KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2010 / NEWS
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PUPPETS (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
she was meant to do. So she moved to Middletown, Conn., to become a children's librarian.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Priscilla Howe banters with her most popular puppet, Trixie. Howe has performed around the world with her collection of 75 puppets and more than 150 different stories. The local puppeter will travel to perform in Peru next year and Argentina the following year.
In Middletown, Howe met Judy Stoughton, the new head of the library's children's department and a woman who would become one of Howe's greatest influences in storytelling and puppetry.
Howe was reluctant at first, claiming puppets weren't her thing. But that attitude didn't stick around for long.
One day Stoughton asked Howe a question that would ultimately change her performing career: "I like to do puppets. Would you like to do puppets with me?"
Soon Howe was hooked.
"You know, she had a natural flare for puppetry, though," Stoughton said. "So, I don't remember her resisting very long."
Before Stoughton inspired Howe to become a puppeteer, Howe had already started telling stories as part of her job.
One day some librarians were going to a school to tell stories and asked Priscila to tag along.
Then they asked her to tell a story.
That's the job that helped her learn what she loves. Howe said.
So she did.
"I thought, 'Oh, this is so fun! I want to do this some more,'" Howe said.
Seventeen years later, Howe tells about 150 different stories using 75 puppets — Trixie is her most popular.
Howe tells stories from books,
folktales and some she has created
herself. Stories range from two minutes to 95 minutes. And her stories aren't just for kids. She has a series of stories called "Blood, Guts, Spies and Naked Ladies" geared toward adults.
year.
PRISCILLA Howe holds her puppet, Baby. Howe has been a pupeteer for more than 17 years now. She tells stories for children and adults alike.
Howe has told stories around the country and around the world. She has performed in Bulgaria, Belgium, Germany, Mexico and Brazil. Next year, Howe will have a
Howe doesn't just tell stories in English. Sometimes after telling her most requested "The Ghost With the One Black Eye," she'll
"That's really the epic core of what I do.I'm connecting with the audience."
PRISCILLA HOWE Puppeteer
stint of performances in Peru and will be in Argentina the following
Howe said she enjoyed creating these opportunities for others to connect.
tell the story again in either French or Bulgarian.
"That's really the epic core of what I do," she said. "I'm connecting with the audience, they're'
connecting with me and then they're connecting among them
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
selves."
In the beginning, she said telling stories was much more about herself. Now it's about the experience, the stories and the audience.
But Howe's puppet Mavis the Monkey might be dig to differ. As
far as Mavis is concerned, she's the star of the show. Mavis always has a cheery face — a face that is eager to talk (and Mavis will definitely talk).
And don't be alarmed if Mavis grabs hold of her tail, also known
as a "tailphone," to order pizza in the middle of a show.
"I would like extra cheese, salami, bologna, uhm, pepperoni, bubblegum and peanut butter."
Edited by Becky Howlett
CAMPUS
Speaker honors slain student's memory
Nationally syndicated columnist Connie Schultz will give this year's Jana Mackey Distinguished Lecture Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Dole Institute of Politics.
The lecture, titled "Words from the Heart: Gender, Justice and Advocacy," is part of an annual series meant to commemorate
same causes Jana did: women's rights, equality, social justice and serving others"
late KU law student Jana Mackey, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2008. Mackey, who was a dedicated women's rights activist, graduated with a KU bachelor's degree in 2004.
"We selected Connie Schultz to be this year's speaker because of her dedication to issues of concern to Jana," said Kathy Rose Mockry, director of the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center in a news release. "Connie has spent her career fighting for the
The program is free and open to the public. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Schultz, a biweekly columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Creators Syndicate, won the Pulitzer prize for commentary in 2005 and is the author of two books.
Kevin Hardy
CAMPUS
Pulitzer winner will lecture about poetry
Oliver will do a reading and take questions from the
Mary Oliver, poet and winner of the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize, will present at 7:30 p.m. May 5 as part of the Hall Center for the Humanities' 2009-10 Humanities Lecture Series.
audience at the Lied Center. The event, supported by the Sosland Foundation of Kansas City and Kansas Public Radio, is free and open to the public.
Oliver will then visit with the public during "A Conversation with Mar Oliver," at 10 a.m. May 6 at the Hall Center Conference Hall.
The Humanities Lecture Series events with Oliver were originally scheduled for March
23, but were canceled because of illness.
Oliver is the author of 18 poetry collections, most notably the Pulitzer Prize-winning "American Primitive" (1983) and "New and Selected Poems, Volume One" (1992), which garnered a National Book Award. She is best known for her precise and evocative imagery of nature.
— Kevin Hardy