The Digest
What’s Happening at KVCC
What’s below in this edition
String music galore (Pages 1-3)‘Visit’ Germany (Page 15)
Diversity confab (Pages 3-5)‘Cedars’ dialogues (Pages 15-18)
Down-home pickin’ (Pages 5/6)‘Star Trek’ (Pages 18/19)
Poet Tom Lynch (Pages 6/7)Strengths Week (Pages 19/20)
Trix Bruce (Pages 7/8)Career roundtables (Page 20)
Artists Forum (Pages 8/9)International Fair (Page 21)
Change your race (Pages 9/10)Sunday Series (Pages 21/22)
‘Techno’ teaching (Page 10)Financial Services (Page 22)
Wellness screens (Pages 10/11)In the news (Pages 22/23)
IRS aid (Pages 11/12)Dress for Success (Page 23)
3 sky shows (Pages 12/13)Pioneer hotels (Pages 23/24)
‘Peanuts’ pitch (Pages 13/14) Newspapers’ future (P-24/25)
KVCC grants (Page 14) E-mail alert (Pages 25/26)
And Finally (Page26)
☻☻☻☻☻☻
Kalamazoo reigns as ‘Fretboard Capital’
Every string will be attached and they will all pass over fretboards in a musical way when the Kalamazoo Valley Museum hosts its fifth annual Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival March 19-21.
Free to the public and nothing to fret about, the annual salute to the community’s legacy of “pickin’ ‘n’ singin’” will feature concerts, workshops, hands-on activities for children, vendors, and presentations over the three days.
The trio Four Finger Five will kick off the festival on Friday (March 19) with a pair of concerts at 6:30 and 8 p.m. in the museum.
The celebration of Kalamazoo's history of stringed-instrument design, manufacture and performance continues on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. with a full day of concerts and workshops. Sunday, designated as Family Day, runs from 1 to 4 p.m. with three hours of hands-on crafts for children, workshops and more performances.
Participants can meet instrument designers, learn about their trade, watch some of them in live performances, and pick up some tips on how to play the guitar, mandolin, banjo, and other fretboard instruments.
It is sponsored by the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Foundation. The concerts and events will be held in both the downtown-Kalamazoo museum on the first floor and the college’s Anna Whitten Hall next door.
Following the opening-night music of Four Finger Five, among the other performers for this mecca of string instrumentalists on Saturday and Sunday will be:
♫ Brothers Kalamazov, one of whose members, Jay Gavan, originated the first festival while a member of the museum staff – 4:15 p.m. on Saturday.
♫ Portage-based Joel Mabus, the nationally known fretboarder and veteran of past festivals with his alluring repertoire of bluegrass and folk originals – 4:45 p.m. on Saturday.
♫ Patricia Pettinga with Bill Willging and Friends, who specialize in traditional blues and folk music – 12:45 p.m. on Saturday.
♫ The duo of String Cheese with Ali Haraburda and Diana Ladio on the fiddle and cello – 3 p.m. on Sunday.
♫ Gerald Ross of Ann Arbor, a virtuoso on the traditional Hawaiian steel guitar – 3 p.m. on Saturday.
♫ Ren Wall and Friends (Richard Butler, Don Bradford, Rod Wall and James Bradford) – 11 a.m. on Saturday
♫ Celtic Roots – 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.
♫ Mark Sahlgren and Friends – 6 p.m. on Saturday.
♫ Two Track Mind – 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
♫ Kalamazoo Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra – 1 p.m. on Sunday.
♫ Mockingbird – 1:15 p.m. on Saturday.
♫ Red Beans & Rice – 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The new wrinkle for the 2009 festival – and repeated for the fifth – was a “play-in” competition in which local musicians vied for a chance to perform as part of the festival line-up of concerts. The “play-in” was held March 5 at the museum and the winner, Small Town Son, will play at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Mabus and several other performers will double up as leaders of workshops on their specialty instruments, including the dulcimer, banjo, acoustic bass, Hawaiian steel guitar, electric bass, bottleneck slide guitar, mandolin and classical guitar.
In between workshops, performances and demonstrations, visitors will be able to view exhibits. Among those sharing their knowledge and their wares will be professionals who make brands of stringed instruments such as the Big Bend, Mark Ferenc Guitar, Swavson, Charters, and Bloom’s Old Time banjos.
At 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, the museum’s Tom Dietz will speak about “Kalamazoo’s Musical Heritage” as he brings back to life the community’s early bands and orchestras and the founding days of the Kalamazoo Symphony.
The documentary, “Buck Lake Ranch: Nashville of the North,” will be shown at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the Stryker Theater. Created by Mike VanBuren, a member of The Hoot Owls, it captures the history of this popular entertainment venue in northern Indiana from its opening in 1947 through its 60th anniversary in 2007.
The first festival in May of 2006 attracted about 800. It was switched to a March date in 2007 to avoid competing with the Kalamazoo Animation Festival International and future conflicts with the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival.
The 2007 turnout that packed the museum and Anna Whitten Hall led to the decision to move to being a two-day event. Now expanded to three days, the festival has tripled its attendance.
Participants are also invited to bring their instruments for some impromptu jamming with others who appreciate the genres of music created by fretboard instruments.
For more information and events scheduled for the fifth Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival, call (269) 373-7990 or visit this website: Information is also available at the festival’s Facebook page.
Keynoter, ‘How I Got Here’ panel part of 7th ‘Diversity’
The keynote speaker for KVCC’s seventh annual Diversity Conference has shared stage and microphone time with such luminaries as First Lady Michelle Obama and “The Fonz” from “Happy Days.”
In addition to remarks from Greg Forbes Siegman, the Friday (March 26) billing includes an entertainment package that delivers a message and a panel discussion.
Under this year’s theme of “Educating Ourselves and Others,” attendees from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. can listen to the perspectives of keynoter Siegman (8:15), enjoy, a performance by Portage’s Kinetic Affect (9:45), and take part in a panel discussion entitled “How I Got Here” (11 a.m.).
The latter will address family structures, how people grow up, the culture/environment of each person’s childhood, experiences with education, and the challenges and obstacles facing people as they try to move forward when it comes to tolerance.
Among those presenters will be:
- Bruce Kocher, vice president for academic services, who will talk about how, while raised in a single-parent home, he moved ahead in life.
- KVCC data-base analyst Jolene Osei, who was born in Zimbabwe.
- David Hernandez, Puerto Rican from Chicago who is majoring in international studies at KVCC.
Free and open to the public, the conference events will be held in the Dale Lake Auditorium on the Texas Township Campus. Sponsoring the conference are the Educational Community Credit Union, Eaton Corp., Borgess Health, and the L. Perrigo Co.
Siegman’s book, “The First Thirty,” chronicles the first 30 lessons Siegman said he learned in his life that blossomed from college reject to honored graduate to substitute teacher to young philanthropist helping other overlooked students get to college.
The lessons revolve around such issues as community service, diversity, leadership and dealing with setbacks. It is a story of redemption and determination.
A major setback came as an 18 year old when Siegman was rejected by every college to which he applied. Given a chance by a school in Louisiana, he transferred with two years of passing grades to a college closer to his Midwest roots and graduated as a top scholar. He even served a Capitol Hill internship in Washington.
Already sensing more of a mission aimed at community service than material gains, Siegman chose to become a substitute teacher and created a mentoring program to break down racial, cultural and social barriers.
Within 18 months, he had established The 11-10-02 Foundation to help other overlooked students get to college as they encountered heartache, shut doors, and closed minds. In all, he spent eight years in the front of classrooms.
In 2005, he was honored by Princeton University as one of the nation's top social entrepreneurs under 40 for his dedication to speak before diverse groups of people and interests.
He has shared lectern duties with Nobel Peace Prize honoree Elie Wiesel, President Obama’s spouse, Nebraska athletic icon Tom Osborne, and actor Henry Winkler.
His writings have explored the impact of labels and stereotypes, the wisdom of grandparents, how to talk to students about the ramifications of 9-11, and the internal strength of those who deal with physical obstacles.
Siegman has coordinated and hosted hundreds of events to bring people of different races, cultures and backgrounds together in cities throughout the United States, Canada and Africa.
With the arrival of the new millennium, “Good Morning America” buried a time capsule that included a video narrated by Diane Sawyer about Siegman’s efforts to bring people together of different races, cultures and backgrounds.
As he strives to stay mentally, culturally and socially fit, he pays equal attention to physical fitness as a competitor in triathlons, quite an accomplishment for someone who has had four operations on his feet.
“People don’t remember how you were treated,” he says. “They remember how you respond.” It is this attitude that he says has helped him convert barriers into bridges.
The community of Enfield, Conn., in 2005 used “The First Thirty” as its version of Kalamazoo’s “Reading Together” program, which led to him delivering the commencement address at Suffield High School and to a presentation at Asnuntuck Community College where students were reading the book.
The Portage-based Kinetic Affect, the duo that won the recent “Kalamazoo Has Talent” competition, are two spoken-wordsmiths who joined forces in the summer of 2007 after being fierce competitors at local poetry slams. Gabriel Giron and Kirk Latimer have created a new kind of verbal experience.
Giron’s Latino background and hip-hop influences collide on stage with Latimer’s Native American heritage and academic nature. Despite apparent differences, they exhibit similarities. They challenge beliefs, push boundaries, embrace differences, and seek to increase awareness of local and global issues.
Giron admits to a difficult and angry past, vacillating from class bully to class poet. After lazily making his way through high school, he felt oddly drawn to the military. Eight months into his enlistment, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and underwent cycles of chemotherapy and several surgeries over three years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
The cancer-free Giron said days spent wondering whether he would live or die gave him a new-found perspective on life. He is majoring in film and creative writing at Western Michigan University.
His reflection on cancer survival, military experience, and family relationships enabled him to write on topics with unique vulnerability not commonly explored or spoken by others. By sharing his stories and commenting on what he sees around him, others can be inspired to share their stories, making poetry real, honest, and accessible regardless of age, class or gender.
Now dressed in slacks, dress shirt and tie, Latimer had a history of fighting both inside and outside the ring. He turned his anger from his color-trunked opponents toward himself, resulting in his arrest at the age of 16. He continued a cycle of vengeance and retribution until his senior year of high school when five of his friends and classmates committed suicide. It took him nearly six months to change his approach to life.
Once on the right path, Latimer transformed from a violent boxer to a highly awarded English/education major at Western Michigan University where he began to write poetry. His style of writing evolved from his dedication to academics, the explosive power required of a boxer, and the unique juxtaposition of a prankster loving nature.
An acting coach and an English teacher in high school, Latimer discovered a way to convert his inner turmoil and aggressiveness into a passionate and impacting learning experience. Through sharing himself and past experiences, he seeks to change minds and hearts, while also challenging what he regards as an outdated educational system.
The former poetry-slam competitors challenge stereotypes and provide a forum to individuals who have become too comfortable with allowing their voices to remain silent. Their first production entitled “Word Weavers” confronted male stereotypes, such as the need for men to portray themselves as a dominant force that must remain independent and refrain from overly expressing emotions of love and sadness.
More information is available by visiting the KVCC Diversity Committee’s web site at People should register in advance for the 2010 Diversity Conference on the college’s home page.
Down-home Kentucky music is documentary topic
Those who have been energized by the fifth annual Fretboard Festival can get another dose of down-home music when the Kalamazoo Valley Museum rekindles its series of free Saturday-afternoon showings of documentaries and films.
The March 27 billing in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater at 1 p.m. is “The Rhythm of My Soul,” a PBS production that features rare performance footage of Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs and Bill Monroe, chronicles Kentucky's roots in bluegrass, mountain, country and gospel music, and showcases regional fiddle, mandolin, banjo and dulcimer players.
Free and open to the public, these Bluegrass State musicians illustrate and illuminate Kentucky's rich musical heritage. More famous country stars were born and raised in southern and eastern Kentucky than in any other place in America.
“The Rhythm of My Soul: Kentucky Roots Music” also features a 77-year-old mountain banjo picker, an 80-year-old fiddle maker, and a gospel group made up of retired black coal miners.
Sunday-afternoon jam sessions are also part of the museum's musical attractions. The K'zoo Folklife Organization will gather at 1:30 p.m. on May 2, while the Kalamazoo Valley Blues Association takes over on April 18 and May 16.
These begin at 1:30 p.m. and are free. Concerts and workshops are on the billing, while musicians are invited to bring in their instruments for a bit of impromptu jamming.
Here is the rest of the documentary schedule:
- “Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown” at 1 p.m. on April 10
- “Paper Clips” at 1 p.m. on April 17
- “The Hidden Child” at 3:30 p.m. on April 17
- Films that are applicable to the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival at noon May 3-6
- A two-weekend festival dedicated to film versions of Jane Austen classics –“Persuasion” at 10 a.m. and “Mansfield Park” at 1 p.m. on May 15; “Miss Austen Regrets” at 10 a.m. and “Northanger Abby” at 1 p.m. on May 22.
Poet Tom Lynch talks about writing this week
A funeral director whose poetry explores the mysteries of life and death is
the final attraction in the college’s “About Writing” series for the 2009-10 academic year.
Thomas Lynch, whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, Esquire, Newsweek, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Times of London, will be on the Texas Township Campus on Monday and Tuesday, March 22-23.
The “About Writing” presentations in the Student Commons are free and open to the public. He’ll talk about the craft of writing at 10 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. on Monday (March 22) and do a 2:15 p.m. reading on Tuesday (March) 23.
Lynch teaches in the graduate program in creative writing at the University of Michigan, lives in Milford, and has been a funeral director since 1974.His commentaries have broadcast by the BBC and NPR. His wordsmithing has been assisted by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Michigan Council for the Arts, the Michigan Library Association, and the National Book Foundation.
Lynch has brought his message to audiences throughout Europe, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. He is a regular presenter at conferences that target funeral directors, hospice workers, medical-ethics professionals, members of the clergy, and educators. That has also garnered exposure on C-SPAN, “The Today Show,” and Bill Moyers’ series on PBS, “On Our Own Terms.”
The author of three collections of poems and three books of essays, Lynch has two other publications due this year – a book of stories, “Apparition & Late Fictions,” and a new collection of poems, “Walking Papers.”
His work has been the subject of two documentaries. PBS Frontline's “The Undertaking,” aired nationwide in 2007, won the 2008 Emmy for “Arts and Culture Documentary.” Cathal Black's film, “Learning Gravity” and produced for the BBC, was featured at the 2008 Telluride Film Festival and the sixth Traverse City Film Festival in 2009 where it was awarded the Michigan Prize by Michael Moore.
Lynch keeps an ancestral cottage in and in Moveen, County Clare, Ireland. It was the home of his great-great-grandfather, which was given as a wedding gift in the 19th century. He traveled to that country for the first time in 1970.