A few years ago, a small church decided to ask their community how they could serve them. This community had been hit hard by the economy. So hard, that the busing to the local high school had been stopped and many of the lower grades were left without busing, too. BUT in many cases both parents needed to work, so how were parents to pick up their children from school (the ones who were too old for daycare)? What were the teens to do for the hours before their parents came home?
In answer to that need, Wellspring Community Church decided to open a teen center. The Edge soon found itself filled to the brim and within two years, serves to feed and provide for more than 100 teens every afternoon (yup, that’s 100 teens every day…imagine the amount of food they go through:D). Volunteers come to serve the snack bar, mix with the kids, and just love on them. Most volunteers are local youth leaders, some are fantastic parents, and others just have some time to spare and want to serve. There are small groups and classes. I get to teach a writing class there once a week and these kids are so grateful! I wish I could do more. That’s when it hit me…
During the next two months (until Jan. 31, 2012), for every paperback copy of DRIVEN sold $1 will be given to The Edge so they can continue to support and serve these kids. DRIVEN can be found on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. com (those are probably the easiest sites to pick it up at). At amazon, the PB is only $6.01. If you decide to pick up a copy as a gift for a teen or just for yourself, first Thank You! and second, please send me a note letting me know where you picked up the book, the price it sold for, and when it was purchased (so I can keep track of the monies to be sent to The Edge).
One more thing, if you’re looking for book ideas for teens this holiday season, there’s a list of great books from the NextGenWriters presenters here: NextGenWriters Books
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By Robin S. Rosenberg
I recently saw a preview for the musical Spider-Man: Turn Out the Dark. It’s not really a musical; it’s a spectacle. It succeeds as a spectacle, fails as a musical, and hangs itself as a Spider-Man origin story. It’s easier to find good things to say about the spectacle aspect, so I’ll start by reviewing that aspect of the play.
Spider-Man: The Spectacle
Director/writer Julie Taymor and co-writer Glen Berger wanted to create a spectacle-something that was more than a musical. They succeeded. The sets were a wonder to behold (especially in the first half of the show). Aerialists, dressed as Spider-Man, the Green Goblin, and Arachne, flew about the stage and balcony, allowing viewers to feel a part of the production. In fact, because of the numerous injuries suffered by actors during rehearsals and previews, when the aerialists flew overhead it made me wonder-what if their cables broke and they fell on the audience? (And wouldn’t that be analogous to what New York’s pedestrians would wonder if an actual Spidey and actual Green Goblin were duking it out in the skies above Manhattan, without the cables?)
Even as a spectacle, though, the pacing of it didn’t work for me. Most of the spectacular elements were in the first half of the show, so when the effects and wow elements were fewer (and repeating) in the second half, it was a let down. During the last hour of the play, I kept looking at my watch. If you see the play and leave at intermission, you’ll see the best parts. Grade for spectacle (especially the first half): A.
Spider-Man: The Musical
In a good musical, the songs move the story forward. Unfortunately, the music in this play didn’t do this very effectively. The actors often spoke a “recap” of the gist of the song in order to transition to the next scene or to move the story along. (If you see this play, bring along some tissues or napkins to stuff into your ears: some songs were so loud that I had to cover my ears with my hands; I didn’t enjoy those.)
As you may know, the songs were written by Bono and The Edge, and it showed. The songs didn’t have the structure or feel of a “Broadway musical,” which is okay in theory, but not in this execution. Sad to say, none of the songs were memorable – they didn’t have a great “hook” as do many Broadway songs or even U2 songs. Plus the feel of the music didn’t match up with Spider-Man’s character or story. Grade for music: B- (I’m being generous here, taking effort into consideration in my grade)
Spider-Man: The Origin Story
I’ve read (or seen) almost every Spider-Man origin story there is because I’m writing a book on origin stories that includes a chapter on Spider-Man’s origins. I was looking forward to this musical to see how it compared with previous origin stories of the Webbed Wonder. I was disappointed. There isn’t a whole lot of character development here, and there isn’t much more of a plot; what plot there is focuses too much on Mary Jane and not enough on Peter. Even though Peter/Spider-Man is a comic book character, his story is rich in the human drama of shouldering the burden of
