When Pen and Paper Meet

Mrs. Wilson, where you been?

2011-12-28T23:03:00.000-05:00

Around the world, now I'm back again!

Ok, not really. That's a Lil' Wayne quote...

But here's the dealio: Finished my novel in Febuary, graduated from college in July, got married in August, landed a sweet freelance job in September with hyperinkpress.com, then got a second job at a music store in Ocotber. That's what I've been up to in a nutshell.

Also, I decided to revamp Pens Without Ink. It was getting stale and people seemed disinterested. So I shook it all up like a snow globe and now we have a years schedule for the writing club with lots of fun/no stressful stuff.

I almost forgot, I got a guinea pig, whom I ADORE, nammed Fitzgerald Darcy.
He humbly goes by Darcy, Darcy-Pants, or Guin-Guin san which is his Japanese name...

-N

Midnight Breeze

2011-10-17T00:02:00.001-04:00

The deep roar
of thunder,
the clash of white
doesn't bother me
as I gaze out my
window, breathing
in the rich smells
of rain hitting
leaves of grass.

I still catch
my breath
when i see
the the lightning
shimmer like
handfuls of thrown
diamonds, then
vanish like the wake
of a dream.

-N (June 28, 1999; age thirteen)

Landfill Poem

2011-07-28T23:01:00.000-04:00

I'm in a geology class. We had a landfill field trip today. For extra credit I pimped out my skills as a writer and wrote the dreaded "extra-credit" poem. (and yes I did include what I 'learned' in the class in my poem, it's all true fact, I swear! No really clovers to apparently grow on landfills after their capped off full). Even more alarming, I actually like it so much I thought I'd share it with you, #twitterverse. :) Please comment and tell me I'm not a loser or you can re: with your own impromptu landfill poem. Either way it's win-win.

Ottawa County Landfill

Up the graveled dirt we trudged,

us would be geologists; past

metal fridges and tire halves

while the turkey-vultures swoop

in circles way above.

I saw the tall cattails sway

in mucky brown slush; and

heard the horn of a

tall truck pass, filled to

the brim with methane muck;

and the landfills worth will

mostly never be known

above the grass caped trash

where sweet green clovers

grow.

Try for Me, by N.E.Avery

2011-07-10T17:06:00.000-04:00

Try for Me

This is the voice you’ve given me: yes sir. right away sir.

This is the face you’ve given me: black.

This is the lie you’ve told about me: abortion is my number one killer.

This is how you’ve broken a race: turned us against ourselves.

Now, my eyes are open.

You pin me down and scrap me clean of ambitions

if I fight back you lapel me “viscous”;

Truth be told, it is my fault;

I’ve allowed myself in your web to be caught

Now, my thoughts must be spoken.

I’ve gotta try

try

try for me.

To My Child (as i die), by N.E. Avery

2011-06-24T11:30:00.002-04:00

To my Child (as i die)

"the flower in
the garden knows
of death
as it dies slowly
each autumn.

but does the sun
mourn the dew
drops in the
afternoon?

nor should you
mourn the flower.

Let it go, it will come back again.
Let me go, I will begin again."

Too Much Revision?

2011-06-18T19:37:00.001-04:00

Am, I dreaming? I had to ask myself that question a couple times when I saw this article. Of course, I found it on twitter (amazing writer community on that social media!)and it brings a very interesting discussion topic to the writer table. Is it possible to revise your manuscript to much? I've always thought that over-thinking something does more harm than good but then I wasn't sure if there was truth to that or it I'm just innately lazy. I like to think it's a possible truth. :) Read the article from the Paris Review for your self and let me know what you think.

What do you like to read?

2011-06-05T23:02:00.000-04:00

Pens Without Ink is taking suggestions for their writing club event called Pick-A-Book. Even if you're not a member of the club, follower of the blog, or a even a prolific writer, you're opinion still counts. Click the link below and post a comment suggesting what book you think Pens Without Ink should tear to shreds first!

Suggest a book NOW!

Carnival Ride, by N.E.Avery

2011-05-29T16:55:00.002-04:00

Carnival Ride, In Our Own Words, 2010 (Print)

“Hi—My name is Martha” my cousin said
so sweetly southern-like to a carnie-boy running The Scrambler.
“Would you mind letting me and my cousins ride this ride
even though we’ve run out of tickets?”
Martha’s almost grown lean over the ride’s iron gate,
the soft breeze from her fluttering lashes and
the gently lulling country drawl worked on him.
So charmed was he—he didn’t reply. We walked past
the gate like three green-blue peacocks and climbed into
the red-white benched seat smallest to large. Laughing; feeling so fine.
He walked by—click click clank, click click clank—pushing
the bars down tight on our thighs. Our bench swayed
as the ride begun and we lurched like blown bluebonnets.
I closed my eyes; letting the wind peel them back open.

"Dominoes In July", N.E. Avery

2011-05-29T16:54:00.000-04:00

Dominoes in July, In Our own Words, 2010 (print)

“God gave me lemons and ain’t nothin’ sweeter
than this iced lemonade in my glass here!”
“Are you going to play, May’jo, before the good
Lord our savior comes back?”
“You better hush now Merl West Sims,” she said but laughed.
I listened to them talk as I rocked back on my heels
keeping score beneath the cool
shadowed shade of the porch stoop.
The hot hard heat beat on my granny and her sister.
They lifted their glasses—sucking the cold ice dry
when their lemonade was gone and
talked to each other while they played—“Ten stitches in your britches!”
“Put down twenty for the weak side, gran’ baby!”—
I scratched it down with an old pencil.

Madam and the Rent man

2011-05-29T00:04:00.003-04:00

Madam and the Rent Man
from The Selected Poems of
Langston Hughes

The rent man knocked.
He said, Howdy-do?
I said, What
Can I do for you?
He said, You know
Your rent is due.

I said, Listen,
Before I'd pay
I'd go to Hades
And rot away!

The sink is broke,
The water don't run,
And you ain't done a thing
You promised to've done.

Back window's cracked,
Kitchen floor squeaks,
There's rats in the cellar,
And the attic leaks.

He said, Madam,
It's not up to me.
I'm just the agent,
Don't you see?

I said, Naturally,
You pass the buck.
If it's money you want
You're out of luck.

He said, Madam,
I ain't pleased!
I said, Neither am I.

So we agrees!

Madam's Past History

2011-05-29T00:02:00.001-04:00

Madam's Past History
from The Selected Poems of
Langston Hughes

My name is Johnson--
Madam Alberta K.
The Madam stands for business.
I'm smart that way.

I had a
HAIR-DRESSING PARLOR
Before
The depression put
The prices lower.

Then I had a
BARBECUE STAND
Till I got mixed up
With a no-good man.

Cause I had a insurance
The WPA
Said, We can't use you
Wealthy that way.

I said,
DON'T WORRY 'BOUT ME!
Just like the song,
You WPA folks take care of yourself--
And I'll get along.

I do cooking,
Day's work, too!
Alberta K. Johnson--
Madam to you.

Interview with Writing Whiz Kelsey Ronan

2011-05-05T13:06:00.002-04:00

Kelsey Ronan

-N

Trump, Rebecca Black, and Friday Oh my!

2011-05-01T18:40:00.001-04:00

My birthday was this weekend and besides having too much tequila, which resulted in a heartburn that had me popping tums like I was pregnant, there were some interesting things going on this weekend on CNN and Twitter.

First, this whole Trump running for presented thing seems to be irritating both Republicans and Democrats and frankly I don't think he'll make it very far. Trump would run this country like a mob boss and even though I am immensely liberal I would much rather see one of the previous republican runners take the presidential throne than Donald Grump.

Think about it, he's so nasty to Obama. He goes to places no republican has ever gone before in their hate for the president. You didn't hear Bush talking badly about Obama, you know why? It's called respect. President respect other presidents because you know that they have a lot to deal with and being the president turns your hair white and makes you age.

Now, I do remember Obama criticizing the Bush Administration for the policies, but that's just politics. Trump is walking around NY like a rooster in a hen house. He brags about his success in getting Obama to release his birth certificate, when really he just another corporate bully. Now, he says he wants to see Obama's high-school transcripts because he doesn't believe he had good enough grades to get into Harvard....

Enough Donald Grump talk, (yes I'm doing that on purpose). His tactics are tactless and abrasive he better be careful he's acting very nouveau riche and that's not a title any businessman wants.

I've wasted a lot of space on D.T. so I'll quickly talk singing sensation Rebecca Black

There was a link posted to an article interview of Rebecca Black where she shares her realization that her debut song "Friday" will be "on the internet for forever". Yes. Yes it will. Black also tried to shrug off the whole single as being just a fun expensive gift from her parents that she though no one would ever see. Right. That's why you posted it on the worlds largest internet video website, right? No one ever goes to YouTube to troll on confident people with no talent...

-N

"The Russian": Robert Bly

2011-04-06T22:30:00.002-04:00

THE RUSSIAN

“The Russians had few doctors on the front line.
My father's job was this: after the battle
Was over, he'd walk among the men hit,
Sit down and ask: 'Would you like to die on your
Own in a few hours, or should I finish it?'
Most said, 'Don't leave me.' The two would have
A cigarette. He'd take out his small notebook—
We had no dogtags, you know— and write the man's
Name down, his wife's, his children, his address, and what
He wanted to say. When the the cigarette was done,
The soldier would turn his head to the side. My father
Finished off four hundred men that way during the war.
He never went crazy. They were his people.

He came to Toronto. My father in the summers
Would stand on the lawn with a hose, watering
The grass that way. It took a long time. He'd talk
To the moon, to the wind. 'I can hear you growing'—
He'd say to the grass. 'We come and go.
We're no different from each other. We are all
Part of something. We have a home.' When I was thirteen,
I said, 'Dad, do you know they've invented sprinklers
Now?' He went on watering the grass.
'This is my life. Just shut up if you don't understand it.'”

15 Facts About Me!

2011-03-12T22:21:00.000-05:00

15 Facts:

1. I like divisible numbers. (24; 48; 36)
2. Optimis Prime is my hero.
3. Had a childhood dog named Spoc and a guinea pig named Pixie.
4. I read Jane Austen novels over again every spring and summer.
5. I'm really good at crocheting.
6. I don't trust salty foods that claim to be sweet; like cheesecake.
7. I have never eaten shrimp.
8. I like shoes because no matter how fat you are you can always find a pair.
9. My favorite kind of cheese is extra sharp cheddar.
10. I'm left handed.
11. I can play I can 6 different instruments.
12. I took three years of ballet.
13. I'm afraid to die and I'm afraid of death.
14. I love pina-colatas and getting caught in the rain.
15. I like men who look like they could throw me over their shoulder like a sack of potatoes
-N

Emily Dickinson: "Wild Nights"

2011-03-10T15:15:00.000-05:00

Wild Nights--Wild Nights!
Were I with thee
Wild Nights should be
Our luxury!

Futile--the Winds--
To a Heart in port--
Done with the Compass--
Done with the Chart!
Rowing in Eden

Ah, the Sea!
Might I but moor--Tonight--
In Thee!

Philip Larkin: "Talking in Bed"

2011-03-10T01:14:00.002-05:00

Talking in bed ought to be easiest,
Lying together there goes back so far,
An emblem of two people being honest.
Yet more and more time passes silently.
Outside, the wind's incomplete unrest
Builds and disperses clouds in the sky,
And dark towns heap up on the horizon.
None of this cares for us. Nothing shows why
At this unique distance from isolation
It becomes still more difficult to find
Words at once true and kind,
Or not untrue and not unkind.

W.B. Yeats: "Lake Isle of Innisfree"

2011-03-10T00:59:00.002-05:00

I WILL arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the mourning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

Troubled Woman: Langston Hughes

2011-03-07T01:03:00.001-05:00

She stands
in the quiet darkness,
this troubled woman,
bowed by weariness and pain,
like an
autumn flower
in the frozen rain.
Like a wind-blown autumn flower
that never lifts its head
again.

L: for Love (by N.E. Avery)

2011-03-07T00:45:00.003-05:00

L: for love

Oh—if I could I would put on that thick metal helmet

covering my face and ears and weld us back together.

But I can’t alone. It’s too much work alone.

But I could write this: My dearest friend,

I haven’t chosen my life any

more than you. My caramel-macchiato skin is

just another shade to your rich-brown and if

I could explain to you that I am just Myself,

you could be free—free too—to be just Yourself

and together we could unite an u.s. that

could cast away our finery and take us back

to black; to basics; to brethren.

Yours Truly,

Me.

This is the love-letter I would write not to a man but

to a people that should be together but won’t.

I would write this if I could to make us feel

worthy enough to fight, this is what should

be right now happening; yet isn’t quite how

things have turned out.

This is what I would write,

to you, what I would say to you

if I had time to

pick up a pen.

Author's Note: The best writing is the kind that connects the reader to the piece in a way that makes them think and want to discuss—whether good or bad—what they just read. This in turns sets the task for the writer to create word-art that is inspired by topics they find meaningful. As a writer my work often focuses on different areas of race, poverty and spirituality. I want to shed light on these topics by sharing my insights as a person. I do this in the hope that others, through the description of my own experiences and emotions, will be inspired to share their own words.

New Beginings

2011-03-07T00:44:00.000-05:00

It's definitely been a while since I've posted. I've had a lot of things happen some good some bad but for the most part I'm a better person now then I was since the last time I posted. The writing is going well. Almost finished with the draft of my first novel. Got some other pots on the stove too, things are looking up. I'd like to make more posts and add more pictures and things like that and maybe also add some of my musical side onto the page. I don't know what that means but I've started enjoying making little video snippets so maybe I might do something a long those lines. I guess the sky would be the limit if I believed in limits. For now I'll post a poem that was published in the Grand Valley Lanthorn Literary edition this year, and will be also appearing in the GVSU Women Center Literary Journal, "In Our Own Words". Hope you like it.

-N

Charitable genus or over zealous soliciting?

2010-08-06T02:39:00.000-04:00

My roommate today brought up "The Giving Pledge" while I was putting tremendous effort and while simultaneously reaping little benefit as I struggled my way through the wii fit obstacle course game. I would think it very likely that she was trying to distract me from obliterating her previously achieved scores, if the truth wasn't that I still had yet to even finish a level on that particular game.

I was honestly looking for any excuse to be able to pause the game and still retain what little dignity I had left and took her mention of this seemingly generous fairy-tale like offer of benevolence as my escape rope.

Here's the scope on "The Giving Pledge": the wealthiest people in America are being asked to pledge to donate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes and organizations of their choice.

I'm not sure why this bothers me because the reality is that I am poor and you would think I would be happy with what this could mean for people in my same situation or worse.

Yet the bigger reality is that I cannot help but think that this demands too much. Yes the rich are rich and it is easy--especially with this economy to hate them for it--but I just can't.

I've thought about it and if I could be rich I would and I would hope I would remember my roots and be kind to those who need it most. Even so I cannot not say I dislike the rich for being rich really, because we can't all be poor. Could you imagine an America were everyone is impoverished? It's a horrifying thought and I don't think it's what any of us want.

Now, I'm not arguing that the rich shouldn't be charitable--I think they should--the point I'm stressing is it's not realistic to think every or even half of America's elite population is going to want to pledge the majority of their wealth and in fact it irks me to think that not only do we want to demand that they give, we want to tell them how to donate their own money.

It is important to remember that not all of the wealthy people in America are old money, there is plenty of nouveau riche who have worked hard--at least semi-hard--to make their fortune and frankly who would want to donate half of their wealth even if they are a a triple-platinum billionaire? Only a saint and their aren't to many of those left in the world.

It's easy to have all the opinions, and to criticize someone else's plan but it's a little harder to actually come up with a feasible alternative plan. For what it's worth I do have something in mind and will gladly share it if the readers of this fake column of mine promise to hold their applause until the very end.

If the wealthy would agree to donate a lump sum of money, even perhaps below a million dollars, that money could be put into creating a local business that would be able to not only sustain itself fully without any other support from the initial donor could create jobs, stimulate the economy and also donate the majority of it's profit to specific charitable organizations. It seems to me that smart choices create even smarter solutions and with the right motivation and attitude a lot can be done with a little. This plan could actually please everyone; the rich stay rich, while the poor simultaneously become less poor.

I'm sure some economist like my good friend Patricia, is going to come a long and find enough wholes in my theory to make my idea resemble swiss cheese, but I think this idea is a solid start and a decent model of finding a solution that benefits all parties.

Perhaps I like playing the devil's advocate but I enjoy a good debate. I like how it makes the wheels turn in my dusty vacant brain and in this instance I think their are many sides to consider and plenty of alternative options to be had.

Pens Without Ink

2010-08-03T13:00:00.001-04:00

I have a little project going on "write" now. :)

Pens Without Ink is a facebook group I started a few months back. I had this idea that it would be great to connect with other writers and to discuss writing topics, our pieces, or anything really.

I'm so passionate about writing that I felt like I wanted to be connected via through the web to other writers who shared my love for creativity and writing. I feel very fortunate to be able to write and I would like to give back to the writing community. Of course this little project is really so small it's actually minuscule but there is a small hand of pens without ink members who want to meet up monthly or bi-monthly to chat about writing. I'm really excited and I hope that this group/club will give me the opportunity to do something really great for other aspiring writers.

So I'll keep posting updates on how that is going on my own blog, and if you're interested in getting involved or participating in some of the writing activities or challenges that Pens Without Ink will sponsor in the future be sure to either find us on Facebook, or follow the blog I've created: Pens Without Ink .

-N

The Versatile Blogger Award

2010-08-03T11:33:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning achy from the previous days wii fit extravaganza and decide to post pone my morning workout for a little while longer. I booted up my net book and to my surprise found a message telling me I had received the "Versatile Blogger" award from Ms Ulat Buku; that so made my day!

Now the next step is for me to pass this award on to 5 more bad ass bloggers, along with posting 7 things about myself. Here goes:

1. I only like marshmallows when they are completely burned through and charred.
2. Yesterday instead of writing, I procrastinated and read the entire novel "Girl with a Pearl Earring".
3. I drink slim fast in the mornings because I'm too lazy to prepare myself any other type of meal.
4. I have a pet goldfish named tiger that I brought with me from my hometown when I transferred to GVSU four years ago.
5. For some reason I got really excited about the fight scene between the two aliens in the new Predator movie.
6. I like to be liked.
7. I'm embarrassed by how much I have to go to the bathroom now that I started drinking 64oz of water a day.

I hope that wasn't TMI...I know I said my blog entries might become more personal but maybe that was too personal...too soon. :)

I'm going to share this award with:

1. Pink-Collar Harlot
2. See Jayne Blog!
3. Wendie's Wanderings
4. The Shopping Sherpa
5. Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom

Thanks!! Please pass on the award!

-N

Who Do You Write Like?

2010-07-26T11:22:00.000-04:00

I write like
Isaac Asimov

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

2010-06-28T22:58:00.000-04:00

Hello! I've been gone for a while. Finals were a killer, and then I immediately launched into my spring semester where i took two, six-week long courses which of course led to more finals last week. I'm finally done with school and have the next 6-8 weeks off until the fall semester starts..only they're not really "off" because I'm working on some major creative pieces. There's been some changes, I no longer write for the lanthorn and I'm sabatical from suite101.com, but I'm still alive and writing and I just might turn this blog into something more personal and start sharing some of my creative work on here. Stay tuned for more updates sooon :).

-N

Bad dancer but good bacon provider

2010-04-20T12:38:00.000-04:00

Bad dancer but good bacon provider

By Nicole E. Avery
GVL Columnist
4/18/2010

Never in my life have I seen anything as awkward as Kate Gosselin lumbering across a dance floor. I was sucked in to watching "Dancing with the Stars" again this season -- similar to the other thousand viewers -- due to ABC's promised star lineup. Even if Kate doesn't have her dance routines figured out yet, she definitely has the role of a good mom down pat.

I was first "introduced" to Kate via her TV show on TLC, "Jon and Kate Plus 8," and frankly I didn't like her. She barked orders to her husband and was impatient with her children.

As I watched episode after episode, Kate's need for order and neatness was her worse offense to me. This was probably because I'm a junky myself -- don't worry, readers, I've taken the necessary steps to put my disorderly past behind me and I have been clean for one semester now.

Later while watching "Extra," I would find myself even more displeased and scrunching up my nose at the TV when I saw the "Extra" edition announcing Kate to appear as a dancing sensation on "Dancing With the Stars" -- how can she be a mother when the show is taped on the other side of the country?

Before I judged her too harshly -- since we're in the era of Obama and diplomatic thinking -- I put on my mom hat and really thought about what it would be like to have 8.5 children. (I counted her ex-husband Jon as half a child because he's always either having a mid-life crisis or a tantrum) After thinking about it what I realized was that eight kids is eight more than I'd ever want. Kate has to be the way she is in order to maintain any kind of sanity.

I never use to believe this, but moms really don't harp just because they want to. Kate wasn't nagging her husband and strict with her kids because it was fun, she did it in an attempt to maintain some kind of method to get what was needed done.

Even though we live in much more liberal times, we still have this mentality that when a woman has children she needs to be home with them -- period. Our society is especially strict on women who have children any age younger than their middle to late teens. We expect moms to be moms and that means self-sacrifice to the fullest, and a lot of people think Kate should be home raising her children.

But here's another side to this argument. The Gosselins made their money from their original TV show and Jon's job as a computer technician. The show's success made it possible for them to move into a bigger house -- which they needed and deserved.

We've got to remember that the flip side to having more money is that you generally spend it and that gives you larger bills. After the divorce, their finances drastically changed and the novel and TV appearances are a way for Kate to support her family.

We can throw stones at Kate for her being away from her family if we'd like, but she's doing what a single mom should be doing -- working.

The bacon doesn't bring itself home.

navery@lanthorn.com

Will Never Be

2010-04-12T23:48:00.000-04:00

Will Never Be

I will never be white?
I will never be white—
what I am(black and white)will never become who I am.

will never be
will never be

My mother sees me as a
piece of herself as a
piece of her white heritage,
how can I be her but will never be her?

I will never be white and, oh,
oh!—how I use to want to be;
use to want to be in an easier life
use to want to be that girl with straight hair
use to want to be the me I felt inside
the me I thought was good enough—
GOOD ENOUGH
good enough to be white.

will never be
will never be

But I will never be as kind as my blue-eyed-white
brother who has always gave
me whole love and never half
and saw me as I am—his sister.

Nor will I ever be as kind as my brown-eyed-brown
father who will always give
me whole love and never half
and saw me as I am—his daughter.

my green-eyed-mother
my brown-eyed-sisters
i’ll never be wanting me to be more
than who I am—

who I am will stay the same
regardless of what I look like
or what I behave like
or what I am labeled like.
For who I am—thankfully—is not defined by
what I never will be
but by what I already am.

**Printed in the "Lanthorn Literary Edition" 4/12/2010

Happy Hour - shots of common sense

2010-04-11T23:32:00.000-04:00

Happy Hour - shots of common sense

By Nicole E. Avery

GVL Columnist
4/11/2010

There are a couple sayings I've always remembered when it comes to drinking: never drink alone and don't drink when you're upset.

Everyone makes mistakes and as cliche of a statement as that is, we all know it to be correct. Another thing we know to be true is that we are responsible for the choices we make and the good, the bad or ugly that might result from that choice.

We do things we are not supposed to do all the time. We lie, steal, cheat and there are consequences for those actions that we're aware of and accept.

So then why, when it comes to college students and drinking, drugs and unplanned pregnancies, do we as a society take the blame from the person who made that specific choice and put it on the of community effort in making general "awareness" more prevalent?

The front cover of the Lanthorn last Thursday talked about college drinking being used as a way for students to deal with stress and one of the experts interviewed put emphasis on the students' actions often being without the knowledge that drinking can lead to addiction and that alcohol is a substance that is easily and often abused.

It was a good article and mentioned the importance of programs that bring awareness to the negative affects of irresponsible decisions through substance and alcohol abuse.

Yet after reading, I felt there is a lack of accountability being put on the college students who make the decision to drink in the first place.

College students by definition of their title are in college to be students -- not party animals. Neither their parents (nor the government for that matter) pay for their education so they can rot their teeth and brain cells away on sweet mixed drinks, hearty vodka blends and deliciously toxic jungle juice.

I also don't believe for a moment there is a lack of awareness to the effects of alcohol.

Alcohol abuse and drinking and driving are among some of the most controversial issues regularly discussed in the media and politics. Warnings and examples of the harmful affects of heavy drinking are prevalent in commercials, ads and in some cases even in our own families and own friends.

There are two things college drinking to relieve stress boils down to: common sense and choice.

Fact: Everyone on a college campus is stressed.

Fact: There are other ways to relieve stress besides drinking until you black out or so often that you get behind on your school work and begin to fail courses.

Since I'm a female writer I'm sure some of you are going to read this and accuse me of trying to "mom" the student body of Grand Valley State University, which I'm not, but you'd probably rather hear this from me than your own mother.

We need to get our stuff together. We're better than vomiting every night in bushes outside of apartment complexes or waking up in a bathtub similar to Ke$ha in "Tik Tok."

Common sense must play a pivotal factor in when people make decisions. You can only use the, "I was young and stupid" card for so long and trust me, it's already gotten old.

navery@lanthorn.com

Yet after reading, I felt there is a lack of accountability being put on the college students who make the decision to drink in the first place.

I also don't believe for a moment there is a lack of awareness to the effects of alcohol.

There are two things college drinking to relieve stress boils down to: common sense and choice.

Fact: Everyone on a college campus is stressed.

Fact: There are other ways to relieve stress besides drinking until you black out or so often that you get behind on your school work and begin to fail courses.

We need to get our stuff together. We're better than vomiting every night in bushes outside of apartment complexes or waking up in a bathtub similar to Ke$ha in "Tik Tok."

Common sense must play a pivotal factor in when people make decisions. You can only use the, "I was young and stupid" card for so long and trust me, it's already gotten old.

navery@lanthorn.co

Watch out for the big, bad LGBT cliques

2010-04-06T00:29:00.000-04:00

Watch out for the big, bad LGBT cliques

By Nicole E. Avery
GVL Columnist
4/4/2010

Remember the cliques and stereotypes we were all so desperately ready to escape when we went to college -- jocks, Barbies, geeks, weirdos and in-betweeners? They are the same cliques our parents faced and the same cliques our own children must tackle.

What I don't remember in high school was the administration fearing the manifestation of cliques into intimidating masses and then tackling that problem by not allowing anyone to socialize.

Cliques are exactly the reason why the LGBT Resource Center is no longer allowing students to "meet-up and socialize" in its lounge area.

The article in the Grand Valley Lanthorn said the LGBT staff has made every effort to comfort students and support them in understanding the changes made to the LGBT Center policies -- what?

Typically, you support someone in a choice they have made, not a choice you force them to make.

What exactly was going on in the LGBT Center that would warrant such a drastic change? Were people actually comfortable socializing in there, enjoying each others' company? Were they freely and openly discussing important issues that would generally be deemed taboo?

I'm describing what should be the function of the LGBT Center. Its whole purpose is to provide resources, space and a safe haven to the LGBT community, and now the groups of people for whom it was meant to be a support system can't even go in there unless they have "official business."

The assistant director of the Grand Valley State University LGBT Resource Center claimed the LGBT Center is still "completely committed to having any conversation that is needed with our students."

Something that was once extremely personal has become as phony and meaningless. I'm really interested in seeing how this policy is going to really play out. Is the LGBT Center going to give a time limit as to how long it's willing to have "conversations" with students and then give them a pamphlet and send them on their way?

What I like about centers such as the LGBT Resource Center and the Woman's Center is their open-door policy, their attentiveness, the accepting, comfortable and safe atmosphere and their willingness to help in any way they can.

What's wrong with having a group of regulars that comes in every Monday to sit down and chat it up, and why would those groups then be deemed intimidating or disruptive?

There's nothing wrong with it. In my mind a newcomer would feel more put off if they see an empty center with tumble weeds blowing by than if they saw a group of cheerful students comfortably conversing with one another.

Perhaps the problem is the center needs to expand and have two separate areas: one strictly for "business" and the other for all of us socialites who just can't help but be friendly.

"Any fool can make a rule and any fool will mind it." -- David Henry Thoreau

navery@lanthorn.com

Remakes bring fresh look to old classics

2010-03-25T00:10:00.000-04:00

Remakes bring fresh look to old classics

By Nicole E. Avery
GVL Columnist
3/21/2010

I've noticed lately that there has been a lot of creative tweaking to old classic movies and novels.

Since I am a nerdy bookworm, the first example of this practice that pops up into my mind is the numerous editions of Jane Austen's famous novel "Pride and Prejudice."

There are endless spin-offs to all of Austen's novels but versions of the story of "Pride and Prejudice" outrank them all.

Some center on the fictitious children of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy while others devote themselves to exploring the sexual relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy as newlyweds.

Still, turning the romance in Austen's novels into a dirty smut-fest wasn't taken as controversially as the addition of zombie mayhem to the original plot of "Pride and Prejudice." This literary union between Austen and zombies festered into the prequel "Dawn of the Dreadfuls," a novel by Steve Hockensmith, which explores the town of Meryton before the arrival of Mr. Darcy.

Everyone but me, of course, was upset. I appreciated these novels for what they were and found the fight scenes very clever and funny. Reading these books made me want to compare them to the originals, and it became an excuse for me to read the original classic over again.

What is perhaps even more shocking than the revisions of these classics is the fact they're actually good. All of the zombie books published by Quirk Books are quick, fun reads that I enjoy.

Another recent revision was of Lewis Carol's novel, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" into Tim Burton's movie "Alice in Wonderland," which featured the same lovable characters but a twist -- Alice was older and this was her second trip to Wonderland. I saw the movie, and it was fantastically charming and creative, and I did appreciate the very realistic effects of our progressed technology.

The Mad Hatter played by Johnny Depp in Tim Burton's revision tells Alice she "has lost her muchness." Is the face that we are remaking classics a sign that we have lost our muchness?

I don't think we have.

Remaking movies, writing prequels or sequels to novels is just another side of creativity and is really asserting our own confidence that our generation can, if not do it better, at least make it relatable to our own era.

Authorial intent has given way to readers' or viewers' interpretation and expectations. Movies rarely stay verbatim to the book, which has become not only accepted but expected. We trust the movie to explore the "what-if" sections of the book so why not let another author do the same?

Everyone should just relax. No one is banned from reading the original "Pride and Prejudice." The old idea isn't eliminated by the new one.

navery@lanthorn.com

2010-03-01T00:24:00.000-05:00

Prejudice -- inherent and learned?

By Nicole E. Avery

GVL Columnist
2/28/2010

This term at Grand Valley State University, I'm taking a class called Social Class Inequality. It's a tough one. The topics are controversial and the ideas are hard to grasp, let alone swallow. I like the class though because it makes me think.

This week we signed up for group projects in pairs and picked from a list different topics. Each topic had two main arguable positions. Many of them caught my eye, but one in particular got my wheels turning: prejudice.

You're thinking to yourself that of course it was. Ideologies of racism and prejudice are at the top of controversial subjects you do not want to bring up at dinner when you're meeting someone's parents.

What intrigued me about prejudice and racism being one of the topics was the two arguable points attached with it -- A: learned and B: human nature. When you're beginning to unpack this loaded gun of an idea, you must first acknowledge that they are two separate branches of the same tree -- they are not the same. Prejudice isn't limited to the confines of race whereas racism is by definition. Ironically enough, even if they are not the same, prejudice can and does lead to racism.

No one would argue racism is not learned by some people. A racist father can lead to racist sons and grandchildren but everything can be counteracted by choice. If the daughter of a racist mother decides she does not agree with the ideologies of her family, she breaks that cycle of thought by exhibiting her free will to not think the way her parents have taught her to think.

What is even more interesting is the idea that prejudice is a part of human nature, and I would agree with that argument wholeheartedly.

From the moment we are born and begin to learn, we are socialized to categorize things.

As children we are trained to match colors and taught the ability to pick out the object from a group of that doesn't belong.

Children are thought beautiful when they resemble their parents and teased that they are adopted when they do not.

Everyone thinks their grandma's cooking is the best even when it isn't and every American proudly brags about their non-American heritage.

There seems to be an innate human need to find meaning in everything and that leads to over-categorizing even the simplest things. Even a silverware drawer is grouped by like objects.

Of course these things aren't bad alone but when they are combined with pride, somehow they get distorted into reasons of why X human is better than Y human or why this quality is better than that and these ideas snowball into full-blown prejudices and racism.

Is it really a stretch from wanting to be in a particular high school group to wanting elevated social status to then thinking you're better than an immigrant or someone who is poor?

No, when you think about it this way it actually make a lot of sense and shows how we are our own worst enemies.

navery@lanthorn.com

Revolutionizing the Publishing Industry

2010-02-25T22:01:00.000-05:00

I recently wrote an article for suite101.com about the changes being made in the publishing industry. The EBM or Espresso Book Machine is a printing, binding and distributing station. I was excited to write about this topic after being inspired by my WRT 495 capstone class. We have been discussing Genre Theories and the evolution of print on demand came up in my class. The EBM affects the publishing industry completely. The whole print on demand concept opens avenues for more than just publishers to publish books. We've already seen an expansion of self-publishing through places like lulu.com, but the EBM in away even surpasses norms for the self-publishing author because it always anyone to print any .pfd file from any EBM location. This means small businesses no longer have to spend extra money on books that have a slow turn around, libraries will be able to have more copies of rarer books for cheaper prices, and schools and other educational institutions will be able to offer more resources to their communities. This is an exciting time for the reader and the writer. I hope you like the article, be sure to check out the embedded link because it takes you two a youtube.com video where you can see just exactly how the magic happens. Enjoy!

Espresso Machines are No Longer Just for Coffee

Why I talk about being biracial

2010-02-22T10:42:00.001-05:00

Why I talk about being biracial

By Nicole E. Avery
GVL Columnist
1/31/2010

An apology by definition is either a form of justifying one's actions, defending them or an admission of remorse. This column is none of the above but rather a in-depth description of my own writing process.

There has been some annoyance and acceptance from Lanthorn readers about my habitual mention of my biracial heritage in past columns.

There was an assumption in a comment on the Lanthorn Web site that I wrote last week about stereotypes because I was either made to by my editor, I couldn't think of anything else to write about or because I take any possible chance to mention that I'm biracial.

None of these reasons are true.

I make it a habit to read the Lanthorn and other news and if I can, I try to write about something that stirs any kind of emotion in me. If it raises a question in my mind, such as whether or not a stereotype can be seen as positive, I pursue it and try to offer a tangible discussion and possible answer in my column.

There are two other main reasons why I mention my ethnicity in my columns: it is my personal life experience and provides an enriching point of view and insight other people might be interested in because it is different from their own, and out of admiration and respect for my parents. I owe it to them and myself to not be ashamed of who I am.

For me, mentioning my heritage is as natural as telling someone my name and my favorite color. I'm very comfortable with talking about myself and that openness is displayed in my columns when I reference my family, friends, relationships or personal struggles.

In many ways, mentioning the fact I am biracial and talking about the issues that come with being both white and black is therapy for my soul. Talking about who I am helps me accept and understand myself better not only as a writer but as a person. I strongly believe to know myself is to love myself.

When it comes to race I believe it is an individual's choice what they identify with, but it isn't always that simple. Everyone still has to deal and cope with the way they are perceived regardless of whether you are a minority or not.

I could refer to myself simply as being black or African-American and that would be acceptable by the black community and is also commonly done.

If I were in the south even as few as 20 years ago, I would have been considered black even though my mother is white. However, I was raised to identify with both races and that is what I do. To not mention one, for me, is omitting a part of myself and I simply cannot and will not do that.

This is me. Either accept it or don't read it.

navery@lanthorn.com

Enjoy lack of substance in year of the Tiger

2010-02-22T10:36:00.000-05:00

Enjoy lack of substance in year of the Tiger

By Nicole E. Avery
GVL Columinst
2/21/2010

This is my year according to the Chinese zodiac calendar and I -- similar to the rest of the people born in '86 -- gladly bear the marks of the tiger.

According to the characteristics of the Tiger sign, I am lively, lucky, resilient and self-sufficed, but there's another Tiger who outshines the rest of us, even though this should by right be our year.

I heard it on the radio Friday while riding on the CV to Grand Valley State University shuttle bus to Kirkhof that Tiger Woods had publicly apologized to his wife and fans for his unsolicited behavior.

The radio personalities of this particular sports channel commented that without being adorned head to foot in sports logos, Tiger was a mere shadow of the man he once was.

Woods had multiple affairs -- how many celebrities haven't had affairs? Mostly the least known and least attractive ones I would presume.

This is old news. Why are we still talking about this? Is it because Tiger checked into rehab and absence has made the fans and paparazzi grow fonder of trying to get the scoop on what Tiger does next?

I love how when men cheat, they go to rehab. When women cheat -- well, let's just say they become labeled in a way that might as well plaster a large scarlet letter on their chest.

It's the curse of the double standard -- and we know it well. Men can do it and woman can only complain about men doing it, and the thrill of celebrity sexual liaisons has enabled Tiger to outshine all other world news even when he isn't in the public eye.

Here's the kicker: it isn't just affairs that draw us in like moths to the flame of bad TV reality shows. It's anything and everything that is without substance or quality. There is just something undeniably alluring about being interested in useless information or personal information about people that doesn't really matter because it doesn't change our daily lives.

I wish I could say we should all stop caring about stupid things that make no sense or do not matter, but I like pictures of cats jammed into infant-sized overalls with funny, phonetically spelled sentences in white bold font stamped on them.

Perhaps these useless things do have a function -- even if it is minute. They do make people laugh, give people something to gossip about and for a moment even possibly engage strangers in conversation when they would have otherwise been glued to their iPods or Zunes.

Overzealously practical people might argue that all time must be spent doing something productive, but I think perhaps we should every now and then leave practicality on the shelf and, for our sanity, do something meaningless.

Life is hard, college is tough and to avoid being stuck in a mental rut people need to idly talk about things that take few neurons to understand.

navery@lathorn.com

Disney stirred up the gumbo pot

2010-02-17T01:08:00.000-05:00

Disney stirred up the gumbo pot

By Nicole E. Avery
GVL Columnist
2/14/2010

Even with their unrealistic views of hair, men, parenting and relationships, just about everyone likes Disney movies.

I grew up on Disney VHS tapes and my childhood would not have been complete without my sister and me preforming renditions of the pivotal scene from Bambi where Bambi's mother is shot while trying to flee from the field back into the woods.

It is no wonder then that I was excited when I heard Disney was producing a fully hand-drawn animated new movie starring black characters. I was thrilled for the long overdue representation the movie would give the black community, but when I heard it was set in New Orleans, it was no wonder why I was immediately skeptical.

All I could see in my mind was a fantastically drawn narrations of spicy Creoles and evil dark-skinned voodoo witch doctors-- I was pretty accurate except for the fact that Disney kept all the characters in the middle realm of brown skin tones.

I saw the movie, and this, in a nutshell is how Disney paints a model for the African American woman-- hard working, religious, respectful women who aren't afraid to "tell it like it is".

How completely two dimensional. Is this another instance of the menacing positive stereotype?

Issues with this movie go a little deeper than that. The problem is not with the idea of a positive stereotypes being rejected, but with the idea that someone can be labeled a race and then summed up to have a specific quality.

Another major problem was the plot: a girl from a poor family works two jobs in order to save up enough money to where she can cook her father's gumbo recipe and serve it to the community. Essentially she wants to live out the dream her father was never able to accomplish. Is this sending the message the black: women are limited to desiring only to fulfill dreams that have already been dreamt by the men in their families?

Some would argue this portrays a realistic picture of the specific time period of the movie-- black people were underprivileged, were poor and did struggle.

True, but is that the only truth we are to perpetually keep on living? I want to see hopeful things, positive change and progression, and don't scapegoat on the time period. It is not necessary to show a black character whose prize possession is a beat-up gumbo pot, doesn't speak proper English and is content with having no aspirations of her own.

The reason many people were left with a sour taste in their mouths after watching this movie was because they felt they were not represented as ideally as they could have been. It is perfectly justifiable to want input on the way your race is being depicted in a movie.

Every African American isn't upset and everyone doesn't have to be upset by this movie, but those who are upset have the right to voice their opinion without being censored.

navery@lanthorn.com

Misguided compliment or positive stereotype?

2010-01-24T23:13:00.000-05:00

Misguided compliment or positive stereotype?

By Nicole E. Avery

GVL Columnist
1/24/2010

In Monday's edition of the Lanthorn you can find printed responses from students who were asked the question, "How have you been stereotyped?" in the "Your Insights" section on the Opinion page.

Of course there are obvious responses that jump to the forefront of my mind when I see/read the word stereotyped -- skin color, race, hairstyles, clothing, accents -- but being too smart?

Being stereotyped as someone who is good at math apparently upset one Grand Valley State University student -- "I always get people that think I'm really good at math. Honestly, I'm not bad, but they shouldn't assume that."

Was this student really complaining about people thinking she was too smart? I'm glad the student took the time to clarify she is somewhat smart or good at math but is not a genius and does not appreciate being stereotyped as such.

I have never in my life heard someone of a certain ethnic heritage complain about being stereotyped "smart." Maybe it's just because there are loads of negative stereotypes on which people mainly focus.

I'll apologize in advance for singling this particular student out for her quote, but reading her response raised the question in my mind whether all stereotyping is really negative. Can people benefit from positive stereotypes, or because the fact is still untrue, would assuming something about another person ultimately have a negative affect?

If it's not meant in an oppressive, negative way, why even waste your time complaining about it? If someone looked at me and said, "Wow, Nicole is biracial, I bet she is fantastic at bingo," I would smile because that is a silly correlation and because I think of old people when I think of bingo -- which is technically a stereotype.

It's a free country, so it is everyone's inherent, American right to complain about whatever they like, but it's a proven, scientific fact you exert less energy and use less muscles when smiling as opposed to frowning.

My point is there are enough negative things to be upset about and I am not going to sit around and be offended by things that don't really matter -- it's hard enough dealing with real racial or other types of offensive comments.

If someone thinks I have a certain skill, I'll just accept his or her assumptions of my talents whether it's entirely true or only "mostly" true and I'll accept them as a compliment.

navery@lanthorn.com

Haiti—When to give when to not

2010-01-24T23:12:00.001-05:00

Haiti—When to give when to not
By Nicole E. Avery
GVL Columnist

The roar from the rumbling earthquake in Haiti has been echoing in the news and across Grand Valley State campuses all week and has reminded me of the resounding amount of pressure felt by the American people to come to the aid of any country in substantial need of assistance.

An article online from Associated Press writer “Haiti: Where will all the money go?” an article
Sharon Theimer states that, “President Barack Obama promised at least $100 million in earthquake aid. That comes on top of substantial spending by the United States in Haiti in recent years for economic development, such as the country's textile industry, humanitarian assistance, environmental programs, and law enforcement.”

How can we send $100 million dollars in aid to Haiti but force students to pay back the Michigan Promise scholarship?

Why are senators suggesting an annual foreign assistance budget specifically for Haiti and ignore the problems and frustrations of our own people?

It isn’t right and it’s not acceptable.

How is it possible that the U.S. has sent over $800 million to the government of Haiti since 2004 and yet the quality of living for the Haitian people has not improved?

Treating others how you would like to be treated is a basic universal principle instilled in all races, creeds, and religions and the ability to care about people that you’ve never met is one of the most amendable aspects of humanity.

Guilt is another universal part of the human existence that will be at some point or another in your life and is unavoidable. Some people feel guilty about not being able to sending money to aid impoverished countries like Haiti while others feel guilty about—for whatever reason—not wanting to send money at all.

The people who are hesitant to send aid to Haiti are so for two reasons: They’re afraid their money is going to be sucked up by the government and never reach the people of Haiti, and because they’re angry that the American government can take care of everyone else but their own.

There are three things that haven’t changed in the past decade at least—Haiti was a poor country before the earthquake, the will remain as such until their government begins to function in a way that directly benefits the people of Haiti and the U.S. and other countries are still sending money to Haiti that is not being even remotely used as it should be.

Governments have a responsibility to take care of the needs of their own people first.

The people of Haiti do need outside help, but Haiti should be receiving really help and support from their own government. The Haitian government needs to make a real effort and use some of the millions of dollars sent to them to actually rebuild their country.

I’m not against aiding anyone in need but I am against my government ignoring the needs of my own people to help someone else. I believe we can have both but it will take the Haitian government meeting us more than half way and more help from other wealthy countries.

navery@lanthorn.com

Game of 'Life' is no game

2010-01-10T20:45:00.001-05:00

Game of 'Life' is no game

By Nicole E. Avery GVL Columnist
1/10/2010

Remember the board game called The Game of Life?

It was originally created in 1860 as a checker board game by Milton Bradley and called simply The Checkered Game of Life. I didn't realize the game was that old or that possibly Charles Dickens or Nathaniel Hawthorn could have played it. As time went on the game evolved and ironically the latest edition, done in 2005, includes a "lawsuit" feature at which I can't help but smile.

I played it recently with some close friends. The idea of playing came up as a joke started after my friend mentioned earlier he had been sent home as a disciplinary action from his Meijer job with the advice from his manager to "take the time to consider his future."

We set up the board and I was allowed to pick my little plastic sedan first and place it at the start.

From the very beginning of the game you're accosted with decision making. The first choice was deciding whether to take out $100,000 in tuition loans or go straight to a career -- of course I picked the most realistic to my own life and chose the debt.

Since none of the people playing were under the age of 12, it went relatively fast. I'll admit it was fun. I became a wealthy accountant, while my friend who got sent home from his job went through three careers, filled up his plastic minivan with children and with every other turn was either fined, taxed, sued or in some sort of accident resulting in medical fees.

In the end, my friend managed to pay off his massive debt just in the nick of time before entering retirement.

I -- of course -- won the game, but when I found myself gloating over my successful fictitious life I started to wonder what was the point of this game.

The game has obvious undertones that suggest every choice leads to another choice, and if you make a well-thought-out choice you'll eventually come out on top.

Of course I'm not going to let a board game give me a false sense of achievement or confidence because it is only a simulation of life, but it was nice to be successful at something, and the idea that making smarter choices in the present will pay off in the future isn't that far stretched of a concept.

Life isn't as cut and dry as a board game but every action does have a reaction. The wrong choices seem to spiral out of control similar to a horrifying domino effect.

If I could save myself some grief by making a more conscious effort to be aware of my own actions and choices, I think the benefit would be well worth my time.

navery@lanthorn.com

Dear Santa -- Please send cash

2009-12-10T18:23:00.000-05:00

Dear Santa -- Please send cash

By Nicole E. Avery
GVL Columnist
12/9/2009

I've managed to stay pretty jolly this school year and remain in the holiday spirit even though everyone else's professors canceled their classes this week.

I have been inspired by my wonderful mood, and I've decided to share my would-be list to Mr. S. Claus -- if I were still 9 and hadn't had my belief in folklore squashed out of me by hateful Grinch-like non-believers.

I would only ask for one thing, because I wasn't raised to be greedy.

I want the government of Michigan to give me a huge sum of money for the distress I would have had, if I had been forced to pay back money from the Michigan Promise award to Grand Valley State University.

I'm sure you're wondering why I should get any money. Nothing physically happened to me. My life hasn't been drastically changed. In fact I haven't been affected at all, but I was distressed when I heard about my fellow GVSU students having to pay back that money and someone should pay for the inconvenience I had for being so distressed.

Wait a minute before you start to judge me, let me explain where I got the idea that I should be compensated for my feelings when they are severely unpleasant and upsetting.

Between Thanksgiving and now I have read numerous stories about people who have sued our government for compensation for their emotional distress.

I'll share with you the one I found on redorbit.com that impacted me the most.

Lucille Greene is an 88-year-old grandmother who spends the month of November making more than 30 fruitcakes as her Christmas presents to her closest friends and family. Upon arriving at the U.S. Post Office to mail her fruitcakes, the postal worker accused her of being a terrorist.

This comment led to the horrendous heckling of other nearby workers and customers. In attempts to prove her Caucasian ancestry, she was overcome by emotions, fled the office, tripped over a concrete parking barrier and fell chipping her tooth and breaking her glasses.

Just two weeks ago a judge dismissed her appeal for $250,000 compensations because she had a prior eye condition and couldn't keep her testimony straight.

For shame.

I read this and now a stand needs to be made. That woman was an honest citizen, trying to send out holiday fruitcakes and those blue-collar workers accused her of being a national threat. Greene is old and shouldn't be made to process her emotions rationally. She's an oracle of our society and should not be expected to have a young, whipper-snapper sense of humor.

Even though the courts denied her claim eventually there will be one successful case -- and it only takes one.

I hope you will join in my cause and sue the state government that couldn't afford the Michigan Promise for all they've got.

navery@lanthorn.com

Forced abortion or just regret?

2009-12-02T23:23:00.001-05:00

Forced abortion or just regret?

By Nicole E. Avery GVL Columnist
12/2/2009

An 18 year old from my hometown of Flint, Mich., has accused a local abortion doctor and his assistant of forcing her to terminate her pregnancy after she pleaded with them to stop. The girl claims she changed her mind about the procedure before it had begun but the doctor instructed the assistant to restrain her and cover her mouth before proceeding with the abortion.

In the lawsuit filed earlier this June, the teen alleges the doctor mistreated her because she was young and black.

The doctor has fired back a response claiming innocence against the teen's accusations of forcibly terminating her pregnancy insisting the procedure was already underway, the pregnancy upset by her water being broken and the patient already bleeding. To have stopped the procedure would have not saved the pregnancy and would have jeopardized the teen's health and possibly her life.

The patient by law is able to change her mind up until the medical instrument has been placed inside. After that the procedure must be completed because the damages caused can lead to death or serious health issues.

After reading both sides and looking up abortion methods, policies and procedures, it is clear to me the doctor was acting in the best interest of both patient and himself -- if it is in fact true the teen wanted to procedure to be stopped after it had already begun.

My distrust in the legitimacy of the girl's claims stems from her pulling the race card. That statement makes me not believe her. The population in Flint is majority black and being poor and from Flint is not a revelation. It is not as though he is seeing anything he hasn't seen before. Why would this doctor single out her particularly to terrorize?

Honestly what did she think was going to happen at the abortion clinic? You go there with one purpose. It's not a barbershop -- there are no walk-ins.

All of these steps -- payment, counseling provided by the clinic, consulting with the doctor on procedure and anesthesia options, setting up the appointment for the abortions as well as a follow-up appointment -- happen before the procedure takes place. There is plenty of time to deeply think about whether abortion is the right choice. Not mention there are other options besides abortion, for instance even the ancient concept of raising the children you conceive.

All too often women rush into abortion because they feel it's a quick fix to their big problem. The reality is having an abortion -- whether I believe in it or not -- is a decision you will forever have to live with. I empathize with this girl that she did not have the common sense to research abortion procedures thoroughly enough.

Just because she is overcome with regret now doesn't mean she can try and put the blame and guilt of her abortion onto the doctor she hired to complete the procedure she wanted in the first place.

If the doctor didn't follow protocol it will come out in the trial, but the bottom line is everyone has to deal with the consequences of their actions -- even teenagers.

You think you're grown up enough for sex, then you're grown up enough to deal with the complexities that come with it.

navery@lanthorn.com

2009-11-30T03:19:00.001-05:00

Zombie mayhem in classical literature

By Nicole E. Avery
GVL Columnist
9/9/2009

Is it possible, or are my eyes deceiving me? Nope. It's true and there has been a permanent smirk on my face all week long while I've been reading "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith -- a fantastical redoing that enhances a timeless classic by introducing zombie mayhem.

Whether it was from a traditional English class, a BBC special, or that adventurous well-read Jack Russell dog re-enactment from the PBS show "Wishbone," almost everyone has heard of this classic must-read tale. I am an avid reader and love the classics. Like many other young girls I was charmed by Austen's handsome man of few words, Mr. Darcy. Yet everyone isn't as enthusiastic as I am about classic literature -- some people just aren't that geeky.

I attribute my extreme nerd behavior to personal preference or different strokes for different folks, as my dad would say.

One of the main reasons I am enjoying "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" so much is because it represents that commonly felt exasperation when you are struggling to get through thousands of pages of Ayn Rand, Charles Dickens, John Steinbeck or Herman Melville -- which is exactly why what Grahame-Smith does with Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" is so important. Grahame-Smith is able to change the way the reader relates to this particular book and draw in a crowd that would otherwise never be exposed to what I consider essential reading.

The only major setback to this novel is that many people will think that Grahame-Smith is defiling a classic by interjecting gore and hand-to-hand combat into an already "perfect" novel. Changing the novel seems almost insulting, disrespectful or some other sort of negativism that distracts from the authorial intent of the novel.

I look at it this way: My mother has cooked spaghetti the same way for years. I've always loved it, but when I moved out to Grand Valley State University for school I had to learn to cook for myself. I began to experiment with new ways to make a homemade spaghetti sauce. Guess what? It's scrumptiously delicious. Just because I came up with my own way to cook the recipe doesn't mean I would no longer eat the dish the way my mother prepares it. I like it both ways.

I feel the same way about "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," because though I have read the original, I find this version even more enjoyable and I am left with the feeling that even if I hadn't read the original beforehand, I would be curious and would read it.

You can enjoy something old by making it new. Everyone does it. Bands make covers of old songs, and Disney steals all their ideas from cultural folklore. It's exactly the same and shouldn't be so frowned upon.

navery@lanthorn.com

Illustration from, "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies".
Quirk Classics

Change the meaning -- change the effect

2009-11-30T03:16:00.000-05:00

Change the meaning -- change the effect

By Nicole E. Avery
GVL Columnist
11/18/2009

The characters of last week's episode of South Park attempted to change the meaning of the three-letter f-word from a derogatory negativism to a term symbolizing the annoyance caused by loud, obnoxious motorcycle riders.

Kenny and the gang present their idea to re-define the word to the mayor and it is adopted but ends up backfiring. Instead of the city being commended for what they think is an act of innovativeness, they are chastised nationally and the boys involved spend the rest of the episode trying to correct the mistake by petitioning that the word change be officially added to the dictionary and the new meaning nationally accepted.

South Park is funny in its stupidity (which of course is the point) but it raised an interesting question -- is it possible to purposely change the meaning of words?

Language does change throughout time, but it doesn't seem as if it ever includes derogatory words. Once a negative word is introduced into a culture, it takes up permanent residency.

Words fall in and out of circulation, but the difference between the word "groovy" being something your mom said and the three-letter f-word is that one specifically singles out a group of people in a negative and judgmental way.

The episode I watched of South Park insinuates words can be changed if society demands it either through petition or just out stubbornness in their insistence on what they mean when they use that particular word.

This theory is seen again in George Orwell's classic novel "1984" -- language is censored by the government and thought police. Any word that could in any way sprout individual thinking is stricken from the language all together. In the novel, every year a new edition of the dictionary is published- each one smaller than the last as target words are obliterated from the very language.

The authority of the dictionary strikes me in these two instances as being more powerful than I ever thought it was before -- it is literally the authoritative code by which we speak, live and communicate.

In South Park the new definition is accepted into the dictionary but the ironic part is the word's meaning wasn't altered in a positive light but mainly picked a new target. That is proof enough to me that negative words can't really be changed, only the direction of their poison positioned to a new target.

Even if the word itself technically changed, the effect it had on the generation attached to it does not change. The gay community will still be offended only now they will be forced by society to stifle their feelings because the word has been coined "politically correct."

Perhaps it depends on the region or country you're from or even perhaps the way you were raised, but I would never accept being called derogatory names once coined for my race.

It's more than the word, it's the powerful energy once behind it and meant when it was vocalized. Somehow that hate is embodied in the word and still lingers there whenever it is spoken.

People say words only have power because people give them that power-- I wonder what names they've been called.

navery@lanthorn.com

How taboo is self-publishing really?

2009-11-30T03:15:00.000-05:00

How taboo is self-publishing really?

By Nicole E. Avery
GVL Columnist
11/11/2009

I do realize the irony of advocating self-publishing in a printed column, but I think this topic is often just shrugged off as being taboo when its really deserves closer inspection.

The reason why I like the idea of self-publishing is because I like control, and it puts the control of your career as a writer in your own hands.

When I sat down and thought about the pros and cons of self-publishing and about writing in general I realized successful writers are successful because people like how they write but more importantly what they write.

Think about Christians. They advocate Jesus and we gobble it up, beg for more and then turn around and spread the Gospel to someone else.

Think about Rappers. One of my particular favorites is Ludacris -- he sold mix tapes until he got signed.

Aren't these all really just ways of self-publishing the product you are trying to market?
Is self-publishing frowned upon because it defies the way things are traditionally done?

Some will say it's not the same, but I believe it is exactly the same.

Self-publishing is a writer's way of making a mix tape and getting it out to be "heard." Maybe I'm too eager or to hasty, but time is so precious and I want to get the ball rolling, not wait 20 years to become discovered. I want to give myself that extra push.

I am not encouraging anyone to publish what isn't polished. I wouldn't self-publish without having an editor and a group of people I trust read my final draft and offer their personal opinions.

I'm also not encouraging people to stop sending out their writing to publishers -- I think both avenues for getting your work published have their own place. Everything you write doesn't have to be traditionally published, but having some type of work, whether it be creative or professional, in print would add to your credibility as a writer.

Your mom shouldn't be your biggest fan -- you should be your biggest fan. Why not promote yourself?

There are a couple things on which both supporters of traditional publishing and advocates for self-publishing would agree.

Research different publishers and publishing options. To succeed in a market you need to understand how the market works, what is selling and why.

I feel most comfortable with the idea of self-publishing my works on Lulu.com. The process is straightforward, the different publishing plans allow me to control how everything is done from the illustrations to the type of pages and paper used. This online self-publishing site was introduced to me by a fellow Grand Valley State University writer, who in his senior year published a book of poems now sold on Amazon and locally at Schuler Books and Music.

You also need to be sure you're ready. I look at hiring an editor the same way a musician would their private lessons instructor or an ice skater would their coach. I do not pretend to have it all figured out -- I want and need extra guidance.

I just cannot resist the urge to make it happen instead of waiting for it to happen. I'm thrilled by the self-empowerment provided through self-publishing. You can have a dream and make it happen.

You can always reach for the stars, but sometimes you need to just grab them right out of the sky.

navery@lanthorn.com

Palin and I -- united by fruit flies

2009-11-30T03:00:00.000-05:00

Palin and I -- united by fruit flies

By Nicole E. Avery
GVL Columnist
11/4/2009

Have you heard the buzz?

There has been an extensive amount of fruit fly research done in our country that has wasted money that could go to programs focusing on education, repairing the economy or literally any other project actually benefiting the American people.

Sarah Palin was berated on thinkprogress.org for criticizing the government for wasting America's valuable resources on projects that do not directly benefit the people -- such as resources spent on the funding for fruit fly research.

According to the article, Palin obviously hadn't researched what kind of scientific advancements were being funded by the government, and if she had done research, she would have known these "pet projects," as she called them, were actually making advancements in research pertaining to neural disorders such as autism.

I want cures for diseases just as much as the next person, but I want a cure for the current economic problems oppressing the American people such as unemployment, our educational system and decent health care for the elderly and disabled.

I have to admit I agree with Palin.

Currently, the biggest scientific breakthrough made via fruit fly research is that scientists have figured out how to insert artificial memories in a fruit fly's brain, causing it to fear things it was never afraid of before. The second biggest breakthrough scientists have made is they can also change what the fruit fly is sexually attracted to.

Here's how it works according to "The New York Times:"

The project was at first designed to calculate and analyze how the brain works by using a similar conditioning technique used on rats by psychologist. The fruit flies experience a scent combined with electric shocked so every time they smell that particular scent they fear it.

Eventually the experiment was upped to genetically altering the flies to be sensitive to a specific kind of light -- when they see it, it simulates a shock in their brain waves and causes them an attack of fear and pain.

I'm genuinely shocked PETA hasn't freaked out about this and started a petition to stop fruit fly cruelty.

I don't necessarily think it is wrong because fruit flies are being harmed -- although I do think it's creepy.

My problem with fruit fly research is it isn't benefiting autism at a fast enough pace for me to think it's more essential than other projects being privately sponsored.

Why is this taking precedent over immediate issues needing to be addressed in our country?

How much funding is actually going to this?

All of our troops aren't home from Iraq, we have no idea what we're going to do with Gitmo and every day more people file for unemployment because they've been laid off.

What is our government doing? Funding experimental fruit fly brainwashing projects that are essentially useless.

navery@lanthorn.com