R C a Lumni Journal
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RC Alumni Journal Journal Alumni RC RC Alumni F Journal Are you just going to sit there and let 1 No. 2017, all these youngsters Relax, Midge! drink us out Before you know it of house and they’ll be wanting home? organic frappés and will forget all about our “Bug Juice”! Fall 2017, No. 1 Welcome! 2017 is the 50th anniversary of the RC, but it’s also the 47th anniversary of its creative writing program. If you figure that at least 10 students a year graduate with a degree in RC creative writing, that’s a cohort of over 500! Not including those who took classes but had other majors, or didn’t graduate in the RC, or didn’t graduate. It seems an auspicious time to launch this journal. We hope it will be a place for RC creative writing alums to learn about and celebrate each other, but also a place where new graduates can find friendly feedback and a place to begin publishing. This journal’s genesis occurred in the spring of 2014, just before the first of three Voices of the Middle West conferences held at East Quad, with the idea of a separate website for RC creative writing students and alumni. A calendar of readings and other events was developed, with email reminders sent out periodically. Then . This first issue contains a selection of work by RC writing alums from each decade of program history. Enjoy! Image Credits The following images are courtesy of Shutterstock: Laura Stachew’s “Beautiful Objects” on page 8: Pavel Klimenko Cameron Finch’s “Frozen Lake” on page 21: Ian O’Hanlon Table of Contents Laura Thomas’ “Third and Manageable” on page 27: David Lee and Ivan Mlankovic Ellen Dreyer’s “Heartland, on page 36: CREATISTA Peter Anderson, Excerpt from The Banana from Outer Space 1 Amy Gustine’s “Black Box” on page 54: jannoom 028 Paige Pfleger, DNA testing reunites family after 50 years 5 Ian Singleton’s “First Time” on page 62: anemad Lauren Stachew, Beautiful Objects 8 Dennis Foon’s “Acid Trip” on page 74: Gorbash Varvara Matthew Rohrer, Four Poems 12 Clare Higgins’ “Love” on page 86: stockphoto mania Alyson Foster, The View from the Fourth Floor 16 Allison Epstein’s “Delilah” on page 94: Viki1984 Cameron Finch, Frozen Locks 21 Anna Prushinskaya’s “Love Letter” on page 96: Mirjana Uzelac Marty Sherman, Three Poems 25 Jon Michael Darga’s “Genesis” on page 98: Michael D. Brown Laura Hulthen Thomas, Third and Manageable, 27 Liz Parker’s “Pearls” on page 108: DnDavis or Why I Bought My Son A Rifle Ellen Dreyer, Excerpt from Heartland 36 “Banana” performance photos on pages 3-4 are courtesy of Peter Clare Higgins, Desdemona 44 Anderson. The photo accompanying Paige Pfleger’s “DNA testing” Clare Higgins, nine ways of looking at her knees 45 article is courtesy of Paige Pfleger. Dan Madaj took the photo ac- Elena Potek, Dead Empty 46 companying Alyson Foster’s “Fourth Floor.” Amy Gustine, The Expert’s Black Box: Using Instinct and Observation to Improve the Fiction Workshop 54 The drawings accompanying Peter Anderson’s “Banana” on page 1 Laura Kasischke, At Gettysburg 59 and Dan Madaj’s “E.J.” on page 117 are by Dan. Ian Singleton, First Time 62 Bob Clifford, Five Poems 70 The cover is a composite of all these images (except for the rifle from Elizabeth Schmuhl, Two Poems 73 Laura Thomas’ piece), plus part of a drawing by Dan from back when Dennis Foon, My Acid Trip 74 the journal was testing the name “Bug Juice.” Clare Higgins, Love and Other Disorders 86 Peter Anderson, Acid 92 Head-shot photos for “Program News” are from U-M or personal Allison Epstein, Delilah 94 websites. Anna Prushinskaya, Love Letter to Woody Plants 96 Jon Michael Darga, Genesis 98 Logan Corey, Three Poems 106 Liz Parker, Pearls Before Swine 108 Daniel Madaj, E.J. and the Trojan Horse 117 Print copies of this journal were made possible by funds from the Program News Residential College. Thank you! Dan Madaj served as editor, etc. Contact him at [email protected]. Zillions of thanks to Laura Thomas and the advisory group, which in- cluded Laura, Cameron Finch, Elizabeth Schmuhl, and Logan Corey! An excerpt from The Banana From Outer Space Peter Anderson The Banana From Outer Space, a musical comedy, was performed in the RC theater on June 20-23, 1973 to boisterous crowds. Aside from Anderson, at least three RC creative writing students and over 20 other RC or U-M students were involved. Peachy Cream evolved from the Banana experience (and other performances in the Inn and elsewhere), staging comedy- and musical reviews around town over the following three years. A mute and mysterious banana from Spublowski a working class couple outer space named Benny lands his watching the movie on TV. donut-shaped spaceship on the Wash- ington Monument and is promptly befriended by a young ZAG: (pointing to audience) Hey, janitor Fred and his girlfriend Nancy. look! The National Guard’s Before long the gentle and hapless surrounding the Washington banana has stirred up strong reac- Monument and commanding tions among spiritual youth, rock and the donut to surrender. roll fans, the police, the military, and religious extremists. In this excerpt, Zig ZIG: (to Fred) After this, who and Zag are undercover CIA agents, knows? Benny Banana for Rev. Cracker a conservative minister President or . running for president on an anti-veg- etarian platform, Capt. Zilch the host NANCY: Fred, if you say no I’ll of the late-night Sci-Fi Thriller TV show never speak to you again. broadcasting the movie “The Banana from Outer Space,” and Rose and Joe FRED: Say no to what? RC Alumni Journal • 1 ZAG: (menacingly) Confrontation, man, covering Rev. BIll Cracker’s (Zig and Zag, until now typical street (Black-out center stage. Spots on confrontation. pre-election rally in downtown people, pull out guns and wallets) Joe and Rose watching tv) Washington, D.C. (to Benny) FRED: I’d lose my job if anybody found Excuse me, sir, but who are ZIG: Alright, everybody freeze, JOE: Hey, that Cracker’s alright. A out I was at a protest. you voting for in tomorrow’s this is the CIA! president like him’s what this presidential election? country needs to straighten (Loud explosion ... they fall down) (Zig and Zag remove long-haired wigs) up. ZIG: (to Fred) Whaddya say we REV.: (coming out of prayer) Amen. communicate nonverbally via Lt. Zag, frisk that banana! ROSE: I think he’s a monster -- the mass media? (hands Benny the (to Nancy, Fred and Benny) way he’s persecuting that FLOCK: (coming out of prayer) Amen. cream pie) You’re all under arrest for cute banana. conspiracy! FRED: I don’t like this, Nancy. If the FRED: Benny, I don’t think you should. JOE: Cute banana? It’s a monster! National Guard’ll blow up the FRED: Hey, that’s not fair! Washington Monument, think NANCY: Oh, don’t be a stick in the ROSE: No, he’s not. He’s just what they’d do to Benny! mud, Fred -- he’s his own ZIG: I’d like to advise you of your misunderstood. banana. rights. NANCY: Now that you’re out of work JOE: This is a monster movie and you can grow your hair long, Fred. ZILCH Rev. Cracker, is it true that the FRED: You’re not hippies, you’re he’s the monster. Don’t you National Guard has blown up spies. know nothin’, Rose? Look, it FRED: What? the Washington Monument says right in the tv guide ... because a spaceship shaped like ZAG: And you’re under federal “monster banana ...” It don’t ZIG: And go on welfare! a donut landed on it? custody. (he leads Fred and say “monster reverend ...” Benny offstage in handcuffs) ZAG: And smoke dope all the time! (Benny stalks Cracker with pie) ROSE: I don’t care. ZIG: (to Nancy) You come with NANCY: And be a hippie! REV.: Our planet is the only planet me, chick. (exits with Nancy) JOE: Keerist, Rose, don’t you see? in the universe visited by Jesus All that love crap’s a trap to ZIG, ZAG & NANCY: And live! Christ and therefore the only ZILCH: This is all too incredible to get everyone to drop their planet blessed by God with believe. A giant banana from defenses ... then POW an FRED: I can’t do that ... what would my intelligent life or the brainpower outer space has just tried invasion lands and because mother say? necessary to launch an to assassinate presidential all the liberals are off playin’ intergalactic space vehicle. hopeful Rev. Bill Cracker! with their bananas the U.S. ROSE: Such a nice boy. And it looks like, yes! The is conquered by a fleet of FRED: I don’t think that’s logically Rev., apparently uninjured, is fruitcakes. ZIG: You don’t have to do anything, correct. going to make a statement. just let Benny throw this (a pie) in ROSE: Does it say all that in the tv Cracker’s face. REV.: There is no such things as REV.: This only confirms what guide? creatures from outer space, giant I’ve been sayin’ all along FRED: Well, I don’t know. bananas, ghosts or dreams! -- vegetables are the work JOE: But then Cracker unleashes of Satan! Fruit, too! I am this top-secret weapon paid ZILCH: (playing himself in the movie, (Benny creams Cracker) confident that after the votes for by decent hardworking center stage) Hi there, this is Capt.