PROGRAMS

RIC MASTEN SPEAKING POEMS ON THE COLLEGE CAMPUS RIC MASTEN writes his poetry to be heard rather than read, for oral interpretation rather than the printed page, and when he presents his work before a live audience what he does is unique. It is more encounter than entertainment, for though we are aware that we are witnessing a performance, we are also aware that the material he is using are the pages out of his own personal diary. When he recites a poem on racism, suicide or loneliness, it is his own act or racism, brush with suicide, world of loneliness that he openly shares with us. He has written on a myriad of subjects and selects his readings on the spot, editing as he goes along, taking his cues from the vibrations he feels, the body language and facial expressions of the audience. This makes every reading different and gives one the feeling of being engaged in conversation rather than watching a one man show. THE CLASSROOM Ric chooses his material to fit the subject of any given class. He ranges far beyond Speech, Drama and Literature courses. He is particularly effective in Psychology, Sociology, and Philosophy as well as Education (especially in classes dealing with learning disabilities, a problem he has struggled with his entire life). In some colleges he has been presented to classes as far afield as Electrical Engineering and Chemistry, concentrating on the problem of the language barriers between scientist and poet. Though Ric is very flexible, he likes to read for the first half hour, leaving twenty minutes of class time where students can question, challenge, add to and subtract from their understand of Ric's readings. Often the discussion gets very lively. If Masten is on your campus for a full day, we would like to suggest the most effective way to use him could begin by presenting him in a large classroom or auditorium, where by several classes could attend. Allow five minutes or so for the assembling of students, and then announce that he will be free the following period to be with students on a more informal basis. This could be followed by two more formal readings and rap sessions in the morning; and one in the afternoon and, of course, use him in a single class setting. FEEDBACK I have seldom seen, in fact, never seen a class react to a visitor, or to any classroom performer, in this fashion before. The students were absolutely mesmerized, and the reaction of some individuals was powerful indeed. It is a tremendous experience to have him, and in the words of one student, it was the best thing she had ever experienced in all her university career this from a graduating senior. Jordan Y. Miller, Chairman Department of English UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND, Kingston, RI Thank you very much for coming into my statistics class and presenting your poetry. We were pleased and stimulated by your work. It provided at least a momentary diversion into the subjective side of life, reminding us of some issues, values, whatever, that get lost between the statistics and research design. Henry Morlock, Department of Psychology STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK at Plattsburgh, N.Y. Due to a request from a faculty member who had heard him at a conference, I invited Ric Masten to perform at our college, specifically to help faculty learn how to interrelate with students. For two consecutive years now he has come to our campus, and drawn students like a pied piper, (600 students this time) not only because of his talent and poetic ability, but also because of his humanity. His programs have been directed toward our needs, and his repertoire is large. For example, if English or Speech students are listening, the program relates to them. If Psychology or Social Science students are in the audience, he picks poems that relate to them. Ric Masten is definitely on our list of resources for the future. Carolyn McCain, Faculty Development Specialist EL PASO COMMUNITY COLLEGE, El Paso, TX Almost two months have gone by since your stay with us, and yet the campus community is still discussing your visit. It is not often that we are fortunate enough to have a "poet-in-residence" and it is even rarer to have in our presence such a dynamic individual who can generate enthusiasm and interest to such a degree in our college setting. Your stay set a tone of involvement for this term Judy Shank, Student Activities BROWARD COMMUNITY COLLEGE Pompano Beach, FLA Ric Masten Presentations 37931 Palo Colorado Road, Carmel, California 93923 Phone: (831) 625-0588 ----Fax: (831) 625-3770