The code to Narnia cracked

One of the things I’m most excited about this summer is reading new books. I’ve got well over 20 on my “to-read” list, mostly new books with some old favorites mixed in here and there. (Go ahead, call me a nerd. I’m thrilled about reading for pleasure instead of classes.)

As of Tuesday night, one of my old favorites, The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis), jumped from the lower middle of my list to the top of my list – plus I’ve now managed to pick one of the 20+ books from WJI to read on my flights/layovers back home.

The book that I’ll be reading on my way back to Memphis – Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis by Michael Ward.

I had the privilege of hearing Ward lecture in New York at Socrates in the City Tuesday evening. There’s no way to sum up everything that he talked about, but in short, he has cracked Lewis’s code in the Narnia series, linking elements to Lewis’s study of medieval cosmology.

If you’re like me, maybe you didn’t initially realize the books had a “code.” Even so, did you ever wonder about certain elements that Lewis throws into his series, like Father Christmas? I know that I did…I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why Father Christmas appeared in the books. Ward explained this – and other confusing elements – in Lewis’s books. I can’t begin to tell you how I felt as Ward fully explained Father Christmas – the light bulb finally went off for me!

Some might say that cracking Lewis’s code ruins the series. I would argue with Ward and say that it doesn’t; instead, it makes sense of the confusions and gives us a greater understanding and appreciation of the author and his intent.

Two things I really appreciated about Ward’s lecture: First, he began with Psalm 19 (“The heavens declare the glory of God…”), which is one of my favorite psalms. It was a reminder that even literature – a form of God’s creation – can point others to Him and bring Him glory. Secondly, he said something along the lines of this during the lecture (paraphrased): “If we can’t figure out the world of a children’s book [because the Narnia series was intended for children], how can we figure out all of the real world made by an infinite Creator?” That helped me put things into perspective and remember that it’s okay that I don’t have everything about the world figured out.

I started to blog exactly what Ward spoke about during his lecture and then realized that would kill the secret. I’ve given the links to the book, so go get your curious self a copy and then we’ll talk about it further.

(By the way, my second layover/plane book will probably be Eric Metaxas’s Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery. Metaxas is the founder and host of Socrates in the City and graciously allowed the WJI students to attend Tuesday evening – thanks, Eric!)

Visit to the World Trade Center

During our WJI class last Friday, we received an assignment to go interview someone who worked in New York. We were broken up into groups of two or three (and some singles) and given the afternoon to find an interesting New Yorker and tell their story via photographs and audio recording. James H. had the idea to visit the World Trade Center in hopes that we could interview a construction worker, so we headed that way. Camera, pens, steno pad, and DAR (that's digital audio recorder for you non-WJI/non-technology readers) in tow, we formed our interview questions during the subway ride to Manhattan.

As the train roared through the subway, James pointed out the former Cortland Street stop, which has been closed since 9/11. They are doing construction on it and several of the subway signs indicate that it was expected to be opened by fall 2006. Looking at the reconstruction was a solemn reminder that the planes didn't just take out buildings; they took out subways, too.

After we got off the train, we had to walk for a few minutes to get to the site. I honestly didn't know what to expect. We walked down a dim street and rounded a corner...then I saw it. Not the site, not the gaping holes, not even the crowd of onlookers by the fences around all the construction.



Not a particularly moving picture, but it's a lanyard - a reminder of a person's identity - tied to part of the scaffold from what appears to be a new monument. Attached to the lanyard is a decorative ponytail holder, the kind that only a small child would wear. It suddenly hit me: this item represents some one's father, mother, sister, brother, cousin, best friend, co-worker who died at 9/11.

I hadn't even looked at the actual site, seem the memorial, or listened to the sounds around me and yet I was already overwhelmed. I swallowed, took a deep breath, reached into my camera bag, snapped on my lens, and started shooting, telling myself, "There's a story that needs to be told. Do it."

We kept walking and dodging tourists, vendors, workers, and commuters. We were surrounded by the noise of the city, but I still felt like it was quiet; something was missing. That something was laughter. It will be seven years this September and yet the area's still solemn and missing something else beside the towers.

James and I found Harry Roland, a self-described advocate who worked at the South Tower prior and during 9/11. Roland comes to the site every day with a backpack loaded with photo albums of the site prior to, during, and after 9/11 to remind people that seven buildings were destroyed at 9/11, not just the towers. It was an incredible interview and photo opp. Our audio from the the project is pretty rough (thankfully not our fault), but it turned out well. We told Roland's story. (I may post the link later.)

This is one of Roland's albums; I loved this photo simply because it reminds me of a Bible - it represents this man's story.



The site itself wasn't particularly moving or impressive. It looks like a massive mess of a construction site. Once I got up high enough, I could see that there's damage and not just reconstruction. I saw holes from where the towers stood and underground where the mall was under one of the towers. (Until I met Roland, I had no idea that there was a shopping mall under the WTC.)

Music changes tone of NYC subways

Rolling suitcases. Passengers running down to platforms at Olympic record speeds. The wafting aroma of Starbucks and cheap fast food.

Flashing signs with train time updates and advertisements. The looks of exhausted and irritated passengers struggling with their luggage as they head to their next stop.

But in one corner of chaos called Penn Station lies something different. A small crowd has gathered around a petite woman, just taller than her microphone stand, nearly overshadowed by her acoustic guitar.

Her name is Nicola Vazquez and she’s playing music in the subway. She calls herself Nicola.

Dressed in black and wearing pigtails, she’s clearly enjoying her performance, grinning in between verses, and smiling and giving slight bows and nods after each song. Nicola thrives off her audience, catching their eyes and singing straight into them.

Leaning into her guitar and away from the microphone, her fingers fly across the frets. She alternates between delicate picking patterns to punctuated, pulsing chords.

The stage is the slick floor of the subway, lit by the glow of the neon yellow McDonald’s sign. Just below Nicola’s feet lie a small amp and an open guitar case, displaying Nicola’s CDs and providing an avenue for donations.

Nicola is just one of over 100 sanctioned subway performers from MTA’s Music Under New York program.

Manager with Arts for Transit and Music Under New York Lydia Bradshaw says the program appeals to the public.

“It’s like an event and it’s a nice ambiance to come across,” Bradshaw says.

She says Music Under New York provides 150 subway performances each week, covering all kinds of genres.

“We have all kinds of acts for the roster,” Bradsaw says. “It’s kind of a reflection of all the different cultures and people in New York.”

Nicola says she performs in the subway because she enjoys the interaction with various kinds of people.

“You meet a lot of people and gain experience,” she explains. “Where else are you going to meet such a cross-section of people?”

In his article “In Subway Platform, These Musicians Set Their Stage” from The New York Times, Corey Kilgannon writes that the program provides an extensive variety of music. It also includes musicians from across the world, including Africa and South America, exposing commuters to all kinds of music, languages and instruments.

Millions of people pass through New York’s subways every year and Nicola says they handle and respond to subway music differently.

The lack of a stage creates a completely different atmosphere than an actual venue.

“There’s no separation between you and your audience so you cannot be squeamish,” Nicola says.

Audience members sometimes get right Nicola’s face or try to speak to her while she’s performing. While it can be annoying, she realizes that an unusual kind of venue presents different challenges.

“The basic thing is, you take the good with the bad,” she says, shrugging her shoulders. “You’re going to meet people, you’re going to make connections.”

Having music in the subway creates a different and unexpected environment, Nicola says.

“Music is very soothing; it gives people peace,” she says. “The music in the program brings a pleasant atmosphere.”

Nicola said that none of her subway performances are the same because the audience changes and she never knows how people will respond or how many will buy her music.

“Every night’s different, it’s very random,” she says.

Nicola has played guitar and sung since age seven. In addition to solo performances, she also sings has a band, also called Nicola. The band does not perform with her at the subway, but they perform at other venues.

The challenging subway location gives Nicola a different focus and goal during her performance.

“If I can hold someone for a minute, I’ve accomplished something,” she says. “It’s building me – the longer I’m down here, the better I get.”

Nicola notes that she initially did not make it into the program on her first audition. She auditioned again and has been a subway performer for over three years.

“I’m very grateful and thankful to have been accepted,” she says. “Were it not for this program, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Ode to Technology

Oh technology, thou are wonderful and great.
Thou has kept my hands from becoming ink-stained
Thou has enabled me to keep up with my notes electronically
Thou has allowed me to take loads of photographs
Thou has also stored said photographs.
Thou has equipped me to better waste my time on the evil known as Facebook.
Quite frankly, technology,
Thou hast saved my rear many a time.

But tonight, technology, alas, my love has faded
For thou has not kept up with all of my audio recording (which is due tomorrow)
Technology, why must thou plague me this way?
Why must thou refuse to cooperate and lose my material, especially the night before a deadline?
Why, technology, why?
Thou are cruel and unjust
Thou art not dependable
Thou only frustrates and bringeth despair.

Oh technology, tonight, I do not love thee.

A few thoughts on the NYC subway

Why is there music in the New York subways?

This was the question I asked myself last week as I boarded my first subway train.

Over the week, I was fascinated to hear various musicians at subway stops across New York. 

I got to interview the manager of the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) Arts for Transit program here in New York yesterday and just thought about how interesting the concept of music is in a noisy, crazy, bustling place like the subway system.

I came to find out that there’s over 100 musicians on a roster that are allowed to perform in the subway system. They audition for spots; this year, over 200 people auditioned and only 23 were chosen. I found a blog with pictures of this year’s auditions and there are people playing instruments that I’ve never seen – much less heard of – before a few days ago.

These subway performers are not paid through the program; they make their money through donations from the public. It gives them a venue to interact with commuters and use their music to encourage and soothe those in the subways.



Late last night, I caught one of the subway performers, a singer named Nicola. I watched as she held a steady crowd and sang above all the noise and chaos in the subway system. She was kind enough to talk to me after she finished around 11. We chatted as she packed up her equipment. I asked her a few questions, but mostly went from what she started telling me about her subway gig.

She said one of the most difficult parts about performing in the subway is the lack of a real stage. I hadn’t even considered that as a challenge, but it presents a very real issue. I watched as people walked right up to her face to drop money in her guitar case or wave, even during the middle of one of her songs. Honestly, people can be rude and disrespectful by getting too close or trying to speak to a musician while she’s in the middle of a performance. What happened to common courtesy? People wouldn’t do things like that during a concert at a “normal” venue.

It’s still such a crazy concept to me. Wouldn’t these subway musicians much rather be in concert halls or even bars performing with a much more attentive audience? Why are they willing to perform and share their amazing skills and talents with an audience that often seems unappreciative? Do they like the way their music sounds in the subway? How hard it is to make yourself heard above the hubbub? Is it just as much for tourists as it is for everyday New York commuters? I couldn’t really find anyone who gave me complete answers to these questions, but maybe I’ll head back to the subways this week and keep asking.

I enjoyed watching the audience response to the music. Very few walk by and completely ignore the musicians. I’ve only witnessed one rude audience member and he was only rude because he didn’t like the religious music that one group sang. As he asked me very loudly, “You think if I give them money they’d shut the [expletive] up? I hate that stuff, I have no religion.” Another male audience member approached a female singer as she packed up her equipment and asked her to sign his hand. She smiled and graciously granted his request, which was probably more than I could have done. I honestly don’t know how I would respond to situations like that.

I appreciate the Music Under New York program and find it fascinating that someone took the time to realize that adding something as simple as music might help soothe and settle some of the chaos that is the New York subway system. I think it’s important that they continue to expand their program and work to maintain diversity on their music roster.

Faulkner and Oral Tradition

Before written languages, the only way to remember people was through oral tradition: the telling of stories passed from one generation to the next. Men sought an epic quest, whether through a journey, battle or pursuit of a villain, and hoped that the story of their conquest would immortalize them after their death. While they would not continue to dwell on earth in their physical bodies, they hoped to live on through stories of their successes. A life without any stories of triumph meant disgrace because there would be no remembrance of the man after his death.

William Faulkner’s The Bear exhibits the characteristics of such a story. The tale describes a band of men who seek Old Ben, a legendary and almost invincible bear. While Faulkner’s loaded, winding sentences prove difficult to read on paper, they are well-crafted examples of the oral tradition style.

The hunters show fierce dedication and competitiveness, sharing camaraderie in their common goal to finish off Old Ben. Refusing to back down from an animal that has escaped death at least fifty-two times (by bullets alone), the men demonstrate unshakeable determination. They vow that they will break him, conquering him and all others that have failed in their attempts.

Today, everyone still wants to be remembered after his death. Instead of living lives of self-focus, men should seek a quest aiding others, like the group of men in Faulkner’s story. There is no glory in being remembered for things done for self-gratification.

Reconsidering chaos: My world versus Rwanda's genocide

Reading Philip Gourevitch’s We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families (punctuation is as appears on the book’s cover), makes the word “chaos” take on a completely different meaning.

Recently I’ve used the word “chaos” to describe a various number of things, mainly my lack of a set schedule due to exams, moving back home and searching for a job.

Gourevitch uses the word “chaos” to illustrate genocide – something very different than my portrayal of the word. Through his own words and the words of his sources, Gourevitch clearly indicates that there is more to chaos than my definition.

Dr. Eliel Ntaki used the word “chaos” to avoid using “genocide”, describing chaos as “every man for himself.” Pastor Elizaphan Ntakirutimana also substituted “chaos” for “genocide.” After saying Jesus is the only one who can take away hatred and sin, he closed with, “Everything is chaos.”

Reading the book during one of the busiest times of my semester, I realized that contrary to how I felt, my life was not chaos. I was chasing my studies, not being hunted down because of my ethnicity. I was tired because of studying, not because I was on the run for my life. I was hurting from lack of sleep, not because I had been beaten, raped and left for dead.

After finishing the book, I felt as if there were truly no words in the English language to describe what has happened in Rwanda, but perhaps Gourevitch’s exposition on “chaos” is the closest possible definition.

Handling grief: The Shawl & Cindy Sheehan

Words cannot express how thankful I am to have a normal immediate family, specifically a normal mother who doesn’t obsess over the past and live in a state of frenzied grief.

That was the first thought that entered my mind after completing Cynthia Ozick’s The Shawl. Ozick’s tale portrays a woman named Rosa during and following the time of the Nazi reign. Rosa witnesses a Nazi guard murdering her daughter Magda and the incident scars her for the remainder of her life. She continues to live in the past, shows odd signs of grief (destroying her store and needing Magda’s shawl), and refuses to let anyone into her life.

As I read, I kept thinking, “Get over it! Move on and finish grieving!”

Then I realized that I hadn’t been through anything close to this traumatic. Strangely, my memory jumped to Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq in 2004.

Mrs. Sheehan claims that her son died "for nothing," taking extreme measures trying to prove her point. She lost her marriage and funds and many questioned her sanity because of her decisions.

I’m sure it’s difficult to let go and to finish grieving over events with such a magnitude as losing a loved one – especially a child – whether from the Holocaust or the war in Iraq. While I don’t agree with either woman’s methods or madness in grieving, I have no reference point for dealing with such an event. I can’t help but wonder how such an event would impact my own life and how I would handle such grief.

Write about yourself...in 100 words

So I cheated the system a little bit and made this over 100 words. I didn't think I would have any trouble writing my bio for WJI, but it was really hard for me to stick to such a short amount of words! Guess I need to work on being brief...being an English major has trained me to expound upon everything that I know while being a Journalism major has trained me to keep it short and sweet and still get the point across adequately. 

(The assignment was to write a 100 word bio, including journalism background and goals. Try it sometime and see if you go over, too.)

I’m a rising junior from Memphis, Tenn., studying journalism and English at Mississippi State University. I’m a news/online writer and photographer for our campus newspaper. I took newspaper courses in high school, gaining writing, photography and editing experience. I’ve freelanced with The Commercial Appeal and will do so again this summer. 

I plan on attending graduate school and hope to work with a newspaper or magazine, possibly focusing on non-profit and pro-life agencies.

As a Christian, I’m called to seek truth and share it with the world. I can think of no better profession for doing so than journalism.

See, just a glimpse...I guess I just want people to know more about me than just a blurb of 100 words. I thought about making it a string of random thoughts...like so: 

I'm on a first name basis with several of the AT&T hotline phone technicians because I've been through six or seven cell phones in two years. (Honestly, I take really good care of them, but they just stop working!) I've been in the PCA since I was six. I've never been on a roller coaster - just the thought of riding one scares me. I've lived in Memphis all my life and have never been to Graceland, but I've visited Graceland Too in Holly Springs, Miss. at least four times! I have a Mac and I'm never going back. I have arthritis and can't find my wrist brace at the moment...really hoping it's still packed in one of my boxes from moving back home from college. I have a learning disability that is frustrating but has taught and forced me to work hard in many aspects of life, especially school. I'm incredibly afraid of heights. I wouldn't dive into water or light a match until I was about 11. (Not sure exactly why. I guess I was scared?) I don't mind if you ask me questions about being adopted; in fact, I love telling people! I'm named after my great grandmother, and yes, if you forget my name, I'll answer to Audra, Aubrey, Audrey, Auburn, even Anna, but I would love it if you could remember my name. I think beautiful buildings, especially old churches, are wonderful. Probably 70 percent of my wardrobe is blue. I use guy's deodorant because it works better. I can't memorize to save my life. My jaw is completely out of alignment and I have TMJ, but I still love smiling, even though it's very crooked. I love my Trinity Hymnal. You'll be my new best friend if you can make me laugh. I have the most incredible family and home church in the world. I love going to a huge SEC school and I don't feel like I'm simply a number at a school of 16,000 (-ish) students. I love being from the South. Yes, my hair is naturally that curly and no, I've never colored it. Instead of reading me bedtime stories or singing to me, my daddy read my the children's catechism at night before bed (starting the day I came home for the first time!). I have Raynaud's, so it's okay/normal when my fingers and toes turn death blue or blood red. I'm incredibly allergic to MSG. I think it's really sad that Russians don't have/don't eat peanut butter. I'm a major night owl and can function for days with no sleep.

Okay, that's definitely enough and way more than anyone wants to read. Someone else needs to give bio writing a try while I keep reading my books and writing my other essays!

P.S. Got to attend a Derek Webb/Sandra McCracken concert in Memphis last night at Otherlands. They're incredible. If you're looking for new music, check them out.