10
A&E
WEdNEsdAy, M ay 10, 2000
D e
n a
TAM OLIVER
Staff Writer
Ntozake Shange, novelist, poet,
playwright and performer, will read
from her award-winning writing
Thursday, May 11 at 7:00 p.m. in
the Gregory Forum.
The reading, free to the public,
is brought to Clackamas Commu
nity College by the English depart
ment and the American Associa
tion of Women in Community Col
leges (AAWCC) as part of their
“Connections” program. It is the
seventh annual reading of the
Clackamas Community College
Writer-in-Residence Series.
The Drama Queens Theatre
Company will perform pieces of
Shange’s choreopoem, For Col-
Was there ever someone in your life
whom you’d known for awhile, but
never really had the chance to get to
know? Well, that was the case when I
went out with my friend of over two
years, James.
5:00 pan. I took a bubble bath, shaved
all the right places and lotioned the
body. I slipped into black lacey push
up bra and bikini panties. I wore black
slack flooder pants, a hot pink tank
top, some body glitter and a hot pink
rose temporary tattoo on my back. I
slid into my beaded thong flip flops
(shoes). I threw some mousse in my
hair, shook it out, put my make-up on
and called me done. (Tip: Where
TD e CI ac I camas P rint
HANCE
ored Girls Who Have
Considered Suicide/
When the Rainbow is
Enuf, rhe following
morning, Friday, May 12
from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Com
munity Center, Room 127. This
work was performed on Broadway
for two years after it opened in
1976. Shange was nominated for a
Tony award for the play and won
an Obie and an Audelco award.
The Drama Queens, who are re
covering from addictions, feel that
their performances are a way they
can give back to the community.
Following their performance,
Shange will lead a discussion
about the healing power of art.
Shange, who integrates poetry,
dance and music in her readings,
7:06 pan. God, I love the smell of
has written four novels, five
books of poetry, and four the
atre pieces.
Shange was born in Trenton,
New Jersey. As a teenager, she at
tended schools in St. Louis, where
she was one of the first court-or
dered students to integrate the
schools. After graduating from
Barnard College in 1970, she
earned her master’s degree at the
University of California, Los An
geles. It was there that she
adopted the Zulu name Ntozake,
which means “she who comes
with her own things,’’and Shange,
which translates as “who walks
like a lion.” It would appear, by
her accomplishments, that she
more than lives up to her African
names.
Ntozake Shange
me to a guy is his eyes, you know they
are a gateway to the soul? Well, espe
cially, blue eyes, woo hoo!!
7:32 p.m. We arrive at Old Chicago.
We go inside; the hostess asks where
we want to sit We decide to sit at a
booth; it is more secluded. I saw Paul
Creighton, the vice president of ASG.
After we walked past him James asked
whoitwas. I told him. Then he asked
if I dated him. Guysaresojunny! You
say hi to someone of the opposite sex
and they automatically assume you
dated them. I told
him no I didn’t.
question to answer a question, not a
good sign. I told him I’d heard he had
and also that he had a daughter. He
said no he’d never been married. He’d
lived with agiri; o.k. no shocker, I think
most people have. He said yes he has
a daughter, she’s three years old. Wow!
You’d think I’d know about that by
now. Maybe, it’s not just information
he wishes to divulge freely. Oh well.
He told me her name and how he and
her mom met He told me how they
don’t get along very well. I told him a
little about my life-my first serous rela
tionship of really being in love. (Tip:
leather. He just got himself a black
leather sofa. There’s knock on the door.
It’s his neighbor. She came to check
out his new decor. Fabulous, we’ll be
leaving even later. He asked her if she
remembered Salena. She said "Is she
one of those hog-sweat girls?" What
the hell is that suppose to mean? I
take it as an insult
He turned her
Diary is the
(Tip: Try to give
around to face me
the date all your at
and she turned
a
tention, avoid un
beet-red
and
started busting up
necessary ques
tions.)
laughing. O.k. it
student's dating
wasn’t that funny,
7:36 p.m. A waiter
escapades.
make-up is concerned find out what but I’ve got to say,
came to take our
season you are and get make-up that to see her embar
orders.
We
defines your characteristics—in my rassment
was
weren’t ready.
case I’m a Fall, the more earthy tones, worth it. She said she didn’t mean
James went through the beer list be
browns and neutrals.)
that. Ofcourse,shedid. She then said
cause he wanted a dark beer. He or
5:45pan. I’mreadytogo. (Tip: Never ' 'You’ve got to admit Chief, (what she
dered a black port. UGH! I settled for
a blue daquiri. UMMM Good!
arrive too early for a date-you may calls James), you’ve brought home
seem too anxious.)
7:45 pjn. We ordered chicken fettucini
some real winners." Ilovethe sarcasm.
alfredo. We found out it was our fa
6:15p.m. IleftmyhouseinMolallain They then got into this conversation
vorite food. A common bond. Yes! I
my 1987 Mitsubishi Galant and drove about the Shakespearean Era. Are we
out to 82nd rocking to Jammin 95.5.
love it when I find I have things in
going to leave in this lifetime? O.k.
common with guys. I love sports, so
7:02 p.m. I walked down the sidewalk She’s leaving.
does he. Football and softball are my
as James walked out of his apartment., 7:20 pm. Now, I have the chance to
two favorite sports. We started talk
He greeted me with a hug. We went check him out He looks fab in those
ing about our lives because I never
into his apartment to create a plan of slacks not to mention the blue eyes.
really had the time to talk to him be
action on what we wanted to do. (Tip: I’ve known him for a little over two
TYy to have a plan, before the date if years, like I said, but you never really
cause there was always someone else
crunched for time; if not, being spon notice someone you consider a friend.
around. I asked him ifhe’d ever been
taneous always works for me.)
So any way the first thing that attracts married. He asked why I asked that A
Date
true account of
Clackamas
M aster of sonnets
Vikrem Seth, a world-renowned novelist from Calcutta, In
dia, is set to read at Clackamas on Wed. May 17 in CC127
from 1-3 p.m. He will share selections from his latest novel An
Equal Music. Born in India in 1952, Seth attended Oxford
University and Stanford University.
He left Stanford to become a Stegner Fellow in Creative
Writing from 1977-78, and in 1980 began to study classical
Chinese poetry and languages at Nanjing University. Seth's
first novel The Golden Gate is composed of 690 satirical son
nets about the romance life of young professionals in 1980's
San Francisco.
Seth has been compared with the literary likes of George
Eliot, Goethe, Tolstoy and Dickens. Seth's work will be avail
able for purchase at the reading.
Try not to bring up the past, it may
hinder the future. However, some
things you may need to know.)
8:30 p.m. The meal was excellent. He
paid. (Tip: Just in case, make sure you
bring some extra cash.) I’ve paid for
so long it’s a nice change to have some
one treat me. We went to a store to
bring some drinks home. Wegotsome
Blackberry Heffenweiser, which he paid
for. Damn, he was really earning some
brownie points. We went to Fred
Meyer because he wanted a DVD
movie. He asked if I’d ever seen it. I
saidno. He made it his mission to en-
sure that I did. But to no avail because
they didn’t have the movie and nei
ther did Hollywood Video. He took
my hand as we walked out the doors.
Oh how sweet.
9:12p.m. We’rebackathisplace. He
turns on the T. V. TTiere is this show on
that is like a documentary on erotic
shows all over the world. Oh my God,
I was busting up. I was laughing so
hard. There was this show in England
that had 600-pound guys doing strip
teases. TTiere were women that were
just going wild over it. I couldn’t help
but laugh. James wanted to turn it, but
he said he couldn’t it was just too
funny.
9:30 p.m. We were slowly scooting
closer. Eventually, he took my hand.
He brought his fingers to my lips and
kissed each individual one. That is so
prime. Sensual, sweet things like this
are so much more to me as a woman
than anything else. Then we kissed.
000HHH, that was nice. Heaven
help me.
9:45 pan. He asked if I wanted to stay
the night. This was no big deal be
cause my friends and I always kicked
it there, after parties. However, this
was different, we were alone
10:00 pan. Things started to get a little
hot. Conscience started invading. To
stay or to go, that is the question. I
decided it was time for me to go. He
kissed me one last time and I left.
We got to know each other a lot
more that night and even found we
liked each other. We have a lot in com-
monandmaybethatcangrow.butl’m
leaving my options open for now and
I know he is too. Once hurt by people
of the opposite sex, which we found
we both had been, you no longer trust
them as easily. Any way, James and I
see each other often and talk still. Un
til next week...Enjoy life...Be
happy...Havefun. (Tips are meant for
entertainmentpurposes only and are
advice from my real life experiences.)