Established 1874.

The Oberlin Review
Established 1874.

The Oberlin Review
Established 1874.

The Oberlin Review
All content by Louise Edwards

Interaction Outside Classroom Not Always Abusive

Louise Edwards
February 16, 2018
Feature Photo: Terra Incognita

Feature Photo: Terra Incognita

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
May 6, 2016
College senior Dana Fang won the Creative Writing department’s Emma Howell Memorial Poetry Contest this year. They are the first femme of color and the first Asian American to win the $1,000 prize.

Fang First Femme of Color to Win Howell Poetry Prize

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
May 6, 2016

Sextet to Bring Indie Folk to Cat

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
April 29, 2016
Feature Photo: Dandelion Romp

Feature Photo: Dandelion Romp

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
April 29, 2016
La Tanya Hall Named Teacher of Jazz Voice

La Tanya Hall Named Teacher of Jazz Voice

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
April 22, 2016
Singer-songwriter Safia Nolin sings songs from her debut album Limoilou with guitarist Joseph Marchand at the Cat in the Cream Monday. Her songs, written in French, focus on themes of depression and growing up in a working- Matías Berretta Staff Writer Chair of the Creative Writing Program Kazim Ali began a poetry reading by Margaret Ross and Robin Beth Schaer on March 10 by asking those in attendance if they recognized the metrical pattern of the radiator’s rhythmic banging — a tro- chaic beat. This was a fitting observation, as both Ross and Schaer’s work draws on the rhythm of their experiences. Shane McCrae, assistant professor of Creative Writing, giddily introduced Margaret Ross. McCrae confessed that when he met Ross at a workshop with Jorie Graham at Harvard University, he experienced the kind of jealousy a poet feels when they meet a 19-year-old who’s better than they were at the same age. McCrae lauded Ross as a genius, insist- ing that hers was the poetry of the future — unsurprising for those who’d received an email from McCrae a week earlier, titled “Genius is Coming,” in which the poet referred to Ross as the Sex Pistols before they became the Sex Pistols. Staring straight ahead under the harsh white stage lights, Ross recited her poems from memory. Her performance was bone chilling, bordering on creepy, cold yet exhilarating. Ross’s facial ex- pressions showed her consideration for each word; her affectation was very much a part of her recitation. Ross’s work rewards repeated engage- ment. On first read, its density may cause one to gloss over moments of beauty, like in “A Timeshare”: “Yes though / if there’s such a thing as time at all I never saw it / move and if that’s so then what am I / So afraid of?” Although she may seem unfamiliar with the constructs of Earth, many of Ross’s poems are precise, fairly literal observations of the world through her eyes. For example, in “The Line,” she describes the play of light and shadow at dawn: “...Dawn / cuts out the trunk and drains its shadow.” Ross’s style is clear and severe. From the rich sensory details she provides, it’s clear that she is consistently observing the world around her with great detail. Her eye is a laser; even shifting shadows don’t escape its purview. The delivery of Ross’s poems did not match how they looked on the page. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Her performance was bone chilling, bordering on creepy, cold yet exhilerating. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– While her lines cut a harsher look on the paper, Ross followed the rhythm of the syntax, stringing her words together delicately. Ross explained that she’s a slow writ- er. The subjects she writes about tend to marinate in her head for a long time before she puts them down on the page. The world she weaves in her poems, which may be quite ordinary to her, re- mains a wonder for those who listen. Ali introduced Robin Schaer by read- ing from Cesare Cassarino’s theory book Modernity at Sea: Melville, Marx, Conrad in Crisis, from which he drew the concep- tual framework of the “ship as society,” a hermetic space that serves as a micro- cosm for society at large. Ali explained that like Herman Melville, Schaer is not so much concerned with the epic or narrative as she is with the quotid- ian moments that make up our lives. Ali finished his introduction by pointing out that although the visiting poet’s sur- name could be taken to mean either “li- oness” or “poetry,” in Farsi, he felt a more accurate title for Schaer would be “Lion- ess of Poetry.” Schaer’s performance was a smooth, lyrical story of exploration and its perils. Take “Middle Flight”: “In Brazil, a priest / hitched himself to a thousand balloons / and was gone. He must have whispered céu / as he climbed aloft (only in English are heaven / and sky different words).” Schaer’s use of language — deceptively simple and accessible — allows for the emergence of deeply engaging and com- plex narratives. History also informs Schaer’s piec- es. In “Natural History,” written for the poet’s son, she writes, “There are seven white rhinos when you are born / A year later, six. I try to tally the animals van- ished in my lifetime / and lose count.” Schaer is interested in exploring de- struction not for the sake of spectacle, but in order to better understand and learn how to survive disaster. Schaer herself is no stranger to environmen- tal crisis. The poet was working as a –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– While her lines cut a harsher look on the paper, Ross fol- lowed the rhythm of the syntax, stringing her words together delicately. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– deckhand aboard The Bounty, a 180- foot, fully-rigged ship, when it was lost at sea during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The captain and a fellow crewmember went down with the ship. Much of her acclaimed book, Shipbreaking, draws on this experience. For instance, her use of ‘we’ exclusively refers to the ship’s crew. She writes, “She was safer at sea / we were not safer at sea ... we were alive / we drowned ... we were never found.” During the brief question and answer session, Schaer explained that when constructing her poems, the constraints of a metrical pattern offer a helpful frame- work because she only needs to focus on filling in the spaces. After writing her lines in meter, she breaks up the metrical pattern as she sees fit. The final result is a poem that flows from line to line, the ghost of meter ever-present in her work. class neighborhood in Quebec City.

Canadian Singer Serenades Cat

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
April 1, 2016
Feature Photo: Colors of Rhythm

Feature Photo: Colors of Rhythm

Danny Evans and Louise Edwards
April 1, 2016
Feature Photo: A Mighty Good Time

Feature Photo: A Mighty Good Time

Danny Evans and Louise Edwards
March 11, 2016

Smith’s Poetry a Bible Verse, Queer Anthem

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
March 11, 2016

Plath Resurrected in ‘Feels Like Hell’

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
March 4, 2016
Feature Photo: Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet

Feature Photo: Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet

Danny Evans and Louise Edwards
February 26, 2016

Johnson Converts Insults to Compliments in Poetry

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
February 26, 2016
Feature Photo: Melodies of the Soul

Feature Photo: Melodies of the Soul

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
February 19, 2016
Feature Photo: “Thanks for Coming”

Feature Photo: “Thanks for Coming”

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
February 19, 2016
Feature Photo: SYNTHESTHESIA

Feature Photo: SYNTHESTHESIA

Danny Evans and Louise Edwards
February 12, 2016
College sophomore Elizabeth Grooms creates a live stream of herself as part of the Performance Art & Technology Winter Term class taught by Art Department Technology Coordinator Francis Wilson. Students learned about the history of and the technology used in performance art.

Performance Art Grapples with Girlhood, Grieving

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
February 5, 2016
Feature Photo: 'Goodnight, Tyler'

Feature Photo: ‘Goodnight, Tyler’

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
February 5, 2016
In College senior Preston Crowder’s play The Monsters Underneath, Giselle (College junior Zoe Davidson) argues with her daughter Syn (College sophomore Deja Alexander). The play, which deals with the effects of abuse and subsequent healing processes, premiered at Little Theater Dec. 3–6.

Actors Impress in Psychological Drama

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
December 11, 2015
Crossword: Answers to "The Arts in Review 2015"

Crossword: Answers to “The Arts in Review 2015”

Danny Evans and Louise Edwards
December 11, 2015
Crossword: The Arts in Review 2015

Crossword: The Arts in Review 2015

Danny Evans and Louise Edwards
December 4, 2015
Sixth-grader Tnadja Williams reads her poem “Grandmother” from Eileen Hickerson’s and Nicholas Sakola’s class anthology, “Put Your Attitude into Space,” at the Cat in the Cream. The event featured Langston Middle School students reading poems written in classes led by Writers-in-the-Schools Director Lynn Powell and College students in the Teaching Imaginative Writing workshop.

WITS Poetry Residencies Expand

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
December 4, 2015
Feature Photo: Noname Gypsy

Feature Photo: Noname Gypsy

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
November 20, 2015
As Lucretia, Conservatory senior Rebecca Printz rests while Tarquinius, played by Conservatory senior Michael Floriano, lurks in a doorway. 'The Rape of Lucretia,' performed Nov. 11, 13, 14 and 15 by Oberlin Opera Theater and the Contemporary Music Ensemble, uses sexual violence against the title character as a metaphor for the destruction of Western Europe during World War II.

Field Crafts Sensitive Production of ‘Lucretia’

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
November 20, 2015

McCrae Depicts Survival, Self-Doubt Through Verse

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
November 13, 2015

Eosphoros, Durham Organize Villainous Halloween Showcase

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
November 6, 2015
Feature Photo: Oberlin Mozart Players

Feature Photo: Oberlin Mozart Players

Louise Edwards and Danny Evans
November 6, 2015
Feature Photo: Wedding Band

Feature Photo: Wedding Band

Louise Edwards, Arts editor
October 9, 2015

Hong’s Language Gives Poetic Sound New Meaning

Louise Edwards, Arts editor
October 9, 2015
Novelist, essayist and short story writer Zadie Smith gave a convocation speech titled “Why Write: Creativity and Refusal” at Finney Chapel last Tuesday. The talk focused on how creative writers should refuse to think of their work as a product of a capitalist economy, and should question the status quo.

Zadie Smith Lectures on Ethics of Writing

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
October 2, 2015

Duo Delivers Imaginitive, Inclusive Multimedia Performance

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
October 2, 2015
Feature Photo: The Conductor

Feature Photo: The Conductor

Danny Evans and Louise Edwards
September 25, 2015
College junior and pop singer-songwriter Kristin McFadden performs original music at the Cat in the Cream. McFadden started a songwriting club last year with College junior Rob Jamner to provide more resources for the songwriting com- munity at Oberlin.

Songwriters Benefit from New Exco, Club

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
September 25, 2015
Feature Photo: John Raymond Quartet

Feature Photo: John Raymond Quartet

Danny Evans and Louise Edwards
September 18, 2015
A logo for double-degree junior Sarah Snider’s record label, which specifically promotes “non- dude” musicians, depicts a concerned woman. Snider hopes the label will provide a supportive community for women and non-binary musicians.

New Record Label to Support Marginalized Musicians

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
September 11, 2015
A mural outside the Oberlin Public Library showcases work from a team of artists led by Laura Dahle. Artists including James Peake, Claudio Orso-Giacone, Gregory Cross, Terry Flores and David Baker designed this thought-provoking image during the Oberlin Chalk Walk in June.

Social Media Archives Temporary Chalk Art

Louise Edwards, Arts Editor
September 4, 2015
In Pandora’s Box, Aerialists Personify Assortment of Evils

In Pandora’s Box, Aerialists Personify Assortment of Evils

Louise Edwards, Staff Writer
November 21, 2014
Trumpet player and College junior Simon Gilbert performs a solo during the Oberlin Jazz Ensemble’s first performance of the year. The concert took place in Finney Chapel on Saturday, Nov. 8 and featured an array of strong solos and cohesive ensemble work.

Fall OJE Concert Features Virtuosic, Lively Soloists

Louise Edwards, Staff Writer
November 14, 2014
Composer-in-residence Chen Yi visited Oberlin this week to give lectures and master classes and hear students perform her music. She and her husband, Composer-in-residence Zhou Long, are applying to teach composition at the Conservatory.

Chen, Zhou Among Final Candidates for Composition Department Position

Louise Edwards, Staff Writer
September 26, 2014
College seniors Kate Hanick, Seth Flatt, Aubrey Pongluelert and Nick Olson and College sophomore Simeon Deutsch stand in line moments before Art Rental officially begins. Throngs of students camped out at the Allen Memorial Art Museum Friday night to ensure they got their top picks.

Honor Code Aids Resolution of Art Rental Debacle

Louise Edwards, Staff Writer
September 19, 2014
Prospective improvisers participate in games during auditions for Oberlin’s trio of improv troupes. The auditions took place in Warner Gymnasium and spanned the course of three days.

Local Photographers Explore Race, Gender Identity

Louise Edwards, Staff Writer
September 12, 2014
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