October 2019

NO. 18 | OCT 2019 | FREE

WHAT TO DO IN DULUTH FOR HALLOWEEN | PG. 4 BULLDOG OF THE MONTH: KATELYN FRANCE | PG. 8 SCOOBY-DOO CELEBRATES HIS 50TH BIRTHDAY | PG. 10

LETTER FROM THE STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT Greetings UMD Community, As the academic year has started and we are ready to hit the midpoint of the semester, I just wanted to take some time to introduce myself. First, I would like to thank everyone for allowing me to serve as your Student Body President.

This is not a role I take lightly and one that I don’t think I will ever wrap my head around. I look forward to listening and working with all of you this year in order to better our University. In the upcoming year, Student Association will be continuing to push our Band Together initiative. This campaign is focused on ending the stigma of mental health on our campus and encouraging conversation surrounding the hard topics. By no means am I an expert on mental health but we want to do as much as we can to help encourage and start the conversation. Mental Health is not something that affects student achievement but also affects Faculty,Staff, and Administration and their ability to do their job. This is an issue that we are tackling for every Bulldog on this campus. Another campaign we are pushing this year is our Shatter the Silence Campaign.

The mission of this campaign is to empower and support survivors of sexual violence and advertise UMD’s resources for survivors while spreading the awareness of sexual assault on campus. These are some specifics we are working on this year. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge that Student Association has not always done the best job at engaging with our peers, and we are challenging ourselves to change that. We serve the student body, and we will be doing a lot more this year to actively hear from everyone.

Please feel free to reach out to me at either my email (bhakt058@d.umn. edu) or on my cell phone @ 612-8197705 Thank you for your time, Neal Bhakta PHOTO COURTESY OF NEAL BHAKTA

2

OCT 2019

THEBARKUMD.COM

Student Body President UMD Student Association

04

08

What to do in Duluth for Halloween

Bulldog of the Month: Katelyn France

06

10

Album of the Month: Post Malone Hollywood’s Bleeding

Scooby-Doo celebrates his 50th birthday

07

12

Fall 2019 theater calendar

The Bite: a creative writing series

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EDITOR

REPORTER

Suenary Philavanh barkumd@d.umn.edu

Dominic Bisogno bisog003@d.umn.edu

Sarah Brown brow5867@d.umn.edu

BUSINESS MANAGER

EDITOR

Courtney Cornelius barkumdbiz@d.umn.edu

Paying Thao thaoo369@d.umn.edu

REPORTER

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR

REPORTER

Zack Benz benz006@d.umn.edu

Clare Cade cadex025@d.umn.edu

ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

REPORTER

Brianna Taggart tagga015@d.umn.edu

Abigael Smith smit9087@d.umn.edu

VISUAL DIRECTOR

REPORTER

Evan Hughes hughe656@d.umn.edu

Brett Sharp sharp402@d.umn.edu

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

REPORTER

Heidi Stang stang344@d.umn.edu

Atticus Hodges hodge270@d.umn.edu

COVER ILLUSTRATION: EVAN HUGHES

Izabel Johnson joh18708@d.umn.edu PHOTOGRAPHER

Madison Hunter hunte557@d.umn.edu GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Karli Kruse kruse292@d.umn.edu GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Jaylynn Glaus glaus011@d.umn.edu

THEBARKUMD.COM

OCT 2019

3

ILLUSTRATION BY KARLI KRUSE

By Dominic Jose Bisogno With Halloween around the corner, UMD students will be taking to the streets of Duluth in search of ways to spend their next holiday.

However, with the William A. Irvin still out of Canal Park in repair, the Haunted Ship that is often students’ first destination in October will not be available.

Some students may feel that their October fun in Duluth may be at risk of fading away faster than the ghosts they hoped to see on the freighter’s deck and halls.

Duluth, however, is full of other ways for students and faculty alike to celebrate the scariest of holidays.

NOPEMING If the Nopeming Sanatorium is creepy enough for the Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures,” who visited in 2015, it’ll more than likely fulfill your Halloween needs.

The structure was used to house tuberculosisstricken residents of the north shore, with Northern Wilds Magazine detailing that Nopeming “opened in 1912 to house tuberculosis patients. As demand grew, Nopeming added more buildings… In 1971, the facility officially became a nursing home, which was

4

OCT 2019

THEBARKUMD.COM

WHAT TO DO IN DULUTH FOR HALLOWEEN then closed for good in 2002.”

Nopeming’s past combines deliberate Halloween activities with a unique twist of genuinely dark and mysterious history. In recent years, the building’s history has bred a new wave of interest, taking the form of guided tours throughout the facilities and surrounding area.

The Nopeming Sanatorium offers day tours and night tours, but Halloween celebrators will likely be most interested in the Halloween Haunt tours.

The Duluth News Tribune detailed the beginnings of the Nopeming tours in 2016, “The nonprofit group hoping to restore a former tuberculosis sanitarium just west of Duluth has turned to tours of the deteriorating facility… on the weekend before Halloween, Orison began offering tours.”

The Nopeming Sanatorium is located on 2650 Nopeming Rd, with tickets, times, and more information being available at http://www. nopeming.com and other social media platforms.

It should be noted that there are some concerns surrounding Nopeming’s

2019 schedule. Nopeming’s caretakers took to Facebook to announce on September 17th that they had run into some obstacles for opening this October.

gothic horror of Bram Stoker’s classic novel to the stage…

This heart-pounding thriller paints a wickedly theatrical picture of Stoker’s famous vampire.”

“We have had a tough time getting our permit to operate this season,” the post explained. “Nopeming has been closed all summer, we have been crossing our fingers that the Midway Town Board would grant us a special permit for October…

Keep your fingers crossed that we can work it out.”

The Playhouse will also host an adaptation of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which will premiere on Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m.

DRACULA AND THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW AT THE DULUTH PLAYHOUSE The Duluth Playhouse will be adapting two classic Halloween season shows for those looking to spend their night at the theatre. The playhouse will be playing “Dracula” from Oct. 3rd to 19 at 7:30 p.m. each night.

Directed by Justin Peck, the Duluth Playhouse describes the adaptation on their site, saying it “restores the suspense, seduction and

Based on the 1975 horrorcomedy musical of the same name, the theatre form of the musical has become equally as popular across the country. It’s found its way to modern popular media, ranging from an episode of “Glee” to a 2016 televised remake called “The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again.”

The Playhouse’s website notes that the adaptation will include many of the unique choices that have made “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” so popular.

“The cult-classic returns with actors bringing the characters off the screen and into the theatre,” The Playhouse explains.

The performances will use, “live, lip-synching performances, prop bags, and audience interaction.”

IL

THE GREAT PUMPKIN TRAIN The Northshore Scenic Railroad will be host to a Halloween themed ride named the Pumpkin Train Express.

A ticket for “The Great Pumpkin Train”, as it’s called on the Northshore Scenic Railroad website, is $20, with a $18 ticket available to kids for the Oct. 20 Sunday trips.

The 10-mile round-trip, marked at one and a half hours, will take place from Oct. 17 to 20 with departure times of 10 a.m., 11:20 a.m., 12:50 p.m., 2:20 and 3:50 p.m.

The trip will partner a scenic journey along the north shore with Halloween music, magic shows, Halloween movies and other activities.

On top of that, partakers will be given a chance to pick out pumpkins from a specially prepared pumpkin patch.

FILMS TO WATCH There are plenty of options for thrill seekers to take advantage of at the movie theater. In addition to some September releases, like It Chapter Two, which will carry over into October at some venues, several horror, thriller, and otherwise Halloween-related films will be coming out this month.

The dark and R-rated “Joker,” inspired by the DC Comics villain, comes out on Oct. 4, while the more family friendly “Addams Family,” an animated rendition of the classic haunted family, comes out on Oct. 11.

range from R-rated Oscar contenders to family friendly affairs but all will provide Halloween lovers a unique way to celebrate.

Local theaters include the Marcus Theater in Canal Park, the Zinema at the Zeitgeist building, the West Theater in West Duluth and Lakes Cinema in Hermantown.

Ticket information can be found online at the websites for each theater.

The comedic “Zombieland: Double Tap,” a sequel to the 2009 cult classic, will come out on Oct. 18, the same day as “The Lighthouse,” a black and white horror film and period piece starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Defoe.

The films above, and many others soon to come,

ILLUSTRATION BY EVAN HUGHES THEBARKUMD.COM

OCT 2019

5

ALBUM OF THE MONTH: POST MALONE - “HOLLYWOOD’S BLEEDING” really a typical hip-hop litany of all his riches and famegiven advantages, from his “Versace boxers” to the “50 carats on (his) fist.” Hard to take either song too seriously, especially when they’re back to back.

By Andy Wolfe It’s been been 33 years since Aerosmith and Run DMC’s “Walk This Way” celebrated a mash-up of hard rock and rap, and nine songs into “Hollywood’s Bleeding,” Post Malone tops it with “Take What You Want.” The track features Ozzy Osbourne, roaring in like a wailing space dragon, and Tavis Scott, who… well never mind, because OZZY, MAN!, and then Post himself answering the bat-biting master with just as much craving vocal squall.

The wait for musical genres to blend this well into something so rippingly satisfying reminds me that Bono in 1987 called out for this genre bending from the stage of Kemper Arena in KC, proclaiming a need to drop race and genre barriers in music as he introduced “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” Well look no further than this album, Bono, cuz there ain’t no putting these Posty sounds in a box. Sure, most times you’ll hear modern R&B, like “On the road,” or the warbly “Saint-Tropez.” Unfortunately, sometimes it’s those modern vibes of R&B and rap that highlight a weakness in the lyrics or hamper his messages.

He starts the album slightly cliche with the self-titled track bemoaning the soul-sucking emptiness of the Hollywood lifestyle. He follows it with “Saint-Tropez,” which is just

6

OCT 2019

THEBARKUMD.COM

That said, there’s no denying the tasty and infinite hooks.

Every song, no matter how cliche the verses, features an insanely catchy chorus. Take “Internet,” which a few lines in borders on a misogynist slur, but then he does his thing, singing a chorus that we all want to relate to - “I don’t get on the internet no more” - and gorgeous violins come sweeping in, like the bliss that would follow if we could all disconnect from an angstinducing web.

It’s hard to believe that the same guy that sings a line about “bi$%#@^ on my di%#” can so intoxicatingly sing the chorus in the same song. He never fails to deliver, from the siren reverbdrenched line of “Sunflower” to the bare, vulnerable chorus of “Goodbyes.”

If you need proof that Post can consistently deliver beyond the slow jam arena, the triumvirate salvo of “Allergic,” “A Thousand Bad Times” and “Circles” convinces without question. “Allergic” has a faster tempo than anything so far in his three-album career, a bouncy rhythm that practically evokes go-go dancers in fringe and white boots. It’s happily clapping along to a song about a toxic relationship, a girl he can’t quit, as bad for him as the drugs he’s been doing.

Next, “A Thousand Bad Times” continues that same dance sensibility, but opens up more in the production giving space to Post’s cavernous vocal ache. Before returning to his signature mid-

G M

Y t

d

C

tempo flair, he really surprises with “Circles,” strumming on in with a pretty acoustic guitar like an old 60’s Kodac film shot, he sings again of an inability to leave an exhausted relationship. In the same song, he uses a bass and drum line he likens (on his spotify notes) to a Fleetwood Mac song, but it sounds even more like a John Mayer-produced 2018 cut (think “New Light”).

That’s his gift. He has sense for production that defies odds and genres and a voice that’s as bendable and sweet as a Gumby doll. Another pull is his honest vulnerability, like when he admits that he’s been mistaking sex for intimacy in “Circles.”

By the time he arrives at the crazy-as-a-train-full-of-bats that is “Take What You Want,” with Ozzy and a guitar solo by Andrew Watt channeling Zakk Wylde, there’s no question he deserves his multi-million streams. This is as exciting and entertaining as a pop variety pack gets today.

Post’s debut “Stoney” was too samey. The sophomore

“Beerbongs and Bentleys” was a jump up the production scale; nonetheless, it was still predominantly a singular genre of neo R&B swanky slow jams. However, “Hollywood’s Bleeding” is a game changer and a shot fired to every other pop star out there, improving his previous R&B jamproduction and pushing the envelopes of modern dance, hand-clap doo wop, metal, and So-Cal pop - essentially anything he cares to touch.

Here’s hoping, on his next album, he’ll grow out of the bravado cliches and say something as innovative as his production and as irresistible as his voice, but continue with the vulnerable disclosures to which we can all relate.

Andy Wolfe UMD Alum Andy is a UMD alum and an English / Journalism teacher at Superior High School.

Aside from teaching, Andy is an avid music listener and writer.

”

GOT A MINUTE?

You only need a few of them to learn strategies that can help you be a more successful student.

d.umn.edu/roadmap Click on Student Success Workshops

FALL 2019 THEATER CALENDAR A new semester of classes at the University of Minnesota Duluth means a new season of productions from UMD’s own Department of Theatre. The School of Fine Arts put on highly praised productions like Sister Act and Time’s Up in the Spring 2019 semester, now check out the three productions that will be held on this very campus this Fall.

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTMAN COUNTY SPELLING BEE A collaboration involving music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin, and a concept originally conceived by Rebecca Feldman. Additional material was created by Jay Reiss. Jenna Soleo-Shanks is directing this production of the Tony Award-winning musical.

WHEN: October 3–5 & 9–12, 2019, 7:30 pm, October 6, 2019, 2:00 pm WHERE: Marshall Performing Arts Center - Mainstage Theatre DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION: The Spelling Bee finalists are ready to go in this wacky and heartfelt musical. Come celebrate the triumphs and tragedies of adolescence, with only temporary pauses for puberty and peanut allergies.

AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE Originally written by Henrick Ibsen, the play has been newly adapted by Tom Isbell, who will also be directing the production.

WHEN: November 7–9 & 12–16, 2019, 7:30 pm, November 10, 2:00 pm WHEN: Marshall Performing Arts Center - Dudley Experimental Theatre DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION: When a scientist discovers the town’s water is toxic, the community must choose between jobs or environmental safety. A play as relevant today as when it was written in 1882.

DANCE WORKS 2019 Dance Works 2019, an original work, will be created and directed by Artistic Director Rebecca Katz Harwood.

WHEN: December 5–7, 2019, 7:30 pm, December 8, 2:00 pm WHERE: Marshall Performing Arts Center - Mainstage Theatre DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION: For DanceWorks 2019, variety once again takes center stage. Kick up your heels and into the holiday season by joining us for new original dances by student and faculty choreographers.

Further information on Fall’s schedule and the department’s plans for 2020 can be found on the Department of Theatre’s page at d.umn.edu.

THEBARKUMD.COM

OCT 2019

7

KATELYN FRANCE HAS BEEN A BIOMEDICAL RESEARCHER SINCE SHE WAS 14.

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION BY PIXABAY

BULLDOG OF THE MONTH:

By Heidi Stang “To be a role model, to be someone who can make STEM fascinating to young kids (especially young girls) and to show them why it is so cool and how it can make the world a better place – this is why I do what I do.” - Katelyn France Katelyn France is a junior, credit wise, at UMD who has a passion and drive for the science and medical fields. She has been a biomedical researcher since she was 14 and was recently granted an Undergraduate Research Opportunity through the College of Pharmacy. She has her own LLC business and has presented her technology to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Coming from a small, poor town in Minnesota seeing the effects of inadequate health care inspired her to be a biomedical researcher, even at a young age. She has competed at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), has her own LLC, presented her ideas to Governor Tim Walz and has recently been granted a Grand Undergraduate

8

OCT 2019

THEBARKUMD.COM

KATELYN FRANCE Research Opportunity Program (UROP) through the College of Pharmacy at UMD. Her career in competitive science began when her freshman science teacher asked her, “if you think you can make the world

of the year she was set for her first competition.

She competed at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) from 10th-12th grade. According to the Society for Science and the Public, who puts on

This place has become my home.

K A T E LY N

a better place, why aren’t you doing it right now?”

Katelyn saw gaps in the healthcare system and knew she could make a change, and so by the end

FRANCE

ISEF, the competition is an international stage for the world’s best and brightest young scientists and is the world’s premier STEM Competition. Her senior year she won an Ingenuity

Award from Thermo-Fisher Scientific. Her project was a QR code based medical bracelet.

The bracelet is for bystanders to able to assist in medical emergencies.

Most smartphones cameras have built in QR scanners and by scanning a person’s bracelet the code will take a person to a site full of all the medical information they may need to know in that particular emergency.

Although the prize was only $500, she says the moment determined for her that all her research had been worth it. Her hard work had paid off and she should continue her research.

With the help of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Patent Law Clinic and Business Clinic, Katelyn has been able to provisionally patent her bracelet, other components, the technology and has filed her own LLC. Scientists Making Your Life Easier LLC (SMYLE LLC) is her own business which she filed for at just 16. Her

:

provisional patents cover her bracelet technology as well as a bluetooth epinephrine auto-injector, known by the brand name EpiPen, case. The case can be activated to make noise so that, in the case of emergency, it can be found quickly. The QR link also provides instructions for how to use the injector and what to do after injection. Her company is growing but these are the key provisional patents she has so far.

Katelyn hopes to one d a y file

for a utility patent for the technology system as a whole.

As someone who owns a business, has competed well in a number of competitive science fairs and has pitched her technology to the Governor of Minnesota, it would be easy to brag about achievement after achievement.

However, when asked for her top five accomplishments in life she humbly replied her top spot goes to being a role model.

Her best moment goes to a young girl she met at a science fair who after looking at her project turned to her mom and said, “Mommy, I wanna be like her when I get growed u p ” .

Katelyn says this moment really stuck w i t h her and shows w h a t she does t o d a y inspires what we all do tomorrow.

KATELYN FRANCE IS CURRENTLY A JUNIOR AT UMD.

PHOTO BY HEIDI STANG

She feels blessed to be a role model to children in the STEM f i e l d , especially y o u n g

girls.

Along with her own research she has recently been granted a Grand UROP through the College of Pharmacy at UMD researching, “the pharmacogenomic effects of sertraline (Zoloft) metabolization in children and adolescents stratified by the CYP2C19 genotype”.

In simpler terms, they’re researching how drugs interact with certain genes in children to be able to more accurately create their medication dosages. She said most of the research in this area currently focuses on adults.

Her journey to the UROP began when she reached out to Dr. Brown in the College of Pharmacy about pharmacogenomics. With this in mind as her potential grad and/or pharmacy school focus she reached out to Dr. Brown and they soon began meeting weekly. By the end of spring semester she was a volunteer on a joint project with Northwest Passage in Frederic, WI and gearing up to apply for the UROP. Besides the UROP, Katelyn is also heavily involved around campus. She is a leader of the Hearth Guild, Lutheran Campus Mission, Chemistry and Biochemistry Club. She additionally volunteers with Rotaract and Partners In Education (PIE). She is also a Bulldog Tour Guide and member of the University, Chemistry

and Biochemistry Honors Programs.

So why UMD for a clearly advanced young scientist?

She got waitlisted at Harvard and in everywhere else she applied, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and yet she knew she wanted to come to UMD.“I love it here,” Katelyn states, “plain and simple.”

“UMD was the first place to offer me a lab, advice, and support. I have been involved up here since I was a sophomore and the professors here have been nothing but fantastic.

When I did research here, I always felt like I was a part of a team and a community that cared not only about the research I did but why I was doing the research,” Katelyn explained. “This place has become my home, allowing me to join more clubs than I can count, getting me into amazing research labs and teams, has given me opportunities I didn’t know existed, and has supported me in ways that I know no other school ever could.”

Her future goals are to get into the College of Pharmacy at UMD, continue running SMYLE LLC and mentor young students in underserved communities about STEM fields.

THEBARKUMD.COM

OCT 2019

9

SCOOBY-DOO CELEBRATES HIS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

By Zack Benz Scooby-Doo has encapsulated my attention for nearly two decades, inspiring me with laughter, teaching me how to indecisively count on clues to solve an issue and showing me that the only true monsters in this world are bad people.

On Sept. 13, 1969 “Scooby-Doo: Where Are You!” premiered on CBS with the episode, “What a Night for a Knight,” capturing the imagination of children and setting a historic anchor in pop culture for generations to come.

Being introduced to the character by my mother, who unfortunately passed in 2017, the lovable dog and his four colorfully clad friends hold a special place in my heart.

Coincidentally, my mother was born in 1969, the same year Scooby-Doo made his first appearance, and she would’ve turned 50 herself this year.

In the beginning, the “ScoobyDoo: Where Are You” series possessed a simple formula.

A monster, ghost or ghoul was terrorising some ghastly location when the Scooby gang stumbled upon the mystery.

Fred, the self-appointed leader of Mystery Incorporated, urged the group to split up and search for clues, immediately partnering h i m s e l f with the “pretty girl” Daphne. He’d then send the brains of the operation, Velma, off in the other direction with the groovy goof Shaggy and the dog himself, Scooby-Doo.

simple canon of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.

Scoobert (Scooby) Doo is, and always will be, a fun loving great dane mutt mix that always seems to be the first to stumble upon the countless series’ villains. His kind and pure spirit continues to hold a timeless place in the never ending mystery solving lore.

The center of the Scooby dynasty has always been the hungry hero, but in latter years the character became more brazen, showing others how brave they can be when they set their mind to it.

Norville (Shaggy) Rogers grew from the lanky sidekick to a complex character who’s best friends with a lovable dog.

There’s really nothing more relatable. Yet Shaggy still had room for development and transitioned from a goof who was never taken seriously into the glue that kept all of his friends together.

Daphne Blake adapted from “Danger Prone Daphne,” the stereotypical damsel in distress, to a strong woman who possesses a large talent pool of skills. Skills which includes, but isn’t limited to, journalism, content creation (before it was cool), fashion forward thinking, karate and a strong, brilliantly deductive mind.

Daphne now fights for w h a t she

believes in and constantly seeks out the truth, always open to learning new things along the way. The witty redhead also transported from a serious, sometimes stuck up vanity queen to a humorful vested person who’s always concerned for her friends.

Velma Dinkley evolved from a booksmart pushover into a strong, independent mind who’s written and read hundreds of books, solved countless “impossible” problems and even has contributed to NASA. She took on a verbally outspoken attitude and always speaks her mind. Her blatant honesty came equipped with some snarky one liners that always make for a good laugh.

Fred Jones established a strong, yet emotionally vulnerable attachment towards his friends, and the Mystery Machine, showing kids that it’s okay to express your emotions.

He transitioned from seeing himself as Daphne’s knight in shining armor to realizing that she’s his best friend, ceasing to see her as someone who needs constant protection.

Fred matured into quite the

ingenuitive trap maker as well.

The five original characters have cemented their presence in the halls of popculturedom, appearing in hundreds of shows (spanning across 12 individual television series), surfacing in a multitude of comic books and novels and retaining an impressive amount of movies and motion pictures under Scooby’s collar.

In his half century history, the meddling mutt has joined forces with Gotham City’s dynamic duo, Batman and Robin, faced off against life force eating cat creatures, worked alongside Wonder Woman and has even saved the world on multiple occasions.

In reality, Scooby-Doo has pulled me from incredibly dark places. His constantly upbeat personality always provided me with a hopeful outlook on life, showing me that no matter the dark place, you can always grasp onto some sliver of light. Here’s to 50 more years Scooby-Doo!

ex

However, through the past five decades, the “gang” has seen many changes. Character identities have become more complex, evolving from the

10

OCT 2019

THEBARKUMD.COM ILLUSTRATION BY JAYLYNN GLAUS

NOW HIRING

5075 Miller Trunk Hwy expandinghorizonshomes.com 218-733-4651

1902 West Superior St. Taco Arcada.com

SUNDAY TO THURSDAY

Happy Hour

WEDNESDAY

$3 imports $4 craft beers

Free Play pinball 5 to Close!

2PM to 5PM

THURSDAY

College Night

$5 Burritos $3 PBRs 5 to Close!

With current valid college ID.

New!

Ol’ BUrrito Big Good for one free burrito with purchase of a beverage.

THE BITE: A CREATIVE WRITING SERIES “FROM THE SEA”

By Rikkia Walker

I moved in with a German man and a

There is no interest anymore

Finnish woman,

to learn who exactly I am.

A swab of my mouth

who now go by mom and dad.

and I was given my history.

Nothing is simple

Just like the sea is ever changing,

My past,

and I still am unaware of who I am.

And going every which way…

so unknown,

I have a map

I am evolving,

unfamiliar,

with very crisp corners.

following the unpredictability of the waves.

incorrect.

It is split by colors and has so much identity,

Allowing myself to be carried away.

It said, you come from

yet, none of it matters.

Nigeria

I follow the blue.

Each place I go,

Sierra Leone.

I am from the sea.

I expect nothing but looks.

They wonder where I am from

You are a bit Irish, Scottish, and Welsh.

My great-grandmother was born here.

and so do I.

Basically,

She lived until 110.

I do not crave citizenship.

you come from overseas,

In 1906,

I crave wisdom.

an immigrant, nonetheless.

she was born

I crave a third eye.

Although born on America’s soil,

on a white man’s land.

The problem I now understand

do not expect to be treated the same.

Your history is who you are,

She talked about him kindly,

it is in your face and in your name.

and said he was very kind.

Nigeria has never seen you.

Yet, history said it didn’t matter.

So, it says it is not your home.

Black was black

Sierra Leone does not recognize you.

and white was white.

And the British?

And during that time,

Well… they are not a choice.

there was us and then there was them.

History says that it was them

And now I am a part of both,

who helped take our identity away from us.

and there is a constant battle within.

is that people become consumed by where they stand.

As if to be African, European, or American, means anything at all.

Years ago, we did not know the others existed, and now that we have found people like us, we continuously focus on the differences.

What a miserable way to live.

A few drops of blood,

I am a citizen of the world.

and my identity was sealed.

A backpacker on a budget.

I am now a citizen of the sea.

I am making my way everywhere.

I do not like how it feels.

Not stopping,

Towards the end of my 13th year,

or conforming.

12

OCT 2019

THEBARKUMD.COM

What a terrible way to spend your time.

That is why I claim the blue.

It never leaves me behind.

Student Run Radio Sunday - Thursday | 9pm

Find the Studios at 130 HUM

Stream Live at KUMD.org

The Bark produces this monthly news magazine in addition to publishing content online every day, providing local media to over 10,000 students at the University of Minnesota Duluth. To get involved or to share your voice please contact The Bark at thebarkumd.com/contact-us

ADVERTISE WITH THE BARK Contact us at barkumdbiz@d.umn.edu for business inquiries.

THE CONTENTS OF THIS PUBLICATION ARE © 2019, THE BARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

NO. 18 | OCT 2019 | FREE