Thinking outside the Book

I was kinda on a roll, reading and posting about a book each week or so, and then last weekend I was (far more social and) out and about so much that I didn't get any reading accomplished. The weekend was still inundated with words, though, despite my lack of reading...

"You know, actually, you're the first person I ever told about this, and I feel a little bit better." (from "The Flood," in Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues)

For the sixth time, I watched Illinois College's production of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues; in the second annual one I performed the monologue "The Flood," so that one will always have a special place in my heart. I think that the last line of that monologue, shown above, is one of the most important reasons why we perform and promote VDay year after year. Ensler is right in the opening monologue when she says it's worrisome when we consider how little we talk about these important issues in our culture. It's empowering and comforting to realize other women have had experiences or thoughts very similar to ours. I love hearing new women perform the same monologues each year, emphasizing different lines each time and personalizing the stories to make them their own. I like being able to whisper a line or two to myself as we relive those familiar stories together.

Each year, though, new monologues are introduced to the production, and these are another essential reason for perpetuating VDay. These are the monologues that rarely stir up laughter in the audience; these are the monologues that tell us of the horrendous experiences women have all over our world; these are the monologues that educate us so that we can make a difference and incite change. I love how Ensler draws us in, reminds us that we are all connected, and then shows us the importance of doing all we can to protect and stand up for one another.

"Why do I do it?" (from Ken Bradbury's play From Behind the Curtain)

I also saw my first Ken Bradbury play, From Behind the Curtain, which makes me feel like an official resident of the Springfield/Jacksonville area now. The man is a legend, both in my world of education (he taught for years at Triopia High School and was known throughout our Region) and, obviously, in the world of community theater. It was actually really cool to sit in the Hoogland and see the playwright sitting in the last row of the section below us. He even played the accordion for one of the songs. Completely awesome! I also thoroughly enjoyed the stories Bradbury shared that he collected from local actors. I may not participate in community theater, but I enjoyed hearing about it. And most important, at least for me, were my proud teacher moments -- two JHS students were in the play, one of whom has been my student twice. It's difficult to describe how proud I feel when I see my kids excelling in something so wonderful, even when I only know one actress because she delivers passes from the office to kids in my class. To see them so passionate and so successful is simply inspiring.

"When it falls apart, the pieces fit; you won't see it 'til you're blinded; you can let it go, or hold it tight; when you lose your life, you will find it..." (from "When It Falls Apart" by Matthew Perryman Jones)

And on the Sunday of my long weekend, Em and I drove four hours (one way) to see Matthew Perryman Jones in concert at the SPACE in Evanston, IL. Like the fanatic fans we are, we drove there to see Tyler Hilton a few months ago; this time, we discovered MPJ through a free download of a mix of his songs and days later realized we'd both be free to drive up and back for his concert. It was fate.

Being the word person I am, I'm very lyric driven when I choose my music. Songs can't just sound good; they need to say the right things, and if they don't, the even catchiest tune usually can't redeem the song for me. MPJ is a songwriter after my own heart -- the lyrics are thoughtful and line up and tell me ideas I like to ponder (and sing at the top of my lungs) again and again. I have found, though, that I have to be in the right mood to listen to his albums because the music itself isn't all that peppy.

The best part of this concert experience was that we went for MPJ and fell in love with two more artists, too. Kathryn Ostenberg and Jay Nash also performed and immediately won me over. Jay Nash's songwriting skills are as impressive as MPJ's, and I can listen to his songs even after a long day in Classroom 809.

Now, I'm off to read another segment of my current book, The People of the Book, before starting the first of five full weeks at work. We'll see how long it takes me to finish this one...