Every Tuesday my friends and I attend the open mic night at the Busboys and Poets 14th and V location. As we file into the dimly lit room, with walls covered in murals honoring great artists of color through history, we have the privilege of hearing from a vast array of artists that share their respective talents and works. But the nights I treasure most are when Charity Blackwell hosts the event.
A grey stained plywood dropbox sits atop yellow-lined rusted metal bleachers in the middle of a white wall room. Pick up the pen, attached by cuffed chain links to the side of the box, just next to the entry slot where stories slip into a pile of collective memories. Write a significant moment that occurred around a basketball hoop.
Rainbow Rowell is back with a newly released sequel to her 2015 fiction novel: Carry On. This new book: Wayward Son is thought to be book two of an intended three-part series. The titles are reminiscent of Kansas’ hit song, Carry On Wayward Son, which begs the question of the title of Rowell’s next book. Although the third book begs more questions than it answers, her fans will appreciate any new content she writes, even with a four year waiting time in between the publications.
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn is a New York Times Bestseller, Stephen King-approved thriller that is soon to be a major motion picture. So… why didn't I enjoy it that much?
Dermot Kennedy’s latest release is so polished and breathtaking, it’s easy to forget Without Fear is the Irish singer-songwriter’s first album. Although Dermot has emerged with a more heavily-produced sound in contrast to his two earlier EPs and numerous singles, his poetic lyricism remains a centerpiece of each song and is surprisingly well-complimented by a less folksy tone than fans are used to.
In The Man They Wanted Me to Be, Jared Yates Sexton tells the story of how toxic masculinity played a major role in his life. From the time he was a young boy, all the men in his life, especially his father, pushed the unrealistic pressures of toxic masculinity onto him. Not naturally fitting into the acceptable masculine stereotypes, he felt lost for most of his life and even now fights to not give in to these unrealistic expectations.
The idea of the “spoiler” and all that it entails is pretty new. Famously, Shakespeare’s plays were based off of stories from history that audiences would have been familiar with, and Greek tragedies often laid out the entire plot in the opening dialogue. The term “spoiler” still didn’t connote what it does today until well into the 20th century. Quite famously, The New York Times published an article in 1976 in which George Lucas explained what exactly was going to happen in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope a full year before it was released. So when—and why—did we start caring about spoilers?
This past month I was able to attend a poetry open mic event at DC’s Busboys and Poets. The event featured spoken word poetry from several local poets including any audience members who wished to participate. The reading was hosted by Alexa Patrick- an AU alumnus herself- who shared some of her own works and introduced Ryan Sheppard, also an AU alumnus, as the featured poet. This was the first open mic night that I have ever attended and I was incredibly grateful for the inclusive and welcoming environment that Alexa generated. I shared some of my own poetry and left feeling both validated and well-received. I’ve never spoken at an event before and although the experience was nervewracking, I felt well supported by both the crowd and Alexa. Nearly every audience member shared their writing and Alexa had a generous compliment after each of the poems. The environment of the event certainly contributed to the experience. The ticket was only five dollars and I found this to be more than worth the unbelievable poems. The best part about the open mic night, in my opinion, was the talent within the audience members. Their poetry opened my eyes to new perspectives and their talent amazed me. It reminded me that each individual is capable of creating art, no matter how “mundane” or “normal” they seem. I would highly recommend Busboys and Poets- specifically events hosted by Alexa- for anyone looking for an open mic night.
You know that feeling when you make friends with someone, and at first, it’s lighthearted— you like spending time with them because you laugh a lot together, but then you reach a point where you realize that person is going to be really important to you— that something about them really resonates with you? Well, that’s how it feels to watch Fleabag. At first, I was drawn in by the witty, morally ambivalent, vulgar leading lady and her hilariously dry analysis of hook-up culture, and her almost constant breaking of the fourth wall— but slowly I became enthralled in Fleabag’s exploration of love, guilt, intense female rage, and being a woman in our world— or a person at all.
Why Netflix's Tall Girl missed the mark.
Shakespeare is often praised as a man ahead of his time, producing pieces with subtle, or sometimes even overt, liberal ideology. And while I am not going to try and deny that Shakespeare did have more culturally advanced ideas portrayed through his works (for example, you cannot convince me that Coriolanus is not a deliberate and romantic homoerotic text), I am going to focusing on feminist critique of Shakespeare's plays.
Feature Image: Janaina Tschu00e4pe, Angervat, from the series u201c100 Little Deaths,u201d 2002 Second Image: Rania Matar, Rayven, Miami Beach, Florida, from the series u201cShe,u201d 2019
I am currently taking the class Writers in Print/Person (Lit 215) with Professor Young. If you love literature, I highly recommend taking this class. We study poetry, fiction, memoirs, short stories, and more. The best part of it all is that we get to meet the authors of these works after we’ve read them! It is honestly one of the best classes I have ever taken, and we’re only halfway through the semester.
We at AmLit are dedicated to supporting the budding talents and creations of intelligent, creative, and gifted young artists. Last month, middle and high school students visited campus to showcase their films and projects at the Discover the World of Communication High School Film Fest. The festival winners addressed serious and modern issues, such as activism, gun violence, and sustainability.
Music festivals are the talk of the town right now since there have been some major ones already like Coachella, South by South West, and Ultra Music Festival. While others are fast approaching like the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas. As they become more and more popular, and more music festivals are being created, there has been more of an emphasis on displaying artwork and sculptures. This is something I am personally excited to see. Music and artwork so well together. I particularly love it when I go to an art gallery, and the artists incorporate music sounds and tracks into their art pieces.
With the holy month of Ramadan around the corner, I thought this would be the perfect time to give an overview of what these traditions of fasting and becoming closer to God are like. Muslims fast from sun up to sun down to remind themselves that people out there of various social classes can be suffering more than they are which means that it is important to appreciate what they have and give back to those that are less fortunate. Muslims fast to remain humble about every meal that gets put in front of them, and to constantly be aware that not everyone has the privilege of a warm meal. “I have a friend who fasts to understand what it feels like for poor people… I think [Ramadan] has a few problems for people who are too thin since they can become malnourished.” This is a comment from a student about what they believe Ramadan to be like. When Allah asked Muslims to fast throughout the whole month, he did not intend for their health to deteriorate along the way which is why he permits people that have an illness and continue to take medication to not fast. People that are taking a long trip are also allowed to break their fast due to the time difference.
Explore DC: Poetry Slam Events in the DMV Area
Over spring break, my family and I ventured down to The Whitney Museum of Art on the Lower West Side of Manhattan to see the new exhibit “Andy Warhol- From A to B and Back Again”. It’s a not so hidden treasure that sits on the Hudson River, below the Highline, and neighboring one of the most expensive and vibrant areas of all of Manhattan. Living just a train ride away, on the other side of the East River in Brooklyn, I had been to the Whitney before, but never seen more of Warhol than his most famous works.
Solutions by The State News
