Friday, September 12, 1997
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 3
Navajo poet shares words, feeling
Jennifer A. Yeoman
jyeoan@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Poetry intertwined with Navajo chants filled Haskell Auditorium last night as University of Kansas professor Luci Tapahonso introduced her new book of stories and poetry, "Blue Horses Rush In."
"Blue Horses Rush In" is Tapahonso's fifth book and is named after a poem she wrote for her granddaughter. Tapahonso, associate professor of English, spoke to a crowd of about 125 people and signed copies of the book.
Tapahono mixed her poems with Navajo words and chants.
"It's very much a Navajo form of expression," she said. "It's not a conscious decision; it's just how I see things."
Tapahonpo called her writing a combination of prose, poetry and song.
"I write from a need to share experiences, not all of which are my own," she said.
The book is dedicated to her five children and her two granddaughters.
“It’s hard for us to listen to her read,” said Tapahonso's niece, Althea Eaton, who also is a writer. "She touches so deeply on our lives that she makes us cry."
Her family members weren't the only ones touched by her reading.
"It is a great privilege to come and listen to her poetry," said KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway. "She has a beautiful voice when she sings her Navajo songs. It's a wonderful experience."
The proceeds from last night's reading will go to the Haskell Foundation. Entrance to the reading was a $5 donation, and the book sold for $15 for paperback and $20 for the hardback. Students were
admitted free
The Haskell Foundation raises money to help Haskell Indian Nations University become a center for research and cultural preservation, said Fran Day, executive director of the foundation
"Luci is closely connected to Haskell," Day said. "When it's possible for her she does great things for us. She gives a great deal to our community."
Tapahonso has done other readings to benefit the foundation and serves as a consultant for Haskell's lyric opera project. She also has taught writing courses for Native American women.
"It's a high honor to have someone of her stature appear on our campus," Day said. "Whenever I hear her read I'm caught up in the brilliance of her use of the language. She has a universal voice, a unique voice."
Luci Tapahono signs copies of her new book in the Haskell Student Union. She read selected papers to about 125 people. Photo by Griffie Khrisman/KANSAN
Dancing on a public stage
Laws limiting celebrity press coverage will take rights away from all journalists
Jeremy M. Doherty Special to the Kansan
Laws intended to rein in the paparazzi would instead wind up hurting the legitimate press, according to University of Kansas journalism professors.
In the aftermath of Princess Diana's death, which some say was a result of a pursuit by paparazzi, celebrities such as Tom Cruise and others have demanded that the government intervene when a public person's privacy is violated by freelance photographers. Media purists have been quick to point out the detrimental nature of any restrictive legislation.
"Those laws would be a disaster," said Ted Frederickson, professor of journalism, who teaches a media law class. "They'd prevent us from covering President Clinton and
would violate the First Amendment. People like Tom Cruise danced onto the public stage and made their livings as celebrities They can't expect to have the life of a private person."
Others agree and would prefer that the paraparazzi simply adopt the code of ethics that mainstream media strive to follow.
For example, if information fingered a politician as a drug dealer, then that story should be pursued since it would have bearing on the public. But, if the politician's marriage was rumored to be on the rocks, the press should not magnify the account.
"If you are a public figure, the press can go significantly further in reporting about your private life," said John Ginn, Knight Distinguished Professor of Journalism, who teaches a media ethics class. "But we shouldn't delve into people's personal lives unless there's some overriding social concern that's served by doing so. We shouldn't do this to satisfy the people's prurient interests."
Ginn and Frederickson said that any distinction between what the law requires and what the rules of ethics say journalists should do is blurry at best.
"It's not just the 'Enquirer' who buys paparazzi photographs," said Frederickson. "The Washington Post' and 'The New York Times' all carry news on celebrities and divorces. What we find out about public figures is news; that's the law. Newsworthiness is a very strong defense."
The paparazzi problem will not be solved by governmental paperwork but by peer-enforced restraint.
"It's very important that we, being journalists, police ourselves," he said. "One nice analogy that I heard was that these folks are no more journalists than dishonest televangelists are clergymen."
New theater season kicks off with 'Pippi'
By Elizabeth Woods Kansan staff writer
Murphy Hall, home to three theaters, is opening its 74th season with "Pippi Longstocking," which begins at 7 p.m. September 27.
More than 150 people auditioned for eight shows this year, the majority of whom will take part without receiving partial academic credit. Students who auditioned were not all theater majors
The opening production is a Swedish tale about Pippi, a 9-year-old girl who is rebelling against the system she has grown up in and is taken away from her hometown by her father.
Student tickets are $3.
This year, productions range from Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" to a recent play, "Suburbia."
"We're attempting to balance
what the students want and need with what the market dictates," said Charla Jenkins, Murphy Hall publicity director.
The theaters generate about 70 percent of their total revenue from the box office. Students make up most of the audience, but a loyal audience also comes from the local community.
Other productions this year are "Bus Stop," a comedy by William Inge about a cowboy who is trapped in a Kansas diner, "Bedroom Farce," a comedy by Alan Ayckbourn about four couples who have three bedrooms between them, and "Die Fleddermaus" by Johann Strauss Jr., a lighthearted operetta set in Vienna, Austria.
Student tickets are available for all performances at the SUA office in the Union, Murphy Hall and the Lied Center.
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