PAGE 4
BENNETT BANNER
WEDNESDAY, MAY /‘i, I96f!
Amanda Ambrose Dazzles Campus
By ROSK MARY t OLF
On Thursday evening, May 2nd,
following the last quarterly birth
day dinner, Bennett College was
dazzled by the magnificent jazz
and personality of Amanda Am
brose.
The performance, held in the
Ida Goode Gymnasium, lasted for
about an hour and a half—Miss
Ambrose did not have an inter
mission.
Sometimes before and after
each song, Miss Ambrose ex
plained to the audience (sitting
on the floor and bleachers) the
author of the song and a brief
synopsis of its meaning.
She told the audience that she
began singing jazz for three rea
sons. One of the major reasons
was because her children asked
her one day, “Why don’t you sing
the songs we understand?” After
that statement Miss Ambrose
went on to sing jazz renditions
of rock and roll, folk-songs and
spirituals. These included Lady
Madonna, Debutant Ball, Yester
day, This Door Swings Both Ways,
Bessie-Mae, and many others.
In the conclusion of her per
formance, she recited a very
meaningful, emotional and beau
tiful poem centered around a black
mother’s prayer for her sons in
Humaniths Festival Shows
Variety Of Entertainment
By JWNIFER ENGLISH
The annual Bennett College Hu
manities FesUval, featuring a
variety of entertainment in the
field of humanities, was held in
late March. During the opening
session, Ray and Helen Gordon
presented a Folk Duo Recital at
7:30 p.m. in the chapel-followed
by a coffee hour in the Student
Union.
The interest that had been stim
ulated at the beginning of the fes
tival was maintained throughout
the week by the diversity and high
quality of activities. On Tuesday,
Mr. James McMillan featured a
“Vernissage for One Man Show”
in the Student Union, On Wednes
day, Mrs. Olivia Rivers, a physi
cal education instructor here, and
Mr. Eady, Bennett’s drama teach
er, contributed a Dance-Poetry
Recital to the festival.
A Lyceum event featured a pi
ano concert by Raymond Jack
son. Another change of pace came
when individuals from neighbor-
Wliile other Belles have
been enjoying the recent
Spring nights relaxing or
socializing, the young la
dies pictured in this se
quence have spent their
time working on the “Ben
nett Banner" and doing a
great job, too They are
Winona Griffin, Dimples
Armstrong, and Shuronia
Bovve, from Elizabeth City;
Jannifer English, Efiand;
Rose Cole, Durham and
Beverly Cork, Washington,
D. C.
Bennett Fast Becoming Haven
For Creative Writers
Viet Nam and the racial issue in
the United States. At the end of the
poem, the audience continued to
applaud and cheer for an encore.
In the recreation room of the
New Dorm, following the concert,
Miss Ambrose was flanked by the
presence of Bennett students and
a few A&T fellows for a brief in
formal discussion and autograph
ing period. Afterwards Mr. Ed
ward Lowe, director of the fresh
men choir, went out and bought
Miss Ambrose some “soul food,”
av J WMI ER ENGLISH
Bennett has long had the repu
tation of molding some of the na
tions most distinguished young
ladies—especially teachers and
housewives. Now, it seems to have
begun work on an entirely new
piece of clay. The pottery this
time is a whole batch of creative
writers.
One of the most impressive of
the new breed is Miss Angeline
Johnson—a junior English major
from Reidsville, North Carolina.
Since coming to Bennett, she has
received many honors—one quite
recently. In the annual creative
writers’ contest, Miss Johnson
received the first place award in
the area of short stories for
“Shadows of Light and Darkness”
which is concerned with the racial
dilemma. When speaking of her
work. Miss Johnson said that she
Betty Jones and Edna williams are budding playwrights.
ing institutions held a panel dis
cussion in the Chapel on the sub
ject ofthe “The Creative Individ
ual and the Community.” A more
significant change of pace occur
red, however, when members of
the drama guild entertained with
an original production, “Buked
and Scorned,” a play by Betty
Jones and Edna Williams, under
the direction of Mr. Fred Eady.
The festival culminated on a
high note when a panel of eight
judges assembled in the Student
Union to discuss and announce
the award-winners of the fourth
annual creative writing contest.
This year’s contest, however, dif
fered from the others in that there
were participants from eight dif
ferent colleges represented. For
ty-three students entered the con
test, contributing eleven short
stories, seventy poems, two plays
and four essays.
Thomas Brown of Guilford Col
lege, received the first award for
poetry.
Angelene Johnson wins
third consecutive short sto
ry writing contest.
invents characters and—although
she has sometimes tried to have a
happy ending—weaves them into a
theme that usually ends up to be
something like “ain’t no way,”
This phenomenon may be attrib
uted to the fact that she usually
writes when she is in a melan
choly mood. Talent alone often
dries up, but Miss Johnson’s tal
ent is accompanied by ambition
which is leaning heavily towards
a Ph.D. in modern fiction.
Another creative individual—
also a member of the junior
class—writes “on the spur of the
moment.” Miss Constance Clark
—a Spanish major from Akron,
Ohio—received special mention
in the creative writers’ contest
division of plays for her contribu
tion of “Liz” which developed
along lines similar to “Lysistra-
ta,” She also received special
mention in the division of short
stories for “Uncle Jack,” As
serting that she writes when she
is depressed, Miss Clark stated
that this story has the added at
traction of being partially true
since it comes from a tale that
her “Grandpa tells—and stret
ches,” Miss Clark does not pro
pose to make writing her life’s
work, however. She plans, in
stead, to become a Spanish teach=
er.
Preventing the juniors from
monopolizing creativity on this
campus, two freshmen from Al
bany, Georgia banded together
and wrote “Buked and Scorned”
which was later performed by the
theatre guild of Bennett College
under the direction of Mr. Fred A.
Eady, The play, which the girls
had presented in high school, was
modified for the Little Theatre
and written down for the first
time. Although this was the first
combined creative effort for Miss
Williams and Miss Jones, it was
by no means the first creative
effort for either girls. Both girls
write poetry, and Miss Betty
Jones also writes short stories.
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