The Daily Collegian
‘Ladies’
By David Strader
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Ladies took the West Halls
Study Lounge by storm
Wednesday night when the Penn
State Songwriters Club hosted a
“Ladies' Night” open mic.
The event proposed by
Maura Westerlund, vice president
of the Songwriters Club gave
women of Penn State the chance
to showcase their musical talent.
“We were looking to showcase
female talent for those who don’t
normally feel comfortable playing
with guys,” Westerlund (sopho
more-business) said.
And Westerlund said she was
very impressed with the talent
drawn out by the Ladies' Night.
"I feel intimidated," she said.
"These girls are amazing, and I'm
in awe, even."
Attendee Sudong Jang, from
Seoul, Korea who was in town
visiting a friend read about the
open mic that morning and said it
would be a great way to spend his
evening.
Soloist brings ‘original’ style
By Josh Bollinger
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Who needs a backup band any-
Martin Sexton played the State
Theatre on Wednesday night as
part of his solo tour in support of
his new album "Sugarcoating''
bringing his "original'' style of
acoustic rock to State College.
"I like how quirky it is." Cara
Salimando said, who opened last
night for Sexton.
Salimando. who's performance
featured her on piano and ukulele,
said she's a big fan of Sexton's
music.
She said his live performances
and his ability to replicate guitar
and trumpet solos with his mouth
are what she loves most about
him.
"He doesn't need anyone else."
Salimando said, who added that
he's both innovative and inspiring
as a musician.
Wednesday night Sexton
who's known for his ability to
improvise live, replicated sound
from everything from the trum
pet. to the saxophone, to a drum
kit featured all three sounds
win his second song "Diggin Me."
"I'm getting there folks. I'm get
ting in that zone here." Sexton
said after "Diggin Me."
Local documentaiy to focus on suicide, raise awareness
By Lauren Ingeno
Com GIAN STAFF WRITER
Suicide is a leading cause of
death among adolescents and
young adults, and if Penn State
students aren't aware of this issue,
then they should be, said Barbara
Bird, an associate professor in the
department of film-video and
media studies.
Bird, along with Penn State film
and video alumni and students,
created the film 'Toward
Daylight" -- an 18-minute docu
mentaiy that focuses on suicide,
survivorship and prevention in the
Centre County region.
The film was created for the
Centre County Chapter of the
perform singles
“I’ve been waiting for this all
day” he said, “and I really love
this.”
Jang said he’s a big music
enthusiast.
Girls who signed up took turns
on stage performing an assort
ment of both original songs and
covers.
Tina Letter (freshman-biology),
who went first for the evening,
opened with an original song fol
lowed by a number of covers by
artists like Damien Rice and
Tegan and Sara.
Letter said females have a lot to
offer through their music.
"Girls are more willing to com
pletely pour their souls out, and
that emotional side really comes
out in their songs,’ 1 Letter said.
After her performance, Letter
said she enjoyed playing to such a
sociable and understanding audi
ence.
"If I make a mistake, it's no big
deal,” she said. “The people here
are just so nice.” And Letter was
right attendees like Jang were
fully supportive of her.
Martin Sexton plays in the State
Theater on Wednesday night.
Sexton is known for his ability to
replicate sounds with his mouth.
John Fegyveresi (graduate
geoscience) said Sexton’s studio
albums are great, but the liveper
formances is where he truly
thrives.
Fegyveresi has recently gotten
interested in Sexton's music and
said he was happy he could finally
get a chance to see him live.
“It's refreshing to see people
who can still sing and sound this
good live." Fegyveresi said. "Plus
it was 20 bucks and it was right
down the street."
American Foundation for Suicide
Prevention.
The film will premiere at 7
tonight at Bellefonte High School.
830 E. Bishop St. in Bellefonte, and
at the State Theatre, 130 W.
College Ave., on Nov. 14.
Susan Kennedy who helped
create the chapter and serves as
co-chairwoman for Penn State's
Out of Darkness walk is a survivor
herself and appears in the docu
mentary
She said the people who speak
out in the film have either lost
someone to suicide or have con
sidered or survived it.
“I think that you'll find that the
film is different from a lot of other
films that people might see on this
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“Even though she forgot the
lyrics a couple of times, her voice
was beautiful,” Jang said.
The open mic drew an audience
of 20-some people, and
Westerlund looked at the turnout
positively.
“I like that we have longer
sets,” Westerlund said. “When
there’s tons of people, you don’t
get to experience a full view of
someone’s music, but that’s not
the case tonight.”
Westerlund said the venue was
also ideal for open mics.
"It’s the perfect space,” she
said. "There are so many comfy
chairs, it’s very easy to set up and
the acoustics are great too.”
Ashley Tarriff (freshman-mar
keting), the second performer of
the evening, said she was ulti
mately pleased with the set-up of
the show.
"I love the idea of showcasing
the feminine side of music,” she
said.
To e-mail reporter: dass46l@psu.edu
He described the State Theatre
as a place big enough for you to
see a major music act, but small
enough to make the audience feel
that they're at a big coffee house.
“You can really hear them with
out having to hear them through a
big PA system," Fegyveresi said.
“You get to really hone in on his
talent."
He said that the State Theatre
was the perfect place for Sexton
to play, considering his intimate,
solo-acoustic style, the size will
help him connect better with the
audience.
Right from the beginning
Sexton got the audience involved
in his act, incorporating a call and
response section with them in his
first song.
Concerned about the audi
ence's experience, Sexton asked
the crowd more than once if his
guitar was at a good volume, and
he would tune at opportune
moments during songs as to not
disrupt them, though at one point
he flat out stopped a song to alter
it.
"Would you give me some of
that groovy Johnny Cash reverb,"
Sexton said to the soundman in
the back of the theatre. "Got to get
it just right."
topic, because the people are so
real and so honest in their conver
sations about depression and sui
cide," Kennedy said. “It's very
powerful."
Kennedy first asked Bird to pro
duce the film for the foundation in
2007, because she knew Bird had
done public scholarship activities
in the past, in which she worked
with community partners to raise
awareness about issues.
She said Bird "graciously
agreed" to direct the film.
"I was very interested in mak
ing suicide prevention out in the
open," Bird said.
“A death from suicide and the
grieving that goes along with it is
very different than if you lose a
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To e-mail reporter: tjbs267@psu.edu
I M It
Writer Kent Haruf talks about his book and his journey in becoming a
writer at the Foster Auditorium in the Paterno Library.
Author offers students
advice, shares journey
By Hannah Rishel
COLLEGIAN STAF F WRITER
Kent Haruf believes that fic
tion's purpose shouldn't be a
"sermon." but rather it should
"say something about the human
condition."
Haruf participated in the Mary
E. Rolling Reading Series on
Wednesday night in the Foster
Auditorium of the Paterno
Library.
During the event he read a
chapter from his book "Plain
Song," which was a finalist for the
National Book Award, and talked
to the audience about how he
came to be a fiction writer.
Earlier in the day he met with
graduate English classes for in
depth question and answer ses
sions.
Haruf said he didn't publish
any of his work until his 40s
because he felt like eveiything up
until that point wasn't good
enough to be published and he
was trying to learn what he want
ed to write about
He finally settled on using the
area of his hometown of
Colorado, in the eastern part of
the state that "people drive
across as fast as they can" to get
to Aspen and Denver
"Most people don't think it's
pretty," Haruf said. "1 don't think
it's pretty either, but 1 do think it's
beautiful."
He also talked about his time
as an English prolessor before he
made enough money on his
books to retire.
He said that his goal is lor see.
tences to sound "simple and
direct and clear." Students often
think that when thev trv to write
loved one through natural cans
es."
Recent suicide tragedies in
which over a one-month span in
September, six gay students under
the age of 20 ended their lives
have gained a lot ot media atten
tion, sparking discussion about an
issue that is otten considered
taboo, Kennedy said. But eventu
ally. Kennedy said she thinks the
media will go away, the talking will
stop and there will be silence
around the issue once again.
“And we need to keep talking
about it." Kennedy said. That
conversation can help people get
the resources they need and pre
vent future suicides."
Bird said she thinks society
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abstractly it sounds better, but
Haruf said it doesn't. Haruf
believes every sentence needs to
be calculated and necessary.
"There's a lot of pressure on
every' word because it has to be
the right word,” he said.
Haruf also told the audience
that while he's writing a new
book, like he is now, he focuses on
reading nonfiction books and
doesn't read any contemporary
fiction because he doesn't w ant to
make himself feel "stupid."
He added that when he wants
to get into the mindset to write in
the morning he'll read William
Faulkner and Ernest
Hemingway, two authors that
influenced him to pursue writing,
in college.
"I think his mindset and out
look on the wilting process is
interesting, " Carl Hayman (sen
ior-English) said. ‘A lot of writers
just give advice but not what they
think.”
Jessica Seisman said that
while her attendance was a
requirement, she would have
come anyway because she tries
to go to all the events where
authors are speaking.
She added that her favorite
part of the speech was Herat's
comment on how his daily task i
to write a capable sentence
because a lot of writers try to do
so much at once.
"I like that it took him so long
to learn how to write." said Erika
Pratt (senior-Englishi. who
attended for her English class, i
also like that he doesn’t conside"
himself a writer, but that he's still
learning."
T o e-mail reporter' hmrso27@psu.edu
needs to stop stigmatizing people
with depression, and hopes that
after students see the film they
will get help if they need it. or help
friends if they need it
"There is a sense of isolation
and loneliness that feeds the guilt
and shame and depression." she
spud. Kennedy said she hopes peo
ple will see the film and edueah
themselves on an issue that is so
often in the dark.
"I hope that people will eome to
learn more and not stay awa>
because it's a topic that makes
them uncomfortable." she said
"In the end there's a lot of hope
that's portrayed in the film."
To email reporter: ImisolB@psu.edu
IT"
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Kelsey Morris'CoNegian
IPM