Amid the mounting frenzy over finals and the invasion of numerous tours on campus, students showcased their talent at ink’s biannual festival, The Goods. The Rathskeller played host to the all-day celebration of the arts on Saturday Nov. 21, featuring headliner, poet Michael Dickman.
Dickman concluded the night of student performances with a reading from his book of poetry, “The End of the West.” With simplistic, yet profound reflections on relationships, especially the one between him and his father in “Some of the Men,” Dickman delivered his work with a relaxed conviction. “Scary Parents” and “My Dead Friends Come Back” explored the interactions of his childhood, while “My Autopsy” tackled an “upbeat take on the afterlife,” Dickman said. Though his reading style lacked an engaging enthusiasm, his sincerity and friendly approach made his poetry particularly accessible.
Following the reading, there was a question and answer session in which Dickman was asked about the autobiographical nature of his writing. Dickman told the audience that while aspects of people he knows exist in his writing, they transformed into mere characters in service to the message of his poetry.
“When things become art, they stop being autobiography,” he said.
Continuing in its convergence of the arts, The Goods highlighted the musical and poetic expertise of student performers.
The Undercover Rabbis transformed the Rat into a battleground of sound with its noise music set. Relying on cacophonic drum beats and guitar chords, along with the incorporation of a water jug, guitarist Steve Klett, senior English major and drummer, and Umar Fahim, a Stockton University student, created coordinated chaos with a series of original songs, including “One by One We Fling Ourselves into the Ocean” and “Bigger than Boston.” For its last song, the band invited fans to join them onstage.
“Our motto is, if you’re a fan then you are in the band,” Klett said.
Freshman journalism major Melisa Easaw read original poetry, including “Eyes,” “If Only,” “Planes” and “Lost.” The focus of her writing ranged from the importance of life’s essentials to the concept of time.
Reading from poems riddled with imagery, Noah Franc, sophomore history major, introduced originals such as “The Lone Wolf of the Woodlands” and “Boston is Beautiful in the Evening.” In addition to demonstrating his mastery of metaphor and descriptions heavily involving nature, Franc introduced his experiments with Shakespearean sonnets entitled “Night of Nights” and “Starwars Sonnet.”
Among the musical performances was Paul Bernardo, senior business management major. Bernardo performed a series of covers, including “Lady in the Blue Dress” by Senses Fail and “My Hero” by Foo Fighters with his acoustic guitar. According to Bernardo, though his set was composed of only covers, he changed the style of each song, primarily by altering the speed, in order to make it his own.
“I wanted to capture them in a different way,” Bernardo said.
