Blurring the Lines at the M.I.A. Art and Literary Series

by Maria Kanai

courtesy rie miyoshi

The last M.I.A. event at Mercury Bar was a collaboration of Tin Fish Press and Hawaii Review,
and over fifty people came out to hear the authors read short stories and poems. Now at Fresh Cafe,
Jaime Gusman believes that M.I.A. can finally reach its true potential. 

Ever read a story out loud? What about a poem? Or better yet, ever read your own story or poem to a listening audience? The moment you speak the words off the page, that’s when the magic happens.

courtesy jaime gusman

Gusman's poems are featured in the current 

issue of the Tinfish literary journal. 

It becomes a one-of-a-kind performance, which is exactly what the M.I.A. events are about. Since its small opening at Mercury Bar on October 2009, M.I.A. has developed into a diverse turnout of readers, writers, and musicians alike.

The M.I.A. Art and Literary Series was started by Jaimie Gusman, a poet hailing from Florida, currently pursuing her PHD in Creative Writing/Poetry. She got the idea from her experiences in the University of Washington, where students would work through different genres and give performances that “fed off each other.”

When she realized that UH Manoa had no art scene specific to the English department in the creative local community, she decided to take action.

“A big part of being in that sort of profession [writing] is that you have to do public reading," Gusman says. "The practice was really good for us, and I realized they didn’t have that here, so I asked to put it together.”

She believes M.I.A. gives writers an opportunity to improve their craft and get the kind of feedback they can’t receive in a safe, classroom atmosphere. Compared to the mainland, Gusman thinks Hawaii’s writing community is smaller and inclusive, but that has its advantages.

“All the writers kind of know each other, and it’s hard to be part of the writing community in general and not know the sub-community within that community," says Gusman. "You go to those readings and you know those people and everyone supports each other. I think it’s largely supportive and it’s easy to get your voice out there.”

courtesy jaime gusman

The next M.I.A event is on March 17, 2011, so mark your calendars. It’s sure to be a great reading, with a new location and new authors. For more information, visit miahonolulu.wordpress.com. And if you’re interested in volunteering or performing, contact Jaimie at miaseries@gmail.com!

But it’s not just writers who can participate. Local musicians perform as well, resulting in a show of words and music that’s uniquely M.I.A. (which by the way, stands for Mixed Innovative Arts). For Gusman, it’s all about blurring the lines between genres.

“I think music and visual art is part of writing in a large part,” she says. “I’m all for short skits, or more improv or dance. Since Fresh Café is more of a bigger space, you could do a lot more with it. I’m interested in just blurring the genre lines and having everything be fun and something that people can go to and think, “I’m going to hear something new and different every time I go to MIA. That’s what I really want.”

MC Horse Rides Again: Q+A with The Grammar Club (B-side)

by Chris Mikesell

"My favorite creative writing professor once told me that a lie is sometimes more true than the truth." 

- Shael Riley, TGC 

Yesterday we sat down with Shael Riley and Beefy of The Grammar Club to talk writing and rapping for their new free nerdcore album, MC Horse Rides Again. Today, in the second half of our interview, we go track by track and discuss how each track got put together.

MC Horse Rides Again: Q+A with The Grammar Club (A-side)

by Chris Mikesell

courtesy thegrammarclub.com

It’s been a few years and then some since the last album by internet band The Grammar Club but they are back with what could be called their 2.0 sound. We sat down with the band’s two leads (metaphorically speaking, as nerdcore rapper Beefy is living it up in the Spokane area these days while chiptuner Shael Riley is based in the New York City area) and talked about how they put this album together.

CM: I'm glad to see you guys do a return to a little bit of topical lyricism in this album. 

SR: MC Horse is overtly political, though, yeah. Substantively. I'm flamingly liberal, and I'm anti-bailout. Maybe we can cut a horse-shoe pattern out of the country. Just keep the North and the coasts. And Hawaii, of course. But not Alaska.

CM: Well, TGC has moved from this sort of space where you haven't been overtly political, like you said, to being out there with it. What made you want to go in that direction?

SR: I was just writing about what was on my mind at the time. I've become more poltiical and so my music reflects that. Political stuff has been taking up a lot of mental real estate for me. It just hit a point in the late 2000s where I was no longer proud to be an American. I was downright ashamed.

CM: Really? Can you pinpoint where exactly that happened? I mean, we did elect a black dude to the white house. Just sayin'. 

SR: No. No. I was really pro-Obama. But then there was this false dawn with Obama where I thought we'd get out of the Middle East and everyone would have good health care. I'm not strongly anti-Obama now, but I am disapointed, like any liberal. I guess I stopped being proud in 2004 when we re-elected Bush, but I wasn't moved to write about it until a few years later. 

CM: Now, in MC Horse, you guys talk about Obama and the deficit and unemployment being awesome for your creative process. Now, we all know how Beefy doesn't like to hear about creative processes but still.

SR: This album is, funny enough, more personal than the last, yeah. And a lot darker. At first, Beefy was having trouble writing to the hooks I'd pitch him because they didn't relate to him personally and that was how he'd written his solo stuff up to that point - personal truths. A lot of our previous album, Bremelanotide, was escapsim, I think, for me and for Beefy.

CM: I noticed. Bremelanotide had, for instance, more tits per track.

SR: Right, whereas Horse has more dicks. Tit to dick ratio is flipped here.

CM: Gotta have that balance. 

SR: But Beefy reached this epiphany early on with Bremelanotide where he was like "I know what I'll do. I'll just lie." So he'd say fantastic things about all these girls being notches on his bedpost in Balloon Flight when he'd really been with the same girl his entire reproductive life. It wasn't lying in a bad way. It's creative writing. He was writing about this super version of him he wanted to be and that became the sort of character he'd write all the Grammar Club stuff in when the hook didn't jive with his personal experience. We're not lying in a way that disrespects our audience. Sometimes we write from a viewpoint we're criticizing. 

CM: So Beefy, tell us a bit about your strategy with writing for this album. In your previous work, you've always been about writing from your own experience, what you know, but this album was a pretty big departure from that - writing as a character. How did you make that transition and what was the hardest part about it?

BT: I think the hardest part about it was being confident that fans who like my solo work wouldn’t come to hate me as I ventured a bit with my writing. Writing with Shael is always a treat because he encourages me to step outside of my comfort zone, and being a big fan of his musically, I feel the need to impress or surprise him with every project we work on. My verses for the most part on our first track on the album “Suck My Wallet” are so vulgar and mean spirited that I was afraid it would turn off long time fans who know me as a kid who would sing-rap about being a Whitesican. But thankfully the response has been extremely positive and people seem to dig it when we change things up, both musically and as songwriters. I started writing as a character initially with Shael out of necessity because he liked to write about girls and I didn’t exactly have a lot of experience in that area. From there it just kind of grew, and I allowed myself to write as the kind of person each song called for.

CM: Some of the songs on the album sound likes they're closer to With Sprinkles, some sound like they're Toybox 2.0 or even Double Ice Backfire-influenced. How much of a part did you have in making that happen?

BT: Musically, I contribute absolutely nothing. My biggest contribution music-wise was recommending we bring in c64 of Dual Core on the project. He had done some tracks on With Sprinkles and I am a HUGE fan of his work with int-80 as the duo known as Dual Core (dualcoremusic.com) so that may be where that influence comes from. Shael and Ty both craft the sound of the DIB and they brought that same amazing talent to this project.

CM: This album took a long time to put out just because both of you have been super busy with other albums and other projects. What would you say the biggest gap was, chronologically between songs on the album?

SR: The piano for Breaking Up With Bret was recorded two and a half years ago. My vocals were recorded at the beginning of this year.

---

In part II of our interview tomorrow, Shael Riley and Beefy go down the tracklist with us! In the meantime, you can check out their new album, MC Horse Rides again free on www.thegrammarclub.com.

Hawaii Review 73: Get Some Place Time

by Chris Mikesell

chris mikesell / KA LAMAKUA

Donovan Colleps, Editor-in-Chief of Hawaii Review, chose "place" to be the theme for HR's newest issue. 

Sometimes, you have to go looking for a theme to unify your work - but for Donovan Colleps and his crew at Hawaii Review, their theme came to them.

"The concept was place," he says. "It became a familiar theme with the accepted works, so we kind of went from there and structured it around varying themes of place - what it means to writers and what it means to people. It's actually a pretty malleable theme - from poem to poem or story to story... different aspects of place appeared."

The newest issue of Colleps' literary journal, now in its 73rd semi-annual iteration, features not just poems and fiction but also a bit of do-it-yourself papercraft in the form of a model ahapua'a.

It's a very hands on book - reading it requires you to reorient the book as you move from piece to piece. Is the spine on the top or on the side? Depends on how you look at things. Depends on what you're reading. The way the book is built forces readers to think even more about place - and that's exactly how Colleps likes it.

"There have been past editors who have changed the format and the size, but nothing to the extent of where you literally are flipping the book over," Colleps says. "Surprisingly, that still ties into 'place' - how it affects you and how you choose to let it affect you.

"It also parallels with the act of writing. When people sit down to write they want to tell a story and manipulate their chosen environment."

---

Hawaii Review 73 is available now - free to all UH Manoa Students with validated ID and $10 for non-students at the Board of Publications offices in Hemenway Hall.

Sierra Dew: Meaning Through Art

courtesy sierra dew

"With anything new

I always look back to my original goals of
creating with meaning and intention."

by Maria Kanai

Ever stop on your way to class to admire the clothes and jewelry sold in the vendors at the Campus Center? Although it's easy to join the massive lunch rush (especially with the construction bottling us students through), definitely keep a look out for Sierra Dew.

She occasionally can be found near Jamba Juice, sporting a playful fedora and modeling her own signature leggings and tunic outfit. Local boutiques have been known to come to UH Manoa to sell designs at an affordable, college-friendly price, and Sierra's unique line of Hawaii-inspired accessories and clothes is perfect for any trendy fashionista.

Maui-born Sierra Dew studied Apparel Product Design and Merchandising at UH Manoa and then transferred to Polimoda Fashion School in Italy. After interning with Betsy Johnson in New York City, she started "Sierra Dew Designs" in 2008 and has since then successfully seen her company grow into a signature lifestyle brand in the local fashion and art industry.

courtesy sierra dew

Sierra teaches keiki how to stencil at an
Earth Day workshop.

"When I was a kid I was always doing craft projects at home, learning new skills always really excited me," she says in our e-mail interview. "When I started learning how to sew, I wanted to make everything." 

And she does just that. From jewelry, handbags, dresses, and t-shirts, she makes everything with her own hands. Her cheerfulness and her keen eye for art in nature shine through in her fashion line: vibrant colors, unique designs, and that signature "Sierra" stand-out edge.

So what inspires her? Despite her fun-loving, carefree personality, Sierra's fashion is much more than just having something cute to wear.

"I've always thought that fashion and art should reflect current social and political situations," Dew says. "I think that addressing local issues like genetically modified foods, water and land issues, waste management is very important.  It has always been the artist's way to create meaning through art."

Sierra claims Hawaii's beauty and diversity play a "big role" in her inspiration. "Most of my T-shirt designs are reflective of growing up here," says Dew. 

She continuously strives for "new ways to incorporate my own style into the perfect combination of print, color, and design." She needs to constantly move forward within the competitive market, and in some ways, she wishes she had learned the ruthlessness of the industry in school.

courtesy sierra dew

Sierra displays her print art on the left, which she 

created as a message about child labor and 

the garment industry.

"It's nice that teachers are so encouraging (and now that I do some teaching I can understand), but sometimes it would be more beneficial for them to give students the realities of the market. All of a sudden when we are out of school, we aren't being coddled any longer and it can be shocking."

Her advice to future fashion designers of Hawaii: "Be grounded and honest with yourself about the "reality of your venture…it is very important to have a plan!

"Be passionate! I really have learned how important it is to follow your gut instinct and your heart!"

Sierra's future plans include holding more workshops and collaborating with the local youth and 808 Urban. Her increasing involvement in the community and her meaningful designs make her an inspiration for any aspiring fashion designer. 

To see more of her designs, visit her website at http://www.sierradew.com. 

Betsy Curtis: Capturing the Moment

by Jessie Bristow

One, two, three… Say “Cheese” but don’t smile. Look at each photograph and debate weather it is a part of history, something from a time capsule, or is it a blend of culture and artistic grace.

jessie bristow / KA LAMAKUA

Betsy Curtis stands among her portraits, taken at the Honolulu Academy of Arts.
Her other subjects include people at Waimea Bay and aboard the USS Missouri.
Her exhibition, "The Visitors," is on display in the UH Manoa Art Building's Commons Gallery until Feb. 25.

With an age-like Victorian style portrait and detailed background environment, each photograph slows down the viewer’s ADD like symptoms most people have today, questioning every out of place detail with interest.

The Visitors, a photography thesis exhibition by Betsy Curtis, is being displayed in the Commons Gallery in the art building at the University of Hawaii Manoa from February 13-25.

Betsy Curtis, 29, a graduate student in Studio Art Photography of UH Manoa, began playing with cameras while working at a camera shop during high school. Curtis found her calling in what she wanted to do with her photography skills during her sophomore year at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois.

“I realized I was doing projects that were not just for assignments, that I was just like doing stuff on my own,” Curtis says.

Curtis’ whole approach towards her current style in this exhibition is due to a childhood filled with scrapbooks made by her mother.

“Ever since I was a little kid, I have probably three or four volumes this thick on my life, she made," Curtis says, putting her hands about five to six inches apart.

Knowing how fast people peer through photo albums, glancing, commenting, then turning the page, Curtis wanted to create a portrait that caught the attention of all viewers. She approached her project with subjects of stern looks and backgrounds that draw attention.

“For this project, the location was…is almost as important as the person.”

With her photographs consisting of the U.S.S. Missouri, Honolulu Academy of Arts, and Waimea Bay. Curtis wanted to portray images of culture, history, and nature that implied the message of a time capsule allowing the viewer to go back and forth between present and past. Each area shot has some kind of historical or cultural significance that Curtis wanted to display.

In the future, Curtis wants to focus on finishing her thesis, graduate, and focus on projects to submit to a number of residencies she plans on applying for. Her current style of photography is not her signature method. Curtis intends to try and work on ideas of collages and to take a break from her realistic style she has applied with her current exhibition.

As an experienced and growing photographer, Betsy Curtis suggests to aspiring students to drill down inside and find out why the medium they are using is important to them.

“I think, artwork works best when you are drawing from your own well and personal experience.”

Visit the exhibition in the Commons Gallery or visit Betsy Curtis’ website at http://elizabethrcurtis.com/.

Behind the Set of Hawaii 5-0

Interview and photos by Maria Kanai

maria kanai / KA LAMAKUA

Priscilla Stafford is an Academy for Creative Media grad 

making her way into the local film industry. 

Meet Priscilla Stafford, a 22 year old graduate of UH Manoa and full-time production assistant (PA) on the set of Hawaii 5-0. The remake of Leonard Freeman's vastly popular show premiered September 20, 2010 and has since won the People's Choice Award by becoming one of the CBS's highest rated new shows of the year.

Priscilla was born in Yokohama, Japan and moved to Hawaii for college in 2005. She graduated with a double major in ACM and History at UH Manoa in Spring 2009 and has since successfully been pursuing her dreams to work in the film industry. We asked her how she got in and how she got her start.

MK: How did you get involved in Hawaii 5-0?

PS: Someone referred me to work on the pilot and so I came in to work two to three days, but I was able to make an impression and was hired full-time.

MK: What do you do as a PA?

PS: I'm specifically a set production assistant. We're in charge of the set, the walkies, we give information to actors, as well as the crew, be in communication with the production office, we manage the background/extras. Basically we're the first ones there and last ones out.

MK: What do you think about the show?

PS: I think it's a fun show! It's kind of silly sometimes, but the dialogue is fun, the characters are fun. I don't think it's a serious, dramatic TV, you know what I mean? I like how they show Hawaii, it's someplace I know, and it's fun for both people who live here and for people who don't.

MK: What is the most exciting thing about working on set?

PS: The fact that every day is new is always exciting. The work is never the same; it feels same sometimes, 'cos you work with same people, same actors, but we have guest stars, and new directors, sets, storylines, and stunts. Every single day is new and fresh, and that's what keeps it exciting as an art form. It's not a 9-5 job where you kinda do the same thing every day.

maria kanai / KA LAMAKUA

Production assistants hold a meeting on the
set of Hawaii 5-0.

MK: What is the hardest thing about working on set?

PS: The long hours, just trying to make time to rest and have your own time.

MK: How many hours a week do you work?

PS: Average between seventy to seventy-five hours a week.

MK: What are Alex and Scott like? How is it working with them?

PS: They are both really nice guys! Alex is very good with people and very personable. He gets along well with everybody. He's easy to talk to; he's very clear what he needs and what he wants on set. He's not afraid to speak his mind on matters like that. Both Alex and Scott know all the crew members by name, from the drivers to us PAs. Scott is really funny, fun-loving, he likes to joke around with people, he brings his dog to set (laughs).

MK: What is the most valuable thing you've learned from ACM at UH Manoa?

PS: Working as a team in projects, being able to think ahead, plan production. Most people think filming is just film, on that day, but you don't realize how much planning goes into just one little scene. ACM really gears perspective on how much time and effort you put into everything, from pre-production production, and post-production.

MK: What is one thing school did not prepare you for?

PS: The sheer size and just how much hard work it [working on set] would be…You're not taught to be able to network or meet, work with professionals. There are internships, but it's very hard once you're full-time.

MK: Do you have any advice for aspiring ACM-ers who want to enter the entertainment industry?

PS: I highly recommend working as a PA for a little while. I think it's a great opportunity to know what it means to be in production. It's always good to see what it's like from the lowest rung, and then go for what you want to do. Don't wait and be willing to PA for a little bit, just for the experience. Don't get side tracked.

MK: What's your ultimate dream?

PS: My ultimate dream is to direct. My half-way point dream is be an AD. But along the way, I would like to do my own projects, work on my photography, and always remember that my profession is an art form, not just a business. I want to constantly remind myself of that, even in the little ways.

Hawaii 5-0 will keep shooting until April, and may be picked up for a second season later this year. Keep a lookout for the next new episode coming up on Monday at 9 on CBS!

Mockingjay: A Book Review

by Maria Kanai

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Age Group: Young Adult

Rating: 2.5/5

"Mockingjay" is the final installment in the teen trilogy "Hunger Games" by author Suzanne Collins. Its long-anticipated release in August 24, 2010 sold over 400,000 copies in the first week. After reading the second book "Catching Fire", I had to admit I was slightly hesitant to pick this one up. As I stated in my last review, I was not entirely impressed with the unoriginality and lack of character development. However, "Catching Fire" ended at a painful cliffhanger. I couldn't leave the Hunger Games yet!

Our heroine Katniss Everdeen still survives, but not by luck. She learns about the mysterious District 13, and their involvement in her escape from the Quarter Quell. District 13 plans to overthrow the Capitol, but the people need Katniss to finally choose her place as the leader of the rebellion. As war breaks loose and the death toll continues to rise, the line between allies and enemies starts to blur.

This book ties up the loose ends left at the end of "Catching Fire." We learn all about District 13, more history on the Capitol, and the ultimate showdown between the rebelling districts and the Capitol. The triangle between Peeta, Katniss, and Gale is resolved, and I was incredibly happy with her decision. As for character development, we learn more about handsome Finnick, the tribune in the Quell I know every single female reader fell in love with. Haymitch also is amazing. We find out his involvement in the rebellion, and he turns out to be an amazing character.

"Mockingjay" had a lot to live up to. It should have resolved many of the issues in Katniss' character. Her indecisions, her inner scars after the hunger games, and her continuous manipulation by the Capitol. She should have come a full circle, a winner in the face of her difficulties.

She didn't.

The message of the entire "Hunger Games" trilogy is that war is unforgivable, and those involved can never come out unscathed. "Mockingjay" pushes that message straight in your face over and over again. Katniss is manipulated by both the Capitol and District 13, spends most of her time in rehab, and in the unbelievably shocking conclusion, is beaten down once again. Where was her triumphant journey as a heroine? Maybe this was Collins' intent, but I personally believe that this book would have benefited more with Katniss changing, her situation changing, and then coming out successful. Also, there were too many characters created only to be killed off. I stopped caring for them, and grew rather numb to the deaths.

What was wonderful about the first book was its depiction of the grim realities of war, yet there was humor and hope for those involved. Katniss' strength and determination made her a character you wanted to cheer for. When you take those away, which happened in "Mockingjay", you're left with a rather depressing book that you wished you hadn't read.

A satisfying conclusion to a best-selling trilogy? Unfortunately, no. Worth reading? Yes, but definitely only because of the cliffhanger in the second book.

(By the way, there's a movie coming out in 2012! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/)

Minecraft: Manifest Destiny in Block Form

Photos and Review by Chris Mikesell

Minecraft, a game developed by Markus Persson (a.k.a. “Notch”) is quickly becoming the darling of the indie gaming world even though, strictly speaking, it’s still a game in the very loosest sense of the word. As far as sandboxes go, this is about as sandbox as it gets.

chris mikesell / KA LAMAKUA

MINECRAFT

www.minecraft.net

14.95 euros (About $20)

The world of Minecraft is an infinitely-expanding, randomly
generated landscape with six different types of biomes, each
with its own unique ecology, resources, and topography. No
two Minecraft worlds are ever alike. 

The goal of Minecraft is simply to survive, though how you go about it largely depends on what level of survival you are willing to accept.

You want to live in a freshly dug hole in the ground, only venturing out to hunt for food? You can do that in Minecraft. You want to dig deep into the earth and hunt for treasure and resources? You can do that too. Looking to fight monsters? Monsters are as plentiful (at least at night) as you want to make them, ranging from “none” on Minecraft’s “Peaceful” difficulty setting to “OMG OMG OMG there’s a horde of exploding monsters chasing me” in its hardest setting.

The experience you get out of Minecraft depends entirely on what you put into it. Much like the experience one would get playing with LEGOs, the possibilities in Minecraft are limited only by your imagination.

The mechanics are easy to grasp: gather blocks by breaking them, and use the blocks you’ve gathered either to build structures or to craft more effective tools you can use to break more blocks with.

Or armor. Or buckets for carrying lava. Or cakes. The crafting system, while easy to use once you get the hang of it, is not really explained at all in-game. Nor are the monsters, block properties, or even your single main objective to survive (Hint: Torches made from Coal and Charcoal are your best friends on your first day in Minecraft.) The game is still in its beta, but even so, the game will still feel incomplete without any sort of tutorial to guide players along.

chris mikesell / KA LAMAKUA

Minecraft players use the resources they gather to make their
homes as expansive - or deep - as they please, though it's
critical to keep light sources around at all times to prevent
monsters from appearing at night.

Curious (or frustrated) Minecrafters need only to point their browsers to the Minecraft Wiki, however, to learn the intricacies of the game’s building blocks.

The sound direction for the game is as minimalistic as its graphics – the music, by C418, doesn’t blare at you constantly but rather swells up occasionally to add to the dramatic solitude of Minecraft’s blocky world. It’s you against the elements (or blocks, rather) and you’re surviving somehow. You never get over the feeling (playing singleplayer Minecraft, at least, though there are multiplayer servers) that you are alone in the blocky wilderness.

All these elements combined make for gameplay that is simple yet addictive. You can end up losing yourself quite literally in Minecraft’s randomly generated biomes. The first time I played the game nearly two months ago, I signed on and before I knew it, it appeared my clock had gone backwards by half an hour, only to discover upon looking up that it was now night and I had actually lost almost twelve hours of my life to my virgin playthrough.

Though, with a (one-time!) price of 14.95 euros / about $20 for the beta, which includes all future updates, Minecraft may be a habit that those playing subscription-based games like WoW can live with.

Book Review: Catching Fire

Age Group: Young Adult

Rating: 3/5

By Maria Kanai

"Catching Fire" is the sequel to the bestselling YA trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I couldn't wait to start reading it, and picked it up immediately after I was done with "Hunger Games." You can read my review for it here.

The book starts off immediately where the first book left off. Katniss Everdeen has survived the hunger games, but she is still in danger. Her open act of defiance against the Capitol has sparked a rebellion across the Districts. She must still play by the Capitol's rules in and out of the arena and her friends, family, and district are all under direct threat.

Suzanne Collins takes this second book as a chance to explore and flesh out the world of Panem. We see more of the history behind the 12 Districts, the political power structures, and more hunger games. The writing is so vivid and detailed that Panem was remarkably realistic. As for character development, I especially loved Haymitch's transition from a distant mentor to a close ally with a hidden past. He is by far my favorite in the trilogy as the gruff, jaded teacher who cares more than he chooses to show.

That being said, "Catching Fire" was a bit of a disappointment. My biggest problem was the rehashing of the hunger games. It made sense to have the hunger games in the first book because, well, the title, and more importantly, they were a critical example of the Capitol's tyranny. Throwing Katniss into the bloody arena once again felt like overkill, and dare I say it, more sensational rather than working towards the plot. The violence was old and familiar, and after a while, the deaths felt thrown in and unimportant.

Also, what was with the relationship between Peeta, Katniss, and Gale? All I could think of was Bella, Edward, and Jacob. Katniss switches from one to the other when it pleased her, and it did nothing to make me connect with her. Her character development in this second installment was difficult to pinpoint. She seems confused throughout the story. I wanted to see her make the shift from a girl vainly fighting against tyranny to a heroine who makes the choice to take her stance as an influential, revolutionary leader. Instead, she continues to compromise with herself, her friends, and the Capitol. I was left wondering where the resourceful girl determined to save her little sister went, and whether she would come up in the third installment, "Mockingjay." I sure hope so.

Did "Catching Fire" live up to its predecessor? No. Should you read it? Well, if you liked the first book, you will probably have to find out what happened! Unfortunately, it was a bit of a letdown for me.
Keep a lookout for my next review for the final book, "Mockingjay."

Hunger Games: A Book Review

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Genre: Young Adult

Rating: 4.5/5

Book Review by Maria Kanai

Winter break is my favorite time of the year to catch up on reading. There is something very appealing about curling up in a warm blanket at home on a cold day with a good book. So, I took my Christmas money and gleefully made a trip to good old Borders to pick up "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins, the first book of a bestselling YA trilogy that gained huge popularity since its original release in 2008.

Katniss Everdeen is a sixteen year old girl living in a futuristic world where the tyrannical government of Panem holds annual "hunger games" as a violent means to keep the districts in check. The book opens quietly enough, but then by the end of the first chapter, it throws you straight into a fast-paced, hard-hitting story without a break. Then, of course, it leaves you with a cliffhanger, and I was desperate for the sequel after putting down "Hunger Games" at four in the morning.

I don't even know where to start. I have to admit my skepticism when I first heard of "Hunger Games." Most young-adult books surrounded by so much hype are often disappointing, and I was prepared for another "Twilight" (no offense to Twilight fans). But this book was a darkly pleasant surprise. The plot may not be entirely original (think a female teenage "Ender" meets "Battle Royale" with "The Gladiator" thrown into the mix), but Suzanne Collins throws in enough new twists and turns for a refreshing story. The world of Panem is believable as a futuristic North America, and it was easy to pick up on the not-so-subtle messages against war, tyranny, and reality TV (seriously).

But more than the plot, the characters clinched the book for me. Suzanne skillfully depicts characters with enough dimensions and developments that I couldn't help but empathize with all of them. I was rooting for Katniss throughout the entire book and cared for everyone she cared about. Great writing, Ms. Collins. Character-driven stories are the best.

Although "Hunger Games" is technically YA, the story is captivating for any age. After I finished, it took a while for me to recover. Be warned: "Hunger Games" was not light reading at all. It was an intense ride from start to finish, with pretty dark themes and some particularly gruesome deaths.

Is "Hunger Games" worth its hype? Yes. Should you read it? Yes! Have the sequel near at hand to grab. Don't say I didn't warn you; the trilogy is incredibly addicting.

Keep a look out for my next review of the second book, "Catching Fire."

The Store: Innovators of Fashion

by Chris Mikesell

Review: Godot a serious taste of comedy on a whimsical night

by Michael Brewer

Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" isn't for everyone. It's alarming, vulgar, dryly humorous, and confusing in spots. But that didn't stop me from staying in my seat, glued to the act like I was a cat waiting for a mouse to come out of the wall—the sense of movement is so strangely and powerfully fulfilled in this play that it leads one to question the meaning of movement itself, and the many different ways it can make us feel.

           

chris mikesell / KA LAMAKUA

The cast of "Waiting for Godot" from left to right:
Nicholas Atiburcio, Tommy Barron, Dan Randerson,
Ryan Wustewald and Troy Apostol.

For the traditional dramatist, or the person interested in plot and big explosions and sex and cause and effect, this play isn't for you. Go watch Hamlet. "Waiting for Godot" (pronounced, GOD-o) takes a completely different step to theater. In short, it focuses on two bums waiting for a man named "Godot". 

The dialogue and comedy make up the bulk of the content because there are no scene changes, time changes, or consequences. Critics call it "absurdism", or, according to the Random House Dictionary, "the philosophical and literary doctrine that human beings live in essential isolation in a meaningless and irrational world."

Before the alarm bells start ringing, keep in mind that this play is considered one of the greatest of the 20^th century by many critics. That being said, it's the critics that find it influential. How far does that go for the public? It's hard to tell, but it really depends on the person. If you have a two-and-a-half hour attention span for dialogue that could potentially hold serious ethnicultural and theological values, then you'll be very happy to make whatever you will of it.

For everyone else, at least stay for the first half to get a taste of the dry humor. You'll be surprised by the movement around the stage, and how much of the actors' acting ends up in the audience members' faces. But in all serious, don't take this play seriously—Beckett says so himself in another author's reading of the play: "The end is to give artistic expression to something hitherto almost ignored – the irrational state of unknowingness wherein we exist, this mental weightlessness which is beyond reason."

Kennedy Theater's production of "Waiting for Godot": B+ for excellent costume design, lighting, and actors' vocals. However, the shouting at times was obnoxiously loud. Watch this play once and think on it; it's not really a 'rewatchable' play.

Founding Film: The Man Who Pulled Off His Head

By Hanna Martz

Do you know who made this? Melies
developed the techniques and directed this
amous silent movie, La Voyage dans la Lune.

Movies are consistently trying to reach a higher peak of performance. Better plot twists, more life-like animation, and bigger explosions create waves of movie-goers each year aiming to see the next coolest thing. 

Where did those special effects we tend to take for granted come from? That is what UH English professor David Maine has explored, and will talk about this Thursday with his own work, The Man Who Pulled off His Head. For anyone who's watched popular movies, I highly recommend checking out Professor Maine's reading this Thursday November 18^th in Kuykendall Hall, room 410, at 3pm.

To be honest, when I heard about yet another professor reading something they wrote, I rolled my eyes. But after talking to Professor Maine, whatever preconceived notion I had flew away as I was drawn in by the story, the life of Georges Melies. How this unknown man had changed the course of history and I, and likely many others, had no idea.

The first cine-magician - the founder of 

filming special effects, George Melies.

In the early days of film, people didn't really know what they could do – so they experimented and fiddled and sought out new forms of manipulation. Georges Méliès was one such man – a man who founded an art and industry that continues today. As a visionary, Melies brought many things into the world, "He had a marvelous imagination and more or less single-handedly invented the art of special effects," Professor Maine told me. "He invented whole realms of cinema that are still hugely popular—he made the first vampire movie, the first science fiction film, the first product placement, the first docudrama." For a man who brought entertainment and industry such leaps and bounds, Melies has largely been forgotten. We (the public) rarely remember the men and women behind-the-scenes, let alone give them any thought while watching films.

The Man Who Pulled of His Head could very well change that.

 "I would love it if people walked away with a stronger appreciation for Méliès and the innovation he brought to the cinema. More than that, I'd like people to have some respect for all the early pioneers in the movies," Professor Maine said.  

Melies' story translates over the generations, and parallels current cinematographic issues; continuing to find new and better special effects, finding the balance between making art and making money, even movie piracy! This pioneer directed over 500 films, but still faced bankruptcy and war-torn France at the turn of the century. 

Waiahole Wizards

Two taro-farming brothers on the windward side are making sustainable agriculture work off the grid - an effort that has its own special challenges and rewards.

by Chris Mikesell

chris mikesell / KA LAMAKUA 

Paul and Charlie Reppun look over their seven-acre farm 

in Waiahole from the top of a hill while giving students a tour.

Getting to the Reppun Farm in Waiahole requires a mile-long hike from the nearest roadway, across the foothills of the windward side, through dense, dim forests and over a stream two feet deep with the help of a pair of one and a half foot wide wooden planks of questionable stability.


Not enough to drown in or even swim in, but just enough to ruin any electronics that fall from the most precarious two foot drop in Waiahole.