______ 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!!!!