Although he played on the football team throughout his time at UH and graduated from the College of Technology with a merchandising degree, Bates said he has always been passionate about writing.

“I thank God every day that I am able to express myself through words,” Bates said.

“Poetry is therapeutic.”

In the introduction to his collection of 50 poems, Bates explains how he grew up with an alcoholic father in Alabama whom he would rarely see.

“Instead of acting out in a radical manner, I resorted to writing,” Bates said. “It was a dark time during my teenage years.”

Bates writes of a time when his father picked him up to spend time with him, but ended up driving to a house where a fight broke out, causing Bates’ father to punch through glass, injuring himself.

Also in his introduction, Bates honors and thanks his high school football coach who passed away six years ago.

Bates said the coach acted as a father figure to him.

“He was a very influential person in my life growing up,” Bates said. “What better way to honor him than by dedicating the whole book to his name.”

While Bates has been writing since he was 14, it wasn’t until April that he took his compilation of poems to OPS Publishing, a small independent firm that publishes mostly business books that are focused on operations improvement and education.

On May 2, only a week later, the E-book was released.

Bates said releasing his collection as an E-book is the most cost-effective choice for himself and the most convenient for readers, especially considering that this is his first publication.

Even though his roots are in poetry, Bates said he would like to write a best-selling novel one day. In the meantime, he is finishing up his second poetry collection, “Not a Fan of 21st Century Love.”

His current book can be purchased on Amazon.

“It almost reads like a story,” Bates said.

“Each poem captures many moments that occurred in my life. That’s why I think many people can relate and connect to it — because it’s real.”

To purchase Bates book go to www.amazon.com/Farewell-and-Goodnights-ebook/dp/B0080HOD7G

arts@thedailycougar.com

“Marc Blitzstein: His Life, His Work, His World” was written by Moores School of Music professor Howard Pollack. The book delves deep inside the mind of a prominent 20th century composer. | Barnsandnoble.com

“Marc Blitzstein: His Life, His Work, His World” is the latest biography written by Howard Pollack, a professor at the Moores School of Music, and tells the story of one of the most underappreciated composers of the 20^th century.

Over the course of the book, Pollack explores the composer’s life, his political leaning and his constant struggle to fully achieve musical success.

Pollack’s research takes center stage, allowing readers to explore Blitzstein through firsthand accounts of those surrounding him, which immerses readers into the artist’s life. From his roots in Philadelphia to his tragic and violent death, the biography comes together to create a detailed painting of the composer.

Readers get a fleeting grasp on a flamboyant, opinionated man who brought joy to the lives of those around him. They are presented a man who works and writes in a constant attempt to reach his genius, including the triumphs and downfalls of his musical career.

The author presents Blitzstein’s struggles and uses his letters to bring readers inside the composer’s mind, which is filled with aspirations and insecurities. This is one of the many aspects of the book that brings out its more compelling qualities.

The book is filled with  musical jargon that may be confusing to a layperson. and is an intimidating 600 pages of content, but Pollack seems to know his target audience and does not compromise to reach a lowest common denominator.

But doesn’t bar Pollack from reconstructing the gripping story of Blitzstein’s life in a truly engaging way. He manages to sweep readers into Blitzstein’s life and musical works as he brings them into a moment in Blitzstein’s relationship with his first wife then quickly to the middle of Blitzstein’s ballet rendition of the biblical epic of Cain and Abel.

Pollack strikes a balance with Blitzstein’s life between enriching prose and quotes from letters and words of those that knew him. While it does not always come across as a traditional narrative, “Marc Blitzstein: His Life, His Work, His World” still manages to bring readers into the composer’s life through its animation on a subject that could have easily been rendered listless in the wrong hands.

arts@thedailycougar.com ]]> http://thedailycougar.com/2012/11/29/professor-pulls-readers-in-composers-career-life/feed/ 0 http://thedailycougar.com/2012/11/07/opera-composer-glorified-in-biography/ http://thedailycougar.com/2012/11/07/opera-composer-glorified-in-biography/#comments Wed, 07 Nov 2012 11:00:46 +0000 The Daily Cougar Arts Desk http://thedailycougar.com/?p=51505

UH Moores School of Music professor Howard Pollack has already published six in depth biographies on opera music composers. I Courtesy of Howard Pollack

In an effort to showcase the essence of classical opera music composers, Moores School of Music professor Howard Pollack will be hosting a recital and book signing to promote his latest book “Marc Blitzstein: His Life, His Work, His World” at 8 p.m. Thursday Nov. 8 at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center at 5601 S. Braeswood Blvd.

The Daily Cougar caught up with Pollack to discuss the book and how he interpreted three aspects of Blitzstein’s life that give audiences an inside look on the man behind the music.

The Daily Cougar: What drew you to write a biography for Marc Blitzstein?

Howard Pollack: Blitzstein was a fabulously gifted and innovative lyricist-composer who made a profound mark in his own time, but who has been largely forgotten since his death in 1964. Although there had been a big biography of Blitzstein published in 1989, that author had a background in cultural studies rather than music so I thought I could bring some new perspectives to the subject.

TDC: How did you approach researching for this book?

HP: Blitzstein’s estate purchased a copy of Blitzstein’s microfilms for me which I donated to UH. I also find it helpful to bring the music to life by teaching a class that would enable me to present scenes from Blitzstein’s opera, ‘The Cradle Will Rock’ with students.

TDC: What caused Blitzstein to experiment in different genres like film scores, musicals and operas?

“Marc Blitzstein: His Life, His Work, His World,” notes on Blitzsten’s creations and the inspirations behind them. | Courtesy of Barnesandnoble.com

HP: He integrated speech and wrote music in such a fashion that they seemed like musicals.  Blitzstein was very appreciative of the accomplishments of such Broadway composers like George Gershwin and Burton Lane, but I would say that his work was loftier than theirs.

TDC: How did politics influence Blitzstein’s music across such a variety of genres?

HP: Blitzstein was terribly concerned about the rights of women, immigrants, minorities, working people and the poor. He was also about the obligations of the more privileged to society. He found theater, documentary film and radio congenial venues in which to express such concerns.

TDC: How was writing this biography different from your other biographies on such composers as Gershwin and Aaron Copland?

HP: This is my sixth book and all my other books are also biographical.  They have points of similarity, but there are real differences like way they integrate life and work, which is a daunting problem for the critical biographer. In Gershwin, for instance, I just created two big parts: life and work. Here, I was able to integrate the material more thoroughly.

TDC: For those unfamiliar with Blitzenstein’s work, where do you suggest they begin listening to his work?

The two undisputed masterworks are “The Cradle Will Rock” and “Regina.”  There are a number of good recordings of the former and the 1958 City Opera recording of “Regina,” which has just been released on CD, is a classic. There’s also the original cast recording of Blitzstein’s “Threepenny” Opera that wound up having a big influence on Bob Dylan.

arts@thedailycougar.com

As the brother of Donald Barthelme, one of the original founders of the UH Creative Writing Program, Steven’s literary works are innovative and an example for those who crave literary creativity.

One of the many attributes to be appreciated in “Hush Hush” is the consistency in ambiance and style. Each character has a feeling of desolation that could resonate with the paintings of Edward Hopper or any other Ashcan artist.

The overall transition from one narration to the next is quite smooth. Stories flow with subtle connections, such as recurring use of names, reference and atmosphere.

There is no sign of difficulty to maintain focus when flipping through each story, which gives the reader plenty of room to soak in each word and aesthetic.

While each character is coupled with their story and setting, readers may feel a disconnection along the way. The lighting and tone is stagnant, in a sense that the atmosphere is quiet and solitary. Each narrator has no trouble creating imagery for the reader to hold on to.

This could be because of Barthelme’s style, where he places a boundary between the reader and the characters in order to lessen disruption in the experience.

While a narrator appears to express distress thoroughly, there is always a distance to maintain. The effect will simultaneously allow readers to reflect on their sentiments and actions as they fixate in their connection with the world of “Hush Hush.”

Another method to keep the reader close is the characters themselves.

Primary characters are shaped by their reactions and brief physical description, which will make readers anxious to identify the angst, while static characters are generally given a two-word description of an iconic figure.

Pop references give a short and sweet portrayal of immediate imagery, which the reader will give little attention to in minor parts. With the settings being simple in its descriptions, it is enough information for the audience to paint a brief but flickering picture as the events of the story progress.

“Hush Hush” is a great read of humble, hilarious and heart-clenching short stories.

Overall, Barthelme reminds us — like the people in the stories — we all want to be heard, even if the listener can’t fully connect.

arts@thedailycougar.com

Former “Gulf Coast” editor Janine Joseph recites her poetic manuscript that follows the struggle of an illegal immigrant. | Rebekah Stearns/The Daily Cougar

On Wednesday evening, students enjoyed a night of literary works in the Honors College Commons by literature and creative writing doctoral candidates Edward Porter, Will Donnelly and Janine Joseph from the UH Creative Writing Program.

Porter and his colleagues began the poetry and prose free reading series to showcase the works of talent in students, faculty, staff, alumni and other well-known writers.

“For a reading like this, I have stories of gloom and despair that I would rather let people off a little bit if I can,” Porter said.

Donnelly, recent online editor for “Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts,” shared a piece from a collection of short stories in progress for his dissertation titled “F=DMV/DT.” The evening’s host described it as a funny and touching story about domestic and interstellar relationships.

“The thing that I do enjoy and appreciate the most about these events is that it does demonstrate the public interest in hearing literature, which is really wonderful,” Donnelly said.

Joseph, former “Gulf  Coast” poetry editor, was the second reader of the evening. She was introduced to the audience with a mention of her poems published in the “Asian American Literary Review” and “Hayden’s Ferry Review.”

Joseph chose to read poems from the manuscript of her dissertation that follow an undocumented immigrant speaker through the course of 20 years.

Joseph wrote a commissioned libretto, “From My Mother’s Mother,” for the Houston Grand Opera’s “East + West” series, which is scheduled to premiere in November.

Former actor and “Gulf Coast” Fiction Editor Porter’s works have been published in the “Colorado Review,” “Barrelhouse Literary Magazine,” “Booth,” “Printer’s Devil Review” and other numerous publications.

Porter chose to share a piece from his fourth-coming short story to be published by “Barrelhouse.”

“I just want to say, and I am sure I speak for all three of us, for how grateful we are to the University for the support for the dissertation completion grant,” Porter said.

“It’s a dream come true for any writer.”

arts@thedailycougar.com

The book exposes readers to Yunior, a Dominican playboy who was previously introduced by Diaz in his books “Wao” and “Drown.”

The passages journey through Yunior’s love life as he meets the women whose hearts he breaks shortly afterward.

Readers will have a hard time deciding whether they love or hate Yunior considering his street-wise, slightly nerdy character mixes with a jerk-like attitude.

One thing of which readers can be certain is Diaz’s vibrant Spanglish prose, which keeps readers aching to know what will happen next.

In the short story “Invierno,” the stories flash back to Yunior’s childhood as he emigrates with his family from sunny Santo Domingo to New Jersey in the dead of winter. Through this, Diaz shows the alienation and power that comes from leaving one’s home country.

A woman washes her married lover’s laundry at her janitorial job in a cold New Jersey hospital in “Otra Vida, Otra Vez.” Here, Diaz takes readers to a world where love reigns, regardless of environment or logic.

Diaz creates characters that are undoubtedly human — with their own set of imperfect perfections — allowing readers to connect and identify with them, regardless of their cultural background.

The stories in “This is How You Lose Her” are all intertwined through the fabric of imminent heartbreak despite the differences in their respective plot lines.

“The Cheaters Guide to Love” ends the collection of short stories with Yunior coming full circle as he desperately tries to shed his old ways and start anew after his fiancee discovers his many infidelities and ends their relationship.

Yunior’s depression and regret is felt through Diaz’s description of gloomy Boston winters, and this blue mood lingers over Yunior’s life.

Diaz successfully draws readers into a world that is not much different from their own.

“This is How You Lose Her” will relentlessly tug at the heartstrings of readers page after page as Yunior’s many agonizing yet beautiful endeavors feel like a terrifying and exhilarating rollercoaster ride.

While Diaz’s compilation may seem to have an abrupt end, he successfully concludes his work by reminding readers that finding life’s beauty comes from the trials of pain.

arts@thedailycougar.com

Stephen Chbosky, the author of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” attended an advance screening of his film with fans Monday evening prior to talking with the press Tuesday at the Four Seasons Hotel in Houston. | Rebekah Stearns/The Daily Cougar

Stephen Chbosky, author of the 1999 classic high school novel “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” was at the Four Seasons Hotel and Resort on Tuesday to discuss the novel’s adaptation to film, which premieres Friday in Houston theaters.

The film’s script, under the same name as the novel, had the special quality of being organically written, produced and directed by Chbosky himself.

“Wallflower” is a coming-of-age story based on Chbosky’s own teenage experiences.

As the author, Chbosky held onto his story and vision until he felt right about its adaptation to film.

“When I first wrote the book, we had a big offer from the studios that (offered) five times more money than (what) I had to my name at the time and so I was tempted for a second because I was broke, but I’m really glad I held out,” Chbosky said.

The film stars Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller — all of whom connected with Chbosky on set.

“The characters are indistinguishable for me from the actors who play them,” Chbosky said.

To stay faithful to the novel and balance the screenplay’s adaptation, Chbosky chose to return to his hometown, Pittsburgh, and film the scenes in places he frequented and mentioned in the novel.

“I loved filming the Rocky Horror scenes in the theater where I first saw the ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show,’” Chbosky said. “I loved being able to go to my street growing up and film the luminaria scene with Aunt Helen and little Charlie because that’s my street growing up.”

Chbosky sees this as a way to let Pittsburgh be captured on film, showcasing its uniqueness.

“I’m really excited for Pittsburgh,” he said. “I’ve seen so many movies set in Pittsburgh and none of them felt right to me. It drives me a little crazy, so this is kind of one for the hometown.”

Chbosky wrote the novel years after he left high school, but still felt connected to the experience and time in secondary education when he wrote the book.

“I was going through a tumultuous time. I was 26. It just seemed like narratively, freshman year of high school felt like I felt when I was 26.”

His control over the film is a triumph for the literary world and a testament to his true vision of the story.

“I think there are a lot of directors that I admire greatly that could have taken my script and made a beautiful movie out of it, but it wouldn’t have been the movie,” Chbosky said.

“They wouldn’t have really, deeply cared that the family would be eating chicken paprikash for dinner. Not that it really matters to anybody else, but it does to me and it does to this story.”

arts@thedailycougar.com

Diaz, author of the short story collection “Drown” and “The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao,” was coined the first Dominican author to win a Pulitzer Prize in 2008.

Diaz started off by reading a short excerpt from his new book, “This is How You Lose Her,” which hit bookstores on Sept. 11. The book received rave reviews and made the front page of Sunday’s New York Times review.

The award-winning author did not have any sense of ego or an unwillingness to talk to fans or about his personal life on stage.

Diaz talked to the audience about how much the immigrant experience and his heritage has affected his work. Born in Santo Domingo de Guzmán in the Dominican Republic and then raised in New Jersey, the trial of immigration was not a journey without struggle, considering his family lived in government-sponsored Section 8 housing and received food stamps.

Following the reading, Diaz was interviewed by Alexander Parsons from the UH Creative Writing Program and took questions from the audience of UH creative writing students.

As he answered, Diaz mostly talked about his writing style. For example, Diaz said writing in second person is a weakness of his and he plans to make it a habit to write in first person.

When an audience member asked if he had ever considered writing in Spanish, Diaz responded in the negative, saying he did not know how to read or write in Spanish very well.

The author excitedly hugged readers, introduced himself and signed books for the fans who waited hours in line.

The Inprint reading series, an independent literary arts non profit organization, and in association with the UH Creative Writing Program and Brazos Bookstore aimed toward Houston’s aspiring readers and writers.

This sets the story for Paul French’s new novel “Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China,” and follows these British and Chinese detectives in their attempts to bring a killer to justice against a wave of bureaucratic meddling and the abject paranoia of the city’s citizens.

French’s historical novel comes as a rousing success as he manages to deliver an exciting and gripping mystery within the context of a major turning point in the history of modern China.

The author does something that non-fiction books so often fall short of — bringing the reader directly into this time and place so far transplanted from their own. The prose accomplished this by bringing the reader right into the streets of Peking as they haunt over the shoulders of the two detectives handling the case.

The author does something implemented largely in fiction books, incorporating small details like the painted symbol on an ashtray to develop scenes visually for the reader.

The novel also does something interesting in the way it conveys an overlying story of China within the 1930s.

However, the novel is not perfect. Very often the story breaks from the narrative of the investigation to provide sprawling biographies of individuals that often feel taxing to the reader. Nor does the prose ever entirely escape the trappings of historical fiction and the gap that the author keeps between the reader and the scene at hand.

Any time there’s a confrontation between two people, it feels strange to the reader of how quickly it goes by with a few lines of text — what someone said to the other without the reader and the author ever knowing the exacts.

Still, this does not keep French from delivering an extremely compelling story, filled with plenty of interesting characters and unexpected plot twists all with a backdrop just as seedy and intriguing as the story it holds. “Midnight in Peking” tells a dark and terrifying tale as only reality can provide.

“Every Day,” published by Knopf Books for Young Reader is available now. | Courtesy of David Levithan

Author David Levithan has a knack for catching the reader and taking them through a thought-provoking journey leaving them clamoring for more, and he does the same with his new book “Every Day.”

“Every Day” follows A, a person who has accepted the fact that he wakes up in a different person’s body every day, until he falls in love with a girl named Rhiannon and yearns for a chance at a lasting relationship.

A is a poignant and thoughtful character, and reading about his experience as he grapples with this unfortunate life-defining circumstance will drag the reader through many emotions.

While the concept itself is intriguing, Levithan raises questions about true love, uncertainty, making a difference in someone’s life in one day and the influence that people have on others.

This book considers all of these issues and more. Levithan finds ways to interweave these questions with the lives and stories of the bodies that A must take over.

Each person has their own problems and priorities, and it’s interesting to see how A learns to dedicate himself to keeping these lives intact, even with his desire to find his own sense of permanence.

The cast of this novel covers a wide range of personalities that provides a look at the general welfare of today’s society as a backdrop to the central struggle — A’s attempt to gain consistency in his life.

The characters’ struggles were often difficult to read because they’re so strongly portrayed, but they are still honest observations about various modern problems, from gender and sexual identity issues to racial barriers and socioeconomic struggles.

Levithan’s direction with his characters was relatable, and this makes Rhiannon easy to understand given her quirky attitude and her struggle with issues that should be familiar to many readers in today’s society.

The developing relationship between A and Rhiannon alternates between humorous and sad while touching every emotion in between, and giving it the feeling of true love.

While the book seems to end too quickly, it’s an enjoyable read for those looking for a story that will make them think and keep them emotionally connected until the last page.

“Every Day” validates Levithan as a skilled writer who’s worth looking out for in the future.

arts@thedailycougar.com

“Blunted on Reality” follows the life of Obi Ifeanyi, a Nigerian-born American, as he tries to organize his own future on the eve of Obama’s presidency. Throughout the novel, Ifeanyi confronts many life challenges, from dealing with ex-girlfriends to discerning his future career path.

One of the strongest points is the way it shows the presidency through a young man’s eyes.

Ifeanyi and his friends slip into speeches resembling opinion columns that raise important questions about how Obama will react to the social inequality residing in the country.

However, any big ideas grasped within the novel feel incomplete due to clunky prose rife with spelling and punctuation errors. The plot loses all sense of direction. The reader is left shifting through places and years at the drop of a sentence, which in the end, forbids the reader to adjust and maintain coherency.

The most interesting aspect of the novel fails to be a political examination but rather the elaboration on Nigerian culture. Aside from the Nigerian-centric perspective of the protagonists, Achebe breaks from the central story to provide the history of both Nigeria and Ifeanyi’s family. These narrative breaks provide a fairly gripping story about the Nigerians’ revolt against Euro-centric culture through the modern era.

Still, the central characters in the book never live up to the description the narration provides. They are rampant with misogyny, and the idea presented by Ifeanyi’s parents that suggests women serve no further purpose than taking care of their men is, uncomfortably, never refuted.

A large problem with the novel is that Ifeanyi never really faces any problems, nor are there ever really consequences for the character’s actions. Ifeanyi is just falling into one situation after another, slipping comfortably into a resolution without the slightest signs of a struggle. The narration is disengaged from the story, and it passes the feeling onto the reader.

None of this is helped by the book’s short length of 174 pages, which fails to leave any room for characters to develop and grow. This leaves the romantic relationships within the novel feeling rushed and creepy — one instance has two characters who seem convinced of marriage after being in a relationship for only several pages. Accompanied with stilted dialogue, Achebe’s debut fails to hit any emotional resonance promised in its premise.

arts@thedailycougar.com

Following Barack Obama’s inauguration, Achebe, a former UH student who studied economics, wrote and self-published his own novel.

“Blunted on Reality” follows Obi Ifeanyi, a Nigerian lawyer in his late 20s who is trying to figure out the complexities in finding value in his job, dealing with his family and juggling between two women during the Obama presidency.

After graduation, the Richmond, VA native worked as a sales representative with Nextel Communications until he landed his current job working in the tax department of a state government agency.

His focus on promoting “Blunted on Reality” has taught Achebe that everything takes time and patience.

“I honestly never had any intentions of writing a book.” Achebe said. “I think after Barack Obama won the presidency, I started to think about documenting this historic moment in history. I decided to carve my own unique story line covering the span of one year beginning the day after Obama won the presidency.”

Achebe has gained confidence since releasing of his novel in May. He set forth goals he aims to achieve, pushing himself to trust in his writing that portrayed his own sense of creativity and sustainability that he was once unaware of.

When he initially started writing he did not believe his fingers would continue to tumble the words on his laptop in the dining room of his apartment, where he wrote the majority of his novel.

His soul filled with the lyrics of Fela Kuti, Jay-Z and John Coltrane. The title of Achebe’s novel was ultimately inspired by The Fuguees’ first album titled “Blunted on Reality.”

“I feel that my passion for writing has been with me my whole life, but I think it took me writing this book to see the full manifestation of everything,” Achebe said.

A company that handled the editing portion of Achebe’s 174 page novel provided him with information on how a book is put together on the interior and the cover design — which shows how life can be reflected in a multitude of lenses — ultimately aided in the novel’s production.

Achebe’s accomplishments in his career alongside his personal aspirations of writing — all post graduation — are commendable. He possesses the characteristics of a truly successful UH graduate and an inspiring individual to future writers and self-published authors who he hopes will view his path as an example to follow.

Aside from marketing audiences and keeping true to the form, Achebe wishes for all aspiring writers to start working as soon as possible and to cherish the time they have with their creations.

“You should just enjoy the moment.” Achebe said. “Don’t be carried away with thinking you aren’t a successful author because you didn’t make the New York Times Best Seller list. The reason that you wrote your book in the first place is because you had a story to tell.”

For more information on “Blunted on Reality,” visit amazon.com/author/chineduachebe

arts@thedailycougar.com

The event attracted of crowd of business suits as well as other professional poets.

Merwin began his guest lecture by speaking about Louis Macneice, a fellow poet who has inspired him. He recited Macneice’s poem “Sunlight of the Garden” and described how Macneice’s writings have impacted his work.

“His rhythmic rhymes he has is understood, he rhymes the first syllable with the last syllable,” Merwin said.

The crowd was in awe after Merwin carefully pointed out the basis of how poets go about their work.

As Merwin got more into his lecture, he incited the audience by sharing his personal taste on writing poetry.

He mentioned how poetry is a way of hearing the language instead of actually reading it. Merwin then uses the example of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” as an example.

He explained that Shakespeare grabs his readers’ attention in “Hamlet” within the first four lines of the tragedy. Merwin then emphasized how important it is in poetry to have a subject line.

“If there is no subject, there is no poem,” Merwin said.

The discussion led to Merwin to explaining the difference between poetry and prose. Poetry is much older than prose, Merwin said

Merwin shared one of his life experiences through a painting that depicted a girl pouring milk. He described how there was passion in the women to the audience and how that same passion is also present in poetry.

“Arts are not unique to the human species,” Merwin said.

Towards the end of the lecture, Merwin informed his audience about how language and poetry worked together to established the present formation and rules of English today.

In his philosophy, Merwin feels writing poetry is the best way to express the passion. He said having reassurance and recognition is significant in writing poetry.

The event was lively and sad all at once as readers Zach Bean, Ian Stansel and Rebecca Wadlinger said their goodbyes to Gulf Coast, a journal of literature and fine arts founded in 1986 within the English department at UH.

Gulf Coast intern Randall Tyrone reflected on what literary journal has provided him throughout his semesters at UH.

“My experience at Gulf Coast has been nothing short of amazing,” Tyrone said. “I’ve not only learned countless skills from Ian and Becca, but they showed me how the skills I already knew could be utilized in a literature centered work environment.”

Bean, Glass Mountain graduate advisor and creative writing and literature doctoral student who graduates this May, opened the reading with his fiction.

Tyrone said that he enjoyed the unexpected subject matter of Bean’s piece as well as the balance between the dark and light tone.

“The waitress and the hitchhiker that they come across shape how the narrator views humanity,” Tyrone said. “He basically loses hope, but as he spends more time with the hitchhiker and his mom, he begins to gain the ability to properly address his feelings about his mother’s imminent death.”

“The story was dark but had its humorous moments between the waitress, hitchhiker and mom.”

Brazos Bookstore was the perfect setting for the reading because of its history and local flavor, which created an authentic literary ambiance compared to more commercial bookstores.

Wadlinger, Gulf Coast managing and doctoral student read a variety of poems including “Scenes with Gertrude” and “A Highly Pleasurable Feeling.”

Her pieces were clever and hilarious with simple, but poignant language as seen in one of the sections from “Scenes with Gertrude” where the narrator muses on being in love with Gertrude Stein.

Wadlinger created a whimsical atmosphere with her sparse but beautiful language.

Tyrone reflected on the guidance Wadlinger has provided him during his Gulf Coast internship.

“Becca read some of my writings and made some great suggestions on how to improve. Needless to say that was exceptionally helpful in my growth as a writer and I can’t thank her enough for that.”

After Wadlinger read, the event closed with Stansel’s piece about a mom, a small town and a moth-man.

Stansel is the Gulf Coast editor-in-chief and a fifth-year doctoral candidate who recently passed his dissertation.

Stansel’s story was longer than the rest and a perfect ending to the night because of his subject matter — the supernatural, science, relationships and moth-man.

He had entertaining lines in between the seriousness, similar to Bean’s style, with quick but thoughtful images, “Why the voice of God when we have Nina Simone and Jeff Buckley?”

He ended his piece with uncertainty, never actually establishing if the moth-man was real, but instead left the audience to linger on the impressions that his words gave them.

“It’s always a treat to listen to mentors and friends present their art to the public, but that reading kind of marked the end of the Ian and Becca Gulf Coast era,” Tyrone said.

“Although that is a little depressing, it does signify that they are moving on to continue their success.”

arts@thedailycougar.com

“Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts” editors Ian Stansel and Rebecca Wadlinger are scheduled to appear at the event Friday night as well as Ph.D. candidate in Creative Writing and Literature Zack Bean.

The series is a way for not only UH, but the larger Houston community to get to know what is happening in the graduate program, Stansel said.

“We’ve had a really exciting series so far this year,” Stansel said. “It’s always great to have a lot of first and second year students up at the mic.”

The series has also featured a few graduating students, which makes for a bittersweet experience.

“You get to hear what they’ve been working on for all these years, but to each graduating student it also means it is the end of a small era,” Stansel said.

Bean and Stansel are the fiction writers while Wadlinger is the managing editor of the literary magazine as well as the sole poet who will be at the public event Friday evening.

“Everyone always loves Zack’s readings,” Stansel said. “His stories have a wonderful mix of blunt humor and well-earned pathos. Rebecca’s work manages to be slightly surreal but remains fully engaging on an emotional level, which is a difficult feat.”

Every two years, the senior staff of “Gulf Coast” brings in new members as Stansel and Wadlinger are set to move on.

Stansel will not be working with the magazine anymore as he plans to move to Ohio with his wife. The couple is expecting a daughter together this summer.

“This is exciting, but of course also a little sad,” Stansel said.

“The reading, though, feels appropriate. I get to read my work alongside Rebecca who I have worked so closely with. And with Zack, he has been a dear friend over the past five years.”

The future of “Gulf Coast” is to continue to grow in quality and readership.

The UH creative writing program continues to support the magazine along with a board of directors who offer continuity over the transitions.

Stansel said that Friday night’s reading will be more than an enjoyable time.

“I’m proud to be sharing the mic with these two.”

arts@thedailycougar.com

Author Elizabeth McCracken stopped by UH earlier this week to discuss her works of literature. She promoted her memoir as well as sat down in a guest lecture and gave students advice toward getting their writing published. | Courtesy of Darlene Campos

Elizabeth McCracken, former librarian and current creative writing professor at the University of Texas at Austin, gave a reading of her works at the Honors College Commons on Tuesday followed by a reception.

McCracken is the author of 2008’s “An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination,” finalist for the National Book Award “The Giant’s House” and L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award winner “Niagara Falls All Over Again.”

She is the recipient of several awards and grants from prestigious organizations including the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

In 1996, McCracken was named as one of the Twenty Best Young American Novelists by “Granta” magazine.

“An Exact Replica of a Figment of my Imagination,” her latest memoir, outlines her experience of having a stillborn child.

“When I was writing (‘An Exact Replica of a Figment of my Imagination’), I was not thinking of who my readers might be at all,” McCracken said. “I decided I needed to write about the experience. I wanted to get it on the pages before I forgot it. I certainly couldn’t have written about my first pregnancy during my second pregnancy. When Gus, my second child, was born I started writing. The initial manuscript was really short — only 130 pages. I still had no idea it would necessarily be a book.”

Even though “An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination” deals with a tragic experience, McCracken eloquently uses humor throughout the book.

“When I wrote this book, I had no idea I was being funny. It didn’t seem like there was a joke anywhere near the book, but because making jokes is part of my personality, it was just inevitable,” McCracken said.

“It is absolutely true in writing that humor makes the sad stuff sadder and sad things make the humor funnier, it’s just the complexity of life. Readers are grateful for humor that comes out of horrible moments. If you’re a person who uses humor in your everyday life, it’s going to come out naturally.”

McCracken also spoke of her other writing techniques.

“When it comes to my fiction, I have to edit so much. I can’t think abstractly about what I’m going to write,” McCracken said. “The way you write fiction is the way you think about the world and how you process information. There’s a spectrum for everybody.”

McCracken gave words of advice for amateur writers wishing to be published.

“It’s a combination of luck and perseverance. You hear stories about amazing books that make millions. It’s (the) right place, right time — but sometimes when you don’t get (the) right place, right time in your first submission, you have to be willing to send it out to another place,” McCracken said. “Sometimes you might get published on the first try and sometimes you might get published on the 17th submission, but once the book is published it doesn’t make any difference.”

For more information on Elizabeth McCracken, please visit http://www.elizabethmccracken.com/.

arts@thedailycougar.com

Obreht read first, picking two excerpts from her highly praised debut “The Tiger’s Wife,” which received the 2011 Orange Prize for Fiction. The novel is set in an unnamed Balkan country and follows Natalia, a doctor who attempts to unravel the mysterious circumstances of her grandfather’s sudden death.

Many were caught off guard by Obreht’s lighter reading that showcased humor hidden among the darker themes of death and war. Her consistent but animated tone sparked several laughs from the audience at seemingly unlikely points in the narrative.

“In the Balkans, that’s also a motive of coping,” Obreht said. “It’s not exactly a cheerful history there so I think you have to get as much cheer out of it as you can.”

“The Tiger’s Wife” originated in the form of a 25-page short story written by Obreht while she was working towards her Master’s of Fine Arts in creative writing at Columbia University. After the story was torn apart in workshops, Obreht realized that as she added on more, the story got better.

Eventually it turned into a full-length novel that centered on a grandfather-granddaughter relationship based loosely on the one in Obreht’s life.

“It was its own relationship before I realized that my relationship with my grandfather was at the base,” Obreht said.

“That was one of those things where the book runs away with itself. It just sort of crawled onto the page when I wasn’t looking.”

Following Obreht was Shteyngart, recipient of the 2011 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Literature as well as the 2010 Salon Book Award for Fiction.

He read from his third novel, “Super Sad True Love Story,” which is set in dystopian New York and follows middle-aged Leonard Abramov as he falls in love with the beautiful and young Eunice Park; it tackles the issues of materialism and technological dependence in the face of a national economic crisis.

Shteyngart is someone who could easily be your quirky, sarcastic and witty friend that you rely on for comic relief. He elicited much laughter from the crowd throughout his reading of a scene where Leonard brings Eunice to meet his parents.

“When I started writing this book, there was a lot of science fiction in it and I realized that I didn’t know anything about science,” Shteyngart said. “So my editor said, ‘Less science more love.’”

He was inspired focus on the love story by one of his favorite dystopian novels, “1984” by George Orwell.

“Super Sad True Love Story,” like his previous two works, touches on a much deeper issue while finding a way to incorporate a humorous writing style.

“I definitely feel like writing literary fiction that’s humorous is almost an oxymoron and there’s often a pressure not to do it,” Shteyngart said.

“I come from a Russian Jewish tradition, where the whole serious stuff is the stuff that’s supposed to be funny.”

Both authors’ works are based in a time other then the present. They agreed that setting a story in the present time could be difficult because it’s so fleeting.

“There’s no present left. We’re all living in the future,” Shteyngart said. “And that’s the big problem that makes it almost impossible to write about the present — because it’s gone. Just like that, it’s history.”

The final reading in this series will feature former U.S. Poet Laureate W. S. Merwin and will be held at 7:30 p.m. April 23 at the Hubbard Stage of the Alley Theater.

arts@thedailycougar.com

Curated by Kevin Prufer and Ange Mlinko at UH and Joseph Campana at Rice, the series started last year and is free and open to the public.

It began as a one-time collaboration between the two universities and ultimately determined that it would be ideal for both of the campuses to team up on literary projects.

“We generally meet once a semester to talk about writers whose works seems particularly exciting, writers we’ve heard read, writers who might be of special interest to our students and the general public,” Prufer said.

“We try to go for a range of sensibilities.”

The readings do not take place on either of the campuses, but somewhere in between that are accessible to both schools.

The Jung Center has been a favorite spot while future readings are set to take place at the Brazos Bookstore and the Menil Museum.

“The idea is to embrace chaos a little, to hold readings in a variety of places,” Prufer said. “We love The Jung Center and it is often our first choice. We’ve had about one showcase a month, but much depends on funding and various authors’ schedules.”

Authors each give a reading from their work and occasionally talk about the art of writing.

Some of the authors that have participated already are Timothy Donnelly, Mark Halliday, J. Allyn Rosser, Susan Stewart and, most recently, James Richardson.

A professor at Princeton University, Richardson was a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

His reading at the Jung Center on March 8 featured selections from two of his most recent poetry books “By the Numbers” and “Inter-Glacial.” It was his first time in Houston.

In a crowd of roughly 25 people, the final poem and fan favorite of the night, “Postmortem Georgic,” elicited tears from a few of audience members.

Pamela Carter was one who became emotional during the reading.

“I’ve followed his career for a while now and when I found out that he would be in Houston, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to go,” Carter said. “This poem speaks to me in a way very few do. It genuinely moves me and I highly regard it as one of his best.”

arts@thedailycougar.com

Edward Garza, a literary studies junior and the newest member of The Aletheia staff, shared what to expect from the journal this semester.

“We’re publishing our second-ever issue — my first issue as editor. I was published in the first one and got a chance to meet the other editors, and they decided to take me on.

“This issue is poetry heavy and has a lot more art than the previous issue did.”

The journal’s focus is on the UH undergraduate community but also has a wider range of artists in mind.

“What makes The Aletheia exceptional is that it is more than a publication. Our mission is not only to showcase UH artists, but to do so beyond the bounds of campus,” Garza said. “Thus, every month we post new content on www.thealetheiajournal.com.”

Part of what distinguishes The Aletheia from other journals is its substantial amount of exclusive online content that either showcases additional work from a particular artist or provides an insightful interview about the creative endeavors of those individuals.

“The content constitutes a student feature, an alumni feature and a faculty feature. These profiles allow readers everywhere to discover more work from an Aletheia artist as well as learn more about her or him through an interview,” Garza said. “This, of course, is in addition to the digital copy of the journal, which is also on the site.”

The Aletheia also hosts monthly readings at Avant Garden, 411 Westheimer. The readings revolve around the work of contributors and UH’s undergraduate literary community.

“The readings typically feature three writers from the journal. These have been well-attended, lively events,” Garza said.

A reading dedicated to undergraduates is fairly rare and a great experience for up-and-coming writers to practice reading to an audience, which besides being entertaining helps instill confidence in young writers.

On Saturday, editors got together to bind the Spring 2012 chapbook together. The debut issue was also hand-bound, with a rough thread that gave the journal an eclectic feel.

“We editors maintain a fun and productive atmosphere — whether we’re hosting a reading or deciding on which submissions we’ll publish.

“Since our creative interests encompass prose, poetry and visual art, the journal is all the more rich,” Garza said.

“We want to give you literature that is not only strong and inventive, but a joy to read.”

The Aletheia is published by the University of Houston Honors College Center for Creative Work.

For more information, visit www.uh.edu/honors/honors-minors-programs/center-creative-work/aletheia.

arts@thedailycougar.com