Wednesday,
May 7,1997
6
j Poet-in-residence Diane Frank shares ideas
CINDY HINES KURFMAN
Copy Editor
Poet, screenwriter and dancer Diane
Frank read from her upcoming book,
The Winter Life of Shooting Stars, and
her last book of poetry, The All Night
Yemenite Cafe, to an audience of
about 40 people in the McLoughlin
Theater last Thursday evening.
Frank came as a part of the con­
tinuing poet-in-residerice series that
began at Clackamas five years ago.
In addition to the poetry reading, she
led a writing workshop for ten people
on Friday morning and a "brown-
bag" poetry discussion on Friday at
noon:
She describes her poetry style as
"nonlirifcar," "imagistic" and full of
"magical realism."
"I owe this [imagistic poems] to the
language poets. But they don't go far
enough," Frank insisted. "There
needs to be some sort of transforma­
tion before you get off the page." ,
Rather than conforming to a linear
style of poetry, Frank said, "I think
we have,to work with what's in us." ,
In her "dreamlike" poem "Para­
chute," Frank's narrator says "the
erotic is in the shadows." So it is with
Diane Frank
came to
Clackamas as
a part of the
poet-in-
residence
series that
began at the
college five
years ago.
She describes
her poetry as
"nonlinear."
CHRISTINA MUELLER / Clackamas Print
her poetry. Many of the po.ertis she.
read had lovers as the main characters.
"I have aproblem with attachment to
people, explained Frank, who is a Bud­
dhist." (Buddists believe in letting go
of all attachments.)
Even in her poem, "Inseminating the
Cows," that the San Francisco trans­
plant said she wrote to shock her fellow
Iowans, has this erotic shadow. The
poem seems to be about,the loy.e life, of
cows and bulls until the very end. Then,
suddenly, the narrator is wondering
whether the farmer who artificially in­
seminates the cows "would make as
good a father for human babies." The
farmer, in turn, is wondering about the
narrator and "the shapes of everything
inside my white Victoria's Secret night­
gown." .
Frank says that "with every poem,
there's.text and subtext." In this case,
the relationship between the cows and
the farmer forms the text and the rela­
tionship between the farmer and the
narrator forms the subtext. Frank
achieves her necessary transformation
by the end of the poem.
Another technique Frank uses in her
poetry is the repetition of words and
phrases.
For instance, "The Winter Life of
Shooting Stars" repeats the image of
sunflowers.
"Black arid White Photograph" also re­ Diane Frqnk
peats this image, describing "sunflow­
p visits
ers lit from within."
Clackamas]
During the qiiestion-and-answer pe­
riod at the end of the reading, Ehglish
• In addition
Instructor Diane Averill asked Frank
to Diane
about this repetition.
Frank's
"Do you find that the -sunflowers
reading on
Thursday
yield up différent meanings each time
night, she led
you writs about them?" she inquired.
a writing
"Yes," Frarik-replied. "William Carlos
Williams said, 'We're writing the same . workshop
Friday
poem all our life.'"
morning and a
One of the same poerns Frank said
presentation
she continues to write every winter is
on "The
"a crazy poem." She said that these
Cross­
more dreamlike poems help her get
Fertilization
thfough thédreary Iowà winters. They
of the Arts."
are her transformation .
• Diane
In "The Winter Life of Shooting
Frank's book,
Stars," written in five parts, one. of
The Winter Life
Frank's dreamlike images is "teaching
of Shooting
Stars will be
children how to swim in the belly of a
available soon
whale with a glass window."
through Blue
In addition to Iowa imagery, Frank
Light Press, PO
uses images from her travels to the
B
o x 6 4 2 ,
Middle East, Nepal and" Ireland. She
Fairfield, Iowa
calls her work "ecumenical" since she
52556 for $10,
draws from different cultures arid reli­
plus $1.50 for
gions in her writing.
shipping and
"The word I resent the most is 'only',"
handling.
she concluded.
English Class attends theatrical presentation
BECKY BIGGS
Contributing ‘Writer
So what does the theme song from
Gilligan's Island and William Shakes­
peare have in common? .
A lot when it comes to the Tygre's
Heart production of the "Comedy of
Errors," now running through June 1
at the Portland Center for the Perform­
ing Arts.
Last week, David Mount's Shakes­
peare class took a "field trip" to see.
the "Comedy of Errors" on stage... .
This wonderful .rendition of the being mixed up by the townspeople as
"Comedy of Errors" puts• a modern: Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse.
twist on the classic play. Instead of .These, identify mix-ups are what the
"Ephesus" being far pff m the Middle '’Comedy of Errors" is all about.
East, if is a New England fishing vil­
- This production takes the confusion
lage; . \
out of Shakespeare and adds even
One set of twin brothers, more surprises and laughs than the
Antipholus .and, Drom.io, have, been original text offers. Although the
separated at birth and arer nbjty! lo6k- Shakespearean purist might find that
ing for their father. Their father, the production sways from the text
Egeon, has been sentenced to die for .slightly, this play is a must see for the
■being a Syracusian ip Ephestis. He novice and the expert alike.
must obtain a larger sumofmoney'as
For more information call the Tygres
ransom .or meet his end. Meanwhile, Heart Shakespeare Company at (503)
Antipholus,ahdDrpnrio of EpheSus are 202-9220 or any Fastixx.
Jitters/CCC Cafeteria
'Datf / jumi me
L
Last Friday ten teams competed in the Ford/AAA Student Auto
Skills National Quality Care Clallenge, better known as the
annual Auto Troubleshoot. The competition was held in the
courtyard between the Community Center and Barlow Hall.
Nine schools competed. They attempted to find ten bugs,
which represent automotive problems, in each of the ten 1997
Ford Escorts within 90 minutes. Vale High School won the
contest and will compete ip the national level contest in
Washington DC in June, thé two-member team from Canby
High School came in second place. Canby students Chris
Storlie and Justin Steeves, both 17, will receive a second place
trophy, a one-term Clackamas Automotive Scholarship (Valued
at $500), wrench sets, flashlights and T-shirts. Mountain View
High School came in third.
Over 100 spectators cheered the teams on and looked at the
unique Ford cars on display.