WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2006
NEWS
ARTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 3A
Saul's poetry slam packs house
BY DJEJUAN ATWAY
datway@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Student Union Activities organized the event, entitled "An Evening of Spoken Word with Saul Williams."
Williams read poems from his collections and answered questions from the audience. His charisma and humor captivated the audience. Armed with only poetry and an infectious delivery style, he delivered work ranging from emotional pieces to long poems with turns and twists.
Williams' style of writing has opened many doors for the New York native. He has written three poetry collections, starred in the independent film "Slam," made appearances on the television show "Girlfriends" and has recorded with Erykah Badu, De La Soul and KRS-ONE.
Williams said the country was in a "state of emergency," and warned those in attendance to be leery toward
Dressed in black attire from head to toe, Saul Williams — poet, actor, musician, entertainer — delivered poems to an eclectic group of spectators who flooded Woodruff Auditorium Tuesday night.
people with power in the government.
He broke down and wiped tears from his eyes after reading a poem about a depressing moment in his life.
Williams' strongest message of the night was to urge people to "follow your dreams and find your own voice," and not to be bothered by the "subtle bullshit that we all learn from our parents."
The audience sent Williams off the stage the same way he entered: with a standing ovation.
Ben Porter, Olathe sophomore, said that he was required to attend a poetry performance by an instructor, and he thought he made the right decision.
"He was great," Porter said. "I don't even know much about poetry, but I know he was definitely worth coming out to see."
Jenny Kratz, social issues coordinator for SUA, said she knew many tickets were sold for the event, but even she was surprised by turnout.
"We had to turn away people and still were probably over fire code," she said.
— Edited by Kathryn Anderson
Saul Williams recited his poetry for a sold out crowd in Woodruff Auditorium on Tuesday night. Williams is a former member of The Fugees and well-known poet. SUA sponsored the event.
Amanda Sellers/KANSAN
ON CAMPUS
- The Department of Human Resources and Equal Opportunity is holding a workshop on "Writing on the Job" from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. today at 204 Joseph R. Pearson Hall.
- Bob Corkins, Commissioner of Education, is giving a lecture entitled "The Future of Education in Kansas, K-12" as part of the University Forum series at 12 p.m. today at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries.
Abdelwahed Zhiri, former World Bank executive, is giving a lecture entitled "Education and Foreign Aid in Africa" as part of the Ujamaa Brownbag series at 12 p.m. today in Alcove G of the Kansas Union.
◆ The University Career Fair is from 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. today at the Kansas Union Ballroom.
An 18-year-old KU student was taken to Lawrence Memorial Hospital from Ellsworth Hall at 8:35 a.m. Monday.The student is diabetic and reported that he was concerned about his blood sugar level.
▼ HURRICANE KATRINA
ON THE RECORD
Refugees face eviction from hotel rooms despite protests
BY RUKMINI CALLIMACHI THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW ORLEANS — Hauling everything he owned in a plastic garbage bag, Darryl Travis walked out of the chandeliered lobby of the Crowne Plaza, joining the exodus of Hurricane Katrina refugees evicted from their hotel rooms across the country Tuesday.
The occupants of more than 4,500 government-paid hotel rooms were ordered to turn in their keys Tuesday, as the Federal Emergency Management Agency began cutting off money to pay for their stays.
Far more people — the occupants of at least 20,000 hotel rooms, many of which housed entire families — were given extensions by FEMA until at least
next week and possibly until March 1, said FEMA spokesman Butch Kinerney.
FEMA said it gave people every possible opportunity to request an extension.
While many of the evacuees leaving the Crowne Plaza said they had found other hous-
"We've bent over backward to reach out. We've gone door-to-door to all of the 25,000 hotel rooms no fewer than six times. There are people who have run when they saw us coming —
those are the ones that are now moving on," Kinerney said.
FEMA maintains that as many as 80 percent of those being forced to check out this week have made other living arrangements, ranging from trailers to receiving federal rent assistance to living with relatives.
ing, several said they were now homeless.
Travis, 24, and his five childhood friends — all in their 20s — had been living on the floor of another evacuee's hotel room, never having registered.
"All I got is a couple pairs of pants and some shirts. The pressure is on," said Jonathan Gautier, 26, one of the six, who was also carrying a single plastic bag
filled with clothes.
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco complained that FEMA was pulling the plug on the hotel program before securing other housing.
Brittany Brown, 21, wept as she explained that although she had been given an extension, eviction was now looming next week. She applied for a trailer in October and, although she keeps calling, her trailer has yet to show up.
FINAL WEEK!