Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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Latte and Lyrics by Shannon Delmez Students express creativity at local coffee shop A poetry reading became interactive for the first time Oct. 8, and a full house at Java Espresso and Bakery appreciated the change. The poetry reading, sponsored by the Union Program Council Arts Committee, centered on an interactive theme to attract audience members and increase participation. We are trying to include the audience, said Bronwyn Rounds, junior in fine arts and Arts Committee chairwoman. This is a test to see if it works. The event included two Mad-Lib sessions in which participants contributed to the poem ' s words. Jake Kruge, senior in mass communications, and Rounds called out parts of speech, and audience members responded with words that sometimes brought laughter. This is going to be weird, Melina Hemphill, junior in family sciences and human services, said in response to the word tentacle. The surprise at the end was finding out the poems were the To Be or Not To Be speech from Shakespeare ' s Hamlet and the song Don ' t Cry For Me Argentina from the musical Evita. Rounds read the students ' versions of the poems as the audience laughed at the word choice. Between open-mic sessions, committee members passed out notepads, pencils and a list of random words from Magnetic Poetry — words backed with magnets used to form poems on refrigerators and other magnetic surfaces. The audience was instructed to use the words on the list and take three minutes to write an original poem. The room became quiet as the audience put pencil to paper, the only sound other than the cappuccino machine ' s distant churning. After three minutes, Rounds and Kruge invited the audience to share its work. Some poems caused the au dience to break out in laughter, while other serious poems left the group silent. These are really deep. It must be like a poetry reading or something, Kruge said, laughing. Students read poems they wrote themselves, while others read from their favorite writers. The audience responded with encouraging words after those reading took their seats. Hemphill read a poem about the random things children say. Last time they said it was going to be extemporaneous, so that ' s what the poem was about, she said, kids just rattling stuff off. The interaction helped students become acquainted with others. Brent Anders, sophomore in psychology met Rounds, his girlfriend, at the readings. He was smitten with me, she said with a grin and look in his direction. In addition to giving students an opportunity to meet new people, the poetry readings gave participants a skill they could use later in life. I think it helps people overcome their fear of speaking in front of people, Kruge said. Everyone is encouraged to come up and read or say hi, because it ' s fun. Several people shied away from reading their poems, but some made it a point to venture to the podium. It ' s a lot easier to get up when other people are making fools of themselves, too, Hemphill said. I ' m shy. This is my one chance to raise my voice. The word banks provided to audience members for spontaneous poetry and coffee cups sit on a table at Java Espresso and Bakery during a poetry reading. (Photo by Jeff Cooper) 18 student life

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fast forward to CD-ROM Emig looks back at Correll waiting for the final command to jump. After crawling out onto the wing support, students waited for the jump master to say dot, at which time the student looked at the X taped on the wing directly above their head. While looking at the X, the student let go of the plane. Before sky diving students are allowed to jump, they must take a test covering all the information in class about parachutes, their functions and emergency procedures. The students formed a circle around a trampoline in the hangar to complete the test. 17 sky diving

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Jake Kruge, senior in mass communication, reads Mad Libs made up by parcipants at the Oct. 8 interactive poetry reading at Java Espresso and Bakery. The Mad Libs were one of the activities audience members contributed to during the reading. Participants were also given sheets of paper with random words and were allotted three minutes to form a poem to read aloud. (Photo by Jeff Cooper) Reading his poem titled We Are the Worms That Feed, Raymond Paul, Manhattan resident, portrays the emotional content of his poem. Paul shared several of his original poems Oct. 8. He pulled the poems, typed on loose-leaf paper, out of a notebook. The Union Program Council Arts Committee chose Interactive Poetry for the evening ' s theme. (Photo by Jeff Cooper) Latte Lyrics Interactive Poetry Mad Libs These Mad Libs were created at the Oct. 8 reading. Audience members provided italicized words. Don ' t browse for me dorm room, The truth is I never puked you, All through my wild zipper, My mad coffee I kept my promise,don ' t keep your stirrup. - Original verse taken from Evita ' s Don ' t Cry for Me Argentina To kiss or not to kiss,That is the dog: Whether ' tis enormous in the podium to write- The peoples and horsies of outrageous cars, Or to take tables against a doorknob of cameras, And by swinging, end them. To kiss: To kiss; No more; and by a kiss to say we end. The touch and the 17 natural tentacles That foot is heir to, ' tis a consummation Lovingly to be wished. To kiss, to kiss; To kiss: perchance to frolick: aye there ' s the cactus. -Original text taken from Shakespeare ' s Hamlet 19 poetry readings