Polina Barskova: A Russian Artist
By Sofia Picatoste
Polina
Barskova spoke in a deep Russian accent that flowed with metaphors and colorful
imagery as she read from her poem “Tomato and Sunflowers” at the inauguration
of Hampshire College president Jonathon Lash in May of 2012. The audience of
professors, parents, and students listened closely to the musical language of
her words. “Finally, in the bright air, the tomatoes have reached their peak.
The tomatoes and sunflowers. Soon they’ll be canned by September school teacher,
and explode into juices across the grass. But for now, it is as though the God
of things held his breath, and the rocking, the flaring wont quit, and the
beginning of dying drags on and on. It is too soon to bury me.”
Perhaps one
of the most peculiar and insightful professors at Hampshire College, Polina
Barskova is known for her heavy Russian accent and eccentric, poetic humor. She
has referred to her pupils as her “little ducklings” and comes to classes
wearing high mismatching socks. Her dark brown spiral curls hang to her
shoulders and her usual attire consists of colorful knitted sweaters. Division
II student Miriam King of Hampshire College who took Barskova’s course ‘Gogol,
Nabokov: And other eccentricities’ said, “She taught me how to read in such a
detailed level that I didn’t think was possible for myself.”
Barskova
was born on February 4th, 1976 in Leningrad, now known as St. Petersburg
as of 1990, and as a child was considered a prodigy. At the mere age of 15,
Barskova published her first written work of poetry. “My first poem was a fairy
tale poem about a strange knight coming to me out of nowhere and talking to me,
which in a way at the age of 8 was a strange act of adventure for me,” said
Barskova.
As she grew up,
Barskova became more engaged in reading and writing poetry, including American
literature. Barskova’s distinguishable favorite writers include Emily Dickinson,
Robert Frost, and Sylvia Plath, all American poets. A legendary Russian poet
Barskova finds inspirational is Joseph Brodsky, who was also born in Leningrad.
“Lots of American literature actually. Curiously enough, the Americans
translated a lot. Sometimes to show that awful American life devoured by
capitalism, but to us (Russians) translated as this beautiful American life,
devoured by capitalism. It was a very funny paradox.”
In Russia,
Barskova attended St. Petersburg State University and was awarded her degree in
classical literature. She refers to St. Petersburg as “the home that I have
left, the home that is absolutely impossible to leave”. Living in St.
Petersburg built a relationship between the city and aspiring poet. She enjoyed
going for walks with her father Yuri, a quiet historian who advocated Barskova
to always read literature. Together they would observe the city’s wondrous
urban life. Her mother, Nonna was always curious of her talents in writing
poetry. With the support of her parents and close friends behind her, Barskova
left St. Petersburg at the age of 20 and came to the United States.
“I left in
order to grow,” said Barskova. She pursued her studies at the University of
California, where she received her Ph.D. in Russian literature. Throughout
living in California, Barskova would still fly to Russia consistently, and kept
life long friends from home. Barskova still keeps in touch with a close friend
named Katja who currently lives in California. “We met when we were only seven,
and somehow we’ve gone through life together in many ways.”
While in
California, Barskova began looking for a job in her field, and found a position
open at Hampshire College. “I had never heard about Hampshire before, but I
began asking professors and friends about this potential job and it sounded
more and more incredible,” she said. Barskova teaches art in the form of poetry
and creative writing at Hampshire College. Now known as one of the best Russian
poets of her age, Barskova has received awards for her remarkable works,
including the Debut Prize and Andrei Bely Prize in Poetry.
Barskova is
continually publishing her work. Her latest book is called “This Lamentable
City,” and is her first book in English. She has written six other books of
literature in Russian. “I think of myself as a Russian poet but also an
American scholar, a pedagogue.”
Many of her students at Hampshire College say
how she is inspirational in the classroom, and makes them think outside of the
box. In her fall 2012 class called Ekphrasis, Barskova had groups of students
create aesthetics based on famous monumental works of art and then wrote
reflective poems about them. One group created a replica of the Eiffel Tower
using different colors of wires and gold mesh and each wrote poems on what this
famous landmark means to them and why they want to see it in person. A repeat
student of Barskova’s classes is Daniel Krasner, a Division II student and
second year at Hampshire College, has taken a class with the poet every
semester. “At first I thought she was really scary and intimidating,” he said,
“but then I realized she’s articulate and artistic. Everything she says is
beautiful and brilliant.” Krasner took the class “Abandoned Hopes”, a 20th
century Russian literature and film course, where Polina screened a famous 90
minute single shot film called “Russian Arch”.
Barskova’s
classes are always filled the moment registration begins for classes, and she
always has quite the waitlist. This can be seen when students log onto The Hub
for class registration. A class she is currently teaching in the spring
semester of 2013 is ‘Poetry and Translation: Borders and Bridges’ that focuses
on the theory of translation working with different languages,
cultures, poetic traditions, and cognitive studies. Artists she focuses on are Joseph
Brodsky, Helen Dryden, and especially Vladimir Nabokov. Another class she is
currently teaching is “Detection and the City,” with the class description
saying “How does the urban landscape inform the narrative? What narratives can
the city give birth to?”
Barskova
is a well-respected professor who is known for challenging her students,
however, she manages to crack jokes during her classes. In the class called
‘The Poet Always Envies the Painter: Ekphrasis’ Barskova turned on a projector
recently and turned the lights off to present a slideshow of works of art to
her students. A painting of a forest landscape appeared that had a dirt path
running through. However a first year student’s head was blocking the most
essential part of the piece; a horseman who was traveling on the path.
Hampshire students eagerly raised their hands to tell Barskova what their
depictions of the portrait were. Finally, when the student moved realizing
their head was blocking an essential piece, students created entirely new ideas
to present to Barskova and the class. While laughing and twirling her dark,
wild hair in between her fingers, Barskova said, “Ah, see I paid the child in
ice cream to fool you all. Now tell me with this man on horse what the piece is
speaking to you!”
Hampshire
students enrolled in one of Barskova’s classes were greatly influenced by the
Russian poet and began the Hampshire Poetry Group. Students in the group
concentrate on works of literature, and poetry, or just love to write in their
spare time. It’s a safe space where an artist’s work can be critiqued among
peers, and they can discuss the classic works of famous poets and writers such
as Barskova.
Today,
Barskova can be spotted almost anywhere on Hampshire College’s campus. Students
always see the poet having lunch in the dining hall known as Saga, where most
professors don’t normally have their lunch, or she is walking over to where her
office is located in the academic building called ASH (Adele Simmons Hall). Barskova
always remarks on how her Hampshire students, “have amazing
curiosity. Hampshire students at their best see things differently. This is
what makes it interesting for me.”
Image from:
http://poetryandpoetsinrags.blogspot.com/2012/05/news-at-eleven-drawn-to-cemeteries.html
The UMass Omelet Lady Profile
by Shannon Sullivan
While flipping a big yellow omelet into the air, Joanne Keller manages to learn all the details about the big game on Friday and asks about students previous days.
Keller is known in Southwest at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as “The Omelet Lady.” She can be found in the mornings flipping omelets for all the hungry students five days a week on their way to their first classes. She has a fiery auburn head of hair and a short, solid stature. She smiles at everyone and has all of her regular visitors orders down pat. As small as she may be, her voice is loud and demands attention. She likes to know how everybody is doing, and makes sure to talk individually to each person who gets an omelet. Keller is always cracking jokes and making her co-workers laugh to get through the long mornings. With such a cheerful demeanor it is hard to not walk away smiling with your omelet in hand.
When the Hampshire D.C. closed for renovations many students were worried that they were going to lose their favorite omelet lady. Keller moved her beloved omelet station to the Berkshire Dining Common in the Southwest Residential Area. Even though the conditions for her to make omelets aren’t as ideal as her Hampshire setup, she still makes omelets for the students of UMass all week long. Keller “grew up in Amherst, and lives in Hadley for over 30 years.” She is “a big fan of all things UMass related-especially UMass hockey.” Keller has three children, a son Matt who is 31, a son Brian who is 27, and a daughter Carolyn who is 21 and a junior at Mt. Holyoke College. She has been making omelets at the Hampshire Dining Common in Southwest at UMass since 2007. Before making omelets Keller was a Parks and recreation Director for Hadley, and she ran a farm stand with her first husband. Her first husband passed away in 1996 and she met her second husband Doug “online on a widowers chatroom at AOL back in the day when nobody was online dating, and he was from Billerica, MA. He moved out to Amherst to help raise the kids.” Keller says “we got married here in 1999 , and had our reception on top of the UMass campus on a beautiful fall day.” Keller had previously worked at UMass in her 20s, saying “I was the salad lady, I was a line lady.” She came back to work at UMass when her daughter was 16 and that is when she started working with omelets. She started taking over peoples’ shifts voluntarily so that she could bond with the students, and she worked more and more until finally her boss “had a meeting with her co-workers and asked her how she would like to cook omelets all the time, and she would just be the omelet lady and get to see the kids everyday.” Keller said this is how her Facebook fan page got started, as she bonded with the kids and more and more people would ask her if she knew the Franklin Omelet Lady, so her husband, Doug, decided to come in one day while she was working and take a ton of pictures of her in action and started her Facebook fan page, “The UMass Omelette Lady, Joanne!” Before Facebook changed, Keller said it had more than 1,000 fans.
When Keller was moved to Berkshire while Hampshire was renovated, she had some struggles, “The stir fry lady who has my space after me always comes over and tells me she has to start at 11, but I end at 11” said Keller. She said that at first it was “hard to find your spot” and that she had to “establish her own territory.” Keller “talked to her boss, made signs, and talked to the weekend crew to establish respect” she said. To her “respect is essential and they are all a team and need to be able to work together.” Things have gotten into a better routine now as the year has progressed. Her motto for cooking is “you pay, you get the say.” She said that since we pay so much money to go here, the students should get the food that they want, and she is all about taking care of the students and making sure they are happy. Keller still misses Hamp though, saying “Hamp is my home, I have a special place in my heart for Hampshire because its where I started and spent so much time.”
Keller makes students feel at home in a college setting. She is at the dining hall every morning early to greet each student with a smile and a “good morning” before they start their day. Ian Shultis, a senior at UMass said “It was always a pleasure to walk in early in the morning and have Jo there with a bright smile and a kind word. She was like mother away from home and she's one of the people I will definitely remember when I leave this University. Makes a mean country style too.” In a university where 4,500 of the undergraduate students are from out of state, and 345 are international undergrads it is nice to be able to say that a woman like Joanne is like a mother away from home. Keller even worked in the summer for the sports camps like the Football team, Basketball team and Soccer team. She gets to know the teams very well because they spend more time at school than at home. In the summer she only would cook around 50 omelets a day and the athletes would all come in at once and then she would be done and go help out at the deli with sandwiches.
Another student, Kellen Pagel, a junior at UMass described Keller saying “She is just really friendly and outgoing. She makes an effort to get to know people on a personal level. She used to save newspaper clippings from my football games for me to give to my mom.” Keller is a mother herself and is “always talking about her daughter, and her husband whose name is Doug,” said Tom Flannery, a junior at UMass. Her motherly instincts are a blessing for stressed, hungry, tired students in the early morning hours when she makes their omelets and talks to them about their days. Keller even says “I treat you guys as my kids, my kids are all grown up, and I see you guys everyday, its nice to see young people everyday.” She remembers birthdays, when students have tests, when athletes have games, saying “my dad had a good memory, and I guess he just passed it on to me because my memory is weirdly good” and she always makes sure to say something sweet to every single person she makes an omelet for. She understands that it is “hard to be away from home” saying “my daughter moved ten miles away and I cried, so I know what its like for you guys to be away from home and I want to help you all be comfortable here in any way I can.” Keller also said “I met this one girl who was so homesick she was going to leave school and quit the soccer team, I asked her to come see me every morning, and I would cook her an omelet and talk to her, and she did, and she ended up staying and becoming happy, and she just graduated last year and I cried so much at her graduation.” Keller really forms bonds with the students saying “I’m always working with 18 to 22 year olds and its just so much fun for me, they’ve made differences in my life.”
Keller isn’t quiet while she works, instead she chats to everyone from her helpers to the other workers near her to the students she is cooking for. She creates a comfortable atmosphere where groggy students can relax and get their omelets quickly. Keller calls herself a “people person,” saying “customer service is very important and everyone should have that special touch of making people feel comfortable.” Keller is a pro at flipping omelets without looking and can keep a conversation going while doing 20 things at once. When one sees her working, it almost seems like she could have eight arms with all the pans she is flipping, and the ingredients she gathers up. To see her cooking her specialty omelets is impressive especially since Keller said she “never cooked an omelet before she came to Hamp in her life.” In fact she’d “never really cooked before.” Keller cooks an insane amount of omelets a day, she said “at Hamp I probably made over 200 to 250 omelets a day, and now at Berk I make well over 300 omelets a day, it’s a significant increase.”
Students across Southwest really adore her, which can be seen by how many are fans of the Facebook page dedicated to her titled “UMass Omelette Lady, Joanne!” Her husband Doug posted a letter on the Facebook group that an anonymous girl nicknamed “Vegetarian Girl” wrote to her, which really proves how special she is to the UMass community. Quoted here the letter is as follows:
“"Hi Joanne,
I was thinking about leaving a comment card, but I thought about what a wonderful person you are and I thought a letter was better.
You are so much more than an Omelette Lady on Facebook. You always make me feel so comfortable and even when I am having a bad day, seeing your cheerful and radiant face is always a highlight. There are so many nice people in the world and people that I know, but YOU stand out because you are such a kind soul and people are drawn to you because you have a beautiful spirit. You are always at hand with a kind word or gesture and a smile. Thank you so so so much for always taking care of me with grace and beauty.”
It is clear to see that Keller has touched so many students lives and continues to do so every Monday to Friday morning from 7AM to 11AM at Berk. She proves that in a big university like UMass where the Southwest Residential Area is the largest on campus, and houses around 5,500 students, one person can still manage to make an impact on such a large community. All while making a mean breakfast omelet.
(photo is credited to Joanne's Facebook fan page, from her husband Doug Keller)
By Alyx Rivard
(photo is credited to Joanne's Facebook fan page, from her husband Doug Keller)
The Life and Times of Sampson Carter
When Sampson stands up in his apartment, his head is less
than two inches from touching the ceiling. There are close to 15 boxes of brand
new shoes on top of his dresser to match the array of designer jeans and shirts
spewing out of his drawers. “Oh yeah aside from basketball, I kinda have a
thing for shoes,” Carter says with a smile.
Standing at 6’8” and 220 pounds, senior Sampson or “Samp”
Carter is a fierce competitor in Division I college basketball. It was this
dream of Sampson’s that stole him from the warmth of the South and brought him
to his new home in New England.
He is rummaging through hampers of endless UMass basketball
sweatpants, sweatshirts and t-shirts he has accumulated over the years, as he
tosses them around the room in an attempt to pack for his upcoming basketball
trip to upstate New York. Drake’s new song “Started From The Bottom” softly
plays in the background as the Baton Rouge, La. native raps every lyric under
his breath. It’s amazing this self-dubbed “neat freak” manages to keep his room
organized with the amount of clothes and accessories he owns.
Keeping up with both the rigorous basketball schedule and workload
of a double major in Sociology and African-American studies, weren’t the only
obstacles Carter has been forced to overcome in order to achieve success. He
was also expected to deal with the culture shock of being thrown into a
completely different environment from the one he had known his whole life. From
the warm-hearted, laid back, welcoming attitude of the Cajun Country to the
fast-paced Northern lifestyle, Sampson had to quickly adapt.
Carter lived in Baton Rouge until his sophomore year of high
school when he moved to Memphis, Tenn. It was in Memphis where his basketball
career really began to take off. By the time he was a senior at Ridgeway High
School, Carter had been selected as both MVP and Player of the Year out of
every eligible high-school basketball player in Tennessee. “Getting those
awards are probably to date some of my biggest achievements. It gave me a lot
of confidence and motivation I needed to play in college,” he said.
Before attending the University of Massachusetts, Carter
spent a year at Winchendon Prep School for his post-graduate year in order to
better prepare himself for UMass. “Winchendon is a school in the middle of
absolute nowhere in the mountains of Massachusetts. I had to switch my
cell-phone carrier just so I could get service. I had to dress-up everyday and
experienced my first New England winter ever. It was a rough year to say the
least,” said Carter. On the positive side, he said if he had “good behavior” he
was allowed to come visit UMass on the weekends to hang out with the players
and his, at the time, future teammates, which helped him make it through his
prep-school year. “It was cool to chill with the guys and meet new people. I
would come here all the time and they would take care of me.”
Carter’s biggest complaint with the New England culture was
simple and straightforward, “THE FOOD!” he said wide-eyed as if this was the
most obvious question. “Gravy, yams, cornbread, dumplings, cabbage, pot pie,
fried chicken, pulled pork so tender it melts in your mouth, lightly buttered
sweet potatoes…y’all don’t know what you’re missing up here! I’m getting hungry
just thinking about it,” said Carter. His love for food didn’t go unnoticed as
a couple left over Wendy’s “sweet n sour” packets lie along his desk.
Although according to Carter the food may be a downgrade,
the coaching staff of the UMass basketball team is what initially attracted him
to the school. “Coach Derek Kellogg. I’ve known him since I was 8, so we
already had a good relationship, which is really important in successful
coaching. It just seemed liked the right move for me.” Kellogg and Carter’s
relationship began years ago when Kellogg took the assistant coach position at
the University of Memphis with the men’s basketball team in 2000. At the time,
Kellogg was helping coach Carter’s brother, Shyrone Chatman, a former player on
the University of Memphis team and now assistant coach of the UMass team aside
Kellogg.
In a late December interview from the UMass Sports Insider Chatman explains what
it’s been like coaching his younger brother from the sidelines. “I’ve been coaching
him since he was 4 years old even as a big brother. When it became a job, it
was a little difficult. I just had to pick my spots when to back off and when
to get on him. The other coaches have done a good job, the assistants and coach
Kellogg, of stepping in when I would probably get frustrated, so I can step
back and cheer him on,” he said.
According to Chatman, his brother’s talent and work ethic
have not gone unnoticed, as Carter has made a name for himself in college
basketball down South. “The thing I’m most proud of him is I used to tell him
when people stop saying ‘Oh you’re Shyrone’s little brother,’ then you’ll know
you made a little progress. Just this past weekend and summer in Memphis, I go
places and people stop me and say ‘Oh you’re Sampson’s brother,’” said Chatman
of his brother’s college achievements.
However, Carter’s college career hasn’t come easy without
its own set of trials he’s had to overcome. Basketball seemed to be going
smoothly and accordingly until it all came to a halt last season after just
seven games. Carter was forced to take a medical redshirt for the season due to
a torn hip labrum in which he needed surgery for and stopped him from fully
practicing for an entire year. From December of 2011 to around December of
2012, Carter wasn’t at his full strength or potential and spent the year
rehabilitating his injury and mentally preparing for the upcoming 2012-2013
season.
Although spending the majority of last season watching his
team from the sidelines was tough on Carter, the months of physical therapy and
rehabilitation proved to pay off at the game-opener this season on November 13th.
With 1.2 seconds left in the game, a feed to the corner from teammate Chaz
Williams left the ball in the hands of Carter, he drained his first 3-pointer
in 365 days. SWISH! The 4,000 fans jumped to their feet as the Mullins Center was
filled with applause and cheers. UMass took the dramatic win, defeating Harvard
67-64. “It was a shot I felt like I needed to hit. I knew it was going to bring
me back physically and mentally. It was a game I had been thinking about for a
year and a half. I was just blessed to make that shot,” said Carter of the
buzzer beater.
“Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard,” is
the quote Carter said he lives by and motivates him to try his best in
everything he does each day. If it wasn’t for determination and perseverance,
Carter wouldn’t have been there to sink the game winning shot on November 13th.
This constant hard work is going to be necessary in order to attain the
extravagant lifestyle he plans to reach in his near future. When asked where he
see’s himself in 10 years Carter goes silent for the first time in the interview.
His Adidas sandal begins to quickly tap on the ground as he rubs his head clearly
in deep thought. “In ten years, I will be an entrepreneur relaxing on a yacht
in the middle of the Caribbean,” said Carter proudly. May seem like a bit far
fetched of a dream but Carter reassured that with hard work, dedication and the
right connections anything is possible.
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