Marion seeking ideas on Uptown Streetscape
The city of Marion wants your input on the future of its Uptown District; Wednesday night was the first night for meetings in Marion to discuss the future of it.
Nick Bowden, Community Planner and Partner of Community Redesigned, which is working with the city of Marion on their planned updates says they want to broaden the perspective of what uptown is and what it can be.
“This project,” he says, “Is a very detailed look at the uptown core and historic area of the community.”
Bowden says they are looking at any detail that is with in the boundaries of uptown Marion including; traffic, sidewalks, streets, etc. as well as the over all design of the area.
“This is the first critical step in the project,” says Bowden, “we are trying to get a base line of the wants and needs of the people of Marion.”
To do that during Wednesday night’s session Community Redesigned had the approximately 60 people who turned out go to different areas of the uptown district and really look at, turn in their input of what they wanted improved.
The ideas that came back from the walk mainly focused on improvements to the park.
“The park is a wasted area,” Brett Allen who lives on 5th Ave. said, “it only gets used once, maybe twice a month, wasting a lot of money, its such a nice space, we could utilize it a lot better.”
Other community members however noted that the park gets very congested when there is events and suggested expanding it, including Marion resident Dennis Naughten.
Bowden said that the park is one of the biggest assets that Marion has as a community, and is one of the things that they are looking at in possibly making changes.
Craig Adamson a Marion Business owner and Marion City Council member said he found the exercise eye opening. He says he wants to make Marion more user friendly.
Bowden says they want all the community involvement that they can get. Their website; www.planyouruptown.com is now up and running and has already gotten 150 ideas. Bowden encourages people to the website to submit their own ideas on the future of Uptown Marion.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Wild at Heart Review
“Wild at Heart” delights audiences
LINDSEY COOK/Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, October 28, 2008
LINDSEY COOK/Northern Iowan
"Wild at Heart" is the story of a southern romance gone wrong.
If you missed The Interpreters Theatre performance of “Wild at Heart,” written and directed by the University of Northern Iowa’s very own Paul Siddens professor of communication studies, then you missed a work of genius and a great performance by all.
It all started with the great music, which set the stage for what would be a great show.
On Saturday night, the house was about two-thirds full, which according to Siddens was the smallest audience they had, but possibly the most responsive.
“Wild at Heart” can only be described as a southern romance gone wrong.
The script, written by Siddens, was funny and serious at times, but also very sexual. Each actor embodied his or her character fully. One of the funniest was Linda Marlow as Marietta Pace Fortune, who was great especially when she was playing drunk, and a little crazy.
Lula Fortune, played by Brittney Johanningmeier was not only romantic and a bit on the wild side, but also a scared girl on the run. Chris Priebe’s Sailor Ripley may come off a bit dull at first, but its all part of the characters laid back nature. As the play continues you realize how far he will go for Lula, showing more layers to the character.
The characters of Marietta and Dalceda as played by Shauna McElderry steal every scene that they are in, being extremely funny playing extremely drunk.
Ren Waddell plays the narrator, who also takes on other roles through out the performance, demonstrating her talent by going from accent to accent and character to character in only an instant.
Another great character was Bobby Peru, played by Nik Zaid Hanis, comes off creepy and scary, which he says is how he wanted it.
“I’m only creepy in there, out here I’m a nice guy,” he said after the show.
The script and the performances by the actors is what really make this show memorable. Siddens’ script is superb, the quick writing and scenes make the two hour show fly by in no time at all, keeping the audience engaged at all moments.
The downside of this production was the space. While interpreters’ theatre allows the audience to be closer to the action, it made actor entrances and exits difficult since there was no real back stage. They had to go in and out through the main doors and the side doors, which could be distracting.
The ending may have been a little sad and depressing, but it came off as a work of sheer
genius.
“It was fabulous, very impressed with the acting, and the script was beautifully written, the audience involvement of laughing made it really enjoyable,” Bethany Schwichtenberg said.
Ashveen Sekuran agreed.
“It was disturbingly good, and the actors really embraced their roles, made people uncomfortable in their chairs which made the play even more successful,” she said.
Assistant director Janette Pasker was happy with the production.
“I think it went really well. I’d do it again in a heart beat,” she said.
Hanis playing Bobby Peru agreed.
“I think it went great, everyone was immersed in their characters. Its bittersweet now that it’s over, it’s a lot of fun, not like you can play these characters again,” he said.
Linda Marlow who played Marietta Pace Fortune said she was sad now that it was all over.
“I cried when I had to say goodbye to Lula for the last time. The play went stupendously due to our brilliant audience,” she said.
“It was a great success, we had a great audience each night, great performance for each show,” said Brittney Johanningmeier, who played Lula. “I’m so happy I took the opportunity to do this.”
NISG Supreme Court Article
NISG Supreme Court mitigates confusion between student organizations
LINDSEY COOK/Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, November 13, 2008
The Northern Iowa Student Government Executive Branch has been both a plaintiff and a defendant in cases the NISG Supreme Court has reviewed this year.
Last year, there wasn’t even a recorded meeting of the Northern Iowan Student Government Supreme Court. This year’s court has heard three complaints with two going to trial, according to Andrew Clopton, NISG Chief Justice.
“The Supreme Court, to my knowledge, has not been real active since the ‘80s,” he said.
The Supreme Court resolves disputes within the NISG or any recognized student organizations.
The latest case the court heard was (Adam) Haselhuhn v. (Pernell) Cezar on Oct. 28, with the decision rendered on Nov. 2.
In the case, Haselhuhn, a university at-large senator, brought a complaint against the executive branch for not fulfilling their responsibilities. Haselhuhn brought it to the court because he was concerned that NISG was operating without an election commission at such a late date in the semester. The Election Commission makes sure that elections are done fairly and that no rules are broken.
“NISG has an Election Commission to oversee all elections that take place,” Haselhuhn said. “At the time the case was filed, the Senate was about to have its ninth meeting of the semester. So NISG was functioning without an Election Commission.”
Clopton said the decision of the court was that they agreed that the election commission should have been formed.
“I’m glad we do have an active judicial branch to keep the other two branches in check. In years past, we have had judicial branches that have never been called into action, but it is nice to see that they are extremely prepared when called upon,” Hasulhuhn said.
“The Court recommended that Brandon Neil, the Election Commissioner, resign from his duties and appoint and Interim Commissioner to take over,” he continued. “Finally, the court urged the Senate to revise the Election Rules and make changes to provide more clarity.”
Clopton said these cases have come up this year because there is a lot of confusion over what bylaws in the constitution mean.
This same problem came up with the other case that was heard Cezar v. Organization and Finance Committee, et. al. Clopton said that in this case, the executive branch thought that NISG operations were subject to the same funding restrictions in the constitution as other groups are.
Ultimately, the court decided that NISG doesn’t fall under the same restrictions for funding for events like the “Panther Bash” and therefore can use more funding than other organizations.
Cezar realizes that his name on the top of both these cases it can be misleading. What it means is that the case dealt with the entire executive branch, and not just Cezar. He believes the new members on the NISG Supreme Court have had an influence on the activity of the branch.
“When we contacted Supreme Court justices from the year before, we ended up having to fill every position,” said Cezar. “Those new people wanted to be more proactive in answering any questions people might have over jurisdiction. It is a great check and balance point for anything in student government really.”
Cezar said there are no limitations to who can submit a complaint to the Supreme Court, as along as the plaintiff has the proper paperwork submitted.
Clopton said this year they are hoping to go beyond their normal duties and do more for students.
“The Supreme Court is looking to establish a way for students to more readily access legal services and council,” he said. “I’m trying to find a list of area attorneys that students could go for legal assistance.”
LINDSEY COOK/Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, November 13, 2008
The Northern Iowa Student Government Executive Branch has been both a plaintiff and a defendant in cases the NISG Supreme Court has reviewed this year.
Last year, there wasn’t even a recorded meeting of the Northern Iowan Student Government Supreme Court. This year’s court has heard three complaints with two going to trial, according to Andrew Clopton, NISG Chief Justice.
“The Supreme Court, to my knowledge, has not been real active since the ‘80s,” he said.
The Supreme Court resolves disputes within the NISG or any recognized student organizations.
The latest case the court heard was (Adam) Haselhuhn v. (Pernell) Cezar on Oct. 28, with the decision rendered on Nov. 2.
In the case, Haselhuhn, a university at-large senator, brought a complaint against the executive branch for not fulfilling their responsibilities. Haselhuhn brought it to the court because he was concerned that NISG was operating without an election commission at such a late date in the semester. The Election Commission makes sure that elections are done fairly and that no rules are broken.
“NISG has an Election Commission to oversee all elections that take place,” Haselhuhn said. “At the time the case was filed, the Senate was about to have its ninth meeting of the semester. So NISG was functioning without an Election Commission.”
Clopton said the decision of the court was that they agreed that the election commission should have been formed.
“I’m glad we do have an active judicial branch to keep the other two branches in check. In years past, we have had judicial branches that have never been called into action, but it is nice to see that they are extremely prepared when called upon,” Hasulhuhn said.
“The Court recommended that Brandon Neil, the Election Commissioner, resign from his duties and appoint and Interim Commissioner to take over,” he continued. “Finally, the court urged the Senate to revise the Election Rules and make changes to provide more clarity.”
Clopton said these cases have come up this year because there is a lot of confusion over what bylaws in the constitution mean.
This same problem came up with the other case that was heard Cezar v. Organization and Finance Committee, et. al. Clopton said that in this case, the executive branch thought that NISG operations were subject to the same funding restrictions in the constitution as other groups are.
Ultimately, the court decided that NISG doesn’t fall under the same restrictions for funding for events like the “Panther Bash” and therefore can use more funding than other organizations.
Cezar realizes that his name on the top of both these cases it can be misleading. What it means is that the case dealt with the entire executive branch, and not just Cezar. He believes the new members on the NISG Supreme Court have had an influence on the activity of the branch.
“When we contacted Supreme Court justices from the year before, we ended up having to fill every position,” said Cezar. “Those new people wanted to be more proactive in answering any questions people might have over jurisdiction. It is a great check and balance point for anything in student government really.”
Cezar said there are no limitations to who can submit a complaint to the Supreme Court, as along as the plaintiff has the proper paperwork submitted.
Clopton said this year they are hoping to go beyond their normal duties and do more for students.
“The Supreme Court is looking to establish a way for students to more readily access legal services and council,” he said. “I’m trying to find a list of area attorneys that students could go for legal assistance.”
Do universities ever cancel class? Article
3/2/2007
Volume: 103
Number: 43
Do universities ever cancel class?
Lindsey Cook
NI News Writer
As an ice storm rolled through the Cedar Valley on Friday and Saturday, student panthers waited with baited breath to see if their classes would be cancelled.
Monday morning came, and most of the schools in the Cedar Valley closed, including Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Price Lab Schools, and yet, UNI stayed open.
This came as a surprise to senior Tang Abdoul. “I think if the weather is really bad and the roads are difficult to drive on, it would be unfair to students who don’t live on campus to drive in bad weather or miss class because of it. “Not everyone who goes to UNI lives on campus.”
So who decides just how dangerous the roads and sidewalks have to be for UNI to cancel classes?
Drumroll please ...
That would be James Lubker, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
According to Lubker, there are criteria for canceling classes; it’s not just up to him to decide.
“Criteria are variable. If the crews can get the streets, sidewalks and entries reasonably clear, we stay open,” Lubker said. “Since universities are very largely residential, there is much less reason to close a university than to close a high school or a community college.”
He also pointed out that the last time the university cancelled classes was during finals week last year when classes were delayed till 10 a.m.
“That instance last winter we delayed because at 6 a.m. the snow was coming down at an inch or more an hour and the crews had been able to clear the streets and sidewalks but not the stairs or entries and needed some more time,” Lubker said.
While some were camped out in their dorms on Sunday or stuck in their apartments, the decision on whether or not they should cancel classes on Monday was taking place. “The Vice-President for Administration and Finance, the Director of Public Safety and I were on the phone several times Sunday,” Lubker said.
“Each of us has several very good web-sites for weather, including radar reporting. By late Sunday afternoon it was clear that we were not going to receive any more ice and little, if any, more snow. The crews were ahead of things we agreed that we could both open the campus and hold classes.” Lubker points out as well that all three of the Regents Universities were open on Monday.
Lubker said, “We realize that someone will be upset no matter what decision we make. We just try to make the best decision we are able to, with the information available to us.”
Harry Potter Preview Article
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” released Saturday
Lindsey Cook
NI News Writer
The seventh and final “Harry Potter” book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is scheduled to be released at midnight tonight.
It is expected like its predecessors to go straight to the top of the best seller list. Already millions of people nationwide have pre ordered copies from their favorite bookstores or websites.
This month can be seen as “Harry Potter Month,” with the release of the final book a mere ten days after the release of the fifth Harry Potter film: “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.” Truth be told excitement for this book has been building ever since the sixth book came out July 16, 2005.
When the announcement on J.K. Rowling’s official website came in January that her final book would finally be coming out on July 21, excitement jumped to an astronomical level.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is one of the most anticipated books this decade. Everyone wants to know what is going to happen. Who is going to die? Who will live? Who will win, and who will lose?
Rowling has revealed that two of her characters will die in the final book. She also stated that someone will do magic who isn’t supposed to do magic.
In a recent article on “AOL News,” Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who portrays Harry Potter in the film series said that Rowling has given him inside information into his character to help him play Harry better on screen.
So there is at least one person other then the author who knows the fate of Harry, but he like every one else is tight lipped as to what they know. So while the suspense of the final Harry Potter installment builds, speculation and predictions are building on the Internet.
In a recent Reuter’s article, The Zogby Interactive Survey was conducted as speculation over which characters will be killed off in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” Of 1,373 U.S. adults who plan to read the book surveyed, only one in five, or 20 percent, believed that one of the two characters killed off would be Harry.
However, many “Harry Potter” fan sites on the Internet, which are often visited by a younger audience, have given many different scenarios as to what might happen, and they are definitely less certain over whether or not Harry dies.
The-leaky-caultron.org, one of the biggest Potter sites out there, conducted another poll regarding Harry’s fate. And while 13,477 out of 13,760 people believed he would live, more then 3,000 were undecided as to what his final fate would be.
On facebook.com alone there are twenty two different groups dealing with Harry Potter, and almost all of them are dealing with the upcoming book. Speculations are running wild, with many making their predictions about what is going to happen in the end.
In one such group the question was asked: what would be the worst possible thing that could happen in Harry Potter Seven? Of course the obvious answer for many would be Lord Voldermort winning, and Harry dying, which was said quite often. However several people wrote that the worst possible thing would be that the whole series was just a dream by Harry Potter.
Three other interesting, but yet improbable ideas were that: Hagrid is Harry’s real father, that Ginny falls in love with Malfoy, and that Voldermort was Harry’s real father. (I have to say if that last one comes true, I would be extremely angry, though I highly doubt it will happen).
As for myself, I think it’s a possibility that Harry could die in this book. That would prevent sequels, but then again, I’ve heard online rumors that Rowling is considering, emphasis on considering, writing another book.
I hope that Snape and Malfoy die after all they have put Harry through. I also hope that Neville Longbottem defeats Bellatrix Lestrange, because after all who doesn’t cheer for the little guy? This brings me to my last prediction and hope for the end of the series – That Harry finally defeats Lord Voldermort.
But, alas until tomorrow, no one will know, and the rumors and speculations will continue. Until then, good luck characters of Harry Potter – Here’s to hoping all of your favorites survive, and that this book is the best of the series.
Lindsey Cook
NI News Writer
The seventh and final “Harry Potter” book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is scheduled to be released at midnight tonight.
It is expected like its predecessors to go straight to the top of the best seller list. Already millions of people nationwide have pre ordered copies from their favorite bookstores or websites.
This month can be seen as “Harry Potter Month,” with the release of the final book a mere ten days after the release of the fifth Harry Potter film: “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.” Truth be told excitement for this book has been building ever since the sixth book came out July 16, 2005.
When the announcement on J.K. Rowling’s official website came in January that her final book would finally be coming out on July 21, excitement jumped to an astronomical level.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is one of the most anticipated books this decade. Everyone wants to know what is going to happen. Who is going to die? Who will live? Who will win, and who will lose?
Rowling has revealed that two of her characters will die in the final book. She also stated that someone will do magic who isn’t supposed to do magic.
In a recent article on “AOL News,” Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who portrays Harry Potter in the film series said that Rowling has given him inside information into his character to help him play Harry better on screen.
So there is at least one person other then the author who knows the fate of Harry, but he like every one else is tight lipped as to what they know. So while the suspense of the final Harry Potter installment builds, speculation and predictions are building on the Internet.
In a recent Reuter’s article, The Zogby Interactive Survey was conducted as speculation over which characters will be killed off in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” Of 1,373 U.S. adults who plan to read the book surveyed, only one in five, or 20 percent, believed that one of the two characters killed off would be Harry.
However, many “Harry Potter” fan sites on the Internet, which are often visited by a younger audience, have given many different scenarios as to what might happen, and they are definitely less certain over whether or not Harry dies.
The-leaky-caultron.org, one of the biggest Potter sites out there, conducted another poll regarding Harry’s fate. And while 13,477 out of 13,760 people believed he would live, more then 3,000 were undecided as to what his final fate would be.
On facebook.com alone there are twenty two different groups dealing with Harry Potter, and almost all of them are dealing with the upcoming book. Speculations are running wild, with many making their predictions about what is going to happen in the end.
In one such group the question was asked: what would be the worst possible thing that could happen in Harry Potter Seven? Of course the obvious answer for many would be Lord Voldermort winning, and Harry dying, which was said quite often. However several people wrote that the worst possible thing would be that the whole series was just a dream by Harry Potter.
Three other interesting, but yet improbable ideas were that: Hagrid is Harry’s real father, that Ginny falls in love with Malfoy, and that Voldermort was Harry’s real father. (I have to say if that last one comes true, I would be extremely angry, though I highly doubt it will happen).
As for myself, I think it’s a possibility that Harry could die in this book. That would prevent sequels, but then again, I’ve heard online rumors that Rowling is considering, emphasis on considering, writing another book.
I hope that Snape and Malfoy die after all they have put Harry through. I also hope that Neville Longbottem defeats Bellatrix Lestrange, because after all who doesn’t cheer for the little guy? This brings me to my last prediction and hope for the end of the series – That Harry finally defeats Lord Voldermort.
But, alas until tomorrow, no one will know, and the rumors and speculations will continue. Until then, good luck characters of Harry Potter – Here’s to hoping all of your favorites survive, and that this book is the best of the series.
Garden Spells Book Review
Debut novel plants a seed
Thursday, 20 September 2007
Lindsey Cook
NI A&E Writer
An apple tree that throws apples and shows you the biggest events in your life, a garden full of magical flowers that can do everything, the honeysuckle which allows you to see in the dark, the lavender which raises spirits and prevents bad decisions: all of this and more can be found in the debut novel, “Garden Spells” by Sarah Addison Allen.
“Garden Spells” is the story of the Waverlys, who despite trying to be normal, are a curious family because of their peculiar gifts and extraordinary garden. Taking place in Bascom, N. C., the two main characters are sisters Claire and Sydney.
The sisters are complete opposites. While Claire is settled at home in the old family home, starting her own catering business using the mystical flowers, Sydney the wild child left home as soon as she could, trying to follow in the footsteps of their own wild child mother.
Sydney runs into trouble when her wild ways leave her with a little girl and an abusive boyfriend. Sydney finally is able to run away with her daughter, Bay.
Arriving back home, Sydney disrupts not only her sister’s quiet life but the whole town’s as rumors start to spread about the real reason she came back.
Sydney tries to readjust to her hometown and settle herself down for the first time, while Claire is trying to adjust to having people in her life again. They run through the obstacles of Sydney trying to get a job and Claire dealing with a new hunky artist neighbor who despite her many hints won’t stop paying attention to her. Then there is Bay, who tries to recreate a dream she had and spends every moment she can in the garden.
The ending was fulfilling and absolutely wonderful. I was left wanting to know more about these Waverlys, but it wasn’t a cliff hanger. There seemed to be many more stories that could be told. I hope Allen revisits this family again.
The book is filled with delightful characters. All of the Waverlys have some type of gift. Claire has intuition about certain things and can use her flowers in her cooking.
Bay has a feeling of where everything and everyone belongs. Evanlee, Claire and Sydney’s cousin, gives out gifts to people for no important reason that the characters later have a use for. Sydney struggles with what her gift is, but realizes it during the story.
The story is told through all of their eyes at different points in the story. While most of the story is told by either Claire or Sydney, the transitions are seamless. They allow you to see the different parts of the town and sympathize with more than one character. Although I felt more attached to Claire then anyone else in the book, this could change depending on the reader’s perspective.
One of the reasons I felt most attached to Claire was that at one point in the book she says, “There’s a reason I’m the way I am, you know.”
I think everyone in their life says that to someone. We’ve all had life experiences, and sometimes story tellers forget to give their characters a past and future as well as present.
At 286 pages, there is something in this book for everyone: romance, suspense, mystery and of course a certain mystical element that fits nicely and neatly in the book without being questioned.
Unlike most first time novels, there wasn’t a single problem I found in the book. The characters were filled out, the plot complete and the ending satisfying. According to the back of the book, Allen is currently working on her next novel which should be out some time in 2008. I greatly look forward to reading her next novel.
Rating 5 out of 5 stars
Thursday, 20 September 2007
Lindsey Cook
NI A&E Writer
An apple tree that throws apples and shows you the biggest events in your life, a garden full of magical flowers that can do everything, the honeysuckle which allows you to see in the dark, the lavender which raises spirits and prevents bad decisions: all of this and more can be found in the debut novel, “Garden Spells” by Sarah Addison Allen.
“Garden Spells” is the story of the Waverlys, who despite trying to be normal, are a curious family because of their peculiar gifts and extraordinary garden. Taking place in Bascom, N. C., the two main characters are sisters Claire and Sydney.
The sisters are complete opposites. While Claire is settled at home in the old family home, starting her own catering business using the mystical flowers, Sydney the wild child left home as soon as she could, trying to follow in the footsteps of their own wild child mother.
Sydney runs into trouble when her wild ways leave her with a little girl and an abusive boyfriend. Sydney finally is able to run away with her daughter, Bay.
Arriving back home, Sydney disrupts not only her sister’s quiet life but the whole town’s as rumors start to spread about the real reason she came back.
Sydney tries to readjust to her hometown and settle herself down for the first time, while Claire is trying to adjust to having people in her life again. They run through the obstacles of Sydney trying to get a job and Claire dealing with a new hunky artist neighbor who despite her many hints won’t stop paying attention to her. Then there is Bay, who tries to recreate a dream she had and spends every moment she can in the garden.
The ending was fulfilling and absolutely wonderful. I was left wanting to know more about these Waverlys, but it wasn’t a cliff hanger. There seemed to be many more stories that could be told. I hope Allen revisits this family again.
The book is filled with delightful characters. All of the Waverlys have some type of gift. Claire has intuition about certain things and can use her flowers in her cooking.
Bay has a feeling of where everything and everyone belongs. Evanlee, Claire and Sydney’s cousin, gives out gifts to people for no important reason that the characters later have a use for. Sydney struggles with what her gift is, but realizes it during the story.
The story is told through all of their eyes at different points in the story. While most of the story is told by either Claire or Sydney, the transitions are seamless. They allow you to see the different parts of the town and sympathize with more than one character. Although I felt more attached to Claire then anyone else in the book, this could change depending on the reader’s perspective.
One of the reasons I felt most attached to Claire was that at one point in the book she says, “There’s a reason I’m the way I am, you know.”
I think everyone in their life says that to someone. We’ve all had life experiences, and sometimes story tellers forget to give their characters a past and future as well as present.
At 286 pages, there is something in this book for everyone: romance, suspense, mystery and of course a certain mystical element that fits nicely and neatly in the book without being questioned.
Unlike most first time novels, there wasn’t a single problem I found in the book. The characters were filled out, the plot complete and the ending satisfying. According to the back of the book, Allen is currently working on her next novel which should be out some time in 2008. I greatly look forward to reading her next novel.
Rating 5 out of 5 stars
Women in Romance Comics Article
Women in Romance Comics: not exactly fair play
By Lindsey Cook
Comic books may not be the most popular reading for women today, but in the 50’s it was hot stuff. That’s the message from Professor Paul Siddens CROW Forum presentation called Domestic Containment: Women and Romance Comics of the ‘50’s and ‘60’s.
Siddens describes himself as a self described comic geek, saying he has over 15,000 comics. He says he gives this lecture because as a teacher and researcher he has found some interesting applications for comics.
“As you read them, you can see political values, social values, like a film, you can see how different eras viewed things.”
The presentation/lecture was given by Siddens on Monday afternoon at the CME as a part of the CROW Forum, sponsored by The Women’s and Gender Studies Program.
Siddens explained at the forefront of his lecture that once WWII ended family values were at the forefront of American culture and that this can be seen in Romance Comics being created and the standards women were encouraged to live by.
Among these values were that women were expected to marry early, while sexually active independent professional women were discouraged.
The comics of the 1950’s exemplified romance and anti communism as the two major themes of the early cold war years.
Siddens says the first romance comics were created in 1947 and adopted the style of true confession magazines. He explained the comic industry was hopping to tap into the largely neglected female market.
Siddens said the first half million copies of the comic Young Romance sold out. Eventually there were 100’s of romance comics out there.
Another theme Siddens said come out of these comics was women sacrificing their futures for the man. Eventually by 1949 romance comics out sold all other genres and cut deeply into other comic’s sales.
“There were some very silly concepts out there, like wanting women to be cautions of the business world,” said Siddens on the themes. He did say some comics tried to combine the concepts of the Cold war, and romance.
Siddens says these came in many examples, “Many comics featured ‘exotic beauties’ trying to steal the man away from the American woman.”
Siddens said Young Romance established the formula that would be followed by most all romance comics, “Cautionary morality tales told from the perspective of a female protagonist while pushing domesticity.” However Siddens says the comics gives the men free reign to do what ever they wanted.
The books while all about women, were written all by men, and seldom strayed from the premise that women were incomplete without the man.
Siddens says the comics also featured advice on dating; urging restraint, self denial, accommodation on the part of the female and warned against promiscuity. The comics also suggested honesty, stability were more important then passion and excitement.
The comics also discouraged women from entering into the work force because it complicated relationships and jeopardized the chances for marriage. Siddens pointed out again that the comics said Men needed and deserved independence, while women did not.
Stories also focused on complications that made love melodramatic, and in the ‘50’s the comics became to become more steam, with sex implied but never showed.
Siddens says not all comics followed these formulas, EC Comics revealed the bitterness behind the walls of domesticity.
Siddens says the 60’s marked the end to romance comics with the rise of women’s liberation, the sexual revolution, the changing moral cultural values, and the fact that comics became more quaint.
The comic book code also did not help things; it held things back because it said you could not show a man and a woman in a married relationship being unhappy. Also Siddens says at this time Super hero comics got their rebirth.
With the end of romance comics Siddens says the industry lost its brief hold on young women.
Siddens says even with more comics focusing on women, we now still have way too many men writing and created the comics, but we are starting to see more women writers and different ethnicities of writer writing comics now then ever before.
About 20 students and professors, and community members came to the lecture; one student who came Aldijana Omanovic says she found it fascinating, “I thought it was very informative, I never realized the relationships between comic books and women’s portrayal. While she says she came for a class, she didn’t think the lecture was boring at all.
By Lindsey Cook
Comic books may not be the most popular reading for women today, but in the 50’s it was hot stuff. That’s the message from Professor Paul Siddens CROW Forum presentation called Domestic Containment: Women and Romance Comics of the ‘50’s and ‘60’s.
Siddens describes himself as a self described comic geek, saying he has over 15,000 comics. He says he gives this lecture because as a teacher and researcher he has found some interesting applications for comics.
“As you read them, you can see political values, social values, like a film, you can see how different eras viewed things.”
The presentation/lecture was given by Siddens on Monday afternoon at the CME as a part of the CROW Forum, sponsored by The Women’s and Gender Studies Program.
Siddens explained at the forefront of his lecture that once WWII ended family values were at the forefront of American culture and that this can be seen in Romance Comics being created and the standards women were encouraged to live by.
Among these values were that women were expected to marry early, while sexually active independent professional women were discouraged.
The comics of the 1950’s exemplified romance and anti communism as the two major themes of the early cold war years.
Siddens says the first romance comics were created in 1947 and adopted the style of true confession magazines. He explained the comic industry was hopping to tap into the largely neglected female market.
Siddens said the first half million copies of the comic Young Romance sold out. Eventually there were 100’s of romance comics out there.
Another theme Siddens said come out of these comics was women sacrificing their futures for the man. Eventually by 1949 romance comics out sold all other genres and cut deeply into other comic’s sales.
“There were some very silly concepts out there, like wanting women to be cautions of the business world,” said Siddens on the themes. He did say some comics tried to combine the concepts of the Cold war, and romance.
Siddens says these came in many examples, “Many comics featured ‘exotic beauties’ trying to steal the man away from the American woman.”
Siddens said Young Romance established the formula that would be followed by most all romance comics, “Cautionary morality tales told from the perspective of a female protagonist while pushing domesticity.” However Siddens says the comics gives the men free reign to do what ever they wanted.
The books while all about women, were written all by men, and seldom strayed from the premise that women were incomplete without the man.
Siddens says the comics also featured advice on dating; urging restraint, self denial, accommodation on the part of the female and warned against promiscuity. The comics also suggested honesty, stability were more important then passion and excitement.
The comics also discouraged women from entering into the work force because it complicated relationships and jeopardized the chances for marriage. Siddens pointed out again that the comics said Men needed and deserved independence, while women did not.
Stories also focused on complications that made love melodramatic, and in the ‘50’s the comics became to become more steam, with sex implied but never showed.
Siddens says not all comics followed these formulas, EC Comics revealed the bitterness behind the walls of domesticity.
Siddens says the 60’s marked the end to romance comics with the rise of women’s liberation, the sexual revolution, the changing moral cultural values, and the fact that comics became more quaint.
The comic book code also did not help things; it held things back because it said you could not show a man and a woman in a married relationship being unhappy. Also Siddens says at this time Super hero comics got their rebirth.
With the end of romance comics Siddens says the industry lost its brief hold on young women.
Siddens says even with more comics focusing on women, we now still have way too many men writing and created the comics, but we are starting to see more women writers and different ethnicities of writer writing comics now then ever before.
About 20 students and professors, and community members came to the lecture; one student who came Aldijana Omanovic says she found it fascinating, “I thought it was very informative, I never realized the relationships between comic books and women’s portrayal. While she says she came for a class, she didn’t think the lecture was boring at all.
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