Briefs

Poet Nathaniel Mackey to read

Nathaniel Mackey, one of the major African American voices in contemporary poetry and prose, will read from his work on Thursday (April 19).

The evening will feature selections from Mackey's several collections of poetry, as well as from his two jazz-inflected prose works, Bedouin Hornbook and Djbot Baghostus's Run. The event will begin at 7:30 p.m., in the Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery Foyer in the Fine Arts Center.

Mackey is an influential and widely anthologized writer whose work addresses the place of music in the experience of AfrCall is out for Faculty Fellows Faculty and staff are invited to become "Faculty Fellows" for the fall semester. The mentoring program, now in its third year, brings University employees into Compton Hall and other residence halls to met with students for meals and other activities. In addition to the monthly meals together, Fellows are invited to all hall events as well as special get-togethers. The program is designed to give students times for conversation with and advice from adults familiar with the University and to bridge academic and residence life. Those interested in participating should call Terri Capellman, Compton hall director, at 2-2626, or by email at capellm@bgnet.bgsu.edu. ican Americans, and the connection of African American creative expression to the history and philosophy of African peoples. Norman Weinstein, a reviewer for Pulse magazine, has called Mackey "our most imaginative and erudite writer about jazz," an opinion that is shared by Steve Waksman, ethnic studies. "Nathaniel Mackey's writing is deeply informed by a knowledge of the histories of jazz, blues, reggae and other black musical forms," said Waksman, "but just as importantly, his writing is informed by the rhythms and sounds of those forms. It's writing that is meant to be heard as much as to be read, and that's why this reading is such a great opportunity for people unfamiliar with Mackey to get a sense of his work."

A professor of literature and American studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Mackey published his first volume of poetry, Four for Trane, in 1978 (the title is taken from a 1964 album by jazz saxophonist, Archie Shepp). Since then, he has published six further poetry collections, the most recent being Whatsaid Serif, published by City Lights Books in 1998, which one reviewer said "offers an exhilarating ride" full of "musical twists [and] cross-cultural swoops." In 1986, Mackey published Bedouin Hornbook, the first volume of a projected trilogy titled From a Broken Bottle Traces of Perfume Still Emanate. Bedouin Hornbook and its successor, Djbot Baghostus's Run, published by Sun & Moon Press in 1993, follow the experiences of a jazz musician, N., who through a series of letters tells of his membership in the fictional jazz group, the Mystic Horn Ensemble.

\The two works provide unique insight into the creative processes of the jazz musician, while also offering a series of original reflections upon jazz itself as a creative art form. The third volume of the trilogy, Atet A.D., is due to be published shortly, also by the Los Angeles-based Sun & Moon Press. Contact information: SteveWaksman, 419-372-7122 or waksman@bgnet.bgsu.edu

Call is out for Faculty Fellows

Faculty and staff are invited to become "Faculty Fellows" for the fall semester. The mentoring program, now in its third year, brings University employees into Compton Hall and other residence halls to met with students for meals and other activities. In addition to the monthly meals together, Fellows are invited to all hall events as well as special get-togethers.

The program is designed to give students times for conversation with and advice from adults familiar with the University and to bridge academic and residence life. Those interested in participating should call Terri Capellman, Compton hall director, at 2-2626, or by email at capellm@bgnet.bgsu.edu.

Cedar Point tickets offered to campus

University employees may purchase tickets to Cedar Point Amusement Park at a discounted rate. The tickets available areÑAdult Good Any Day ($28.75) and Soak City ($17.50). Tickets can be purchased at the University Bookstore from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and will be available starting April 16. Cedar Point Park opens daily beginning May 6.

Correction

In the April edition of PresidentÕs Perspective, an incorrect title for Robert ColesÕs book was inadvertently given. The correct title is Lives of Moral Leadership.