Book Review: Circe

Photo Credit: Melissa Pashby

By Patrick O’Neill, Staff Writer

Let me start by saying that Circe by Madeline Miller is a stellar novel. And if I haven’t convinced you to read it by the end of this article, then sue me.

1)      As a middle schooler or elementary schooler, did you read the Percy Jackson series? Well, Circe can bring some of that Percy Jackson nostalgia back to you, and better than before. Madeline Miller has an incredibly strong command of classical imagery and a background in classics so you can almost guarantee that her myths are strong and accurate, with that charming dramatic spin she puts on her characters.

2)      If you’ve read Homer’s Odyssey and wanted a little more information about the mysterious witch, Circe well Miller provides. She brings a rich background and her own vivid imagination to the tale of the Odyssey—creating scenes to extend the plot of that classic mythos and making it her own romantic, and tragic tale of love and death.

3)      Circe isn’t just a history of a famous Greek witch from thousands year old mythology—it’s a tale of love, death, and sacrifice with a steady, vibrant beginning, dramatic tension building throughout, and culminating with a wholly unexpected ending.

Miller’s command of images, stylistic writing choices, and vibrant language make this read even more worth your while. My advice? Grab a copy of Circe before it gets too popular because the only downside to this book is that you haven’t read it yet.

Dave & Buster’s Date Night

By: Kamil Wojciak, Staff Writer

Photo Source: Kamil Wojciak

On February 14, Valentine’s Day, the Regis University Programming Board hosted an event named “Dave & Buster’s Date Night”. To celebrate Valentine’s day, students had the opportunity to go to Dave & Buster’s to play and enjoy game and prizes.

For the event, students had to sign up to be eligible; sign ups started on Monday, February 11, and continued all the way to the start of the event. The event started at 7:30 PM at the Student Center, where individuals did their last-minute signups and preparations for departure. With everyone signed up, ready for the event, all individuals departed from the campus on a travel bus, directly heading to Dave & Buster’s.

After the highly cozy and roomy trip on the travel bus, the participants of the event arrived at Dave & Buster’s at around 8:00 PM. When everyone was in the building, the coordinators of the event stated the plans of the event and then all individuals headed to a private room. This private room allowed people to store their belongings and served as the meeting place for the group.

With everything settled, all participants received a power card (an electronic card used for the arcade machines) and free food by the buffet that was in the private room. All the power cards provided had 200 chips ($20) that can solely be used on the arcade machines; the buffet provided had nachos, pretzel corn dogs, and even shrimp and cocktail sauce.

With all the time from roughly 8:10 PM to 9:50 PM, all the partakers of the event had the utmost freedom in Dave & Buster’s. The arcade, argued the main attraction of Dave & Buster’s, had a large amount of variety that different types of audiences can enjoy. Some of the most popular arcade machines were the claw machines, guitar hero, and air hockey.

When it was 9:50 PM, it was time to prepare to leave Dave & Buster’s and come back to Regis University. Even though the participants of this extremely entertaining event had roughly two hours of having fun, it was somewhat sad to leave that fun and entertainment by going back to campus (especially if they had remaining chips to spend).

“I enjoyed leaving the Regis campus and hanging out with my friends” said John, one of the members of the event. The “Dave & Buster’s Date Night” was an extraordinarily fun event that was a great method to casually hang out with friends and enjoy the holiday with others. This organized event that took students out of campus for fun and entertainment was a great idea, and has high demand to be replicated in the future.

Georgia O’Keeffe and Friends at the MCA

By Patrick O’Neill, Staff Writer

Photo Source: Patrick O’Neill

This past week on Friday, February 15, a new exhibit opened at Denver’s Museum of Contemporary Art—Aftereffect: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Painting. The exhibit gave the unique opportunity to catch a glimpse of some original Georgia O’Keeffe paintings as well as viewing modern artists’ work. The theme of the exhibit was meant to show modern artists whose work resonates the Georgia O’Keeffe style and energy.

There’s some art words in here, so buckle up!

These pieces were particularly interesting in the sheer bold vibrancy of their colors. Many contained abstract structures and shapes which were emboldened by bright color and curving lines that launched the images forward to viewers. I found several paintings by contemporary artist, Loie Hollowell to be the most riveting in this exhibition. Loie Hollowell has mastered, in my opinion, the use of layering to create bold 3-Dimensional shapes on canvas, some of which actually stick out of the canvas making the pictures pop. Her use of color and form excellently portrays her otherworldly subject matter. Pictured below is The Land’s Part by Loie Hollowell which is visible in the Museum of Contemporary Art:

Loie Hollowell’s pieces mirror Georgia O’Keeffe’s with their use of shading and muted color to create a sense of mystery and intrigue.

Another piece that I particularly enjoyed was Lesley Vance’s Untitled piece. In retrospect, I found the coloring to be especially bold and pleasant to look at. Her use of rounded and twisting forms, additionally, seems to mirror the Georgia O’Keeffe style, so I can see why this piece was chosen for this exhibition. Certainly, it is a confusing and abstract piece but the mystery of it makes it all the more enjoyable. The piece exudes a certain hungry attitude which is evident in the almost 3D shapes that lay across the canvas. There’s something oddly fleshy about it.

On a plaque describing her work, Lesley Vance called Georgia O’Keeffe’s style, “elegant” with “serpentine lines” and “sinuous brushwork” which, “contain just the right amount of awkwardness to feel very human.” Indeed, the Vance pieces incorporate those abstract curves and turns, capturing an O’Keeffe-esque logic in their flow.

Pictured below is Untitled by Lesley Vance:

You can catch Aftereffect: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Painting at the Museum of Contemporary Art at 1485 Delgany Street, Denver from now until May 26.

Rangers Charge Past Western State Colorado University

By: Amy Reglin, Staff Photographer

Mens Basketball home game // Amy Reglin

Friday night the men’s basketball team played Western State Colorado University at home. Following in suit of the female rangers basketball team, the men won, too The Rangers took an early lead and held onto it throughout the whole game, winning 87-60. Tomas Auruskervicius had a career high of 20 points. The team shot 70% from the free-throw line, helping them with the win. Next weekend the Rangers will be in Utah. March 1st is their last home game of the regular season, so be sure to be there and support!