A disturbing trend: Students stick to their literary comfort zone

Mel Sundquist

Issue date: 10/29/07 Section:Life

Lately, there has been a noticeable inclination in the minds of fresh young college students when concerning literature: they are sticking to what’s familiar.

It seems that most students can fit into one of three categories: there are those who read only religious compositions, those who read so-called “intellectual” or classical literature, and those who stick to Sweet Valley High romance novels or sci-fi.

On one hand, it is great that millennials are reading; developing a mind for literature in any form is very important. However, adding some variety, the personal library can make for a more cultured and universal thought process in everyday decisions.

True, reading Poe isn’t going to help twenty-somethings deal with their “maybe, someday I’ll have a girlfriend” problem. It won’t help them get through a salacious romantic scandal (although flipping through a couple of Gossip Girl books, by Cecily Von Ziegesar, may give you a few ideas).

On the other hand, spending a couple afternoons with Whitman may actually help students to walk down a path that holds the answers to life, the universe and maybe even love.

If “variety is the very spice of life,” as the author of some first-rate poetry William Cowper said, adding some of that variety into an average student’s lettered life can improve not only their repertoire of books but other aspects of their existence as well.

So, Keats enthusiasts are double-dog dared to head to the library and check out a couple books with bright pink covers and titles incorporating the words shop, love, gossip and/or boy-trouble. The same goes for those who read bodice-ripping chapters-check out some Yunque or Dickinson, and be ready for a pleasant surprise.

A crash course in faith: New Play Group produces Thorns and Thistles

A crash course in faith

Mel Sundquist

Issue date: 10/29/07 Section: Life

New Play Group, a fledgling theater troupe based in Provo, produced a quartet of short plays exploring how faith is created and how it is tested, according to a recent press release.

“This is one of my favorite productions of the year,” said James Goldberg, artistic director. “We feel it’s important for LDS playwrights to have a chance to write their own religious experiences using their own religious terminology.”

It is rare to find an LDS-based play that is not simply a reproduction of ancient religious texts. Here, audiences can follow a modern story, finding their own contemporary opinions of faith, hope and charity along the way.

It is too late for students to catch Thorns and Thistles, which played through the end of last week. However, New Play Project is something to keep an eye on in the future.

According to their Web site, New Play Project, which describes its members as “pioneers in values-driven theater,” will be producing America starting Nov. 30. It’s another anthology about what America does right, wrong and what’s “just plain silly.”

New Play Project is not only looking for actors for their plays, but scripts, as well. They provide local writers with a channel for their work, as long as the scripts align with the theme of the show.

They are also interested in local directors, dramaturges, stage management and designers.

For more information, visit their Web site at www.newplayproject.org

You have my word of honor.

I’ve taken a pledge to buy only handmade products for Christmas, and request that my friends and family do the same. I’m excited for it so far, but I imagine it means only one thing: a lot of acrylic. Well, and a lot of amigurumi.

Really, jotting my name and location on a random internet page doesn’t really inspire me to dive off the hand-made deep end. But at least I’ll try. I already bought a little something for mom, but it’s not her main present, so I’m forgiving myself.

In other news, I’m still sick. I have a deadline tomorrow that I just remembered (holiday travel tips – should be a cinch). I’m thinking of posting my articles here, just for kicks. At least it would help me keep track of them. I’ll start on archives right this second.

And Winston says hello. He’s been very strange today.