February 25, 2022
Humanizing Our Professors: Karl Boehler
A little-known secret around campus is that our professors were once students. Nervous, confused, and probably as hungry as we all are while sitting through lectures, here are their first experiences as professors and what tips they have to offer for students taking their courses.
Karl Boehler, Humanities Department, Green Bay CampusLast semester, I had the privilege of meeting Professor Karl Boehler and taking his Topics in Lit course, which happened to be Arthurian romance at the time. It was a peculiar old genre with much foundational learning as to how our modern romance genre became a thing. It’s one of his favorite courses, though he remembers a time when he felt completely lost as a professor. Starting out as a new grad student, he didn’t have any teaching experience. So, before teaching an introduction to medieval studies for Western Michigan’s Medieval Institute, he visited the head of the department, a heavy-accented German professor who’d served in the German land forces in WWII. The professor told him to teach however and whatever he wanted. Pushing for further advice on how to teach, he was finally told that “no matter how dumb you are, your students are even dumber.” I would call that sound advice in my own case; he knew much more about prancing knights and how castles were constructed than I ever did (which is kind of the main point of attending college, don’t you think?).Professor Boehler discussed the importance of literature with me, which is good to know especially if you decide to take a course with him. “Literature—stories—are the foundation of society,” he said. They are lessons. They carry on our values, hopes, fears, etc. Without that, we have nothing to stand on and make improvements for our future. That said, we also need to have a great curiosity for what we’re learning and an understanding of how multiple areas of inquiry (religion, available building materials, societal rankings, etc.) contribute to one moment or occurrence in history. If we want to do well, we have to ask questions about our course material and search out the answers, rather than dragging our feet through the mud. One of my favorite questions in his course: Why, for the love of shiny blades, did anyone want to lock their prisoners in the highest tower room? A view like that, and I’ll be a prisoner of Arthur’s over-exuberant battles any day.
The UWGB Pride Center has several exciting events planned, and you don’t have to be on the main campus to participate. Here’s a handy list of all of the things you can do with the Pride Center this spring:
Join the Marinette Pride Center Book Club! We’ll be reading and discussing Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz winner of multiple awards, including the Lambda Literary Award. Join the discussion sessions on April 11—in-person from 4-5 p.m. and/or online from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Email the Marinette Pride Center to get your free copy of the book and the Zoom link for the online discussion.
Dust off your camera; get out your art supplies; and polish up those story, article, and poetry files. It’s time to submit your creative work to the 2022 Northern Lights Literary & Arts Journal. 
January 12 & 26
If Beale Street Could Talk: At the heart of If Beale Street Could Talk is a love story both beautiful and poignant. Adapted from James Baldwin’s novel of the same title, Beale Street centers around Tish and Fonny, a Black couple living against the harsh racial landscape of the United States in the seventies. They are young and in love. The film’s camera angles are expertly framed close captures—steady, lingering focuses on holding hands and shots that don’t shy away from centering in on a character’s eyes. It’s near mythical. Tish and Fonny don’t stay in this place of blissful reverie. The viewer quickly learns two things: Fonny has been wrongly imprisoned, and Tish is carrying their baby. The movie is a slow burn as we puzzle together the events. If Beale Street Could Talk is honest, vulnerable even, in its dealings with racial injustice. We are forced to reckon with the truth that Tish and Fonny are not just two people who dream of a life together. Yet, the film’s power comes in the form of love’s resiliency and salvation. We catch soft affections through bars and witness how far a family’s fierce dedication will go. It is artfully done, and I could not look away. If Beale Street Could Talk boasts a talented cast and is worth every tear you might shed. Just remember to bring the tissues! Available on Hulu and to rent on other streaming services. 
Pitch Perfect: Anyone looking to turn away from the traditional romance movie on Valentine’s Day should be tuning in to Pitch Perfect. This comedy, the first in a trilogy, puts a new spin on love and shows it between a group of young girls singing acapella for their university. Beca (a newly enrolled student at Barden University) is told by her father that she must join one after school activity if she wants help moving to L.A. to achieve her dream of becoming a music producer. After joining one of the leading a capella groups on campus, her attention shifts to their competition and building up their team. Seeing the characters bond throughout the movie with jokes, drama, and singing pop songs will leave you happy and smiling. Starring Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, and Elizabeth Banks, this film and the whole three-part movie series really is the perfect for Gal-entines Day or just a good laugh. Available on Hulu, Amazon Prime, or HBO Max with premium subscriptions, or to rent on any movie-streaming service.
Roma is an Academy-Award-winning film about the life of a family in Mexico City during the 1970s. During that time, the country was filled with political unrest, which often led to citizen protests. The film focuses on Cleo, a middle-class family’s Indigenous live-in-maid. As the parents of the family go through marital problems, Cleo must face the potential of being a single mother while working for this family. Throughout the film, we see that Cleo loves the family’s children, and they love her in return. It shows how even if romantic relationships don’t work out, you will always have someone who loves you. In this case, the selfless familial love holds Cleo, the family matriarch, and her children together during trying times.
This film follows Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan in ‘60s Hong Kong as they begin their strange love affair after they find out their spouses have also been engaging in an affair. Watching this film, you get sucked into a world of uncertainty, hesitation, temptation, loneliness, and contempt, and somehow, you never want to leave. Every shot is a stunning array of deep colors and moody shadows, which provide gorgeous backgrounds for the stellar leads to deliver performances you will never forget. Available now on HBO Max.
This adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear follows the samurai warlord Hidetora as he splits his land between his three sons and sees his power diminish, his brothers fight, and his sanity go. The last masterpiece of legendary director Akira Kurosawa, Ran unapologetically displays the artist’s full command of everything in and out of frame. Whether it’s the dramatic gestures of the actors, the breathtaking landscapes and sets, or the bloody battle scenes, this epic film will do nothing but leave you in awe. Available now on Amazon Prime. 
Searching for a little diversity in your reading list? In Crazy Brave, author, musician, and poet Joy Harjo talks about her childhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, facing the struggle to maintain her Muscogee Creek culture, growing up in an abusive home, and finally making her way to the life she always knew was for her with the help of her spiritual heritage. You may have heard of her already, because she’s currently serving as the U.S. Poet Laureate, helping to broaden our nation’s appreciation of reading and writing poetry.