Ethelbert Miller Connections Reading
By Aaron Buckler
The
College of Southern Maryland hosted writer E. Ethelbert Miller on April 5 to
read from several of his literary works.
Miller,
who considers himself a ‘literary activist,’ is the author of two memoirs,
“Fathering Words: The Making of an African American Writer” and “The 5th
Inning.” In addition to his memoirs, he has written several poems, many of
which were featured during his presentation.
Krista
Foster attended the Connections literary event, headlined by Miller, to fulfill
a requirement for her English class at CSM. She found Miller’s presentation to
be enjoyable and entertaining.
“He was
very funny,” said Foster, who lives in Mechanicsville. “He knew which poems to
share and would transition from a poem that dealt with emotion to a poem that
was more lighthearted.”
Miller,
who also serves as the director of the African American Resource Center at
Howard University, covered a wide array of topics in his readings, including issues
concerning race, stereotypes, and the emotions of everyday life.
Stories
from the author’s own life added a personal touch.
“I began
to know how many close friends I had at Howard University, because everybody
ran out,” said Miller, speaking about the earthquake that impacted the eastern
half of the U.S. in 2011. “I looked around, and I felt alone.”
Troubled
by the words and actions of angry protestors over the years, Miller wrote “What
Do They Do?” In the poem, Miller inquires about the lives of people who use
anger and violence to voice their opinions. “What Do They Do?” was read in its
entirety by the award-winning poet at the Connections event.
E.
Ethelbert Miller is one of many writers who have been featured by CSM’s
Connections program.
Neal
Dwyer, the editor of the literary magazine “Connections” and coordinator of the
Connections literary series, said the program seeks out individuals who know
their subject matter well.
“We
contact writers we think will bring issues … to the attention of Southern
Maryland audiences in an engaging way,” said Dwyer, who also teaches English at
the college and who is a published poet himself.
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Social Justice Day
By
Sherbie Carson
If there is truth to the old adage ‘it
takes a village to raise a child,’ at what point is the community absolved of
the responsibility to educate its youth? At high school graduation? At age 18?
In an attempt to teach both teenagers, and adults
about the local impact of modern drugs, the College of Southern Maryland hosted
its 5th annual Social Justice Day at the Prince Frederick Campus
on April 10 and 11.
Social Justice Day is “a
cross-disciplinary approach, initiated by the college, to raise awareness for
social issues of significant importance to the community,” said Nicholas
Valtos, program coordinator for criminal justice at CSM.
It allows students the opportunity to gain
information about key topics, “in a non-threatening environment, ” described
Valtos.
During a theatrical production entitled
“The Empty Chair”, written by Tim Kelly, eight CSM students portrayed the
struggle of recently sober teenaged drug addicts grieving the loss of a member
of their Narcotics Anonymous support group, as a result of a drug overdose.
Many of the faculty and audience members
were deeply moved by the performance. “The transparency of the actors is really
what made it truly authentic,” remarked adjunct faculty member Tonya Jackson.
“It was so raw. Powerful.”
Candice D’Agostino, Calvert Alliance
Against Substance Abuse (CAASA) coordinator, echoed Jackson’s sentiments and
invited the Cause Theatre cast to share their message with the community
through future programs sponsored by the CAASA.
“My character is not a character – it’s a
journey to the past,” said theatre major Marleigh Ferguson, who played the role
of Keke, a 17-year old marijuana/hash addict.
During a question and answer session, many
of the cast members disclosed that they personally struggled with the issue of drug
and substance abuse in their past, and used those negative experiences to draw
from, in the hopes of helping others.
Graphic pictures and statistics concerning
the physical, social and societal effects of drug use on the human body presented
by Dr. George Spiegel, CSM associate professor of biological and physical
sciences, revealed both short and long-term consequences suffered by users and
their families.
Side-by-side
time-lapsed photos of drug users revealed the anorexia, extreme tooth decay and
self-inflicted body sores that commonly result from long-term methamphetamine
use.
“You’ll never worry about lipstick on your
teeth again,” quoted Spiegel from an ad contributed by the MethProject.org.
Additionally,
students from the speech and debate club participated in a debate concerning
the legalization of marijuana, in the state of Maryland, for both medicinal and
recreational use.
Social
Justice Day program coordinators Denise Gilmer-Knudson, Lisa Lynk Smith and
Nicholas Valtos worked in conjunction with local law enforcement, paramedics, Calvert
County State’s Attorney Laura Martin, CSM counselor Ann Penick and the CAASA.
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Renaissance Festival
By Lívia Miranda
The sound of swords and arrows
ripped through the air while plaintive bagpipes serenaded peasants and royals
last Friday. The swords weren’t sharp and the arrows were aimed at a pile of
hay, but they were as real as they could get in the first Renaissance Festival
of the College of Southern Maryland.
Starting at 9 a.m. and going all
day until dark, the festival took place at the La Plata Campus as a way “to
expose the theater kids and music majors to the Renaissance Era theater and
music,” said Ticket and Event Sales Specialist Therese Theideman.
Not only theater and music students
were interested in the festival, teacher education major Kaylin Beach, 17, was
there to juggle little balls and entertain the public with her old English
accent.
“Here in the Renaissance I am a
performer of sorts. I am an outdoor performer, I don’t get to be on stage,
that’s the actors’ job, but I get to entertain little children and make them
smile,” said Beach. “Being involved means wearing wonderful costumes and
playing fun new parts.”
All around campus, people were
watching arrows being shot, palms being read, a magician doing his tricks and
the “queen” bestowing titles of nobility. Some of the peasants that became
knights, ladies and princesses, were people with disabilities from the Spring
Dell Center. Angela Grieninger, the activities coordinator of the center, was
happy to see them having fun.
“This was great day for them to be
able to get: one, out of the center and two, to experience something that they
wouldn’t otherwise because it’s not every day that you get a Renaissance
Festival and we really appreciate CSM doing this.”
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