Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 19, 1999)
______ 13 Established poet shares Retro Viva offers smashingly trendy poems, advice with college TI he CL ac I camas P rínt Wednesday, May 19, 1999 clothes, accessories Viva la Retro! Or is it Retro Viva? In this particular case, it’s both... Retro Viva is, to simply put it, simply awe some. While this store isn’t really new to me, I am sure that there are readers out there who have yet to venture into Retro Viva because it is hid den on that upscale, preten tious street known as NW 23rd. It’s toward the very end of the popular shopping strip and easy to miss, since it is upstairs in a small com plex divided into two levels. In fact, if it weren’t for the sign advertising the store on the sidewalk, I probably never would have discov ered it myself. Small but lushly decorated in neon colors, the store has a the plush carpet and a cir cular leather loveseat/sofa, which were the first things I noticed. Next, your eyes are bound to wander to either the accessory case (which every good vintage store will offer its shoppers) where sparkly baby barrettes, shades, cigarette lighters and cigarette cases are dis played, or to the sales clerk, who will most likely give you a friendly once-over. Next to the circular leather loveseat/sofa are both guys and gals’ shoes, and what awesome shoes they are! Not recycled but definitely in style, Retro Viva has a lim ited selection of reasonably priced shoes that range from prom attire to extreme com fort gear. What about the clothes? Well, this store’s got it all! Dresses, pants, skirts, shorts, T-shirts, tank tops; fleece, flannel, silk, camouflage, leather....the list goes on and on. To add a little icing to the cake, there are both old and new styles for sale. It only makes sense that the used clothes are cheaper than the new, but all in all, every thing is reasonably priced at Retro Viva. Luckily this is a store for both guys and girls, so you can bring your boyfriend or girlfriend along as you make this pit stop. Since Retro Viva is so small and comfy, you’ll be able to keep an eye on your honey as they browse so you can make sure they don’t try on anything too dorky (al though the likelihood is pretty low that anything dorky re sides in this store). The high light of Retro Viva is defi nitely the dressing rooms, so make sure that you actually try something on! I am not going to tell you why, but let’s just say that you’ll get a real kick out of the makeshift seats they use. There’s only so much that can be said about Retro Viva because it is soooo itty bitty, but unlike last week, what can be said is all good. It’s worth fighting the traffic for and hav ing to inch your way into a tiny parking spot a mile away in or der to visit Retro Viva. Plus, you can stop in at 3 Monkeys, 3 More Monkeys, Monkey Wear, Urban Outfitters.. .the list just goes on and on. In case you haven’t noticed, there is a definite theme with NW 23rd street—it’s absolutely fabu lous! 7"Z/£ CI ac /< amas P rìnt The student newspaper of Clackamas Community College The opinions expressed in The Clackamas Print do not necessarily reflect those of the student body, college administration, its faculty, or The Clackamas Print JEREMY STALLWOOD Feature Editor Over 175 people crammed into a small portion of the Gregory Fo rum to hear Pulitzer Prize winning author Yusef Komunyakaa read his poetry. Komunyakaa read a variety of his poems, from his earlier work in spired by his growing up in Loui siana to his later experiences in Vietnam. Currently, he is working on abook-length poem on Vietnam, the character of which Komunyakaa said he “lived with for a year.” “The character became the flesh on the idea,” said Komunyakaa. Komunyakaa read his poetry with rhythm. There was a pattern to the way he spoke his words, and later he commented to an au dience member’s question. “My rhythm is influenced by jazz.” As the Professor of Creative Writing at Princeton University, Komunyakaa said he does get in spiration from his students. In his classes, he gives each student an individual, personal assignment, which he says informs him on his own work. Advice that Komunyakaa gives to beginning writers is to 1) write, and 2) to read. But in reading, he said, read all types of literature, in cluding mythology, science texts and history. He also stressed that it was important to focus on the vi sual and musical arts as well as the rhythms of language. They are all connected. Komunyakaa’s book Neon Ver nacular won the Pulitzer Prize in 1994. When he heard the news, he couldn’t allow himself to think about it because he had a class to teach. But within half the time of the class, a re porter came and inter rupted the workshop, asking for comments and reactions. News travels fast. Neon Vernacular is dedicated to Komunyakaa’s grand mother, Mary, and he was asked about what inspi ration she gave him. Komunyakaa said that back in 1981 he went back to Louisiana and spent time listening to his grandmother’s stories. Her voice and her tales were his inspiration. The event was successful and many people stayed past the hour and asked questions. Komunyakaa was friendly and in formative. Later that evening at Portland State University, Komunyakaa gave another reading at 7 p.m. Clackamas’ English Department extends its gratitude for his time. If you want to be depressed, buy Tim McGraw's new CD TIMOTHY A. BELL Photo Editor Do I like it? Do I love it? Naaah! Tim McGraw’s latest country music album A Place in the Sun is an embarrass ment to the man’s talent as a singer and a musician. McGraw’s last three al bums, Everywhere, All I Want and Not a Moment Too Soon each contributed about 10-12 songs which, if they weren’t awesome, then they were at least tolerable. A Place in the Sun, however, contains 14 new titles and only three of them are even worth listening to. Track one is called “The Trouble With Never,” and that song’s biggest and most annoying problem is that the word “never” is used in al most every single line. It also plods with a slow, sad beat that would force anybody into a depressed mood. “She’ll Have You Back” is also another “winner” on this album, mixing cheesy lyrics like “she’ll have you back to drinking in no time” which just plays out the common drinking stereotype that many people associate with country music. McGraw is missing some thing from his music in this new album, because it has a slow and boring nature. Once upon a time, up-lifting songs like “Indian Outlaw” and “Renegade” flowed from McGraw’s guitar and voice, inspiring fun, excite ment and an uplifting mood. Even though he doesn’t have a fast beat, one new song “My Best Friend” is actually rather good. It has a simplis tic but sweet nature to its lyr ics that can just make one imagine his or her self in the position of the singer. The songs “Seventeen” and “My Next Thirty Years” also are pretty decent, and they even have a slight beat to them, which par tially makes up for the rest of the album. A Place in the Sun is defi nitely not Tim McGraw’s best work, but it’s not an entire loss. Anyone who enjoys slow, depressing music by all means should buy it. Hoy! ! ! ! ! ! What aro ya doin' roadin' the paper? °P0ns today, and you're slttin hero reading The P r i nt ? Y ou call yourselves humans? Run to a theater near yon hotore It's tea late!!!!
