'U' group to sponsor 'spoken word extravaganza'

With the spark of a pen, words ebb onto a withered spiral notebook with the fluidity of a river. A voice, fused with the spiritual essence of life and a cup of coffee, cries out to pour itself nakedly in the open for anyone to hear its brief moment of epiphany.

Welcome to the Undergraduate Spoken Word Extravaganza, a gathering of creative ecclecticism and curiosity, which joins students and teachers for one night of literary exploration and prowess.

PREVIEW
	UndergraduateSpoken Word Extravaganza Tonight at 8

Sponsored by the Undergraduate English Association, the first-ever Extravaganza takes place tonight at 8 at the Michigan League Underground. The evening offers many interesting and diverse performances in the realms of poetry, fiction and music.

Lee Ann Benkert, organizer of the Extravaganza, said the focus of the Extravaganza celebrates the individuality and unique blend of a writer's work.

"Very rarely do students get to reveal their artistic talents on a large-scale basis," Beckett said. "This program gives them that opportunity, allowing them to share their words, music and emotions with the U of M community. The transition from mind to paper to mouth is an fantastic feat, and I feel that the Extravaganza provides the perfect avenue for students to showcase this talent."

Along with the eccentric readers, the Bottle Rockets, also student artists, will display their musical flair to the crowd with their second live performance. The Bottle Rockets mix blues, pop, classic rock, ska and death metal to convey an overall pop hip sound. While writing all its own material, the band brings much diversity that musician and LSA sophomore Dave Berzin said "makes for an interesting mix."

With the lights dimmed down and drinks in hand, the local band, formerly known as Henry, will rock the night away as eight featured artists and writers reveal their work as well as a part of themselves.

In the tradition of those famous Beat jam sessions in 1959 San Francisco or Greenwich Village coffee houses, the various writers will take the stage and read their pieces individually to emphasize the writer's own interpretation of their piece.

Included in the overall mix of music and spoken word is LSA first-year student and wordsmith Jon Bakos who believes "all of 'The Arts' are expressing the same feelings, desires and dreams, simply through different mediums."

"I think that oftentimes these disciplines are viewed as mutually exclusive," he said, "but I believe that they interlock and interweave, it is my hope that the fostering of one discipline can in fact be applied to all the others."

"People getting together to share in the wonders of the Arts is a marvelous thing," he said.

Bakos is enthusiastic about sharing his visions with fellow students. "I will be reading two short poems," he said, "and also a short story entitled 'Stoneman,'which tells the tale of a trio of archeologists discovering a cave drawing that walks."

The extravaganza is designed to be a social event as well as a showcase for artistic talent, bringing together many artistically ambitious students on campus for a celebration of art.

There will also be some open mic time for any audience members who wish to bask in the creative funk and share a work of their own.

After a long lull in activity, the UEA was resurrected in the Fall of 1996 by a few ambitious students.During the past two years, it has grown quickly through word of mouth as well as via a weekly electronic newsletter, which highlights cultural events of interest to artistically adventurous students.

"The concept of the UEA is simply to provide direction and support for English majors. English majors often have this instinctual creativity that craves an outlet. From poetry and fiction workshops, a newsletter celebrating Ann Arbor's cultural events and much more, the UEA provides an arena for English majors to channel their creative energy," said LSA senior and UEA president Jen Hruby.

Although the organization focuses much attention toward English majors, the Extravaganza is open to anyone interested in creative expression.

"It's designed to enlighten, enrich and expand people's horizons through the hearing of stories, poetry, and music. Most important in my opinion, however, is that those who attend enjoy themselves," Bakos said.

Benkert expects a large turnout for the two-hour Extravaganza. "Come with open ears to match a mind and be prepared to hear fantastic, original works read by the artists themselves," Benkert said.

"This is not poetry on the page, printed to have every detail scrutinized," Benkert said.

"This is a night of live, interactive, stimulating entertainment with strong, powerful readings that are guaranteed to leap into your body and infect your mind and soul before you can bat an eye," she added.

Admission to the Undergraduate Spoken Word Extravaganza is free.

04-09-98