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F E ATU RE S
Nikky Finney sings poetry of history, remembrance
By Yezmin Villarreal
Staff Writer
Bambara, who was asked by a man waiting at a bus stop, of the political and the personal. The collection focuses on
"Are you that writer lady from Indiana?" Hurricane Katrina, the narratives of civil rights leaders, love,
Bambara thought the man wanted an autograph but and family traditions.
"I am a poet because I know land, I know space," said instead the man asked her if she could help him fill out his "It is indeed rare to encounter a poet who commands
poet Nikky Finney. "Land, space, and seeing the end of application for a house since she was a writer. She invited an audience with not only her words, but her voice, Paul
mountains remind you of the sensory nature of the world." him to visit her writing workshop where she helped him McCullough 11 said.
The Greenleaf Review and the English Department hosted fill out the application that eventually led to liim owning -a For a writer who said, "I never thought I would be a poet,
Firmey, a professor of creative writing at the University of home. I never thought I would be a writer, Firmey demonstrated
Kentucky for a reading on Sept 28. Finney read from three of her collections, "Rice," "The an absolute command over language m her poems. For
Finney grew up along the rice-growing coast of South World is Round," and her most recent work, "Head Off & example, in her poem "Left," from "Head Off & Split,"
Carolina Her fatha- was a civil-rights lawyer, and her mother Split." Poems in "Head Off & Split" navigate the narratives Finney puts us in the center of Hurricane Katrma where a
was an elementary school teacher. Both ^ missoelled sien readme.
were deeply involved in the struggle for
social justice and civil rights in the South.
"It's important when you begin to
write to ask yourself, 'what kind of
writer will I be?"' said Finney, who was
told many times as a young writer to stay
away from political subjects.
For Finney, it was important to be
honest on the page, even if that meant
writing both personal and political
poems. She recalled a Quaker saying that
gave her the liberty and courage to be
honest as a writer; let your life speak.
Finney also described the importance
of mentorships in her development as a
writer. Writers Toni Cade Bambara and
Nikki Giovanni gave Finney the sense
that writers are people who help in the
community while mentoring her. Finney
shared with the audience a story told by
Poet Nikky Finney evokes emotion as she performs her poetry at a reading hosted by the English
Department and the Greenleaf Review. Finney teaches creative writing at the University of Kentucky.
survivor held a misspelled sign reading,
"please help pleas."
In "Left," Finney shows us that "the
people are dark but not broken. Starving,
abandoned, dehydrated, brown and
cumulous, but not broken..."
"Finney's reading was stunning,"
said Dana Professor of English Carolyn
Beard Whitlow, who is also a poet.
"'Left' is a mantra of remembrance about
the atrocity of Hurricane Katrina. That
poem is a haunting reminder of what
should never be forgotten. Stunning."
Finney said that as a beginning writer
she wrote "things I wanted to remain
S beyond me." She quoted Nobel Prize
winning poet Czeslaw Milosz who
describes writing as a place where "you
write to save something." Finney put the
same question to the audience: "What
would you write to save?"
This campus was made for walking, and that's just what we'll do
By Casey Morgan
Staff Writer
I used to dread awkward street
crossings. You know, the kind
where you have to loiter at the
edge of a busy intersection, toeing
the sidewalk and trying to look
nonchalant as you wait for the
lights to change and the "walk"
sign to appear? I always feel like
people are watching me from their
cars.
The walk from one side of the
street to the other seems to stretch
on to eternity. Why does it feel
like a walk of shame? People
should be rolling down their
windows to applaud me for my
environmentally-friendly activity.
I certainly pat myself on my back,
thank you very much. I no longer
cross intersections awkwardly. I
hold my head up high and strut
across that walkway (which
is preferable since you can see
oncoming cars much more easily in
this fashion — just a tip).
I'm saving money and the
environment by walking. And at
Guilford, I'm not giving up much
for these benefits.
According to WalkScore.com, a
website that evaluates the walk- less than half a mile from our
ability and access to transportation campus — if you count Starbucks
to various areas, Guilford College as a restaurant, as WalkScore does,
is considered "very walkable." Our Can we pause for a moment
area has a walk-
ability score of 80
percent.
. The Walk
Score algorithm
awards points
based on the
distance to shops
and services.
Guilford's score
of 80 percent
means that most
errands can be
accomplished on
foot. There are
enough amenities
within reasonable
walking distance
for an individual
not to have to rely
on a car.
"Like many
people, I don't
have a car, so I
like that Quaker
Village, Harris Teeter, and other
places are within walking distance,"
said junior Taylor Seitz.
There are 16 restaurants located
are
coffee
book
bars.
Thursday? One. Dollar. Tacos. It
astounds me that this isn't included
in a Guilford information tour.
Harris Teeter, too, is a 10-minute
walk from any
dorm on campus,
and as I master
the art of street
crossing, Tm
shortening the
time by almost
half.
There
i banks,
shops,
n stores,
M clubs, movie the-
X aters, parks, and
g nearly anything
> else a college stu-
m dent might want,
I all within five
^ miles of Guilford.
E If you have a
S bike, the world
> opens up even
o more, so driving
^ becomes almost
- unnecessary,
and reflect on the fact that we are Greensboro's bike lanes and side
mere yards away from El Atzeca, streets can get you almost anywhere
a Mexican restaurant that offers you want to go, without riding in
one-dollar tacos every Tuesday and heavy traffic.
To CVIM$
Another advantage: according
to health experts, biking five
miles bums around 200 calories,
depending on your speed. A brisk
three-mile walk, whidi would take
just over an hour, bums 400 calories.
So if you're going earless, it helps
the environment and your health.
"I like that we have a relatively
pedestrian-friendly campus," Seitz
said. "Being able to walk on the
trails in the woods is one of my
favorite things about Guilford."
Associate Professor of Political
Science Kyle Dell is an avid
supporter of going car-less.
"From the back of my door to
my campus office is about a twelve-
minute bike ride, (and it is) my
favorite way to get to campus,"
said Dell. "The most car-intensive
part of (my) life revolves around the
driving (my wife and I) do for the
soccer games and practices for my
son and daughter."
Since most of us don't have
children on a soccer team, I think
we'll be fine stashing our car keys
in a drawer and pulling on a pair
of sneakers or a bike helmet. We
will be saving the environment, our
budget, and our waistlines all in
one swoop. What's not to love?