It’s always really interesting to see all the different styles of writing people are into. Some people had humorous poetry, some people had experimental and abstract poetry, and then some people had prose pieces, such as memoir or essay. Many people simply read off the page, but a few individuals took a different approach; there was one spoken word piece, which was performed powerfully, and another student read his poem in a dramatic manner, giving himself different voices and tones as he went through it.

As I’ve said in a previous entry, the student readings are really entertaining and fun. It’s just such a great experience to be able to meet other students on campus and see the different writing styles!

So why the sudden shift? Because this woman’s work is amazing! Her name is Chino Otsuka, and she decided to do a self portrait/self discovery project. However, she created double self-portaits by placing herself back into her own past – she took old pictures of herself from her childhood, and then placed her present-day self into the pictures. Very cool idea, and she accomplishes it beautifully as well. Here is one of my favorite ones:

I love this idea, it’s almost like returning to our childhood. Her introductory statement for the project is really interesting as well:

It really makes me start thinking about all these things – about my childhood, about who I was, about what I would do if I could go back. I really liked Otsuka’s work because it got me thinking.

http://www.chino.co.uk/gallery/IFM/ifm_intro.html

John Dilnot actually does more than just cut paper. He takes paper items he’s cut and incorporates them into different situations or scenery, creating dioramas of sorts. For example:

Neato! I love this stuff. He cut out the birds and then made a little forest in a box for them. I love the contrast between the two-dimensional paper birds and the three-dimensional branches. It creates such an interesting dichotomy! Also, his color choices are often very beautiful – he mixes vibrant and subdued colors extremely well, creating eye-catching and fascinating pieces.

Check him out if you like!

http://www.johndilnot.com/

Lizzie Thomas is one of these ‘paper cut’ artists – and her work is really incredible. You just have to see it for yourself! Here are some of my favorites:

If you want to see more (and you want to see more!), she has a blog all about her papercutting here:

http://elsita.typepad.com/allaboutpapercutting/

The student readings are cool because you get to learn about the individuals you’re going to school with, and you get to learn about their writing styles and what’s on their minds. It is also interesting to see how each person writes and performs differently. For example, some people were more quiet in their readings, and other people were more bold. Some students had collaborative pieces, where they would have three or more students reading different segments of the poem simultaneously.

Another cool thing about the student readings is that they provide chapbooks with the works of everyone who reads. It’s a nice little memento – I still have the one I grabbed stashed away in my room (somewhere). The chapbooks are also fun because they kind of display the progression of the Student Readings concept. Student readings occured for the first time last year, and at the very first student reading, the chapbook was a few sheets of paper with typed poems on them all stapled together. Now, the chapbooks have color pictures, and are much more nicely put together and organized. Additionally, the first chapbook was pretty thin. But as more readings have happened, more people have started getting involved. And now the chapbooks are much more hefty (hefty hefty hefty)!

The student readings are definitely fun, I  recommend attending at least one if you have the time. Even if you don’t like it, you’ll at least get to know some fellow students a little better! There’s always a positive side, right

I want to add text to the first page still, hopefully in InDesign when I get a chance. I think I might have to rescan the second page again, though. The words look a little blurry. Most of my pages have been focused on individuals from my life…so, this is about my Aunt Rosaline.