Lone Pen

This pen it sits and waits. 

No one ever comes. 

It is left alone in the parking lot. 

Once a person's pen and now just a pen in a parking lot. 

This pen sits and waits to be used.

It yearns for a warm hand.

If only for a moment in your grasp.

This pen sits and waits.

Someone somewhere is missing a pen.

Lost and abandoned, it waits.

Written by Melissa Jeffers

 Pen in parking lot
Photograph by Melissa Jeffers

Pen in parking lot
Photograph by Melissa Jeffers

Pen in parking lot
Photograph by Melissa Jeffers

Poetry Reading with Darrell Alejandro Holnes

During Darrell Alejandro Holnes' poetry reading I could feel the emotions. Being a gay male he had struggles that came through in his poetry.

Holnes included musical pieces throughout his poetry reading.

The reading wasn't just a reading, it was a full in-depth understanding of Holnes as a person.

Holnes said, "Sex, love, and death are the three topics written about in poetry."

After his poetry reading Holnes was so kind to answer any questions the audience had.

A few audience members had the chance to photograph Holnes. I was one of the lucky ones to actually take a couple photograph's with Holnes. That was a moment I won't forget.

Photograph's:

Darrell Alejandro Holnes
Photograph by Melissa Jeffers
(Overall)

Darrell Alejandro Holnes
Photograph by Melissa Jeffers
(Medium) 

Tim Black and Darrell Alejandro Holnes
Photograph by Melissa Jeffers
(Close)

Tim Black and Darrell Alejandro Holnes
Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Photograph's of Excellence

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Photograph by Melissa Jeffers 

Ekphrasis II Exhibit at Linn-Benton

Van Gogh said, "I dream my painting and then I paint my dream."

Rosalie Lingo 

Rosalie Lingo is a 20-year-old student, earning her Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree, and she plans to transfer to Oregon State University to get a degree in Graphic Design and/or Applied Visual Arts. 

Lingo said, "I've always been driven to paint, draw, and create art." 

It took her about eighteen months to create this piece. Each of her pieces has anywhere from six to 20 hours of work put into it. Lingo is currently creating a drawing for her art class with Analee Fuentes. She is also creating a new painting for the Student Show. 

Lingo said, "I don't see myself ever not making art...I just can't go long without my sketchbook."

Lingo said, "I don't know where the impulse comes from."

Rosalie Lingo -- My Night Student Smokes on the Break 

To celebrate National Poetry Month, Linn-Benton students and staff are having an exhibit featuring 27 paintings in a variety of media along with the poems that inspired all the artwork. The poetry and art will be on display until May 2.  

SSH Gallery -- Ekphrasis II Exhibit

The SSH gallery is open Monday through Friday from 8-5 pm. There is no charge to view the artwork. However, the artwork is not free. The art on display varies in price. If you would like to get your hands on a piece of art contact the secretary in the SSH, or the NSH building.

On April 15 from 3-4 p.m. a reception and book release was held in the gallery. Poets read from their work, and were available to sign copies of the exhibit catalog.

The theme for the gallery is a response to a poem written by a member of the Linn-Benton poetry club, in commemoration of National Poetry Month. Inspiration for the poems came from the book Ekphrasis.

"Love. It's a tired word, let's change it to passion fruit," New Poem by Dari Lawrie

Kiera Lynn, Linn-Benton's student Poet Laureate, writes: “The art of Ekphrasis is the process of using grand description and rhetoric to represent a work of art. In the case of this project, the poems were created first, leaving the artist to render a visual interpretation from the words upon the page. A picture may be worth a thousand words--but how many pictures are the words worth?”

Caitlin Little is a 19-year-old art major student with the goal of becoming a tattoo artist. Little said, "I was inspired by the poem, words, and the details that the author used." It took her roughly five hours to complete Cold and Lonely In the Street. Little said, "I don't ever plan on not making art." Little is currently creating a piece for the Student Art Exhibit starting April 24. 

"They say I'm too tall to be an astronaut. But I'll keep growing taller and reach the galaxy on my own," Dear Dreamer Part II by Crash. 

All but one artist is a student. Most of the students art was created in Dori Litzer's drawing class; last term.

Litzer created the piece called Apple Picking, and the poetry was created by Robin Havenick, the poetry club adviser.

Kiera Lynn mentions a few of her favorite poems included in the gallery: Chris Riseley's For Artists Who Think It Is Cool To Destroy Books, Karelia Stetz-Waters My Night Student Smokes on the Break, and Josh Lowe's Cold and Lonely In the Street. Lynn said, "None of these three poems are anything like each other, but they all have something that really hooks me." 

Henry David Thoreau said, "This world is but a canvas to our imagination." 

Caitlin Little -- Cold and Lonely In the Street 

Apple Picking --  Artwork was created by Dori Litzer and was inspired by Robin Havenick's poetry.

Cesar Jensen -- New Poem

Claire Denning -- Dear Dreamer 

At a glance box:

Exhibit Coordinator: Rich Bergeman

What: Ekphrasis II Exhibit

Where: SSH Gallery 6500 Pacific Blvd. SW Albany, Oregon 97321

Reception: Tuesday April 15, 2014 from 3-4 p.m.

Phone: 541-917-4247

Email: bergemr@linnbenton.edu

Students in The Learning Center at Linn-Benton

The Learning Center

Raven Burcham does homework in The Learning Center on Friday.

Kyle Moore-McKay does homework in The Learning Center on Friday.

Chance Dance and Art at Linn-Benton

                                                               Rainbow Dance Theatre

Rainbow Dance Theatre

Do you enjoy dance? If your answer is yes then you don't want to miss this performance. This weekend, March 14 at 7 pm the Russell Tripp Performance Center will host the Chance Dance and Art show. 

Some of the participants will be Rainbow Dance Theatre, Regional School of Ballet, Linn Benton Community College Dance, Poetry Clubs, Legacy Ballet, and more. Just to name a few. 

This performance has been designed by ten Regional Choreographers, and each dance will interpret the intrinsic meaning of the numbers through the language of their dance style. 

There will be several styles of dance performed. Some of the styles of dance that will include ballet, ballroom, Jazz, Afraican, Gymnastics, and Contemporary dance. For some performances there will be live music too.  

Together, a unique conversation will be created resulting in a memorable dance performance you won't want to miss. 

Hurry and purchase your tickets. You can get a hold of M'Liss Runyon to purchase tickets. Its only days away. All proceeds benefit art on the Linn Benton Community Campus through AART. Come out and support the cause. It will be time well spent. 

                                            

At a glance

Who: Frossene King

What: Chance Dance and Art

When: March 14, 2014 at 7 pm

Where: Russell Tripp Performance Center

6500 Pacific Blvd. SW Albany, OR 97321

Phone: 541-231-3069

Rob Lewis: Med Student to Math Instructor

In the front of the class stands a humble man. He wears a green plaid long sleeve button up with blue jeans, and sneakers. With his wavy locks slicked back and ready to teach. He asked, "Any Questions"?  The class rambles on with side conversations as Lewis precedes to turn on the overhead. Let’s give a warm round of applause for West Point, Virginia's very own, Instructor Robert Lewis.

Lewis has a Masters in Math from Duke, Masters in Animal Science from Montana State, and a Ph. D in Animal Science from OregonState University. He is a husband to Cathy Lewis and a father to Jimmy Lewis. On his spare time he enjoys training Border collie’s to herd sheep and cattle. He also enjoys hiking, Ping-Pong, and tennis.

He makes math accessible and applies it to the real world. He tells a story about René Descartes (1596-1650) and how the rectangular coordinate system, also known as the Cartesian System.

Lewis climbs on the table and lays down on his back. He mentions flies on the ceiling and how Descartes could get other people to see the exact spot a fly was on the ceiling. He came up with the Cartesian System we use today. Go up a couple square ceiling tiles and over a few ceiling tiles. That's where the fly will be. 

When asked why he became a math instructor, Lewis said, “I wasn’t happy being a med student.” Lewis began as a med student because he thought it would make his parents proud of him, but he wasn't happy. It was never his intention to become a math instructor, but after taking some time off from school and realizing what truly made him happy, he took off and ran with it.

Lewis has been a dedicated math instructor at Linn Benton Community College since 1992. Over the years he has taught several math courses, but really enjoys teaching Math 60. Lewis said, “It is the fundamentals of Math 60 that I enjoy.”

Currently Lewis is teaching Math 60 Introduction to Algebra, Math 111 College Algebra, and Math 241 Calculus for Business Management. During spring term 2014 Lewis will teach Math 111 College Algebra, Math 241 Calculus for Business Management, and Math 243 Introduction to Statistics.

Lewis is an instructor with a student’s best interest in mind. As a previous student of Lewis, Kassie Johnson said, “I would recommend that students take a class with Rob Lewis, he helped me so much, and a lot of people I know in his class now say the same about Rob.” As a current student of Lewis, Todd Votroubek said, “He’s a good teacher, always making jokes, and always willing to help.”

Rob Lewis is a kind person and instructor. He has won the Pastega Award for Teaching Excellence. He has been part of the Oregon Mathematical Association of two year colleges.  Lewis has made an impact on both students and staff. Fellow instructor, Hollis Duncan said, “Rob is a cool dude and an awesome guy.” He’s not only an instructor of math, but an instructor of math accessibility.

At a glance:

Subject's name: Rob Lewis

Job: Math Instructor

Age: Fifty-eight years young

Family: Wife Cathy and son Jimmy

Years at LBCC: Twenty-one years

Education: Masters in Math (Duke Univ.) Masters in Animal Science (Montana State), PHD in Animal Science (OSU)

Hobbies/Interests: Training Border Collies to herd sheep and cattle, hiking, Ping-Pong, and tennis.

Hometown: West Point, Virginia

Organizations:  Oregon Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges

Awards/Honors: Pastega Award for Teaching Excellence

Phone: 541-917-4759

Email: rob.lewis@linnbenton.edu

Introducing Mother Daughter Poet Laureates

Attention all poetry buff's, Valley Writers Series hosts poets laureate. Introducing the mother daughter duo, Ruth Krueger and Amy Earls. Come one, come all, and be intrigued with words.

Student poets laureate Ruth Krueger and Amy Earls shared their poetry at the Benton Center on February 12, 2014, and the reading began at 7:30 pm. The reading was held in Natalie Daley’s classroom BC-244. The Valley Writers series was free and open to the public and was sponsored by the English Department.

Krueger was named the fourth poet laureate in 2011 after following her daughter’s footsteps. When asked what inspires you, Krueger said, “Life and nature are one in the same.” Krueger said, "Mary Oliver as her favorite poet." A few poems that were read by Krueger were: "Sailing", "Pretending", and "Slipping." Krueger's poems were about her loss of loved ones. Each poem was filled with emotion and passion. She took the audience on a journey through her eyes.

Krueger was an active member of the poetry club here on campus. The poetry club was created in 2008 by Robin Havenick. Poetry club is a relaxed environment to continue learning skills and learning from others. During the poetry club meetings people take turns reading, praising the poet, and expressing feelings the were evoked from the readings. During the reading, Krueger read from a book called, "Ekphrasis." It had many poems in it, including pictures. Each poem was an inspiration for her own poetry.

Earls, became second poet laureate at Linn Benton Community College in 2009. When asked what inspires you, Earls said, “Nature and having a deep appreciation for music” inspires her poetry. Like her mother, Earls said, "Mary Oliver is my favorite poet." Poems that were read by Earls were: "Prayers to Grass", "Floating Down Rivers", and "Swings." Earls poems were about her own experiences and how she remembered them. Earls poem "Swings" was a reflection of most children's childhoods. You could feel the chains from the swing in your grasp. She took us to that swing set that day with her sister. During Earls reading, she shared her memoir which remains unnamed and referred to as roman number one.

The reading at the Benton Center was Krueger and Earls first reading together. Nevertheless their poetry flowed nicely together. Their poetry expressed loss and love, sadness and triumph. A student from Linn Benton Community College who attended the reading was Rebecca Chandler. Chandler said, “I enjoy poetry because it is beautiful.”

Robin Havenick, Jeff Davis, Jane White, Natalie Daley, Daley's ENG106 class, Earls' husband and daughter Haven attended this special mother daughter reading. Each poem received a great appreciation from the audience. It felt like the poems were alive and we we're along for the ride. The mother daughter duo took turns reading. One poet would read a poem or two and then the other would do that same. It kept the audience engaged. The poets stood behind a music book stand with a  bouquet of flowers to the right.

What is poetry? It is literary work in which special intensity is given to the expressions and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm. The next time you don't have the right words, think about your feelings. Poetry is an outlet for those scattered thoughts in ones mind. Share them in poetic way.

At the end of the readings there was a loud roar of applause for Krueger and Earls. Both poets shared amazing pieces. After the readings questions were asked and answered. Then one final round of applause and the reading was over.

At a glance box:

Who: Ruth Krueger and Amy Earls

What: LBCC Valley Writers Series

Where: Benton Center Room BC-244, 757 NW Polk Ave. Corvallis OR

When: February 12, 2014

Contact: Jane White, ddjane@peak.org

Phone: 541-917-4577