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June 10, 2008

Summer Reads: The Undergrad's Poetry Collection

Whether you are a poetry aficionado or a devoted poetry-phobe, summer is the perfect season to read some verse. Not convinced? Consider: poems are more condensed than novels, and can be read faster. Plus, you don’t have to read a book of poetry from beginning to end—you can flip around, reading only what interests you at the moment. That’s quite a perk for the less-than-motivated summer reader, whose attention span may be less than impressive (Yours Truly falls into this category). On the other hand, if you’re serious about hunkering down and reading something cover-to-cover, a collection of verse will offer you beauty and insight. You’ll also have the reward of seeing not just the (figurative) trees, but the (equally figurative) forest that the poet sought to create for you.

In case you skimmed that first paragraph in true lazy-summer style, here’s a quick recap: poetry has something for everyone! Here are some suggestions from the Undergrad’s collection:

Call Number: 811 Y858j

If you don’t have much time but want a stunning read, Kevin Young’s Jelly Roll: A Blues will knock your socks off, then put them back on again in a way you had never considered, but find aesthetically pleasing. Young’s super-short lines and vivid descriptions bring the blues into your home or backyard hammock. It doesn’t hurt that these are primarily love poems, charged with all of the angst and ecstasy that goes with relationships.

Call Number: 811 T3462e

Poetry not your thing? No worries. Diane Thiel’s Echolocations is as accessible as a zero-depth entry pool, and twice as enjoyable. Unless the pool has a waterslide like CRCE’s—then it’s pool one, poetry goose egg. But I digress. Thiel writes in full sentences, and for the most part describes daily life. Thing is, she does so with language that makes you realize that life is a heck of a lot more exciting and intense and meaningful than you’d thought before reading her work.

Call Number: 811 K564n cop.2

If you’re looking to have your heart wrenched and your stomach turned, Suji Kwock Kim’s Notes From The Divided Country will fit the bill. The poems wander without apology, covering a vast range of forms and content. She writes about her next-door neighbors and the Japanese occupation of Korea with the same intense, sensory attention, foregrounding the grotesque in nature and in human nature.

Call Number: 811 K624t

For the hard-core poet or poetry lover looking to dive deeper into the wreck of this fine art, try Galway Kinnell’s Three Books. (Extra points if you know the poet whose metaphor I’ve stolen, and extra-extra points if you can name the local poet who beat me to stealing it in his first book.) The three books in question—Body Rags, Mortal Acts, Mortal Words, and The Past—are stamped with Kinnell’s hallmark perceptiveness and compassion. Open to any page: this guy will show you how it’s done.

Posted by undergrad at 9:59 AM | Comments (0)

June 6, 2008

Summer Reads: The Undergrad's Graphic Novel Collection

DMZ by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli

DMZ: On the Ground 741.5973 W85d

DMZ: Body of a Journalist 741.5973 W85db

Like all art, comic books and graphic novels tend to reflect the world around them. No matter which side of the political spectrum you lie in, we seem to be living through some dark times, and contemporary comics have picked up on this. Writer Brian Wood's new series DMZ stands as perhaps the most visceral example of this trend. The story takes place sometime in the near future. The national army, stretched to its limits by multiple wars in foreign countries finds itself unable to defend against a domestic insurgency. Essentially, middle America rises up and secedes, leading to a second American Civil War. Manhattan island has become a war torn no man's land, a demilitarized border between what remains of the United States and the anti-establishment "Free States." With the island largely evacuated, those who have stayed behind in what was once the greatest city in the country are forced to contend with hostilities from both factions, gangs and turf wars among the city's residents, and the day to day struggle of living in this harsh environment. Matty Roth, an aspiring photojournalist is dropped into the middle of all this, and through his eyes the reader experiences the strange, yet eerily familiar world of this new Manhattan, now known as "the DMZ."

Despite the interesting back story the real meat of the book lies in Brian Wood's startlingly realistic portrayal of average citizens enduring in the face of societal collapse and abandonment. Wood's narrative tone remains even-handed throughout showing both the horror and violence of life during war time, as well as the hope inherent in a group of people forced to rebuild and retain some semblance of community. Riccardo Burchielli's dynamic, manga-inspired artwork captures all of the grime and disarray of a ravaged metropolis, complete with chilling illustrations of devastated landmarks and imagery ripped straight from today's headlines. The series touches on media bias, the often muddied motivations behind war, the fallibility of extreme political ideologies, and the moral ambiguities of survival all while telling a ripping good yarn, with action and suspense that rivals any summer blockbuster or television thriller. Think 24 with more depth and less cheesiness, or Mad Max without all the chaps and hockey masks. For those who enjoy a bit of weight with their adventure, and a bit of relevance with their action, DMZ might make the perfect summer read.

Continue reading "Summer Reads: The Undergrad's Graphic Novel Collection"

Posted by undergrad at 1:52 PM | Comments (0)

May 13, 2008

Wikipedia on an iPod!

We need your help to study how Undergraduate Students search for information on mobile devices like iPods and cell phones. If you are beginning your second year next Fall 2008, we would like to offer you an iPod to use for the Fall 2008 semester which will allow you to search the contents of Wikipedia anytime, anywhere!

This is a research study. The library only has five of these Wikipedia-iPods for second-year Undergraduate Students. You will be borrowing them for the duration of the Fall 2008 semester. If you are interested in participating, please contact Jim Hahn jimhahn@uiuc.edu for more information.

Posted by jimhahn at 3:53 PM | Comments (0)