What Does Dating Violence Look Like? February 28, 2009

“Hiding the bruises and the hurt Paul inflicts on her is harder than getting straight A’s. But Paul’s happiness soon becomes more important to Johanna than her own. More important than her relationship with her parents and friends. More important than her grades, her safety, and her future.”-Things Change by Patrick Jones (Walker & Company, 2004).

The first week in February was National Teen Dating Violence Week and though the month’s last day has dawned, I figured better late than never.  So, what does dating violence look like?  What does it feel like? The novels below do a really great, unflinching job of capturing the hurt, the anger, the frustration, and the intense emotions involved when a person is caught in an abusive relationship.  Sometimes it’s hard to confront the fact that we’re in an unhealthy relationship because the abuser makes us feel like what’s wrong is somehow our fault.  As we saw in the situation between Rihanna and Chris Brown, sometimes the person who seems perfect in every way isn’t showing us the whole truth. Love can be confusing, complex, and uncertain. But here’s something for sure: Everyone deserves a healthy relationship. There is never an excuse for intimidation, harassment, emotional abuse, or physical violence.

Leslie’s Journal: A Novel by Allan Stratton. Leslie endures a harmful relationship with an abusive boyfriend. She finds solace by writing in her journal.

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen. After her sister runs away from home Caitlin begins an abusive relationship with a boy who is mysterious, brilliant, and dangerous.

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn. Sent to counseling for hitting his girlfriend, sixteen-year-old Nick begins a journal and examines his controlling behavior and anger, and describes living with his abusive father.

Past Forgiving by Gloria D. Miklowitz. Fifteen-year-old Alexandra finds that her boyfriend Cliff demands all her time, isolates her by his jealousy, and then his behavior worsens.

Things Change by Patrick Jones. Sixteen-year-old Johanna, one of the best students in her class, develops a passionate attachment for troubled seventeen-year-old Paul and finds her plans for the future changing in unexpected ways.

Falling Through Darkness by Carolyn MacCullough. Seventeen-year-old Ginny unexpectedly gets help from her father’s new tenant while struggling to cope with her guilt and confusion over the death of her daredevil boyfriend.

When Something Feels Wrong: A Survival Guide About Abuse For Young People by Deanna S. Pledge. Provides checklists, journaling ideas, and other positive ways of dealing with being physically, sexually, and/or emotionally abused, emphasizing the importance of talking about what has happened and getting help.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda’s freshman year in high school. A contemporary classic told in journal-entry style.

Inexcusable by Chris Lynch. High school senior and football player Keir sets out to enjoy himself on graduation night, but when he attempts to comfort a friend whose date has left her stranded, things go terribly wrong.

Looking for a book that depicts love between two people as it should be – positive, respectful, equal, and secure? Check out:

What They Found: Love on 145th Street by Walter Dean Myers. The author of Street Love returns to the world of 145th Street to show how love can be found, and thrives, in the most unlikely places.

Feel like you or someone you know might be in an abusive relationship? Jennifer Ann’s Group, a website devoted to educating people about the dangers of dating violence will help.

Poetry Contest Deadline! February 26, 2009

The last day to drop off or postmark your poems for the Jo-Anne Hirshfield Memorial Poetry Contest is tomorrow, Friday, February 27!

 

Jo-Anne Hirshfield Memorial Poetry Awards
c/o Evanston Public Library
1703 Orrington Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201

More thoughts on Benjamin Button February 25, 2009

Like Christie, I often have the same problem when there is a movie based on a book and I haven’t yet seen the movie or read the book. Where do I start? If I read the book first will it ruin the surprise of the movie? If I watch the movie first will it spoil the opportunity for me to create my own pictures in my mind? I usually end up reading the book first, because I feel like most of the time it gives me a little extra level of understanding and enjoyment (and often disappointment too, I must admit) when I see the film version.

 

With The Curious Case of Benjamin Button I experienced all three of these things. I approached the story from the opposite side as Christie and read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s story before I saw the movie. But I found myself with the same problem as her, as I found it hard to shake the images of Benjamin Button as I had experienced them first-in my case, in print.

 

As I watched the movie, I thought it was enjoyable enough, definitely moving and entertaining (and visually stunning) for most of its 2 and ½ hour running time. But pretty much from the opening scenes I was left wondering: what happened to the Benjamin Button I know? Aside from the basic backwards premise and the title, almost nothing remains the same in the transition from page to screen. Granted, Fitzgerald’s story was pretty slim (just about 50 pages or so) and left lots of room for the filmmakers to fill in the large gaps in Benjamin’s life, but I was still surprised by how little of the original story I could see in the film.

 

Whereas Christie couldn’t shake the image of Benjamin as a withered and aged little baby, I was left quite disappointed that the filmmakers chose not to have Benjamin emerge from birth as an adult sized old man with a long white beard as he does in the book. From the first time I read the description I found it horrifying and grotesque and at the same time couldn’t help feel a bit excited wondering how they’d pull off such a feat in the movie. So when I saw a slightly wrinkly Brad Pitt baby, I have to confess, I was let down. 

 

There were other disappointments with the plot and characters (some missing and some added), but mostly what I missed from the original story was the dry and darkly (almost cruelly) humorous tone, the notion that this story was at the same time sad and ridiculous. I felt like the movie took itself a little too seriously and as a result was a little mawkish and melodramatic, whereas the book earned its sentimentality by delivering it sparingly. But then, I guess F. Scott Fitzgerald wasn’t after an Oscar audience (at least not at that point).

 

I guess what I’m saying is that for the most part I’m alright with changes to things like plot and character and setting in the transition from book to film, as they are different mediums with different storytelling requirements. When you read a book, you enter into the creative process by making your own images and sounds in your head, but you understand that whoever else is interpreting the story has their own ideas as well-it’s expected that some of those things will get changed along the way. It’s always a gamble whether you choose to read the book or see the movie first, since your perceptions will inevitably be challenged. But what I really think gets lost a lot of the time is the intangible things that you love about a story. You might not be able to put your finger on exactly what they are, but you know when a filmmaker gets them wrong, and you can feel when they get them right. (Andy, Reader’s Services)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button February 23, 2009

I am glad that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button won 3 Oscars: one for Art Direction, one for Makeup, and one for Visual Effects. I think they all combined to make a technical marvel. They make me think a lot about the impact of imagery on stories. If you see the visual images first, can you ever erase them from your mind when you finally read the original story in print format? Do certain visual images in movies ruin a story for you? Or do some people just fare better with print first, others with images first?

 

I usually read a story first before seeing a movie. I like to let my imagination fill in the visuals in whatever way works for me. But in the spirit of the story of Benjamin Button, I did it all backwards. And in 3 steps.

 

I saw the movie first. Then I read the graphic novel. And finally, I read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s original short story. Some believe it doesn’t matter whether you eat dessert before the main meal; it does, after all wind up in the same place. But I’m not so sure.

 

I find it hard to shake the stunning imagery of the movie. Brad Pitt at 70, 50, 30, then 16…And New Orleans at the end of World War I. While reading the graphic novel, I had a hard time readjusting my visual focus to Benjamin Button born a fully formed old man with a long beard in 1860 Antebellum Baltimore. I’m still lingering on the opening scene of the movie: the last day of World War I with people lining the streets of New Orleans, an old man born in a little baby’s body – no long pointy beard or long legs. 

 

I miss Queenie. And Daisy becomes Hildegard in the print versions. Cate Blanchett as Hildegard?! Can Hildegard really pirouette like Daisy/Cate? Benjamin and Hildegard meet up at different times in the original story, and Fitzgerald’s sharp, wry dialog sounds different than the movie. Why do I even have to compare?

 

Finally though, traveling backwards from the graphic novel to Fitzgerald’s prose with no pictures, I’m drawn into an ageless, timeless story, and I can fill in some images of my own. Well, kind of. Maybe I just need to journey backwards a bit more…”and the dim faces that moved above him…faded out altogether from his mind.”  -F. Scott Fitzgerald, from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

 

How does it work for you?

 

-Christie

Don’t-Miss Theatre: Remember Me Like This February 22, 2009

How do you find the courage to discover who you are, what you can be, when the people you trust have violated you, abandoned you, shattered your hope?

The Albany Park Theatre Project (APTP), a “multiethnic, ensemble-based theater company of teens and young adults,” explores that question in their new production, Remember Me Like This.   APTP presents intense, raw, and shocking original works of theatre (written by young adults) about the lives of teens in Chicago’s Albany Park.  Stories of immigrant and working-class families, stories of youth betrayed and stories of empowerment gained, the productions this exceptional ensemble has performed have received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike.

Remember Me Like This runs Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m. until March 28th at The Laura Wiley Theater, 5100 North Ridgeway, Chicago, IL.

Buy Tickets By Phone:
773.866.0875

or

Buy tickets online by following this link.

(My experience has been that it’s best to snag tickets early - they sell out quickly!).

Mythbusters February 21, 2009

MythBusters Are Coming To Chicago

 

Ever wondered what makes Mentos and Diet Coke such a combustible combination?

 

MythBusters Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman will be answering questions, showing clips, and talking about some of the behind the scene antics of their hit show.

 

They will be at the Harris Theater on Sunday, March 1st, at 2:00 pm. Call (312) 334-7777, or go to their website:  The Harris Theater

 

 

Book Fest at Dr. Bessie Rhodes Magnet School February 19, 2009

I had a fantastic time at the Book Fest and  celebration of  Black History Month at Dr. Bessie Rhodes Magnet school today! I listened to students sing beautiful music, and I even got to play the drums. The students welcomed all of us there, and the whole event was incredibly inspiring and so well organized! Congratulations to all the staff and students!

 

I visited Ms. Nichols’s 7th grade class and want to thank her and all of the students for welcoming me. We listened to some of the great African American musicians of this century. There are so many but time was limited, so we heard some tunes, read from books of poetry and biographies about the musicians, and jotted down reactions to the music. Books and music are inseparable in many ways. Here are some of thoughts that the students in Ms. Nichols’s class shared:

 

 

When listening to Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie & Charlie “Bird” Parker, Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday: Bebop, Jazz, Cool Jazz, Hard Bop, Rhythm & Blues…

 like grooving, dreaming, like flying, like sleeping…    very rhythmic and fast, gentle, smooth, spunky, mysterious, inspiring, I’m an alto saxophonist as well…    happy, excited, cool, calm, silly, inspired…  calm, peaceful, sleepy, happy…  relaxing, cool, happy, soothed. Ella sounds really good and has a smooth voice and she and Louis (Armstrong) really complement each other…   relaxed, inspired. Ella and Louis sound real good together… Aretha Franklin has a powerful voice, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong are calming, I feel hungry…   Aretha Franklin sounded more happy and loud…   Billie Holiday sang slow songs, had some rough times,   Ella has a beautiful and calming voice, there were different instruments but all very memorable, Aretha Franklin has a classically good voice…  safe and calm. Bebop makes me want to get up and do something and be more active…  Ella has a very strong and pretty voice…   I feel relaxed, calm, all my problems are resolved…   tiring, they sing about love…   

 

When listening to several Jimi Hendrix tunes…

 I feel energized…   crazy all over…   happy, excited…   open-minded, happy, excited…   pumped up, sad, happy, fast…   like I can do anything, crazy…   funky, spunky, slow, soothing…  it flows well, Hendrix is a classic, Hendrix has different sounds… loud…  Jimi Hendrix’s music really moved the main character in the book  Jimi & Me  (by Jaime Adoff), makes me feel alive and energetic.

 

We read Tupac’s poem: The Rose That Grew from Concrete*, and listened briefly to  a rap tune…

crazy… I have no idea why but I’m hungry when I listen to rap…   like I’m at home…   rhythmic…   happy, cool, calm…  peaceful…     excited, makes me want to sing along, good, new….   collected…  I feel at home, I can relax to most of the lyrics…   like vibrating

 

The playlist (tunes and books):

Books

Becoming Billie Holiday  by Carole Weatherford

Ella Fitzgerald: A Twentieth Century Life  by Tanya Lee Stone

Jimi & Me by Jaime Adoff

Jazz A-B-Z by Wynton Marsalis

Jimi Hendrix: “Kiss the Sky” by Edward Willett

Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis

*The Rose that Grew from Concrete by Tupac Shakur

After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

Tunes:

Wee - Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie “Bird” Parker, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus, Max Roach

Lady Sings the Blues – Billie Holiday

Venus de Milo - Miles Davis

Dream a Little Dream of Me - Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

Spanish Harlem – Aretha Franklin (& B. E. King)

The Wind Cries Mary, Crosstown Traffic – Jimi Hendrix

-Ms. Christie Chandler-Stahl

Stone Cold Dead Serious: YA Drama February 18, 2009

I’ve been thinking a lot about the fact that for young adults out there who

A scene from The House Theatre's hit 2007 show, The Sparrow.

 really enjoy theatre, but who might want to see more stories on stage featuring characters like them, there aren’t a ton of options.  Sure, there are children’s theatre companies (and the best children’s theatre is inventive, depthful, whimsical, and true – theatre that all ages can enjoy), and there are a few theatre companies peppered throughout Chicago (like The House Theatre) producing shows for adults and teens alike.  There are even initiatives like Steppenwolf For Young Adults, a program that gives teens a chance to work with professional theatre artists and attend performances of books adapted to the stage.  If you look hard enough there are definitely some cool and exciting theatrical goings-on for young adults out there. 

But that’s the thing: You have to look hard.  I wonder why there aren’t more stage characters who are like Frankie Landau Banks or Marcus (a/k/a W1n5t0n) from Little Brother?  I wonder why there aren’t more stories for young adults on stage as true to freshman year life as Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, as epic and dangerous as A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, or as inventive and bold as Uglies by Scott Westerfeld?

I’m thinking hard on this because I realized that two of my favorite plays – Stone Cold Dead Serious by Adam Rapp and Four by Christopher Shinn – do tell stories that feature teens as main characters and are as moving, humorous, and compelling as any of the great YA novels we have in The Loft.  And then I realized that there are a lot of excellent YA-plays like these across the drama universe, but it’s rare to find them all in the same place. 

So what if we collected a stack of the best modern (and classic) YA-themed plays at The Loft?  Plays like The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow by

A scene from Jenny Chow.

 Rolin Jones, a play about an 18 year old adopted from China who builds a flying cyborg that she sends to China to find her birth parents?  Beyond being great reads, maybe you’ll want to suggest a few of them to your school theatre department for production or use scenes for acting team.

If there are any plays you think we should have in our (maybe) collection email me - jdapier@cityofevanston.org.   

(Btw - There’s one almost entirely teen-run theatre company in Chicago that is devoted to producing original pieces of theatre written and performed by teens.  It’s called Albany Park Theatre Project and their work is roofless, intense, and stun-stun-stunning.  I only didn’t mention them because I’m saving it for another post.  Stay tuned!).

-Jarrett

Vibes by Amy Kathleen Ryan February 17, 2009

Vibes by Amy Kathleen Ryan (Houghton Mifflin, 2008 )

      Kristi rules the pages of “Vibes” like she rules over her faithful follower, Jacob Flax, without giving it a thought.  But the funny thing is, Kristi can read minds.  Sometimes, like when Jacob is picturing her in a bikini, she wishes her mind-reading abilities would stop.  But what would happen if they did?  She might have to let people have their own thoughts and opinions, and this could potentially suck in many ways.

 

      Kristi goes to a totally nutty school called Journeys.  Journeys exposes children and teens to open pathways for life experiences or in other words, takes anything a normal school does and doesn’t do it.  They spend time in the “contemplation room” and have assignments like the “character education” assignment she’s working on with Gusty.  Talk about weird.  Gusty the Greek God, Gusty the hot skater boy, Gusty her ex-bestfriend Hildie’s brother, yeah that Gusty and Kristi shared a moment behind the shed in Hildie’s yard a few years ago.  Kristi  still sweats thinking about it.  Her not-so-secret crush on Gusty makes working with him on the “character education” assignment, well, interesting. . .  Not that Gusty would ever date Kristi.  She does after all make her own clothes from stuff she finds dumpster diving and eats tons of pizza that goes straight to her butt.  Gusty dates girls like Eva, Hildie’s evil stick-thin best friend.  Whatever.    

 

     Two years ago, Kristi’s dad journeyed to Africa to find himself after being sued and getting depressed about his life leaving Kristi and her mom with a hole that is hard to fill.  Kristi has a secret cat, Minnie that serves a dual purpose of giving her oh-so-much love and anonymously triggering her overworked mom’s allergies.  All of a sudden, Kristi’s dad is coming back, and this is major.  I mean, he just up and left.  Is he back to stay or what?  Kristi is really going to make him sweat it out; she knows that much.    

 

     Kristi’s sassy outfits, mind-reading abilities, crap dad, crazy crush, and weirdo school will keep you interested from beginning to end.  “Vibes” is so cute inside and out that it would make a cool purse or very hot locker accessory, if it wasn’t such an awesome new book.    (Mercedes, The Loft)

Books and Movies For Valentine’s Day February 11, 2009

Love Valentine’s Day? Hate it? Or are you totally indifferent, thank you very much?

Whatever your feeling towards this 14th of February check out The Loft list of recommended love-themed books and movies to see you through the week and beyond. Come talk to one of the Loft staff members for more information or for more recommendations.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. Read What They Found: Love on 145th Street by Walter Dean Myers. The author of Street Love returns to the world of 145th Street to show how love can be found, and thrives, in the most unlikely places.

 2. Read Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause. She’s a werewolf, he’s an unsuspecting human boy. Should she reveal her true, violent, animal nature or keep it a secret from him.? For fans of Twilight!

 3. Watch Pretty In Pink. When she falls in love with Blaine, a boy from a nasty clique of rich kids, Andie suffers humiliations and a rift with her goofy new-wave best friend Duckie (who “worships” her) that test her character. With a soundtrack that features The Psychedelic Furs and The Smiths, this is one of John Hughes’s best films.

 4. Read Blushing. This is your one-stop shop for poems on love and loss, heartache and cupid’s chokehold. Shakespeare, Nikki Giovanni, Pablo Neruda – they’re all here.

 5. Read Love Is Hell. Five sci-fi/fantasy authors tell five different tales about the power of love in futuristic and magical settings.

 6. Watch Say Anything. John Cusack with a boombox lifted high above his head blasting “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel to the girl he loves – it’s an iconic moment from one of the best teen romance films of the 80s.

 7. Read Empress of the World by Sara Ryan. What do you do when you think you’re attracted to guys, and then you meet a girl who steals your heart?

 8. Watch West Side Story. Arguably the greatest movie musical of all time. Tony and Maria are the Romeo and Juliet of New York City, their love forbidden because she’s a Puertro Rican immigrant and his gang is at war with the “dirty PRs.” Astonishingly gutsy and vibrant dance numbers combined with tunes you’ll be singing for days. Highly Recommended!

 10. Read Who Am I Without Him? by Sharon G. Flake. Teens laugh, cry, scheme, and dream about the opposite sex in this fascinating short-story collection spanning the scope of adolescent love.

 11. Read Boy Proof by Cecil Castelucci. Victoria Denton hides behind the identity of a favorite movie character until an interesting new boy arrives at school and helps her realize that there is more to life than just the movies.

 12. Watch Sense and Sensibility. Love, repression, and drama on the English countryside! This 1996 film directed by Ang Lee is considered by many to be the best adaptation of a Jane Austen novel.

 13. Read An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. What do you do when you keep getting dumped by girls named Katherine? You take a road trip with your best friend when high school ends and you find what you’re looking for in a town called Gutshot. Funny and moving, this tale about a prodigy lost at emotional sea is a great read for anyone about to graduate high school.

 14. Read The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas. Fifteen-year-old Antonia Labella prays to assorted patron saints for everything from help with preparing the family’s fig trees for a Rhode Island winter to getting her first kiss from the right boy.

 15. Watch Across the Universe. This 2007 film directed by Julie Taymor (who directed The Lion King on Broadway) features a beautiful young cast singing an all-Beatles soundtrack. Set in the 1960s, it’s the story of an artist and an activist who fall in love against the violent backdrop of the 1960s anti-war movement. You’ll hear songs like “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “Let It Be” (sung as a gospel hymn) in fresh renditions that will deepen your love for The Fab Four.

 16. Read Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon. Antonio and Natasha’s world is turned upside down, and their young love is put to the test, when Antonio finds himself in jail, accused of a shocking crime.

 17. Read We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier. As The Avenger searches for the teenage boys who trashed the Jerome home and left 14-year-old Karen Jerome in a coma, Buddy, one of the trashers, increases his drinking in order to cope with his parents’ separation and his obsession with Jane Jerome, Karen’s sister.

 18. Watch Save The Last Dance. Sara (Julie Stiles) wants to be a ballerina, but her dreams are cut short by the sudden death of her mother. When she moves to Chicago’s South Side, she meets Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas), a popular fellow student with a passion for hip hop dancing and a future brighter than his troubled past. As Victoria’s relationship with Derek grows, her repressed ambition is released through a revitalized interest in dance.

 19. Watch Once. Once is the story of a young street musician who meets a lonesome, yet warm-hearted young woman with a beautifully eerie singing voice. As they write songs (and perform them) together their feelings for each other deepen until she is forced to make a difficult choice between her past life and her new musical one. The duo (featuring the lead singer of The Frames) won the 2007 Oscar for Best Song and have since released an album together called The Swell Season. A romantic, but totally unsentimenal love story.