Happy Thanksgiving!

Alumnus Interview with JC Lee

About the movie Luce (2019):

“It's been ten years since Amy and Peter Edgar (Naomi Watts and Tim Roth) adopted their son from war-torn Eritrea, and they thought the worst was behind them. Luce Edgar (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) has become an all-star student beloved by his community in Arlington, Virginia. His African American teacher, Harriet Wilson (Octavia Spencer), believes he is a symbol of black excellence that sets a positive example for his peers. But when he is assigned to write an essay in the voice of a historical twentieth-century figure, Luce turns in a paper that makes an alarming statement about political violence. Worried about how this assignment reflects upon her star pupil, Harriet searches his locker and finds something that confirms her worst fears.” (rottentomatoes)

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Recently, I had the opportunity to have a conversation with JC Lee, an alumnus of Bloomsburg University and Juilliard who recently showed his move Luce on campus. We talked about his movie, his career, his methods for how he got from point A to point B in his life, and advice he had for anyone trying to do the same.

The inspiration for the original play came from multiple places and facets of his life, including how he himself is mixed race, and how he’s had to code-switch to fit in with different groups of people in his life, a theme prevalent in his play-turned-movie. He also drew a little bit from his love of superheroes and their own alter egos, and the idea that everyone has a mask that they put on for others.

The movie Luce was originally as play, as we know. Lee has been involved in the theater for basically his entire life, especially during his undergrad at Bloomsburg University, and his time at Julliard. During our conversation, he told me that he’d been writing a bunch of comic stories with superheroes at Juilliard for a while.  Near the end of his time there, he was told that he had to write a “grown-up” story. “I thought, “What does that even mean?” he joked with me, and told me he’d ended up returning to an idea that he’d jotted down in a notebook years ago and written in “Come back to this when you’re 35.” That idea ended up becoming Luce.

The play debuted in 2013, and it was due to the encouragement, prompting and pushing of a friend that it became the movie it is today.

How he got to where he is, Lee told me, is basically through hard work. You have to have a drive, and it’s something people are born with or not. “I have no doubt that there are a lot of talented people in LA,” he said, “but you have to have the drive to go after your goals.” He’s had to support himself for much of his life, and his suggestion on “making it” was to go for it.

Currently, Lee is working on another play, a short movie based on a short story by Stephen King, and series for Apple TV. When I asked him why he took on so many varied forms of media, he told me that working on different genres and forms of media helped to hone his skills.

Following that, his advice is to hone your skills by working on different things, and also to take in everything. Every form of media, books and TV shows and movies and plays, and to take in the bad as well as the good.

Thanks to JC Lee for letting me pick your brain and share your thoughts with the masses.

Meet Our Students: Liana Amadeo

What's your name? Liana (Lee) Rosalie Amadeo
Where are you from? Central Islip, Long Island, NY
What's your major? English, Secondary Education
Minor? Literature
Year? Senior
Literary Strengths? Writing Analysis
Favorite books and/or TV shows? My favorite book is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Why did you become an English major? In 8th grade I had a really caring English teacher who pushed me to be the best I can be and showed me that I was actually good at something when I didn’t truly see any of my strengths. He is one of the many reasons I chose this profession.
Favorite class(es) ever taken? Creative Writing with Professor Koch and Literature for Young Adults with Dr. Stuart
What organizations are you a part of? Warren Literary and Art Journal, Sigma Tau Delta
Favorite subjects to write about, formally or informally? I love writing memoir pieces about my own life. I also like to write about Marvel and Transformers in my free time.
Quick, create a title for a book you’d like to write: A Marvelous Transformation
Now a title for a book about you: Little Lee
Dream job? 12th grade English teacher
Any advice for incoming freshmen or students thinking about taking more English classes? Take something that isn’t in your comfort zone. You may be surprised by how much you love the challenge.

Liana is the Managing editor of Warren Literary and Art Journal, which is currently taking submissions! Check out their social media to learn more: 

Instagram: @warrenbu49

Twitter: @warrenbu49

Email: litmag@bloomu.edu

Big Dog Reading with Wemple and Lawrence

Our own Prof. Wemple and Dr. Lawrence were the guests for the most recent installment of the Big Dog Reading Series.

Prof Wemple introduced the event with a the statement, "November, the worst month of the year," a sentiment echoed by many who prefer warmer weather. Ironically enough, both educators' readings were set in the summer.

Dr. Lawrence started us off with some personal and deeply touching flash (non)fiction and illustrations (and a bonus drawing she added in to lighten the mood).

She began with a flash fiction piece, then led into a series of flash-nonfiction pieces she wrote about her recent discovery of her birth father, following a timeline that started before she was born, and ending in the summer of 2019.

Her pieces explored family dynamics, mother-daughter interactions, including one of her truest lines, “mothers in opera are notoriously bad,” and piecing together parts of the past to create something beautiful out a messy, scattered life.

Best line: “When I was 5, I thought Mr. Rogers was my father.”

Wemple read second, introducing a set of nostalgic summertime poems he wrote during a retreat this past summer.

His six poems were titled as follows: “That Summer,” “GAR,” (standing for Grand Army of the Republic), “Smash Cans,” and “Almost,” “First Visit, South Carolina,” and “Tapies.” 

His prose led us through sun-soaked backyards and parking garages with evocative imagery and engaged all the senses, recalling the nostalgia of summers long past. He connected the past with the present, and engaged the audience: “Of course, everything is connected, even those of you listening to this here and now.”

Another quote: “Because baseball is a metaphor for life, I’m gonna end with a baseball poem.”

Bad Poetry Night: Warren Literary and Art Journal

Department Blogger and Social Media Internship Opportunity

The English Department is seeking applications for a 3-credit internship for spring 2020 (8-10 hours of work per week).  The intern will create English Department blog posts (i.e. posts like these!), update the website and Twitter, post about the department to social media, keep an internship journal, create an ePortfolio of your work, write a reflection essay about the experience, and perform other duties to promote the department as needed, including possibly critiquing the department’s existing promotional efforts.  The intern will report to the English Department chair (Dr. Entzminger).

Requirements:

• Minimum 60 credits and 3.0 GPA by end of fall 2019
• English Major in Literature, Creative Writing, or Professional Writing and Digital Rhetoric
• Strong writing skills
• Experience creating blog posts or editing web pages
• No previous internship credits
• Good work ethic and initiative

Don't miss out on the opportunity to run this blog! To apply, send a resume and cover letter explaining why you are interested in the position and detailing your qualifications by December 1 to Dr. Entzminger at bentzmin@bloomu.edu.  In addition, ask one BU professor to email a letter of recommendation on your behalf to Dr. Entzminger.  

Big Dog Reading Series: Jerry Wemple & Claire Lawrence

Don't forget to go to Monty's on Thursday and hear two of our own professors in the English Department, Prof. Jerry Wemple and Dr. Claire Lawrence, share their work. The event starts at 7 pm in Monty's Assembly Room on upper campus.

We can't wait to see you there!