MACREADS WELCOMES MOLLY GLOSS
Molly Gloss, author of the award-winning book The Jump-Off Creek, will read from her book Monday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m. in Nicholson Library at Linfield. The reading is a culmination of this year’s MacReads program.
In its eighth year, MacReads is a community-wide book reading and discussion that culminates in a presentation by the author. Schools, book clubs and residents throughout Yamhill County are encouraged to participate in the program. Gloss’ talk will track the public perception and the reality of the lives of women homesteaders, and other independent women across an historical and literary spectrum. Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event, which is open to the public.
The story of The Jump-Off Creek highlights the life and struggles of Lydia Bennett Sanderson, a hardship-honed widow, homesteading in the backcountry of Oregon in 1895. As the months pass, there is good and ill fortune, the exchange of fair-and-square favors and, at the close, a long road back from trial and grief. The Los Angeles Times called the book “A classic of its kind.”
Gloss is a fourth-generation Oregonian who resides in Portland. She was raised in rural Oregon in the 1950s and began her writing career with Western novels. Her novel The Jump-Off Creek was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for American Fiction, and a winner of both the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award and the Oregon Book Award. In 1996, Gloss was a recipient of a Whiting Writers Award. Some of her other work includes The Dazzle of Day, which was named a New York Times Notable Book and was awarded the PEN Center West Fiction Prize.
MacReads uses a common book to create community conversations that cross lines of generation and acquaintance. It is sponsored by Friends of Nicholson Library, Friends of McMinnville Public Library, Third Street Books and the Linfield English Department. This program was made possible in part by a grant from Oregon Humanities (OH), a statewide nonprofit organization and an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which funds OH’s grant program.
For more information, contact Susan Barnes Whyte, director of Linfield Libraries, 503-883-2517.
BURNS TO DISCUSS WINE GEOLOGY
Geologist Scott Burns will present “The Mystery of Terroir in Oregon: The Relationship of Geology, Soil and Climate to Wine” on Tuesday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. in T.J. Day Hall at Linfield. A reception will follow.
Burns is a professor of geology at Portland State University whose research has focused on a wide variety of topics, including terroir ― the relationship of climate, geology, soils and wine grapes. He is lecturing across the country this year after being named the 2012 Jahns Distinguished Lecturer by the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists (AEG) and the Geological Society of America (GSA), his two sponsoring associations.
Wines differ from each other based on the type of grape, climate, soil hydrology, the physiography of the site, and bedrock geology and the resulting soils, Burns says. Differences are also based on the winemaker and the vineyard management techniques.
The first five factors make up what the French call terroir, meaning “the taste of the place.” Across the world, the terroir of wine is strongly influenced by the bedrock geology and soils. Burns will discuss the terroir of the Willamette Valley, whose soils come from the Columbia River Basalts, which originated in eastern Oregon, and the marine sedimentary rocks found in the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range. The wines made from the grapes of these two soils are very dissimilar.
Burns has won numerous awards for outstanding teaching, and has authored and co-authored two books and more than 80 articles and 200 published abstracts. He formerly served as president of the AEG, vice president of the North American branch of the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment, and chair of the Engineering Geology Division of the GSA. He received the GSA 2011 Public Service Award and 2006 Meritorious Service Award.
In addition to research focused on terroir, Burns has also researched environmental geology, soils, landslides, engineering geology, quaternary geology and the Missoula Floods. He has been instrumental in bringing important geological issues to public attention in the regional media. Burns holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from Stanford University and a doctorate from the University of Colorado.
In 2011, Linfield College established the Oregon Wine History Archive, which will house irreplaceable historical documents and memorabilia from early growers in the Willamette Valley.
For more information, call 503-883-2409.
SCIENCE COLLOQUIUM HOSTS CHANG
The Linfield College Science Colloquium will feature a presentation by Alex Chang of Oregon State University, “Develop Solution-based Processes of Inorganic Semiconductors for Electronics and Energy Applications,” on Thursday, May 3, at 4 p.m. in 105 Murdock Hall at Linfield.
Chang will report progress towards developing solution-based processes that are suitable for roll-to-roll deposition or ink jet printing of inorganic semiconductors.
Solution-based and direct printing of inorganic materials offer the possibility of depositing high quality thin films at low temperature under atmospheric conditions, and the direct additive patterning processes that enable the fabrication of high-performance and ultra-low-cost electronics. Over the last few years, there has been tremendous progress on direct inkjet printing of polymer semiconductors. Another promising but less explored approach is to deposit inorganic compound semiconductors using solution-based processes. Inorganic compound semiconductors have higher carrier mobility and better long-term stability. The recent advance in soft solution processing of inorganic materials offers an exciting opportunity to develop large area manufacturing technologies for inorganic TFTs and PVs.
For more information, contact Jennifer Heath at 503-883-2267, jheath@linfield.edu.
STUDENTS JOIN LCO IN SEASON FINALE
The Linfield Chamber Orchestra will present the final concert of its 2011-12 season on Friday, May 4, at 8 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in McMinnville. The orchestra will be joined by the Linfield Concert Choir.
The 40-member choir is made up of Linfield College students and directed by music Professor Anna Song.
The “Reformation and Consolation Concert” will feature student soloists and include Felix Mendelssohn’s “Symphony No. 5,” composed in honor of the 300th anniversary of the creation of the Augsburg Confession, the primary confession of faith during the Protestant Reformation. The symphony’s final movement is based on the beloved hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” written by religious reformer Martin Luther in the 16th century.
The chamber orchestra is conducted by Michael Gesme, who also directs the Central Oregon Symphony in Bend. Since its beginning in 1991, the McMinnville-based group has provided a unique opportunity for the community to experience the joy of chamber orchestra music. The group now attracts top guest artists from across Oregon and southwest Washington. The orchestra, in its 21st season, is supported by Linfield College.
Every year since 2004, fourth-grade children in Yamhill County schools have been introduced to classical music through a youth concert presented especially for them. This year the orchestra will perform music by Mendelssohn on Tuesday, May 1, at Linfield.
The First Baptist Church is located at 125 Southeast Cowls Street. All seats are general admission, priced at $22, and $5 for students K-12. Linfield students are admitted free with student ID. For ticket and concert information, visit Linfield Chamber Orchestra or contact the orchestra at 503-833-2637 or LCO@linfield.edu.
DANCE SHOWCASE PLANS TWO SHOWS
Members of the Linfield College Dance Ensemble will present “Dance Dance Revelation,” Friday, May 4, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, May 5, at 2 p.m. in the Richard and Lucille Ice Auditorium in Melrose Hall at Linfield.
The ensemble class is led by Emily Crocker, Linfield adjunct professor of dance and dance ensemble director, and Alyssa Gentry, Linfield adjunct professor of dance, who has directed the class for the second half of the semester. Student participants in the class range from freshmen to seniors and vary in experience of dance training. Some students have just started dance for the first time, while others have been dancing for many years.
The show will be staffed and produced by all members of the dance ensemble class and will feature student choreographed dances. The show will feature styles of dance such as hip-hop, contemporary and ballet.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 503-883-2275.
HAWAIIAN LU’AU OFFERS FOOD, DANCE
The Linfield College Hawaiian Club will host its milestone 40th annual lu’au, “Na a’a Hawaii: The Roots from Which We Grow,” on Saturday, May 5, in the Rutschman Field House and Ted Wilson Gymnasium at Linfield.
The event will include traditional Hawaiian food and an authentic performance of Hawaiian dance and music. Dinner will be served in the Rutschman Field House from 4 to 6 p.m. Doors will open in the Ted Wilson Gymnasium at 6:15 p.m. and the performance will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Each year, the lu’au offers audience members a chance to see a performance of Tahitian, Haka and fire-knife dancers, in addition to both traditional and modern Hawaiian hula dancing. Junior Amy Bumatai and sophomore Ashley Kimi, lu’au co-chairs for the Hawaiian Club, said that this year’s landmark lu’au will also feature a slow Tahitian, extra fast Tahitian and Samoan dances.
“The 40th annual lu’au is special because it encompasses how long we have shared the Hawaiian and Polynesian cultures with Linfield and the surrounding community,” said Kimi.
Tickets are $25 for general admission, $28 for reserved seating; $20 for general admission, $23 for reserved seating for students and senior citizens (60+); $10 for general admission, $15 for reserved seating for children 2-12 yrs.; and children under 2 yrs. are free. Tickets can be purchased online at www.linfieldtickets.com.
For more information, contact Jason Rodriquez, at 503-883-2574 or jrodriqu@linfield.edu.
TALK SET ON REDEEMING DEMOCRACY
Susan McWilliams, professor of politics at Pomona College, will present “Redeeming Democracy in America” on Monday, May 7, at 2:30 p.m. in Jonasson Hall, located in the lower level of Melrose Hall at Linfield.
McWilliams will address the belief in American politics that the practice of democracy is declining due to angry citizens disparaging government, distrusting each other, avoiding civic life and professing a hatred of politics and politicians of all stripes. She will discuss what it will take to redeem democracy and restore hope in the American political system.
McWilliams received her B.A. in Russian and political science from Amherst College and her M.A. and Ph.D. in politics from Princeton University. She received the Wig Distinguished Professor Award in 2009 at Pomona College, and recently completed a book manuscript, Traveling Back: Political Theory in an Age of Globalization. She is also working on a volume that explores the political thought of James Baldwin. She is the co-editor, with Patrick Deneen, of two recently released books, The Democratic Soul and Redeeming Democracy in America. These volumes compile many of the essays written by her father, Wilson Carey McWilliams, who was one of the most prominent political theorists of his generation.
The lecture is sponsored by the Linfield Political Science Department, the Jack Miller Center and the Dean’s Speaker Fund. It is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Nick Buccola, assistant professor of political science, at 503-883-2246 or nbuccol@linfield.edu.
SENIOR TO GIVE WEB COMIC READING
The creation of web comics will be the focus of a student reading Monday, May 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Austin Reading Room of the Jereld R. Nicholson Library at Linfield.
Josue Rivas ’12 is the co-creator of a self-published web comic called “Massive Pwnage.” During the reading, “Panel by Panel: Writing and Developing Comics with Massive Pwnage,” Rivas will explain his current work and the creation process behind it. The comic is similar to newspaper comics as it regularly has new episodes. The comic follows three main characters, Encifer “Ence” Enfield, Locke Abrams and Allison Doyle, through their interests in video gaming, art and computers. The artist of the comic and co-creator, Jon Nielsen, will also be at the event. Nielsen will focus more on the graphic and design aspects of the creation process.
Both Rivas and Nielsen are from Portland and began the comic five years ago. Rivas is a creative writing major and philosophy minor. He has been interested in writing comics since middle school. Nielsen has also held an interest in comics and cartoon art since a young age. Recently, both Nielsen and Rivas were panelists for Kitsune Kon, a Wisconsin-based anime convention. They discussed the writing and creation process for comics.
The reading is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Linfield English Department and Nicholson Library. For more information, contact Susan Barnes Whyte, college librarian, at 503-883-2517, swhyte@linfield.edu.
PHILOSOPHER OFFERS TWO LECTURES
Maxine Sheets-Johnstone, professor of philosophy and institute of advanced study fellow at St. Mary’s College and Durham University, will present two lectures as part of the annual Walter Powell-Linfield College Philosophy Lectures May 7-8 at Linfield.
On Monday, May 7, Sheets-Johnstone will speak on “Animation: Embodied Minds or Mindful Bodies” and on Tuesday, May 8, she will speak on “If the Body is Part of Our Discourse, Why not let it speak? Five Critical Perspectives.” Both lectures will be at 8 p.m. in Jonasson Hall, located in the basement of Melrose Hall.
Sheets-Johnstone will discuss some of the challenging 21st century questions, including whether or not we as humans are embodied minds or mindful bodies. She asserts that animation leads us along a diversity of possible paths having to do with movement, affectivity and sense-making core dimensions of mindful bodies.
Sheets-Johnstone received a B.A. in French and comparative literature from the University of California at Berkeley and went on to earn a master’s in dance and a Ph.D. in dance and philosophy from the University of Wisconsin. She is an interdisciplinary scholar affiliated with the Department of Philosophy at the University of Oregon. She has lectured widely in Europe, most notably at the University of Aarhus, Ghent University and the University of Copenhagen. Her interests include philosophy, evolutionary biology, psychology/psychiatry, anthropology, socio-political dimensions of human life and dance. She is the author of multiple books including her most recent, The Corporeal Turn: An Interdisciplinary Reader.
The Walter Powell-Linfield College Annual Philosophy Lectureship is in recognition of a generous gift from Michael Powell in honor of his father. Walter Powell founded Powell’s Bookstore in Portland, the largest private bookstore in the United States with over one million volumes.
The lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Jesús Ilundáin-Agurruza at jilunda@linfield.edu.
LINFIELD LAUNCHES ARTS SYMPOSIUM
Three award-winning artists will speak on The Arts and Social Change during a three-day symposium and mini-residency, the inaugural event of the Linfield Lacroute Arts Series at Linfield College. Over the course of three days, the artists will participate in a panel discussion, present lectures and work with students in the classroom.
The symposium will include an interdisciplinary panel discussion on Monday, May 7, at 7 p.m. in the Delkin Recital Hall in the Vivian A. Bull Music Center at Linfield. Panelists include musician Thomas Lauderdale, photo historian Corey Dzenko and playwright Rob Urbinati, who will participate in a discussion dedicated to the arts and social change. The talk will be moderated by Susan Agre-Kippenhan, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty at Linfield.
In addition to the panel discussion, the three artists will each give a lecture:
• Lauderdale will present “Singer-Songwriter: Learn Your Craft” on Monday, May 7, at 5 p.m. in Delkin Recital Hall.
• Dzenko will present “The ‘Cruel Optimism’ of Gregory Crewdson’s Suburbs and Suzanne Opton’s Soldiers” on Tuesday, May 8, at 4 p.m. in the Nicholson Library Media Viewing Room.
• Urbinati will present two talks on Wednesday, May 9, in the lobby of Ford Hall − “Creating a Play: From Idea to Page to Stage, Part One” at 4 p.m. and “Rebel Voices and Necessary Dialogues” at 7 p.m.
Lauderdale, the founder of Pink Martini, has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras and ensembles including the Oregon Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, the Portland Youth Philharmonic, Chamber Music Northwest and Oregon Ballet Theatre. He graduated with honors from Harvard University in 1992 with a degree in history and literature and founded the “little orchestra” Pink Martini. In 2008, he completed his first film score for Chiara Clemente’s documentary, “Our City Dreams.”
Dzenko is a photo historian who focuses her scholarship on contemporary U.S. photography. She has presented papers on topics including contemporary photography, whiteness and “post-postmodern” photo theory. She has also published essays in sources including Afterimage: The Journal of Media Arts and Cultural Criticism, Hemisphere: Visual Cultures of the Americas. She teaches at the University of New Mexico and Central New Mexico Community College.
Urbinati is a freelance director and playwright based in New York City and the director of “New Play Development” at Queens Theatre, where he curates the Immigrant Voices Project. Urbinati has adapted multiple plays including Miss Julie in Hollywood, Cruel and Barbarous Treatment and Rebel Voices. His plays Karaoke Night at the Suicide Shock and West Moon Street have premiered at Queens Theatre. Linfield also produced West Moon Street in 2011. He received an M.A. from the University of Nebraska and a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon.
The Linfield Lacroute Arts Series, sponsored by the Lacroute Arts Fund, is dedicated to helping Linfield College present art events and activities for the campus and community. The series will provide four programs over the next two years featuring artists in the areas of music, art and visual culture, and theatre and communication arts.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 503-883-2802.
MECHA HOSTS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
More than 100 Latino youth from Oregon recently got their first taste of the college atmosphere and sharpened leadership skills at a daylong institute at Linfield College.
The 2012 MEChA Leadership Institute was organized by students at Linfield College and leaders from Oregon MEChA Statewide, an all-volunteer outreach program that has been closing the high school achievement gap and encouraging Latino students to enroll in college.
The conference was aimed at chapter officers from high school MEChA clubs, giving them an opportunity to learn about their own cultural history and hone the communication and interpersonal skills necessary for leadership. The workshops, taught by Linfield students and MEChA college graduates, also encouraged students to become role models within their schools and to further their education.
“We want to show high school Hispanic students, particularly low-income and first generation, that it’s possible to go to college,” said Crystal Galarza ‘13, who co-founded Linfield’s MEChA chapter, and served as an ambassador and presenter at the conference.
In addition to nurturing college aspirations among high school students, MEChA Statewide encourages educational excellence and leadership development, seeks to instill cultural awareness and pride, and promotes volunteer engagement in local communities.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Lex Runciman, professor of English, has a new poem published in Burning Bush 2, an online journal published from Dublin, Ireland.
Linfield Theatre faculty, students and staff were recognized by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for the recent production of Dead Man’s Cell Phone. Recognition was given to Janet Gupton, certificate of merit in directing; Ty Marshall, certificate of merit in scenic design; Rob Vaughn, certificate of merit in sound design, with assistance from Laura Haspel ’14; and Katie Grainey ’12, certificate of merit in lighting design. In addition, Irene Ryan acting nominations were extended to Paige Keith ’13 who played Jean and Nicholas Granato ’15 who played Gordon.
Linfield hosted the second annual Linfield-Willamette Physics Symposium on Saturday, April 28. Linfield senior student sciences who gave talks include Ryan Cook, Alex Keith, Kyel Lambert, Yingshi Guo, Daniel Nicewonger and Jordan Barnes.
Chris Keaveney, professor of Japanese, and four members of Linfield Taiko performed for 80 inmates at the Oregon State Penitentiary recently. Keaveney, along with Ben Brown, a teacher at the Sheridan Japanese School, taught introductory Japanese at the prison for a group of ten inmates this spring. The taiko performance marked the end of that experience.
CAMPUS CALENDAR
MONDAY, APRIL 30
7:30 p.m.: MacReads Molly Gloss reading, Nicholson
TUESDAY, MAY 1
Noon and 1 p.m.: LCO Children’s Concert, Ice
7:30 p.m.: Scott Burns, “The Mystery of Terroir in Oregon: The Relationship of Geology, Soil and Climate to Wine,” T.J. Day
WEDNESDAY, MAY 2
11:30 a.m.: Blood pressure clinic, Cook
11:30 a.m.: German conversation table, Dillin
Noon: ASL table, Dillin
THURSDAY, MAY 3
11:50 a.m.: Voices, Dillin
Noon: Spanish language table, Dillin
Noon: Chinese language table, Dillin
4 p.m.: Japanese language table, 304 Walker
4 p.m.: Science Colloquium, Alex Chang, “Low Cost Materials for Solar Energy,” 105 Murdock
FRIDAY, MAY 4
11:30 a.m.: Japanese language table, Dillin
Noon: French language table, Dillin
Noon: Fulbright information session, Dillin
3 p.m.: Track and field, Linfield Twilight
3 p.m.: Baseball vs. Lewis-Clark State
8 p.m.: Linfield Chamber Orchestra, McMinnville First Baptist Church
8 p.m.: Dance Ensemble, Ice
SATURDAY, MAY 5
2 p.m.: Dance Ensemble, Ice
3 p.m.: Track and field at Oregon Twilight
3:30 p.m.: Baseball vs. Pacific Lutheran
4 p.m.: Hawaiian Lu’au, Rutschman Fieldhouse/Ted Wilson Gym
SUNDAY, MAY 6
3:30 p.m.: Baseball vs. George Fox