Literary journey from the woods to the concert hall captures Writing Center contest

Kathryn Aldridge’s ability to take the reader on a literary journey from the woods to the concert hall won first place in OU-C’s fall Writing Center contest for her literary work “The Processes of Beauty.” The poem uses the strategic placement of copy to engage the reader in telling the story of how the felling of a maple tree begins the process or creating a cello.

Kathryn Aldridge with OU-C Dean Donna Burgraff

“I enjoy looking at nature, but I'm also aware that some beauty can't be made without using man-made objects. Also, I love performing in my school's orchestra, and Yo-Yo Ma is one of my favorite classical musicians,” said Aldridge in explaining the inspiration for her literary feat.

Aldridge plans to see Yo-Yo Ma in concert in Cincinnati in early May. Aldridge has played cell for about nine years and looks to continue playing while a college student next fall.

Aldridge, a post-secondary student, is also a senior at Chillicothe High School and plans to attend Carson-Newman College in Tennessee next year.

“I'd been dabbling in poetry since middle school, but somewhere along the line I read a poem that used the placement of words to help convey its meaning, and it really made the poem come to life for me,” Aldridge said. “Since then, that's the style I prefer when writing poetry. I think it helps the reader visualize the images, and it seems to keep similar thoughts flowing seamlessly into one another and different thoughts from blurring together.”

The student-author’s musical pursuits also include being a member in the All-Ohio State Fair Band, which performed at the recent inauguration of Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

“Her poem “The Process of Beauty” is a lovely piece of writing with beautiful imagery that evokes a serene examination of the tensions between natural beauty and the beauty of crafting music from wood,” Writing Center Coordinator Debra Nickles said. “One judge noted its ‘strong verbiage’ and ‘sense of completeness in the way it comes full circle and carries an idea to completion.’”

“In fact, we were thrilled with the response to the Writing Contest this fall; we had 17 entries, our largest to date. And to quote one of the judges, it was also one of the most difficult judging sessions yet. Almost all of {the entries} had powerful lines in them and choosing just one to stand as the winner was a hard process within itself. We even had one student submit a song she had written and performed. Although she did not place first, the judges encouraged her to pursue future avenues for promoting it to local radio stations,” Nickles added.

“As someone who works daily with writers on the Chillicothe campus, I was glad to see such a strong response to the contest and to see such vivid writing this time around. In fact, my tutors and I plan to contact folks who have entered the contest to see if they might be interested in submitting work either to our online gallery at the National Gallery of Writing or perhaps a small literary magazine we may sponsor this spring. We strive to continue to build a strong community of writers on campus and we are seeing some of our efforts come to fruition,” Nickles said.

The winter quarter Writing Center Contest: Snap Shot Prose and Poetry will call for writing that is connected in some way to photographs. Entries will be due at the end of week 10 of the quarter. Further information will be forthcoming.

Book-signing event scheduled for author of Alzheimer’s caregiver’s book

A book-signing event of author Eva Gerber’s book Journey Through Alzheimer’s will be held at noon on Feb. 7 in the Stevenson Center Learning Commons at Ohio University-Chillicothe. Gerber is a former OU-C student and Chillicothe resident.

In the book, the author draws on her own experience with her mother’s Alzheimer’s disease, her insights as a counselor and interviews with a psychologist and family medical practitioner. The book is especially useful for caregivers and touches on relevant points such as:

• Practical suggestions for a successful doctor’s visit

• Ten warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease

• 50 fun things to do with the patient for a successful visit

• The power of personality traits and how they affect the caregiver

According to the 2009 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures Report, an American develops Alzheimer’s disease every 70 seconds and, in 2008, 9.9 million family members, friends and neighbors provided unpaid care for a person with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia.

Irish music singer to perform at OU-C

Irish music singer Mossy Moran will present a concert from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 26 in the Bennett Hall auditorium. The event, which is sponsored by OU-C’s Cultural Committee, is free and open to the public.

Cancer Society representatives to share information on tobacco use

Representatives from the American Cancer Society will on in the Bennett Hall lobby from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 15 with information on tobacco-use and smoking-cessation programs. The event is sponsored by the campus’ Health & Wellness Committee.

Upcoming Campus Events

• Book-signing by author Eva Gerber at noon on Feb. 7 in the Stevenson Center Learning Center

• Academic Council meets at noon in Bennett Hall room 105 on Feb. 8 & 22

• Classified Group meets at 9 a.m. in Bennett Hall room 105 on Feb. 8

• Administrative Council meets at 9 a.m. in Bennett Hall 105 on Feb. 10

• Irish music singer Mossy Moran will present a concert from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 26 in the Bennett Hall auditorium.

Former OU-C student finds her ‘Field of Dreams’ job

Former Ohio University-Chillicothe student Amanda Seimer hit a homerun with her first job out of college, landing an internship as a group sales assistant with the Brevard County Manatees in Melbourne, Fla, on the state’s east coast.

“For me, this is a dream job. I am a big baseball fan, and I have always wanted to work in the sports industry,” she said. “I don’t really see it as work. I enjoy what I am doing and everyday is a new experience.”

Seimer has wasted little time in moving forward in her new career field. She completed her degree in communication studies from OU-C during fall quarter 2010, and then attended the interviewing session for job-seekers at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla., during the first week of December 2010. It was during that session that she earned the job with the Manatees.

Seimer, a Logan Elm High School graduate, gained practical experience as a college student, as a promotions intern with the Chillicothe Paints and as a sportswriter with the Chillicothe Gazette.

“That experience was very valuable in preparing me for this job. I was able to take what I learned in one internship or job and apply it to the next position. It is because of that experience that I was able to get his job,” she said. “Working with the Paints showed me the groundwork of the baseball business and the writing experience has come in handy. I already wrote an article that was posted on the team’s Web site.”

“My advice to current students is to follow your heart and find a career you really enjoy. Also, get as much experience as possible.”

Much of Seimer’s time has been spent networking with civic leaders and others on behalf of the team and developing a promotional schedule for the upcoming season.

The Manatees are the Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and are members of the Florida State League.