I went to Konrad Steiner's presentation on Wednesday night. I must admit, whenever I go to a presentation about someone I've never heard of showing work I've never seen, my expectations are usually low. Of course, it didn't help when my sickness was getting the better of me. Needless to say, I was not in much of a chipper mood to begin with, so forgive me if this seems bias. But I went to the show all the same, and I cannot say I was disappointed. I'll explain what I saw from the show, then I'll explain what I was interested in and why.
It didn't start well, what with the technical difficulties slowing the production. But once that was out of the way, the show started with him showing a film with some balloons floating very closely to the ground. Meanwhile, someone in the background off screen was playing an acoustic guitar like they were Jimi Hendrix in a rush to get out of a concert he was doing. I honestly didn't get the message of what the video was supposed to mean, it was completely lost on me. The next video showed a bunch of random places while four people, the 'moon', the 'girl', the 'lake', and the 'canoe', spoke out at random intervals by telling their side of a story, perhaps. Apparently it was based off of a poem. Part three consisted of Steiner practically riffing on a scene from Minority Report.It also snuck in some political messages and news clips on the Iraq War. The last show I remember seeing was where Steiner wears a dress in order to help project a scene from a movie onto himself.He talks about perspectives and how they can change when one is in the middle of chaos rather than sitting outside of it. The movie scene, by the way, is just a loop of one part in the movie "Schindler's List". These four presentations were the most memorable to me.
As for my opinion, it can be summed up as so: meh, not bad. The projects were creative, most of the ideas got across, despite the technical difficulties, and the show was very entertaining. The first two parts seemed a little far fetched, however, and I felt like I was outside of the loop of a clever joke of some sorts. But the Second two were very engaging, especially the Minority Report one. It got a few laughs out of me while still holding it's intellectual properties. All in all, I liked it, and I personally can't wait to see what else he has in store, as long as it's understandable.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Ramirez's Batting Average
Once upon a time, there was a man named Ramirez who lived on the Planet Namek. The place was pretty boring, what with the open fields, the clear skies, the fresh air, and the no threat or any complications what so ever. Then he heard a roaring in the distance and looked up to see a meteor falling from the sky! Thinking quickly, he grabbed a random branch and swung it at the gigantic rock hurtling towards him. Using every bit of strength in him, he swung at the meteor and, with a loud crack, it flew away from the planet. Ramirez then felt a calming sensation take over him. Perhaps boring isn't so bad after all. Perhaps he should enjoy the peace around him while he still can. The End.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
The Big City Eclogue
This book, City Eclogue, consists of a rather wide collection of poems gathered by Ed Roberson. Quite a few of them are far from the usual pieces of poetry that many are used to, whether by broken lines or no rhyme schemes. However, these pieces still get their point across in their own unusual, yet fascinating way. In this blog, I will tell of how a few of each piece holds it's own while still telling it's story among a collection of pieces.
The first poem is called Escape Training: Instructor's Flying Rappel. It tells, from the narrator's point of view, of how he starts to climb down the side of a rock face as an example to how one should rappel downward. With such detail, the instructor notices how each movement and tool in use works and how delicate the situation is. Much like rappelling for the first time, the beginning sends you on edge, waiting for someone to fall or for a serious problem arise. But as the middle and end approach, you feel confident in the instructor's skill and realize that the danger was only as one sees it until they've experienced the ride. In the end, you are not only glad you had the experience, but wish for more like that one, perhaps. That is the effect this poem had on me.
The second poem to be studied is called Point. This is a quite a bit different than the first poem. This poem, I assume, talks about the North Star, one of the more famous of the astrological terms. It compares the star to a ballerina, standing still, not being able to move and dance around. Unlike the first poem, the lines are still organized, yet still broken. Also, the poem didn't leave much of an impact upon me, unlike the previous one. Yet, it tries to describe how sad a star can seem, instead of the usual hope one star can usually fill someone up with. Overall, this poem left me empty. "It does no good," indeed.
The third poem is called Alpine Glow In Magritte Landscapes. This piece tells of a much broader story on the comparisons of nature and city life. It first tells of how lumber is being pushed down the river by lumberjacks. Then it describes, very well, the city by itself, how the buildings stand. "Upwards... the city a sky of floors." The scenery then describes the computer desk and the screen saver on the computer. I assume this poem tells of how distant our society has become from nature. How the only time people in the city view nature is from their living room on a screen, instead of a window. Though this doesn't get much emotion out, it does make a rather powerful point that perhaps we have distanced ourselves too much from the outdoors.
These three poems are just small examples of the huge collection of poetry pieces that remain in this book. The range from mediocre to very well done. The second poem I was not so much a fan of, but the first and third are ones everyone should at least take a quick look over once. These are the types of poems that may bring different thoughts and feelings out of each person. That is how you know you have a good poem.
The first poem is called Escape Training: Instructor's Flying Rappel. It tells, from the narrator's point of view, of how he starts to climb down the side of a rock face as an example to how one should rappel downward. With such detail, the instructor notices how each movement and tool in use works and how delicate the situation is. Much like rappelling for the first time, the beginning sends you on edge, waiting for someone to fall or for a serious problem arise. But as the middle and end approach, you feel confident in the instructor's skill and realize that the danger was only as one sees it until they've experienced the ride. In the end, you are not only glad you had the experience, but wish for more like that one, perhaps. That is the effect this poem had on me.
The second poem to be studied is called Point. This is a quite a bit different than the first poem. This poem, I assume, talks about the North Star, one of the more famous of the astrological terms. It compares the star to a ballerina, standing still, not being able to move and dance around. Unlike the first poem, the lines are still organized, yet still broken. Also, the poem didn't leave much of an impact upon me, unlike the previous one. Yet, it tries to describe how sad a star can seem, instead of the usual hope one star can usually fill someone up with. Overall, this poem left me empty. "It does no good," indeed.
The third poem is called Alpine Glow In Magritte Landscapes. This piece tells of a much broader story on the comparisons of nature and city life. It first tells of how lumber is being pushed down the river by lumberjacks. Then it describes, very well, the city by itself, how the buildings stand. "Upwards... the city a sky of floors." The scenery then describes the computer desk and the screen saver on the computer. I assume this poem tells of how distant our society has become from nature. How the only time people in the city view nature is from their living room on a screen, instead of a window. Though this doesn't get much emotion out, it does make a rather powerful point that perhaps we have distanced ourselves too much from the outdoors.
These three poems are just small examples of the huge collection of poetry pieces that remain in this book. The range from mediocre to very well done. The second poem I was not so much a fan of, but the first and third are ones everyone should at least take a quick look over once. These are the types of poems that may bring different thoughts and feelings out of each person. That is how you know you have a good poem.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
That There Poetry Packet
Poetry is quite the work of art these days. There's no real definition of it, meaning anything could be known as poetry, it could be as simple as a piece of paper or as complicated as a wave of rock and roll going across the face. Either way, it can make a deep impact on lives all over, and I hold in my hand an entire packet of these pieces. Some long, some advanced, some even jazzy. Of the poems I read, the following piece I will talk about is the one that stood out the most to me.
The first piece I'd like to talk about is called 'Parade', made by, I believe Cole Swenson. It tells of a group of people walking down a street. All of them are apparently African American and are being escorted by white cops. The parade is also about a certain person, the one writing the poem. As I read this, a can't help but be reminded of the funeral processions of New Orleans. How they too would be about a single person while a group of his/her closest friends escorted them from the church to the graveyard to be buried. "A chance to let, PARADE, the whole world see, PARADE, old black me!" This phrase helped conclude my theory on what the poem is about, or at least it helped paint a picture for my imagination. If nothing else, it's a wonderful piece that helps set the mood and create a setting out of nowhere.
This is one of the many pieces in this packet that has really helped my understanding of the poetry world. It's deep, understanding, sets the mood, and it makes one think of the possible message the poem is trying to get through. After all, just because I interpreted the piece in this manner, doesn't mean that this is the real message. But it does not matter if the assumption is right or not. The only thing that really matters in a poem is how much it makes you think and how well it impacts your life.That's how you know you have a good poem on your hands.
The first piece I'd like to talk about is called 'Parade', made by, I believe Cole Swenson. It tells of a group of people walking down a street. All of them are apparently African American and are being escorted by white cops. The parade is also about a certain person, the one writing the poem. As I read this, a can't help but be reminded of the funeral processions of New Orleans. How they too would be about a single person while a group of his/her closest friends escorted them from the church to the graveyard to be buried. "A chance to let, PARADE, the whole world see, PARADE, old black me!" This phrase helped conclude my theory on what the poem is about, or at least it helped paint a picture for my imagination. If nothing else, it's a wonderful piece that helps set the mood and create a setting out of nowhere.
This is one of the many pieces in this packet that has really helped my understanding of the poetry world. It's deep, understanding, sets the mood, and it makes one think of the possible message the poem is trying to get through. After all, just because I interpreted the piece in this manner, doesn't mean that this is the real message. But it does not matter if the assumption is right or not. The only thing that really matters in a poem is how much it makes you think and how well it impacts your life.That's how you know you have a good poem on your hands.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Intro
LOOK AT THIS BLOG!! ISN'T IT AMAZING?!? Anyway, I'm Andy and this is my creative writing blog. Thrill as I write randomness and my thoughts for the whole world to see. So basically my facebook, but for class topics. More to come soon. Later...
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