1  

VOYAGER North Star* Liberal Arts / Creative Writing & Literature vol. 6.5 * Jinny Beyer Quilt Pattern 10.20.2017

2017 -18 CORE VALUE: COMPASSION “Love and compassion are necessities, not

luxuries. Without the humanity cannot survive.” • Dalai Lama “Our uniqueness, our individuality, and our life experience

molds us into fascinating beings. I hope we can embrace that. I pray we may all challenge ourselves to delve into the deepest resources of our hearts to cultivate an atmosphere of understanding, acceptance, tolerance, and compassion. We are all in this life together.”

• Linda Thompson

CELEBRATE EQUALITY WEEK WITH PRIDE! CLUB October 23 -27

  2  

MOVIE REVIEW: Nuances of Performance By Lucas Albertson At the center of What Happened to Monday, directed by Tommy Wirkola and written by Max Botkin and Kerry Williamson, is a concept that lives and dies on the way it was executed: In a world where overpopulation and famine has led to one child per family policies, a set of septuplets named after the days of the week live one life between the seven of them. The actual plot revolves around one of the sisters, Monday, going missing and the other six working together to find her. But even if the plot was executed perfectly, it wouldn’t matter if the film hadn’t been able to sell the concept of seven identical sisters. Thankfully, due to the nuances Noomi Rapace brings to her performances as Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the movie succeeds… even if the plot does come off as somewhat rote and predictable, and the film doesn’t do a whole lot to comment on the interesting themes its sci-fi dystopian world brings up. Taken as a whole, What Happened to Monday isn’t as good as it could be, but Noomi Rapace’s performance is fantastic, and it’s worth zeroing in on that to see how she manages to bring seven different characters to life and make the audience care about all of them individually. The broad strokes of characterization in What Happened to Monday are fairly one-dimensional. Monday is perfect and follows the rules, Tuesday is a withdrawn drug addict, Wednesday is the badass, Thursday is the rebel, Friday is the quiet smart one, Saturday is the outgoing party girl, and Sunday is the leader. But it’s the little details that Rapace brings to each of these performances that elevate them. The body language of each sister is unique in subtle ways, the confidence of Wednesday’s movements versus Friday’s tics and slightly hunched over movements. Saturday’s eyerolls and exaggerated facial movements versus Tuesday not being able to keep eye- contact for very long and fidgeting. Thursday’s anger and energy versus Sunday being composed and collected at all times. All of these are cliches in their own ways, but they manage to bring the characters to life somewhat, and especially in scenes

  3  

where more than one of the sisters are on screen, these shifts in body language, movements, facial expression, and tone of voice play off of each other in ways that make each of the sisters feel distinct. Noomi Rapace also manages to have quite a lot of chemistry with… well, herself. It’s easy to forget that there’s only one actor in a lot of the scenes, and the way Rapace delivers the otherwise generic dialogue reveals a history between these seven characters that goes beyond what’s in the script. There’s a sincerity to her performance that makes it easy for the audience to suspend disbelief and accept that these are seven distinct characters. Noomi Rapace deserves most of the credits in bringing the Settman sisters to life, but some credit also has to go to the script and how the plot is paced. The sisters are often separated, and as the film goes on some are killed in surprisingly emotional scenes, leaving a core group of four out of the seven. This ends up being a smart decision, because even when one actor isn’t playing all of the characters, it can be hard to balance a large ensemble cast. To this end, obviously Monday’s disappearance takes her out of the story for most of the film, along with Tuesday. Sunday’s death leads as a moment to raise the stakes, and gives Thursday a chance to step up as leader of the group. For most of the film we follow Thursday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and these are the characters we get to know the most. Of the four, Wednesday is mostly utilized in action scenes, but the close bond between Thursday and Friday gives an emotional anchor to the film, while Saturday has compelling character moments in confronting the identity she’s built up for herself that doesn’t quite match who she really is. There’s also a return later in the film, when Monday and Tuesday are reintroduced for the final act, and having already been established in the first act, and now caring about them because Thursday cares about them, this return mostly works. While the sisters start as one-dimensional characters, the structure of the film gives each of them time and focus to develop more as the film progresses. Thursday starts as the rebel, but we see her reconcile with how the risks she takes puts her sisters in danger, and take on responsibility after Sunday’s death. Saturday is the party girl, but as the film progresses we see her vulnerability and how she manages to stand up under immense pressure, despite everyone doubting her. It would have been easy to completely segment the sisters and their individual arcs, but instead they all play off of each other, allowing Noomi Rapace’s nuanced performances to enhance the characters, while expertly balancing an ensemble cast. The pacing and plot structure of the film takes full

  4  

advantage of the concept into order to get the most out of all seven of Rapace’s characters, even if some other aspects of the film don’t quite get there. I can’t say that What Happened to Monday is a great film, the script and directing mostly waste a compelling concept and world, making no comment on overpopulation, and failing to tell an interesting mystery. The action scenes are mostly good, but I couldn’t help but think how they might’ve been improved if somehow combined with the concept of the film, rather than having one specific character as the designated character for action scenes. However, despite all of that, Noomi Rapace manages to give a truly great performance as seven distinct characters that become the heart of the film. I was invested in Tuesday’s redemption, drawn in by Thursday and Friday’s relationship, interested by Saturday’s internal conflict with her identity, and even Wednesday managed to be compelling even if she was mostly wasted as “the badass”. I wish these characters and this performance were in a better film, but I’m still glad I got to see them.

You, too, can submit articles, reviews, essays and poetry to The VOYAGER. Email Joyce Kessel at jkessel@vil la.edu. Some work may also be considered for Vil la’s Student Creative Arts Magazine SKALD.

  5  

RESPONSE TO An Interview I Read with Terry Tempest Will iams, Environment Writer & Activist By Brittany Rowan

“To stay home, to learn the names of things, to realize who we live among….” This notion of the “power of place” from Terry Tempest Williams’ interview struck a very deep chord with me. I have always believed that if I know the names of the trees and the birds around me, then I know where I am in the world. If I see New England Asters and goldenrod blooming beneath fiery sugar maples as a yellow-shafted Northern Flicker (a woodpecker) flies overhead, I know I am in the deciduous forests of the Northeast. If there are towering stone monoliths crowned with Ponderosa Pines around me, their trunks scarred by fire, as Steller’s Jays and Acorn Woodpeckers chatter noisily in their branches, I know I am in Yosemite. I am so deeply rooted in the natural world, I feel lost in an area where I can’t recognize the life forms around me.

Williams spoke about a woman who was so attuned to the seasonal patterns and creatures around her, she recognized when the salmon didn’t return to her river. My house is at the edge of a wetland and a forest. I can name every living thing that resides there. I can recognize every bird song. I know when to expect the Red-winged Blackbirds to return from migration. I know where the red fox has its den. They are as much a part of my community as my human neighbors, my school, my work. Williams echoes my sentiment on the community of the natural world. “…we can extend our sense of community, our idea of community, to include all life forms – plants, animals, rocks, rivers and human beings.”

There is a frightening statistic that children can recognize over one hundred different logos (McDonald’s, Apple, etc.), but can’t name five plants or animals that live in their neighborhood. In school, children learn about faraway places like the rainforest, and exotic endangered animals, but don’t know what’s living in their own backyard. This is unfathomable to me. In my ten years as a naturalist, it is a problem I have sought to remedy.

  6  

When I worked as a naturalist at Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve, I led various nature programs. I designed everything from public orienteering programs to a brand-new summer day camp. I thought long and hard about what I wanted my camp’s goal to be. I wanted to remedy the issue that people, in this case, children, lack that sense of place Williams talks about and is so essential to my identity. My camp’s philosophy was “explore, discover, connect.” I wanted children to be immersed in nature with knowledgeable adults (me and my camp counselors), exploring off-trail and getting dirty (God forbid!). I wanted them to discover plants and animals with us, instead of the counselors just blandly pointing them out. I wanted children to build connections with their forests, ponds, plants, and animals through this wild and organic discovery.

My summer camp quickly became one of the most popular camps in the local area. I expanded the camp in terms of age range, variety of camps, and number of weeks offered, and still I had waiting lists. Why? Why was it so popular? Somehow, it was as if people were aware of their lack of connection with the natural world. I think it came from a deep desire to have their children connect with the world, so the parents could reconnect with something they lost. I’ll never forget how one parent said to me, “This is exactly what kids these days need – to play outside, to get dirty, to be a little wild. I wish I could come to this camp!”

To this day, when I see my campers around town or at other Reinstein events, they’ll recount their favorite memories of camp to me, and I am amazed at how powerful these memories are.

“Miss. Brittany, remember when we found Battle Frog in the pond?” “Remember when we built a real beaver dam across that stream?” “Remember when we followed those fox kits through the woods?” “I’ll never forget catching all those creatures in the pond and getting so muddy!” “I never saw a salamander before. I had no idea they were even here. I had no idea nature was so cool.”

I continue to lead nature programs at Reinstein – for all audiences, not just kids. One of the most gratifying experiences I had was leading my program about identifying local bird songs. My group and I wandered the spring trails, listening for the songs of warblers, thrushes, and other songbirds as I taught them mnemonics for remembering the different

  7  

songs. I had a local musician in my group that day – she called herself Mama Earth. Some months later, I saw her perform at an outdoor fall festival. She came up to the microphone and said, “This next song is called ‘Brittany’s Song.’ Brittany is a naturalist who helped me to hear the different voices of our local birds.” She sang each bird’s name and song mnemonic using the bird’s actual notes. I was incredibly touched that I had encouraged a newfound love of birds in this woman, and that she was inspired to share that love with her community.

When I take people out into nature, I don’t want to just show them what’s out there. I want to inspire them to gain a new perspective, to connect with their world in new ways, and maybe, just maybe, redefine their sense of community. Because truly, “We are not apart from nature but a part of it.”

“To be whole. To be complete. Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.”

• Terry Tempest Williams

SKALD 2018 We are now accepting student art and literary work for the 2018 SKALD publication through December 31, 2017. The submission deadline will be earlier from now on to accommodate the production schedule and award competition deadlines. Any work submitted after the deadline will be considered for the edition published the following year. SKALD is Villa Maria's award-winning student art and literary publication. You can upload submissions and view last year's publication online at http://www.villa.edu/campus-life/skald/.

  8  

SUBMISSION PROCESS 1) There is no limit to the number of pieces you may enter. 2) All work must be created through your coursework at Villa Maria College. 3) Digital images of your work on USB or online submissions are preferred, but two or three-dimensional works will be accepted and photographed (if selected). 4) All work, except digital submissions, must include a Submission Form, attached to this email and available on the table outside ROOM 200, where you may also drop-off your entries. 5) Images will be printed. Only still frames or renderings may be submitted from animation, motion graphics or film work. 6) For all art created in Adobe InDesign or Illustrator, convert the type to outlines and save as a print-quality PDF. Submission categories include: Animation Digital Filmmaking Fashion Design Fine Arts Graphic Design Interior Design Literature Music Lyrics Photography Poems & Short Stories For further details on submitting art/design digital work online visit http://www.villa.edu/campus-life/skald/. Please submit all literary and written works directly to Joyce Kessel at jkessel@villa.edu. Best regards, Joyce Kessel, Julie Zack and Bob Grizanti SKALD Faculty Advisors

  9  

(Photograph of Toni Morrison courtesy Timothy Greenfield-Sanders) On November 9, 2017, we will honor a momentous day in Buffalo’s history—exactly 50 years to the day—after Dr. Martin Luther King spoke here at Kleinhans Music Hall on “The Future of Integration.” We will welcome to this very stage, Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison. BABEL audiences will return to Morrison’s novel, Beloved—her masterpiece ghost story about how the specter of slavery haunts us. Buffalo is now in the midst of a rebirth that some would say is bringing this rust belt city back from the ashes. And yet, as one of the most

  10  

segregated cities in America, we still have a long road ahead. Let’s grapple with that. Fifty years ago, Dr. King dared to imagine a future free of segregation. Now, let us come together to be inspired by Toni Morrison’s wisdom as we imagine the next fifty years. For Free Tickets, contact Joyce Kessel -- jkessel@villa.edu

“If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn't

been written yet, you must be the one to write it.”

• Toni Morrison

“You think because he doesn't love you that you are worthless. You think that because he doesn't want you anymore that he is right -- that his judgment and opinion of you are correct. If he throws you out, then you are garbage. You think he belongs to you because you want to belong to him. Don't. It's a bad word, 'belong.' Especially when you put it with somebody you love. Love shouldn't be like that. Did you ever see the way the clouds love a mountain? They circle all around it; sometimes you can't even see the mountain for the clouds. But you know what? You go up top and what do you see? His head. The clouds never cover the head. His head pokes through, because the clouds let him; they don't wrap him up. They let him keep his head up high, free, with nothing to hide him or bind him. You can't own a human being. You can't lose what you don't own. Suppose you did own him. Could you really love somebody who was absolutely nobody without you? You really want somebody like that? Somebody who falls apart when you walk out the door? You don't, do you? And neither does he. You're turning over your whole life to him. Your whole life, girl. And if it means so little to you that you can just give it away, hand it to him, then why should it mean any more to him? He can't value you more than you value yourself.”

• Toni Morrison

  11  

BTHE NORTON

WRITER’S PRIZECALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

“Imagination! who can sing thy force? Or who describe the swiftness of thy course?”

—PHILLIS WHEATLEY, “On Imagination”

The Norton Writer’s Prize is awarded annually for an outstanding essay written by an undergraduate. Literacy narratives, literary and other textual analyses, reports, profiles, evaluations, arguments, memoirs, proposals, mixed-genre pieces, and more: any excellent writing done for an undergraduate class will be considered. One first-prize winner and two runners-up will be selected in 2018.

FIRST-PRIZE AWARD

$1,500 RUNNER-UP AWARDS

$1,000THE DEADLINE

FOR SUBMISSIONS IS

June 15, 2018Winning essays may be published by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Contest open to individuals who are enrolled in an accredited two- or four-year college or university during the 2017–2018 academic year.

For full contest rules, and instructions on how to enter, please see The Norton Writer’s Prize: Official Contest Rules at:WWNORTON.COM/NORTONWRITERSPRIZE

Image Credits: Phillis Wheatley, Alamy; Seagull: Carin Berger Design

Employees of W. W. Norton & Co., Inc. (“Sponsor”), including Sponsor’s corporate affiliates and subsidiaries, as well as such individuals’ children and persons living in any of their households, are not eligible to enter. Norton authors, children of Norton authors, previous contest winners (including runners-up), and persons living in their respective households are also not eligible. Void where prohibited. Other restrictions apply.

  12  

“Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed; if we permit the last virgin forests to be turned into comic books and plastic cigarette cases; if we drive the few remaining members of the wild species into zoos or to extinction; if we pollute the last clear air and dirty the last clean streams and push our paved roads through the last of the silence . . .”

• Wallace Stegner

EQUALITY WEEK EVENTS OCTOBER 23 – 27 MONDAY in the Dining Hall RAINBOW BAKE SALE RAISING OF LGBTQ FLAGS TUESDAY location TBA PRIDE CLUB MEETING / PARTY WEDNESDAY in the Auditorium Dance Day / Vogue Workshop THURSDAY in the Dining Hall BREAST CANCER AWARENESS / WEAR YOUR PINK FRIDAY AFTERNOON MOVIE TIME

  13  

“There cannot be enduring peace, prosperity, equality and brotherhood in this world if our aims are so separate and divergent, if we do not accept that in the end we are people, all alike, sharing the Earth among ourselves and also with other sentient beings, all of whom have an equal role and stake in the state of this planet and its players.”

• Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck