Mount Hood

The year through song: Western Howl’s playlist

Western Collective

As this turbulent and trying year comes to an end, the staff at The Western Howl have compiled songs that relate to this year, or have gotten them through it. For those who are interested in jamming along with us, look us up on Spotify at TheWesternHowl.

The Weepies — “The World Spins Madly On”

Panic! at the Disco — “New Perspective”

Megan thee Stallion (feat. Beyoncé) — “Savage Remix”

Weathers — “I’m Not Okay”

MAGIC GIANT — “Disaster Party”

KYLE — “All Alright”

Ieuan (feat. Commonminds)  — “Over the Garden Wall”

Superorganism — “Something for Your M.I.N.D.”

Fall Out Boy — “Thnks Fr th Mmrs”

All Time Low — “Wake Up, Sunshine”

BIGBANG — “SOBER”

Asyndenton — “Ascending Heaven” 

Afroman — “Tall Cans”

EARTHGANG — “This Side (A COLORS SHOW)”

Future ft. Kendrick Lamar — “Mask Off”

Get cozy with these funny graduation films

Rylie Horrall |  Lifestyle Editor

As the year comes to a close, some graduates may find themselves wanting to have a movie binge night — whether it’s virtually with friends or in person with those they’re social distancing with. A great way to do this would be with some classic graduation films. Get cozy and check out the list of movies below.

  • “Legally Blonde” (2001) (Amazon) — A woman beats the ditzy-blonde stereotype by attending law school and graduating at the top of her class at Harvard Law.
  • “She’s All That” (1999) (Hulu, Showtime) — Popular guy and artsy girl make a bet to see if they can make the artsy girl prom queen.
  • “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” (2008) (Disney+) — The gang’s ‘all in this together’ as they navigate their senior year and graduation.
  • “Adventureland” (2009) (Hulu) — A college grad moves out to Europe for graduate school and falls for his amusement park co-worker.
  • “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986) (Netflix) — Right before graduation, a group of friends duck out of school for one last hurrah.
  • “10 Things I Hate About You” (1999) (Hulu, Disney+) — A senior focused on finishing high school and going to college is set up with the new kid so that her little sister can go on a date.
  • “Booksmart” (2019) (Hulu) — Two academically strong seniors try to catch up on the special moments from their teen years on the night before they graduate.
  • “Accepted” (2006) (Hulu) — A fake university is set up by a senior to fool everyone into thinking he’s attending college, but then many other students also try to attend the nonexistent university.
  • “Life of the Party” (2018) (Amazon) — A freshly dumped housewife returns to college for a journey of self-discovery.
  • “Dazed and Confused” (1993) (Hulu) — Crazy shenanigans ensue on the last day of high school for a group of rowdy teenageers.
  • “Into the Wild” (2007) (Hulu) — A recent college graduate donates all of his money and gets rid of his possessions before setting out on a journey in the Alaskan Wilderness.
  • “Reality Bites” (1994) (Hulu) — A woman creates a documentary about herself and her friends after college.
  • “The Social Network” (2010) (Netflix) — Following Mark Zuckerberg post-graduation and the creation of Facebook.
  • “The Devil Wears Prada” (2006) (Amazon) — A college graduate with big dreams starts a job at a magazine firm as an assistant to a dubious editor.
  • “Superbad” (2007) (Showtime) — Two best friends try to handle the last couple weeks of high school by throwing a giant house party.
  • “The Graduate” (1967) (Hulu) — A recent college graduate moves back home with his parents and tries to navigate post-graduation life while avoiding the question, “what do you want to do with your life?”

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Photo courtesy of Annapurna Pictures

Book review of Xander Blue’s debut Western fictional novel

Never Retallack |  Entertainment Editor

During the wrath of quarantine, I have longed to be in a different time; reading Xander Blue’s “Whipping Up a New Past” certainly allowed for that.

Blue lives in Phoenix and has always had a passion for history in different eras and decided to write his debut novel in “The Goddess of Death Series.”

This American Western fictional book had some familiar elements when it comes to time travel. An old and eccentric scientist, Doc Brown — “Back to the Future” anyone — selects the chosen one to have the power of time travel; in this novel, it is through a futuristic bracelet that his star pupil, Janet Sun, can go back to the 1800s to educate Native Americans and kill the men who would murder her ancestors.

Janet Sun is the 64th richest person in the world, an Olympic bullwhipper, Taek Thai expert, gymnast, ex-military and college graduate. All around, she feels like someone that you imagine being when you grow up: she’s a superhero. 

After receiving a bracelet that allows her to time travel, she uses several different inventions Doc Brown provides her to enhance her knowledge of languages. He also offers her complex technology that works as bear and wolf repellant.

Sun’s mission was never fully explained or discussed; it felt more like a roller coaster of cutting heads off in the name of her family. An interesting part of this book is how much Sun alters the past — saving a baby from a burning building, murdering several men who were going to kill her ancestors, and even developing a romantic relationship with the sheriff.

In most time travel movies or novels, it is highly stressed that altering the past could have dire consequences. This story is centered around all the ways that Sun could alter the past.

Her character is caught up with helping others and creating knowledge, a noble goal for her mission, but one that was often not explained.

Much of the book was spent discussing how life was in the past, a specific way something was cooked or washed, or how trading or renting wasn’t an option. Some of the book felt like a way to showcase knowledge and research Blue had done in the time period, rather than focusing on character and story development.

The novel had good core elements, a strong main character who never waivered, an unstoppable mission and thorough information on the time they were in. I think the novel would have improved more if there had been more conflict for Sun — a book with only smooth sailing can feel flat. 

Overall Rating: While there is some room for improvement for this novel, I believe that there are some interesting and compelling moments throughout the book. For those who like a unique story about time travel, they should check out this novel; it is a quick read and more information can be found at https://XanderBlueBooks.wixsite.com/mysite.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Xander Blue

Learn more about Western poet Cylinda Neidenbach

Never Retallack |  Entertainment Editor

Last week, The Western Howl published an article titled “Arms, revenge and flower crowns”

about the top three winners for the Peter Sears Poetry Prize. It’s time to get to know the first place winner, Cylinda Neidenbach — a senior at Western majoring in English with a focus on writing.

 

Q: How long have you been writing poetry?

A: I was prone to writing whimsical poems when I was about nine years old, a la Shel Silverstein. My parents used to read “Where the Sidewalk Ends” and “A Light in the Attic” before I even knew how to read. I’d be four or five years old, reciting “The Loser,” (“Mama said I’d lose my head, if it wasn’t fastened on,”) and for a moment my parents thought that I had somehow learned to read. To this day I can still recite it from memory. After grade school, however, I’m afraid I seldom wrote poetry — unless it was something witty to amuse my friends. I took Dr. Hughes’s poetry seminar last term and was dismayed to find that he didn’t encourage goofy, half-baked poems. They were all I knew. I wrote the “rough draft” of my winning poem the first day of class, when Doctor Hughes told us to “describe something.” I had just hugged my lover goodbye, and his arms were the first thing that came to mind. Misunderstanding the instructions and somehow forgetting that I was in a poetry class, I wrote a small paragraph that later became, through many revisions, my poem “To Bear Arms.” You can imagine my surprise that it won.

 

Q: What got you interested in writing?

A:  I do love writing. It’s one of the few things I do for myself. I have been writing short stories and novellas since I could read. It’s a passion of mine. (My current novel was started in 2011 and I have been writing it forever. I hope to be done around the time I graduate.) As far as poems go, I never considered poetry my jam, but rather something I should know at least a little about as a future English teacher. (Many thanks to Dr. Hughes for helping me whittle down my natural tendency towards long windedness. Constant Vigilance! Word Economy!)

 

Q: What does it feel like to write a poem?

A: What does writing a poem feel like? I don’t know how to answer this. I started to notice moments of remarkable beauty or connection with things: people, nature, the world. Moments that made me feel present, and I would try to get them out on paper. Often a single line would form itself right then, and I would try to hang on to it, press it in my memory, be the conduit. That’s how it worked for me.

 

Q: Anything you’d like to add?

A: Serious poems, while not as fun as the lively, fickle, frivolous poems of my childhood, are rewarding. They serve as snapshots of memory, moments in time preserved.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photos courtesy of Tristram Kerrigan

Learn more about Ali McCarthy, senior student creating content

Never Retallack |  Entertainment Editor

Spending time stuck at home can leave many people feeling as if they have nothing left to do. English major Ali McCarthy, a Western Alumni, has decided to use her free time creating content on YouTube. Get to know more about her process and what her channel is about in this Q&A.

 

Q: How have you been handling the quarantine?

A: Quarantine has been… interesting. I spend pretty much all of my time watching videos/shows/movies or finding something to do. It’s an equal balance of laziness and productivity, but I’m definitely missing my friends. I try to stay on track with a bullet journal and try to write down things that can help me be productive or creative. I figured since I’m stuck at home, I’ll make the best of it and maybe test out some new hobbies or skills.

 

Q: What made you start your YouTube channel?

A: I was going through a bit of an existential crisis going into my last real year of college, feeling like everything I thought I knew about myself wasn’t actually what I was, and just feeling really lost. Back in high school, I took a video editing class and I really enjoyed editing. So during my crisis, I tried out a bunch of hobbies to kind of find that passion I once felt for writing and found it in video editing. I figured since it was fun and I thought I was good at it, I’d post it somewhere. It was mostly montages and compilations of my snapchats with friends or times I’ve traveled, but then I wanted to kind of dive into challenges and more entertainment and find a way to laugh at myself to take my mind off the stress of school and relationships and the future. Kind of like finding control in a world I couldn’t control.

 

Q: What are your primary focuses for the channel?

A: My videos mostly consist of me failing at something but still somewhat having success at it. I’ve learned to laugh at myself a lot, and I just kind of responded naturally to things like challenges, DIYs, cooking, etc. I just wanted to have fun, and I’m incredibly sarcastic and have a dry sense of humor. I feel like I don’t see a lot of that. Even now, I don’t make these videos expecting to blow up. It’s just a temporary thing because it’s fun for me. I’ve turned myself into Joe Exotic from the “Tiger King,” I’ve talked about my craziest and embarrassing stories, I’ve put on 100 layers of clothing, I’ll do a makeup tutorial; it’s all pretty sporadic but fun, and I usually just record in the comfort of my own bedroom — mainly because my mom would be super confused and interrupt if I recorded in the kitchen.

 

Q: What’s your favorite part about producing videos?

A: The editing process is my favorite. Once I get started, I just zoom through it. It’s incredibly therapeutic for me and lets me zone out for a while. Then when I’m done, I’ve spent hours creating something that I’ve envisioned and it makes me feel pretty good. Finding background music and sounds, adding effects, playing around with all the tools my program has — it’s creating art.  

 

Q: What are your hopes for producing content?

A: I guess for right now, I’m just making videos just to make videos. I don’t really expect to make it big or have thousands of subscribers and have a career from this, I know it’s possible but it isn’t a priority. I’m not good at drawing or have a sport I’m killer at, it just became something that took me out of some anxiety and made me feel in control. If I happen to go somewhere with this, that’d be cool, but I know sooner or later I’ll have to figure it out and either commit or move on. But right now, it’s me finding enjoyment and possibly spreading a little enjoyment to someone else. But life’s pretty crazy and you never know what could happen. 

 

Q: What has been the general response to your channel?

A: Generally, it’s my friends or acquaintances, basically anyone who follows my Snapchat or Instagram because that’s where I advertise my videos. It’s always a good response, people tell me I’m funny — which is a huge compliment to me — or they say they loved how my video went with all the comical effects I add into it. It’s been great responses but then again, it’s from people I know, so I would hope they’re nice about it, but I also always appreciate the feedback. 

 

Q: For those interested in your content what should they look up?

A: If anyone’s interested just look up Ali McCarthy or RallyAli, one “L” and one “I”, that’s a pretty common mistake. I try to do videos based on the trends going around or what I find is most interesting or entertaining, but YouTube’s algorithm is weird so it’s best just to look up my name. 

 

Q: Anything else you would like to add?

A: I mean, any feedback is always welcome. Subscribe for new videos every Wednesday. I feel weird self promoting myself but you gotta do what you gotta do, am I right? We’re all just trying to have some fun before life gets too serious, so don’t be afraid to just do what you want to do.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu 

Photo courtesy of Alison McCarthy

Find out who won the Peter Sears Poetry Prizes this year

Never Retallack |  Entertainment Editor

While school life has shifted to remote learning and creating, the university is still allowing opportunities for students to showcase their work. As such, the Department of English Studies has announced the winners of the 2020 Peter Sears Poetry Prize. 

Peter Sears is an esteemed poet in Portland and has obtained degrees from Yale and the University of Iowa. He was named the Oregon Poet Laureate from 2014 to 2016 and remains an important and influential writer in the state.

Sears also worked as a community services coordinator for the Oregon Arts Commission where he aided writers in their work with the National Endowment for the Arts. All of his hard work has earned him awards from the Oregon State Library, Willamette Writers and Literary Arts. Along with the Poetry Prize he has also founded the Oregon Literary Coalition and the publishing press Cloudbanks Books, along with their poetry journal, Cloudbank.

For the Peter Sears Poetry Prize, the first prize for the contest was $200, second prize was $75 and the third was $25.

The first prize winner went to Cylinda Neidenbach for her piece “To Bear Arms.” This piece was short and takes one’s breath away, seemingly a love ode to someone who has been through violence and hard work.

Cheyan Swan took the second prize with their powerful poem “a spell for revenge.” Between lines of strikingly intense spell weaving and casting, Swan intertwined who the spell was for — revealing hardships they have been through.

Third prize went to Katherine Sutton for their piece “Flower Crowns.” This poem compares the different experiences between that of a child and those who are older, all through creative metaphors using a flower.

Those who are interested in reading the full poems can find them here. https://wou.edu/wouportal/email_attachments/allstudents/msg-1588262462-25662-0/PeterSearsWinners2020.pdf

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Williams takes the stay-at-home order to create more art

Never Retallack |  Entertainment Editor

Hayley Williams, the frontwoman for the punk-rock band Paramore, released two parts of  “Petals for Armor” in February and March and now the final album is ready.

“Petals for Armor” is a 15-song creation of Williams’ diary; the vulnerability and rawness in each song has shocked fans.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Williams commented on the album that “I needed these songs to help me get to a place where I could name my shame, take inventory of emotional scars, true friends, awful coping mechanisms and discover what I desire for my life.”

Her most recent EP released for the album was the song “Dead Horse,” an emotional rollercoaster of her romantic life. The song is powerful and confronts issues of infidelity and expectations, featuring several different versions of herself throughout the song to show her metaphorical growth and changes.

The album is a journey through her emotions, dealing with unmanaged rage in “Simmer” and “Leave it Alone,” and questioning the health of her relationships in “Why We Ever,” “Taken” and “Dead Horse.”

This album is vastly different from her music with Paramore; she takes risks with more funky and abstract beats that showcase her gentle vocals and emotions.  

The last song on the album, “Crystal Clear,” is one of my favorites because it is the perfect end to her journey. She talks about broken trust and anger — how she would never be so naive again —  and the song simply ends with her saying “I won’t give into the fear. It’s a feeling. I’m still right here.” This powerful line shows that she can work through her fear and continue on in her life, taking risks and proving others wrong.

Overall, the album was a journey for Williams and listeners; the songs have captivating musicality and intense lyrics that make the album a must listen.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of petalsforarmor.com

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