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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 1997)
The Clackamas Print Wednesday, January 22,1997 Feature Former Clackamas student receives Albee honor Joel Shempert Staff writer to all of us. He’s a very good guy-” Widerberg, however, throws Jacob Juntunen, a Clackamas alumnus who is currently attend the praise back in Juntunen’s ing Reed College, has received the court. “You’ve really got to admire rare honor of being accepted for Pulitzer Prize-winner Edward his stick-to-it-iveness. He’s a tal Albee’s playwriting class at the ented young man,” says University of Houston, Texas. Of Widerberg. Juntunen has received a lot the approximately 300 writers who apply yearly for the renowned of training from many instructors playwright’s class, only 20 are ac in the Clackamas English Depart cepted, making Juntunen a mem ment, which helped bring him to this point. ber of a select LL--------------------- “The creative group. writing teachers Juntunen is You’ve really got to may not have no stranger to admire his stick-to- helped me directly such accolades, [to be accepted in however. While it-iveness. He’s a Albee’s class], attending talented young but they certainly Clackamas last man. year, his accep -Allen Widerberg improved my writ- ing,” affirms tance at Reed English Instructor Juntunen. College was a tes- ____________ » The story of tament of both Juntuhen’s accep Juntunen’s abun dant natural talent and of the for tance in Edward Albee’s class is midable training and support he interesting and humorous, as received in his years here at the Juntunen relates. “Last winter, during the flood, college. He will now continue to build on the wisdom his instruc when Mr. Albee was here [at Clackamas] I attended his tors bestowed upon him. Juntunen testifies to this, ex play writing workshop, and I was plaining that Sue Mach and her very impressed. After that I went play writing class were particularly to his talk, and he mentioned he helpful in preparing for Albee’s taught a class in Houston,” says Juntunen. class. What happened next was the “Alan Widerberg also was very encouraging. He was the one pivotal moment “Afterwards,” Juntunen who told me to take Sue’s class,” says Juntunen. “Also he was very says, grinning, “I was the obnox encouraging in the Writers’ Club ious person in the front row who said, ‘how does one get into your play writing class?’ And he looked at me. He made eye contact. It was one of the most terrifying ex periences of my life.” His initiative payed off, how ever. “He asked me, ‘are you speaking practically or theoreti cally?’ I shook, I quivered and I said, ‘practically.’ And he said, ‘write a play and send it to me. If I like it, you’ll be in,’” says Juntunen. Of course, success did not come effortlessly. It was then he began the long process of writing and revising a play to send to Albee. Sue Mach’s playwriting class, which Juntunen took last spring, was instrumental in this. Seventeen drafts later a play was forged, and the culmination of Juntunen’s work came when his play, entitled “Where Hebrus Wanders,” was read before Alan Widerberg and the Writers’ Club, including Sue Mach, for their re action. “I was very worried that they’d be bored, but they weren’t. They laughed in the right spots and said, ‘aww’ in the right spots, and that went very nicely,” con fides Juntunen. The play was then ready to send to Albee. After waiting with baited breath for about two weeks, news of his acceptance reached Juntunen’s eager ears. Some adjustment will have to be made in Juntunen’s life to ac commodate this tremendous op portunity. Having virtually no knowledge of what Albee’s class will entail (aside from the obvious), Juntunen will have to approach the experience with a flexible mind set. He is, however, prepared. “I feel confident, more or less, as a playwright,” says Juntunen, LL I feel confident, more or less, as a playwright. -Jacob Juntunen former student _____________ 55 “and a lot of that’s because of Sue’s class.” Juntunen will making an ad justment of a more concrete na ture as well. His attendance in Albee’s play writing class at the University of Houston will neces sitate a sabbatical from Reed. “When I told my advisors and instructors, their question was am I coming back?” relates Juntunen. There was a concern because, due to their highly challenging courses, Reed College has a high dropout rate. Juntunen reassured them that “Yes, I am coming back.” “I will presumably finish Reed. I suppose if I win a Pulitzer, I might not, but otherwise yes,” he adds with a sly smile. Juntunen sees this as an op portunity both for learning and for finding a direction for his life and talents. “I had been writing in all the genres and that was getting tir ing,” Juntunen confides. He found himself continually starting poems and stories and never finishing them. Now, with a more narrow bent on play writing, he hopes to be more productive. “I doubt if I’ll stop writing po etry or short stories or whatever. But this at least has, to me, a kind of focus,” explains Juntunen. Juntunen also considers this a career opportunity. “Having a reference letter [from Edward Albee] could open a lot of theater doors. The hard est part is just getting stuff read a lot of times.... If you wrote ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ but no one read it, it wouldn’t matter,” Juntunen observes. Juntunen’s tenacity and per sistence, to say nothing of his skill and Clackamas experience, are likely to take him far in the pursuit of his dreams. It is his undauntable spirit which gave him this opportunity in the first place. “When I asked the question about his class, a lot of people said, ‘Why did you ask that?’ and thought it was egotistical,” Juntunen recalls. “I will admit, I have a slight desire to say ‘I told you so,’ but more than that, I want to tell people not to listen to dis couragement. Just keep trying.” Forensics team has secret weapon Dan Clark Staff Writer When Clackamas speaking guru Brian Everest first transferred to the campus two years ago, he “didn’t want anyone to know” he was good at competitive speaking in high school. Now a cornerstone in the college’s division-leading foren sics team, Everest has to live with the fact that his name is well known on the team and through out the division. He’s good, and he can deal with people knowing that. Everest capped last season, his first at Clackamas, with a trip to the two-year college national tour nament. He competed in four events there. Looking forward to this season, Everest said, “For nationals, I want to do more for the team. I hope to compete in enough events so the team can receive points in each event.” Still, he admits his events and speeches need work. “I need to revise a lot of my speeches for the rest of the sea son. I’m changing a little bit of the style of some of them,” said Everest. What keeps Everest and stu dents like him returning to com petitive speaking and the foren sics program? “I’m a real competitive per son,” Everest explained. “I see someone do something and, if I think that I can do it, I want to do it better. Especially if I see some one do it badly.” Photo by Joel Coreson Speech competitor Brian Everest has helped the Clackamas forensics team soar to first place this year. The Clackamas Forensics team, guided by competitors like Everest, has soared to first place in its division. The new year brings new tournaments and new ideas to the members of the team. “I think every speaker is anx ious and competitive in their own way,” Everest commented. Everest and the rest of the Clackamas team are not shy about their sport. They are ready to prove their worth at every tourna ment, no matter how large the com petition may be. PORTLAND WINTER H Jitter's/Clackamas Community College cafeteria
