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(03/22/04 4:21am)
Before any jokes or tricks, David Copperfield had the audience at the IU Auditorium March 11 close their eyes and picture the place they would most like to travel. He announced that for one audience member that night, the dream of traveling to that special place would come true.\nCopperfield began the show by passing through steel. He laid flat on a platform underneath the large steel sheet and was covered by a cape. When the cape was removed, Copperfield was on the other side of the steel.\n"The show was fantastic," said audience member Lisa Arthur. "This is my third time seeing him, and it's always very entertaining."\nOne surprising facet of the show was Copperfield's interaction with the audience. The action on the stage was never stagnant, except for a slow point in the show where the famed magician showed the audience videos of his most rabid fans. The video sequence was supposed to feed into the next trick, which never occurred. But Copperfield constantly fed the audience one-liners, throwing Frisbees, beach balls and even pickles to choose his volunteers. At one point, a woman from the audience grabbed his backside as he led her to the stage. He laughingly brushed it off. \n"He's definitely a showman," said audience member Lou Harris. "The show was a family thing."\nBetty Rynard, another attendee, agreed.\n"I liked the humor best," Rynard said.\nAs an introduction to "The Lottery," Copperfield spoke about his grandfather.\n"It was always his dream to win the lottery," Copperfield said. "He would play the numbers from his cars' license plates. He always said if he won, he would buy a 1948 Lincoln convertible."\nFor the illusion, Copperfield chose random audience members to pick lottery numbers. After everyone had picked, he revealed his prediction. It was an exact match to what the audience members had picked. To prove the legitimacy of the prediction, he brought out two license plates which he'd supposedly made before the show. They were also an exact match. As a topper, he produced a 1948 Lincoln convertible out of thin air. \n"I drive a Lincoln ... I would've liked to have that car," Rynard said. "And I'd like some lottery numbers, too."\nThen came the show's grandest illusion. Christened "Reunion" by Copperfield, it involved picking a boy from the audience and reuniting him with his father in Hawaii. The magician was supposed to magically transport himself and the boy to a remote Hawaiian beach. Cameras were set up on the supposed Hawaiian beach, broadcasting live to the audience. Copperfield asked for an audience member to write the letters B and L on his right arm. He took the boy onto a platform above the audience, and from behind a curtain came an explosion of smoke, signaling their disappearance.\nThey reappeared in front of the cameras on the beach. The boy's father was near the water and embraced his son. While they ran laughing along the shore, Copperfield held his arm up to the camera: the B and L were there in large dark letters.\nCopperfield returned to the platform somehow and showed himself to the audience amid a wave of applause. The show was over, but didn't officially end until after the encore, when Copperfield made 13 audience members disappear.\n-- Contact staff writer Daniel Castro at dacastro@indiana.edu.
(03/11/04 5:01am)
They say humans can't walk through steel. David Copperfield, world renowned as the "King of Magic," invites you to see for yourself tonight, at 6:30 p.m. and again at 9:30 p.m. at the IU Auditorium as part of his "An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion" tour. \nAll tickets sold today will be $10. This applies to all tickets sold only today for all sections of the Auditorium at the IU Auditorium Box Office.\nCopperfield's illusion, "Man Versus Steel," is one among several stunning exhibitions. Central to the show's theme is the subject of audience members reaching their dreams. "Reunion" is an experience where Copperfield allows an audience member to make a reconciliation with a loved one -- no matter where on the planet that loved one may be. The magician supposedly transports the audience member to their loved one's location, anywhere from Bloomington to Beijing. \n"'Grand Illusion' was partly inspired by an unfulfilled wish of my grandfather's that a lot of people share -- winning the lottery and finally owning that one special thing you always dreamed of," Copperfield said in a press release.\nThis will be Copperfield's third show at IU. Audience members at his past two shows have been surprised to find how involved they feel during the performance and how entertaining Copperfield's personality really is. \nDoug Booher, IU Auditorium director, attended both shows.\n"The show is a lot like what you see on TV," Booher said. "He (Copperfield) talks personally with the audience, giving them a little about his background and where he grew up. He is funny."\nF. Kathleen Foley of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "To pull off a production this huge, you've got to have an out-sized talent … But (David Copperfield)'s effectively low-key style plays counterpoint to his large scale effects. In fact, those who have never seen Copperfield perform before will be startled by just how funny he is…" \nBut let's face it, the audience is there for the tricks. In "Killer," the great magician faces off with a lethal black scorpion. "The Lottery" is currently Copperfield's "favorite illusion," one in which he teaches an audience member how to win the lottery. There is also, of course, "Thirteen," Copperfield's most highly requested creation, where thirteen audience members are chosen randomly and vanish.\n"What's great about magic is that it's for all ages," Booher said. "For the young, it brings wonder; for the old, a renewed sense of the inexplicability of things, of mystery. I was a skeptic at his first show, and was completely amazed."\nCopperfield's own philosophy on magic is somewhat of a turn from conventional public opinion.\n"I think magic has always been thought of as an emotionless entertainment form," he said in an e-mail. "I want people to really connect with their emotions ... At some shows, people have cried (after the "Reunion" experience) and that's what I want to evoke, those emotions deep inside."\nTickets are available through Ticketmaster or the IU Auditorium, ranging from $22 to $42 with a $10 discount for IU students. For more information, call (812) 855-1103.\n-- Contact staff writer Daniel Castro at dacastro@indiana.edu.
(12/12/03 5:53am)
The Bloomington chapter of the Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project will host two benefit concerts tonight. The first will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. at Rhino's All Ages Club, featuring the bands Mt. Gigantic, The Door Keys and Sex Tiger. The second begins at 10 p.m. at Vertigo, with Turn Pale, John Wilkes Booze, Bobby Conn and Puppy Vs. Dyslexia. Admission to both shows is $6 without a book donation, $4 with one.\nBoxcar Books and Community Center Inc., a local independent bookstore, has coordinated the Bloomington MPPP chapter since 2002. The project sends books to prisons in the Midwest free-of-charge. \n"Access to reading materials is one of the most important things you can give people," said Corinna Manion, a member of the Boxcar Board Directors and the coordinator for the project in Bloomington. "It's an important right, and since (the inmates') access to the prison libraries is often limited, I feel like this is one of the most tangible things I can do from the outside."\nThe MPPP has been in operation since 1996. \nIt depends on donated books and monetary donations to send up to 175 books per week, responding directly to nearly 100 of the inmates' requests. Highly requested subjects include dictionaries and reference materials, African-American studies, American Studies, Vocational studies, and Criminal Law. The project encourages rehabilitation and self-education among inmates.\n"Rehabilitation is one of our main goals," Manion said. "We get lots of letters from prisoners saying how we helped them get through their time. Some have written how, because of our project, they have been able to rethink their lives."\nPaul, a Bloomington resident and Pages to Prisoners volunteer for two and a half years, commented on the way prisoners are treated. \n"The prisoners are locked up and forgotten about, treated like monsters," Paul, who preferred not to give his last name, said. "It's not rehabilitation. Pages to Prisoners is a step towards rehabilitation."\nHans Sherrer handles The MPPP through the Prison Legal News. \n"Pages for Prisoners is one of the best things going (for prisoners)," Sherrer said. "In some places, inmates aren't paid for their work, and prison libraries are often deficient. Pages for Prisoners is often the only other access they have to books."\nBut in regard to the project's goals toward rehabilitation, Sherrer was not wholly convinced.\n"It certainly doesn't hurt," Sherrer said of the project. "Prisoners get insight and exposure to things from the outside. But you never know what helps someone change."\nIn response to critics of the program who might say inmates are in prison for a reason and should not be afforded added comfort, Manion and Sherrer both remarked that 95 percent of prisoners are later released. \n"Most prisoners are non-violent offenders, like those arrested for drug possession and property damage," Manion said. "Just by being in prison they get this rap for being monsters, the worst of the worst. And for the rapists and murderers, it takes an act of looking inside yourself for forgiveness."\nSherrer said the project can help prisoners change in a positive way.\n"The punishment is being sent to prison; it isn't given at prison," Sherrer said. "Over 95 percent of prisoners are released. What kind of people do we want to come out? Someone that's bitter and maybe dangerous, or someone that's changed for the better? Projects like this make better people."\n-- Contact staff writer Daniel Castro at dacastro@indiana.edu.
(11/24/03 5:38am)
Former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Donald Gregg offered insight to U.S. relations with North Korea over the past decade and expressed his discontent with the current Bush administration in a speech delivered to the Bloomington community Wednesday.\nGregg, also the former national security adviser to then-Vice President George H. W. Bush from 1982 to 1989, delivered his speech to a packed audience at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., Wednesday evening. The event was co-presented by the IU East Asian Studies Center.\nGregg retired from a 42-year career in government, including service in the CIA, in 1993. That year he was awarded the CIA's highest possible recognition -- the Distinguished Intelligence Medal. He served as South Korean Ambassador from 1989 to 1993. \n"I saw (George H.W.) Bush deal with everyone from Margaret Thatcher to the emperor of Japan," Gregg said. \nAlthough he expressed his abiding loyalty to the elder Bush, he did not mince words when it came to the younger. Gregg's displeasure with the current administration was evident from the beginning of the lecture. \n"I'm not sure who I'll vote for in the coming elections," he said, "but I hope it's someone that'll do a better job with North Korea than our current president."\nGregg said he felt the Clinton administration made more progress, though limited, with North Korea. He said once during the Clinton administration, then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visited North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang and had a "very long and constructive talk with him."\nHe said Kim Jong Il even invited Clinton to visit North Korea after the meeting, though Clinton didn't take up the offer. He said the door was still open to Bush when he took office in 2001. But Bush was completely opposed, he said.\n"When (George W.) Bush came into office, he had a five-man hate list," Gregg said. "These were men he wanted nothing to do with, men he would rather blow out of the water than negotiate with."\nIncluded on the list were ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Kim Jong Il, among others. \nBush and his advisers were more interested in preempting against these men and their countries than negotiating with them, Gregg said.\nIn retirement, Gregg is still involved with foreign affairs. He serves as chairman of the Korea Society in New York and visited a North Korean general in Pyongyang after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to discuss U.S. relations with the country. \nHe described the Korean military officials as warm and receptive. Gregg said he disagrees with the negative perceptions Americans have of the North Korean leader. \n"Vladimir Putin called Kim Jong Il a very modern person," Gregg said. "George Bush called him a pygmy."\nHe claimed North Koreans were simply reacting to American hostility because they were shocked at Bush's criticisms of their leader, he said.\n"The problem is that North Korea feels vitally threatened by the U.S.," Gregg said. "They're afraid we want to blow them out of the water."\nPete Lenzen, an audience member who served with the United Nations in North Korea from 1982-1986 said he was impressed with Gregg. \n"His speech was incredibly insightful, although I thought his personal dislike for Bush distracted from the larger view," Lenzen said. "I definitely agree we should be more pragmatic."\nSophomore Charlie Denison said he also enjoyed the event. \n"The ambassador spoke not only about what could be but what is," Denison said. "His experience made his words seem more reliable." \nGregg said the event was a success.\n"The whole day has been terrific, the audience has been great," he said.\nDespite past frustrations, he said he has not yet given up hope for reconciliation between the United States and North Korea.\n"Problems (with North Korea) could be worked out within two years," he said, "if the U.S. administration is willing to negotiate"
(11/13/03 7:10am)
A report co-authored by IU mineralogy professor David Bish and Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists recently made a case for Yucca Mountain, Nev., as the site for a new federal repository. The repository would serve as a permanent storage location for 70,000 metric tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste. \nPublished in American Mineralogist, the report will serve as the centerpiece for the U.S Department of Energy's proposal to Congress for a license to build the repository. The research itself was funded by the department, more directly by the tax on nuclear power users.\n"The paper was a summary of about 20 years of research by my co-authors and I," Bish said. "It presents the most complete picture yet of the mineralogy of Yucca Mountain in a way that the public can get at it and form their own opinion."\nAbhijit Basu, chair of the IU Department of Geological Sciences, commented on the significance of the research.\n"We cannot just put our nuclear waste anywhere," Basu said. "We will have big problems if we cannot find a way to store it. Yucca Mountain figures to be one of the least unsafe places to contain the waste."\nThe report found that Yucca Mountain is rich in minerals that would assist in containing the waste. Yucca Mountain rocks are rife with zeolites -- soft minerals that easily absorb great amounts water. This water would then absorb the heat generated by the radioactive materials, providing an outlet for that energy.\n"We need to continue to emphasize the natural barriers for the radioactive material, such as the zeolites, as well as the man-made barriers," Bish said. \nThe opportunity to conduct extensive research like Bish's is not what all professors consider the greatest benefit of their profession. However, in most science departments, research is often the best way to apply education. Petrology professor Robert Wintsch stressed the positive impact research has on students.\n"Research in our field allows students to know what significant geological issues are, as well as understanding that environmental issues can be addressed by looking at rocks," Wintsch said. \nBish said his greatest satisfaction comes from the classroom.\n"I enjoy the classroom more than anything, but in research you're able to appreciate why you know certain things. You apply your knowledge, and that's why it's so beneficial to students," Bish said. "If all you did was take classes all your life, it would be pretty dry -- especially in science."\nSome students in the geological sciences department, like graduate student Kat Nell, argue their professors don't get the recognition they deserve. \n"There are a lot of professors working on stuff at the international level," Nell said.\nNell said a group of their seismologists are going to Venezuela to install an array of seismographs. She also said Basu collaborates research with NASA, among others. \n"The main problem is that we're just not very visible to people on campus," she said, "though we're trying to change that."\nThe department chair, however, isn't troubled by the lack of exposure.\n"It's true that our researchers may not garner much publicity, but that's not necessarily a bad thing," Basu said. "University professors do not advertise themselves. They do not want to be misrepresented -- especially to their peers."\nIn the meantime, Basu is pleased with the success of the department's newcomer. Bish has been with IU since August.\n"As a chair, I have very high hopes for professor Bish," Basu said. "He has the potential to receive a great amount of national and international recognition."\n-- Contact staff writer Daniel Castro at dacastro@indiana.edu.
(11/05/03 4:33am)
Twenty-three deadly monks are headed for IU. The Shaolin Warriors, a troupe of authentic Shaolin martial arts masters, will display their unique style of kung fu at the IU Auditorium at 8 p.m. tonight.\nDoug Booher, the IU Auditorium director, said the show would be one of the highlights of the auditorium season.\n"The audience should arrive expecting a rare glimpse into the rich culture of the world's most skilled and deadly martial artists as they rely on years of training and deep meditation to carry out ancient rituals," Booher said.\nThe origin of the Shaolin fighting style dates back to 525 A.D., when a Buddhist monk from India named Ta Mo founded the Chinese Shaolin Temple. It was during China's violent feudal war period, however, that the unique Shaolin kung fu method was developed. The early monks needed to defend themselves, and formulated wushu, an attack-and-defense method blending Zen meditation with the quick movements of animals.\nGuo Lei, spokesman and interpreter for the Shaolin Warriors troupe, said the show would not consist merely in stunts and choreography. \n"We wanted audiences to understand more about kung fu. The performance will present the daily life of a Shaolin monk, and will show the training students go through to become Shaolin monks," Lei said.\nIn present-day China, the Shaolin Temple is revered as one of the nation's most cherished institutions. The monks train assiduously with each of the temple's 18 traditional weapons and choose one to achieve mastery with. Among the weapons displayed in the show are cudgels, swords, daggers, whips, axes and three-section staffs. A highlight of the show is the monks' demonstration of the completely absorbed mental state known as Samadhi, in which they are able to sustain extreme amounts of discomfort or pain.\n"Every astonishing act seen in video games or movies they did, only with no special effects to support them and much less padding to soften their landing," wrote Margaret Putnam of The Dallas Morning News after The Shaolin Warriors performed in Dallas in October.\nWith all the inconceivable feats the Shaolin Warriors are allowing audiences to witness, however, it is easy to forget that they are not traditionally performers. After all, the Warriors' public debut was not until 1999 in China. That's since 525 A.D. The monks would obviously be unaccustomed to the relentless bustle required of the life of a traveling performer. Lei remarked that their transition had been anything but rocky.\n"The Shaolin life is an essential part of Chinese culture, and the Warriors are proud to extend it to the U.S," Lei said. "The Warriors enjoy American audiences, and want them to love the Shaolin culture."\n-- Contact staff writer Daniel Castro at dacastro@indiana.edu.
(10/22/03 5:26am)
Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Robert Finn will visit IU early next month to deliver a lecture on the changes in Afghanistan since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.\nFinn, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan from March 2002 until recently resigning his post in August, will deliver the lecture Nov. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the Frangipani Room at the Indiana Memorial Union. \nFinn was the first U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan in over 20 years and is currently the Ertegun Visiting Professor in the Near East Studies Department at Princeton University. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Tajikstan from 1998 until July 2001, and has held diplomatic positions in Turkey, Pakistan and Croatia. He also opened the U.S. Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan in 1992.\nDr. Nazif Shahrani, chairman of the IU Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and well-respected scholar on Afghan issues, arranged the lecture while visiting Afghanistan this summer. \n"I asked Ambassador Finn this past summer, shortly after he resigned his post as United States Ambassador in Kabul, if he would be willing to speak," Shahrani said. "He expressed his willingness to do so. I proposed his name to the Chancellor's Forum Committee as a speaker and they kindly agreed to my proposal."\nThe CFC was organized at IU after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to hold lectures relating to the chaotic situation in the Middle East and is headed by Moya Andrews, vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of the faculties.\n"Past lectures have included everything from bioterrorism to airline security," said Cyndi Connelley of the dean of faculties office, where the CFC is based. "Our goal is to present students with educated sources on current issues."\nBillions of U.S. dollars have been funneled into the ongoing mission in Afghanistan, including not only direct financial assistance, but military assistance as well. NATO's alliance operation in Afghanistan includes 5,500 troops from the United States, Britain and New Zealand. Separate from NATO, an additional 11,500 U.S. troops are presently involved in the task of fighting the remaining Taliban and al Qaeda forces. \n"What is happening in Afghanistan can be instructive about what we should expect to happen in Iraq," Shahrani said. "This lecture should not be taken lightly, because the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq is worsening everyday and will have a strong impact for future of the United States involvement in this troubled region."\nIU political science professor Jeffrey Hart said he is looking forward to the lecture.\n"It is always interesting to see what a former ambassador says because they generally have a perspective that is different from ours and also from the media," Hart said. "The ambassador has access to a lot of information that none of us can get directly."\nFinn was born in New York, and graduated with a bachelor of arts in American Literature and European History from St. John's University. He has two master's degree in Near Eastern Studies, one from Princeton University and the other from New York University. He also has a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton. He volunteered with the Peace Corps in Turkey from 1966-1969, and has published a book, "The Early Turkish Novel, 1872-1900." He speaks Turkish, Azerbaijani, Urdu, Tajik, Persian, French, German and Ottoman.\nShahrani said Finn resigned as ambassador in protest of recent U.S. activity in Afghanistan, making way for David Sedney, former director for Afghanistan at the National Security Council, to assume the role of ambassador.\n"(Finn) was a trusted man among the Afghan people," Shahrani said. "He is a man of principle."\nShahrani said he hopes the former ambassador speaks his mind.\n"I hope the real story of what the United States war on terrorism in Afghanistan has been like during the last two years is discussed."\n-- Contact staff writer Daniel Castro at dacastro@indiana.edu.
(10/02/03 6:50am)
In the summer of 1977, George Lucas shook the lives of science fiction fans for generations to come with the release of "Star Wars." Those yearning for an outer space free of Klingons and William Shatner, those who were waiting for their fantasies to appear on a blank silver screen, became "Star Wars" fans.\nThe movie -- if it can still be called merely a movie -- grossed over $460 million in theaters, making it the second-most successful motion picture of all time.\nIU alumnus Brian Bosmer, a self-proclaimed "Star Wars" fanatic, remembers that first magical time.\n"I was sort of into Star Trek, but not really," Bosmer said. "I went to see the movie in '77, and saw it again at least 10 more times in the theaters. John Williams' music just hooked me in."\nBosmer, a staff member at IU Technical Support, founded Bloomin-gton's first official Star Wars Fan Club last summer: The Hoosier Alliance.\n"I was involved with the Indy Knights, but I was tired of making the drive from Bloomington for every event," Bosmer said of the major fan club in Indianapolis, which boasts over 70 members and its own Web site.\nThrough the national Star Wars Fan Club Web site (www.theforce.net), he found interest among other Bloomington residents for the formation of a new group.\nBosmer's suggestions for group events bombard the Web site, but replies have been scarce. So far, he has been able to arrange only small book discussions at Borders bookstore on the fourth Monday of every month. He said the book discussions thrived in the spring, but no one has attended in four months.\n"Having a fan club in Bloomington is a great way of extending what the Indy Knights have done in central Indiana," said Jay Newnum, president of the Indy Knights. "It will give fans a chance to do something in a local environment as well as having events that benefit local charities."\nNewnum doesn't fit the single, loner stereotype of a "Star Wars" fan: He is a 31-year-old married mortgage loan officer with two children, Jaykob and Jayden Lucas. During the release of "Episode II: Attack of the Clones" in Indianapolis, he was interviewed by CNN and USA Today as part of their features on "Star Wars" fandom.\nGroups like the Indy Knights have formed in most large cities across the country. "Star Wars" fanaticism has evolved into a staple of not only modern American culture, but modern culture worldwide. \nStill, society has been staunch in its criticism. "Star Wars" fans have been accused of immaturity, escapism and, in some cases, even cult worship. In the spring 2002 edition of Moviemaker magazine, fans John Guth and Jeff Tweitan appeared in an article documenting their 20-week wait outside a Seattle theater for the release of "Episode II."\nA related bit from NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" depicts "Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog," ridiculing costumed "Star Wars" fans in a theater on the opening day of "Episode II."\n"Which button do you press on your suit to call mommy when you're ready to leave?" he asks a man in a Stormtrooper outfit.\n"There's so much Star Wars material out there that some fans can actually devote their lives to talking about and experiencing the Star Wars universe," said Bob Rehak, a doctoral student in the IU Department of Communication and Culture. "I'm leery about calling it a religion, since I think a lot of things in our culture have ascended to religious heights -- celebrity worship, the almighty dollar, post 9/11 patriotism. But you could argue that amidst the fading popularity of mainstream religion, phenomena such as 'Star Wars' have arisen that channel people's need to believe."\nEven after all the negative publicity for "Star Wars" fans, Bosmer doesn't shun his almost 20-year-long love affair with Lucas' creation. He proudly displays photos of himself in his Jango Phett costume. His bag is littered with more photos from conventions, one autographed by an actor who had played a Stormtrooper. \n"It's Jeremy Bullock," Bosmer said. "Jeremy Bullock gave me the picture and signed it."\nCasey Feltner, one of the few Hoosier Alliance Members, defined her own level of "Star Wars" appreciation.\n"I would say I'm a pretty loyal "Star Wars" fan," she said. "Kind of obsessive. I do have a life, I have a job, and friends. Liking and collecting stuff related to the movies is my hobby."\nGail Peterson, a member of the Indy Knights and an IU alumna, said the core of these groups are the friendships, not the spaceships. The Indy Knights organize charity events in Indianapolis. They hold general meetings once a month to plan events like flag football tournaments, cookouts and dinner outings.\n"People would be amazed to see the look on children's faces at our charity events, when we walk into a room in our Stormtrooper or Darth Vader costumes," Peterson said. "Between movies, I feel like we have become more of a social organization than anything else."\nIt is undeniable, though, that some fans are more obsessed than others. According to the Sunday Times in London, 5 percent of New Zealand's population listed their religion as "Jedi" in the 2001 national census. \n"With every cult movie that has a following, there are fans who take it too literally," Newnum said. "Sometimes, this incredibly small percentage of people are the ones who get the most publicity, and therefore give the fandom a bad reputation. There are worse things I could be passionate about. Instead, I've found a safe outlet that's not only fun, but that I can share with my kids."\nBoth Newnum and Peterson agreed they enjoyed Star Wars most for its ability to unify people from such different walks of life. Bosmer spoke of his plans for trying get the Hoosier Alliance members to all enter a coming paintball tournament.\n"We're just ordinary people trying to have fun."\n-- Contact staff writer Daniel Castro at dacastro@indiana.edu.
(09/09/03 5:18am)
The Bazaar Café, 408 E. Sixth St., will host the first night of the Spotlight Poetry Reading Series at 7:30 p.m tonight. The event is organized by MATRIX (www.matrixmag.com), a local non-profit organization that aims to provide public forums for literary and visual artists in Bloomington, and will feature four local and regional poets -- Jada B., Tony Brewer, Jason Ammerman and Jody Rust.\nMATRIX was conceived by Joseph Kerschbaum, a local poet who recently released his first spoken-word CD, Cafe Li'ture Poetry Reading Series "1 of 29." \n"The goal of the series is to give some local and regional poets a bit of space to explore themes, make connections between poems and to give background on some of their favorite pieces," Kerschbaum said.\nBrewer, one of the featured poets today, co-founded MATRIX with Kerschbaum in 1998.\n"We're a poetry-oriented organization that hopes to contribute to the literary scene here in Bloomington," Brewer said. \nIn addition to the monthly readings, MATRIX hosts other events such as open mics and poetry slams. \n"Success for the poetry slams usually depends on audience participation. The open-mic crowd is similar, consisting of those who'd rather get up and speak than sit and watch," Brewer said. "People who come to the readings, however, are usually those who'd rather simply listen." \nJada B., a popular spoken-word poet based in Bloomington, organizes the Verbal Terrorism Readings in the area. Ammerman, from Indianapolis, has published one poetry collection, "The Blood of the Revolution," with another one due for publication later this year. \nRust is a veteran of the performance scene in Indianapolis. She organizes the Cafe Li'ture Poetry Reading Series and works with the Ethridge Knight Arts Festival in Indianapolis.\nBazaar Café employee Dan Viuch recalls how MATRIX started. Kerschbaum and Brewer came into the café and asked whether they could use the space for a poetry reading. \nViuch said there will be no cover charge and that his co-workers might set up a PA system. \n"I'm off on Tuesday, but I think I'll come by anyway and check it out," he said. \nAlthough MATRIX has been a local fixture for a number of years, the group has only recently begun hosting readings at the new venue. \n"The considerable challenge with a new location is to basically get the audience out there," Brewer said. "Some people might just have trouble finding it." \nThe Bazaar Café is located beside the Runcible Spoon restaurant and will also be hosting poetry readings on the third Friday of every month.\n-- Contact staff writer Daniel Castro at dacastro@indiana.edu.