Volume CXII, Issue 4
The student news publication of Walnut Hills High School
Friday October 20, 2017
Green brothers go blue and gold
JOHN GREEN PHOTOS BY ISABEL NISSLEY/ CHATTERBOX Far right; John Green began the show by reading an excerpt from his new book Turtles All the Way Down. In it he told how his story was similar to Aza’s, the main character, in regards to mental health. Top middle; When asked how to stay positive, Hank Green encouraged people to focus on the little things. He said although life can seem bleak, friends always make him happier. Bottom middle; The Cincinnati stop of the Turtles All the Way Down tour was sold out. Some of the attendees included two newly engaged people, many WHHS teachers, and students. Far left; John Green reads a chapter from his new book Turtles All the Way Down. Each person who bought a ticket and attended recieved a signed copy of the book. Delaney Owens, ‘21 Isabel Nissley, ‘20 On Wednesday Oct. 18, Joseph Beth Booksellers brought John and Hank Green to WHHS as part of their tour promoting John Green’s newest book, Turtles All the Way Down. Together they have been internet phenomena since 2007. They are the faces and brains behind the educational Youtube channel Crash Course as well as the more personal channel, vlogbrothers. Hank Green also produces the channel SciShow. The community that John and Hank Green have built was extremely present at the show. A highlight was when a couple, who met at John and Hank Green’s show in Cincinnati five years ago, was invited to the stage to get engaged. “That’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of,” John said. Turtles All The Way Down is a fast paced mystery that follows Aza Holmes and addresses her struggle with mental illness, which was inspired by John Green’s own experience. John Green said that growing up he did not
have the language to express his fears. “[Obsessive Compulsive Disorder] made me feel like a passenger in my own consciousness,” he said. One of his main goals in writing Turtles All the Way Down was to help readers to not feel alone. “It took me a long time... to find an express i o n for the e xper ience of obsessive thought spirals, or at least how Aza experiences them in the book. It’s something I’ve tried to write about before and I’ve never had any success, and finally I felt like I had language for it… I also realized that I’m not the only person who has this problem, it’s something a lot of people live with,” Green said.
John Green’s brother, Hank Green, is his partner in many endeavors. He is a musician, producer, entrepreneur and a notable online influencer. At the show, Hank Green not only played music, but played the role of Professor Lawrence Turtleman, who gave a lecture on taxonomy and phylogeny alluding to Turtles All the Way Down. During the show he took a moment to remind the audience that mental health was treatable, and that people do get better. He used himself as an example, recounting his experiences using medicine. Hank Green also involved the audience in his singing. He performed some of his own songs, including “A Song About An Anglerfish”, but also encouraged the audi-
“It took me a long time...to find an expression for the experience of obsessive thought spirals, or at least how Aza experiences them in the book,” John Green
ence to sing along to songs such as “Sweet Caroline” but omitted the chorus, and called it a “bonding moment” for the audience. During the show the brothers even performed segments of their podcast, Dear Hank and John, while answering audience questions. John Green even poked fun at Ohio, asking why have grass fields when “We’re in Ohio, make some corn!” When asked if he created realities for his characters after ending their stories, John Green said, “No. That seems like it’s your problem.” He said that when finishing a book, he needs to feel content with how he left the characters. Without spoiling the ending for fans, John said that he felt differently about the ending of Turtles All the Way Down than he did with his other books. They held a question and answer segment as well. John Green advised future authors to read, allow themselves to “suck”, and to remember that writers are regular people and there are many careers in writing.
MONSTER OF A SHOW KILLS STEREOTYPES A preview of the upcoming WHHS production, She Kills Monsters
ALLYSON GARTH/ CHATTERBOX
Declan Robinson, ‘18, Maya Robinson, ‘19, and Clare Brennan, ‘20, all involved with She Kills Monsters, show off posters that illustrates one of the main character’s interest in comics and video games. A variety of student volunteers and WHHS stagecraft students made the set. Isabel Nissley, ‘20 Joseph Stanichar, ‘18 The dim lights of the Black Box theater illuminate several actors poised with still fac-
es and swords. “Quiet in the shop,” shouts the stage manager, Matthew Eggers ‘20, and then nods. The actors break from their stillness and plunge into their fantasy world. The play is complete with sword combat
and a intricate set which includes a climbable mountain, and a puppet provided by Madcap, a company nationally recognized for their puppets. The upcoming WHHS theater production, She Kills Monsters, has something to offer for all in the audience. The story, set in Athens, Ohio, in 1995, follows Agnes Evans, played by Lydia Noll, ‘19, who loses her sister, Tilly, played by Lily Adams ‘19, in a car crash. She delves into her sister’s world of Dungeons and Dragons in order to seek closure about the fact that the two were not close. Along the way, there are many hilarious situations as Agnes embarks on a weird and otherworldly adventure, along with some heartfelt moments. Michael Sherman, the director of this production, classifies it as “a dramedy.” “Overall, it’s a comedy, but there are some very serious and dramatic moments. At the end of the day, I think the audience will leave the play having en-
joyed it like a comedy,” Sherman said. This is the Cappies show, meaning that the play will be critiqued by students from around the city. Most of the actors feel an added pressure to perform their best. “Lydia and I have been freaking out about being the face of the Cappies show and having to have all this pressure, being critiqued on our acting. It’s a bit more nerve wrecking,” Adams said. “It’s a story about relationships and friendships and breaking down stereotypes and trying to see people for the human beings that they are other than the labels that we put on them,” Sherman said. The show runs from Oct. 26 through 28 and is currently sold out, but keep a keen eye out for any future opportunities to see this show. Disclaimer: Chatterbox member Joseph Stanichar is part of the production of She Kills Monsters.