The die-cut poster on display in the Reilly Center David Scibilia / The Bona Venture BY: DAVID SCIBILIA, NEWS EDITOR “The heart is speaking; the spirit is speaking,” Jason Benefield, the producer of “Speak on Sistas”, said. “[‘Speak On Sistas’] is the ultimate event for women of African descent.” “Speak On Sistas” is an event…
BY TUCKER REILLY, EDITOR IN CHEIF The St. Bonaventure University department of English hosted visiting poet Jake Skeets, a Navajo-born author and university instructor, in the Hall of Fame Room of the Reilly Center. At an hour-long event held Wednesday night, Skeets read a selection of poems taken from several of his collections, including the…
By Joe Giglio, Chattertons Love is a velociraptor a long dead predator we’ve only seen the remnants of. And I’m Dr. John Hammond, trying to bring it back out of a mix of great desire, a moneymaking scheme, and it will be my undoing- or maybe it won’t. Sure his life work was destroyed, but…
By Matthew Petit, Contributing Writer My love, is a little beast crouching in the woods near a grove. The sycamore trees yawn at her presence; the sun dapples against her brown fur. When I visit her, she holds out her black hands, cupped, wanting a crumb. Instead, I give her an apple. Do you like…
Come a bit closer, yes you, stranger. I want to get to know you. Hey now! I’m serious here! Don’t laugh, that’s mean you know. Drop me your name, maybe your story, perhaps your life at home. I want to know you. You matter to me, stranger. We both get the chance to see each…
A world traveler, Leigh Simone, Ph.D., wasn’t afraid to play “plus one” on her husband’s recent, week-long trip to Kuwait — a Middle Eastern desert country, south of Iraq. Prior, Leigh Simone, a professor of Spanish, had visited countless scapes across the continents — from Germany’s lush planes to Spain’s pristine waters — but she’d…
On Thursday, Ladan Osman, Somali-American poet and teacher, and Donika Kelly, assistant professor of English at St. Bonaventure, read pieces from their poetry collections as part of the university’s Visiting Poets Series. Approximately 100 students, faculty, staff members and community members gathered in the Loft of the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts…
“The Starbucks mermaid logo/ has lost her nipples.” This is the first stanza of Hoa Nguyen’s poem “The Starbucks Mermaid” from her book of poems, Red Juice. “Ahh,” you might say after reading those lines. “I remember the days when the creature displayed her femininity on my morning coffee.” The following stanza may stump you…
“I feel far away, but I’ll try to bring you closer.” These are some of the first words visiting poet Rob Halpern said Tuesday night in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts Loft. He stood at the front of the room wearing dark jeans and a flannel, clearly ready for a casual night.…
The passionate rhymes of slam poetry will fill Café La Verna tonight at 7:30. Poet Willie Perdomo will read from his work, so grab a latte, a comfy seat and some good company and get lost in the world of poetry. “The Essential Hits of Shorty Bon Bon,” Perdomo’s latest work, landed him as a…
By Nicolette DiMura Contributing Writer In honor of Franciscan Week, the Chattertons organized a poetry reading that focused on Franciscan beliefs, figures and values. The event was well attended by mostly the freshmen class and some upper classmen. “It’s a great week to just remember St. Francis,” Fr. Francis, one of the friars at the…
By Jillian Hammell Assistant Features Editor “Sometimes we go on a search and we do not know what we are looking for, until we come again to our beginning,” well-known poet, artist and thinker Robert Lax once said. Lax began his good journey in Olean in 1915. With his ties with the town and his…
By Kiara Catanzo Staff Writer Slam poets convey their emotions through their work and the way it is performed. Last Thursday, students had the opportunity to hear the stories of their peers as the St. Bonaventure Slam Poetry Club held this semester’s Poetry Slam. Slam Poetry Club aims to make poetry more common on…
By Matthew Laurrie Assistant Features Editor With the lights dimmed, anxious audience members gazed toward the stage. A spotlight centered and the Garret Theater came alive with poetry at the commencement of St. Bonaventure’s fourth poetry slam. The Slam Poetry Club recently adopted “There is no excuse for art” as its catchphrase. It embodies the…
By Elizabeth Pray Staff Writer “When you go to places, the things you are supposed to see are not what stay with you.” Peter Makuck said these words while onstage at the Garret Theater Wednesday night discussing how the small details on a trip can become the unexpected details of a poem. Makuck, a nationally…