities for Majors and Minors: Paid Position for a Blogger: Are you a blogger? Do you know of exciting, fun, and creative ways to impart a message? Exemplary Editing provides profes sional editing and proofreading services to meet the needs of students, writers, organizations, corporations, and busi nesses. We are looking for a part-time blogger and writer. The position is paid. Please contact us for more information at edit@exeditin2.com. Also visit ww-w.exedirin.com and www.exeditine.wordyress.com for more information. Opportunity to Learn about Grant Writing: Are you interested in grant writing? Do you have experience with grant writing? Today, the ability to write grants is a valuable skill and resume builder. If you would like more experience with grant writing, join the Capital Cause Corporate Outreach and Grant Writing Committee. For more information, please contact Gresham Harkless at gharkless@email.com. In the subject line please write “Interest in Capital Cause Corporate Outreach and Grant Writing Committee.” Capital Cause will be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging young professionals in the giving process. Visit www.capitalcause.com for more information.

Paid and Unpaid Internships at Friends of Choice in Urban Schools: Friends of Choice in Urban Schools (FOCUS) has an opening for a paid part-time internship this fall, and a summer intern ship (unpaid or college credit). FOCUS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1996 in the District of Columbia. Since its founding, FOCUS has worked with the D.C. government, the Congress, the press, and the public to increase their understanding of and support for public charter schools, which now enroll approximately 38% of all D.C. public school stu dents. FOCUS provides aspiring charter school leaders with the tools and guidance necessary for creating successful chatter school applications and for opening and operating outstanding schools. Applicants should email a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to Erika Wadlington, Advocacy & Outreach Coordinator, Friends of Choice in Urban Schools (FOCUS), at ewadlington@focusdc.org. For more information, visit their website at www.focusdc.om or call 202-387-0405.

Become a Part-Time Intern for a WPFW Radio Program: Abdul Ali, an alum of the Howard University Department of English, hosts a radio program on WPFW which airs once a monthly and is gaining in popularity. Ali is looking for a part-time intern—someone who can help with research, who can provide content for the program’s blog, and who can help out with the social media. This is an opportunity for a person who is interested in poetry and/or radio, and the time commitment is under ten hours for the month. The intern may choose his or her commitment (semester or year), and while most of this work can be done remotely, the intern will join Au for monthly production meetings with the co-host and producer. Because it is public radio, the internship is unpaid; however, you will meet fascinating people had will have All to use as a reference. If you are interested, please contact Abdul Mi at dul ali@verizon.net.

Please Become a Fan ol the English Department on Facebook: Department of English on the Depart Current and previous English majors and minors are invited to become fans of the with a Heart’s Day poster! Once the ment’s Facebook page. Simply search “HU English Majors,” and the page will show up Presidential Commission on Aca Department has enough fans, it will be posting a survey to get information on alums for the English majors and minors! demic Renewal. Become a fan on Facebook to help us keep in touch with Howard New On-Campus Newspaper Seeking Applicants for a Variety of Positions: new editor, opinions editor, photo The Bison Herald is seeking applicants to fill a variety of positions: editor-in.chief, senior To apply, send your resume and editor. managing and editor, sports editor, arts editor, production manager, copy editor, work sample to bisonherald2@gmail.com.

Summer Employment Opportunity Teaching with CTY: Talented Youth (CTY) seeks For those interested in teaching writing as a career, the Johns Hopkins University Center for in the liberal arts for talented exceptional instructional staff for its summer programs. TY provides intensive course work writing courses. For the creative 1ncludes that program writing a has 12 and 2 to pre-college students ages 8 to 18 in grades assistants for sites in Califor summer of 2010, the program is currently seeking enthusiastic writing instructors and teaching Rhode Island, with day sites for commuters from nia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and 24th through July 1 7th and the second session runs from June from runs session Washington, DC, and other areas. The first 7th Instructors start at $2,100 to $3,000 per 3-week session, and teaching assistants start at $1,100 July 17th through August download an application or per 3-week session. Room and board is provided at residential sites and lunch at day sites. To or contact them at (410) .cry.jhu.edu/summer/emploent at website learn more about the courses offered, visit their 735-6185 or at ctysummer@jhu.edu.

ChangeUpMag.com Seeks Student Interns in the DC Area: to go and how to live ChangeUpMag.com is a Budget Lifestyle and Culture Online Magazine showing young adults where are seeking to find college without breaking the bank in Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. They semesters. Students would be students who are interested in interning for their company throughout both the fall and spring contribute to their online maga joining our ream of 25+ writers throughout the east coast to research, visit, review, write and list of the best affordable bars, zine. All articles and reviews are about 300-600 words, Their goal is to offer a comprehensive bands and budget living restaurants, and music venues in each market (Philly, DC, NYC, Baltimore), as well as up-and-coming to work with the tips/culture. They also welcome article ideas and creative fteedom, and students will have the opportunity Founder/Editor-in-Chief, managing editor if they have any leads for articles. For more information, contact Andrew Schuster, Jackie@changeupinag.com. Editor, at Managing Cular, Jackie contact at Andrew@chaneuuma.com or

Internship in Editing Business (Unpaid): The Ami.ctadJournal Seeks Submissions: In keeping with the legacy after which they were named, Amistad, Howard University’s literary and art journal, aims to achieve and preserve cultural freedom through the vessel of creative expression. Their goal is to compile innovative and compelling works of different genres from a body of local, national, and international contributors of diverse backgrounds to ship to the masses. Amistad chronicles the journey from where we are as a global community to where we hope to go. They are accepting original art in the form of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, critiques, fine and visual art, reviews, etc. For poetry, please submit no more than 5 poems with a maximum of 50 lines. For fiction, non-fiction, and critiques, please submit no more than 2 docu ments with a maximum of 3000 words. Excerpts are accepted. For fine and visual art, please submit no more than 5 pieces, including title, date, and medium (.jpeg, .tif, .gif preferred). Submissions should be typed in 12 Pt. font, Times New Roman. The title should be clearly indicated in bold. Your name, address, email, and phone number should be included at the top of each page. In addition, please submit a 3-4 line bio and a .jpeg photo (photo is optional). Work should be submitted via email Page 18

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Editing, which is Gresham Harkless, a recent Howard graduate, is the founder and president of a business called Exemplary based out of business proofreading looking to hire students for an unpaid internship. Exemplary Editing is a new editing and post-secondary of needs the Washington D.C. area. They provide professional editing and proofreading services to meet the please visit them at students, writers, organizations, corporations, and businesses. If you would like more information, www.exediting.com, send them an e-mail at edit@exeditine.com, or give them a phone call at (703) 489-0516. (USA)—owner of Viking, Paid Internship Program in the Publishing Industry with Penguin Group (USA): Penguin Group internship oppor publishing—offers children’s do that one Riverhead, Penguin, Plume, Signet, and other imprints, including production, pub marketing, editorial, managing design, graphic tunities in various business areas, such as contracts, editorial, area you are business and semester the (indicating letter cover licity, sales, subsidiary rights, and operations. To apply, send a 375 Hud Coordinator / Internship Department Resources / interested in) and resume to Penguin Group (USA) / Human deadThe 366-2930. (212) to these fax or son Street / New York, NY 10014, or email these to jobs@us.penguingroup.com, Volume 5, Issue 2

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subject line should follow this format: as an attachineni. Mitrosoh Word documents (.doc) files are acceptable. The Genre/First & I as Naiiic. lntail all submissions to amistadjournal@gmail.com.

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Opportunities for Majors and Minors (Continued from Previous Page) line for the fall semester is August

15th

For more information, visit them at www.penguin.com.

The Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society: The Sigma Tau Delta international English Honor Society, Theta Theta Chapter would like to invite you to find out more about membership requirements for the Theta Theta Chap ter, as well as general information about Sigma Tau Delta and the various opportunities it offers to its members. To find out more about how to become a member of Sigma Tau Delta at Howard University, contact the organization’s president at husigtd@gmail.com.

Ongoing Opportunity for Future Teachers (Early Childhood Education): Jumpstart, a non-profit AmeriCorps Program, partners students with preschool children to help those children de velop school readiness skills. Participating students receive $1,000 after 300 hours of service and also receive ongo ing development training as future teachers. Additional information and applications are available at www.jumpstart.org, and you can also contact Ms. Kyieda Rogers, the Howard site manager, at (202) 806-7748 or via email at jumpstart@howard.edu.

Ongoing Opportunity for Pre-Law Students: The Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO), committed to diversifying the legal profession, offers a range of support programs for pre-law students from diverse backgrounds. Its offerings include The CLEO/Thurgood Mar shall College Scholars Program, The Sophomore Summer Institute, The CLEO Ambassadors Program, The CLEO Six-Week Summer Institute, The Attitude is Essential Program, The Academic Enrichment Seminar, The MidSimmer Professional Development Seminar and Career Fair, and The Bar Preparation Seminar. Most of these pro grams are free. More information and program applications are available at www.cleoscholars.org.

The Sterling Allen Brown English Society