Arts

Striving to Make a Difference: Joseph T. Jones, Jr. '06

/ 11 minutes of reading

Once upon a time, Joseph T. Jones, Jr. thought he couldn’t escape the city’s mean streets. Now he’s leading efforts to help reclaim the families broken by urban ills. By Elizabeth Heubeck ’91 Photos by Bruce Weller Searing waves of heat already ripple through West Baltimore at 9 a.m. on a Friday in July. The streets around 2201 N. Monroe Street – headquarters of the Baltimore-based nonprofit Center for Urban Families (CFUF) – are all but deserted. Inside the center’s air-conditioned conference room, 40 or so adults – men and women, black and white, some as young as 18 and… Continue Reading Striving to Make a Difference: Joseph T. Jones, Jr. '06

Alumni Documentary Wins Film Festival

/ 1 minute of reading

“Lift Up,” a new documentary on post-quake Haiti co-directed by Huguens Jean ’12, Ph.D., electrical engineering, and Phillip Knowlton ’03, visual arts, will have its film festival premiere this Sunday, June 5, 5:30 p.m., at the 2011 DC Caribbean Film Festival. The creators of “Lift Up” also recently announced that the film received the Best Documentary Directing Award at the 2011 Amsterdam Film Festival. The juried festival received entries from over 20 countries this year. Held at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD, the DC Caribbean Film Festival is co-presented with the Caribbean Association of… Continue Reading Alumni Documentary Wins Film Festival

Nose for News: Jamie Smith Hopkins '98, English

/ 1 minute of reading

Baltimore Sun real estate reporter Jamie Smith Hopkins ’98, English, received a Best in Business award today for her 2010 work from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. While a student at UMBC, Hopkins worked for the Retriever Weekly. She graduated as valedictorian of her class. Read the full story in the Baltimore Sun.

Alumna Publishes Novel: Loris Nebbia '95, English, MA '99

/ 1 minute of reading

English alumna Loris Nebbia ’95 has published her first novel, Solomon’s Puzzle. A modern-day take of an age-old Bible tale, an excerpt of the 700-page book won the Maryland Writers’ Association’s 2010 prize for short fiction. (Nebbia also earned a master’s degree from UMBC in 1999.) In an interview with the Annapolis Capital newspaper, Nebbia said writing a novel was a “dream come true.” Learn more about Nebbia and Solomon’s Puzzle here.

A Comic Life: Donna Lewis '86

/ 1 minute of reading

A comic strip created by Donna Lewis ’86, English, an attorney in Washington, D.C., will be syndicated through the Washington Post Writers Group, according to the Baltimore Jewish Times. Enter Lizzie, the “star” of “Reply All,” a new comic strip scheduled to debut on Monday, Feb. 28, through the Washington Post Writers Group syndicate. Penned by Baltimore-born cartoonist Donna A. Lewis, “Reply All” is loosely based on the artist’s own life: Lizzie is a single woman who is doing well in her career, but who still harbors self-doubts. “She’s modeled after successful women who like who they’ve become,” says Ms.… Continue Reading A Comic Life: Donna Lewis '86

A Playwright in Bloom: Kara Lee Corthron ’99

/ 3 minutes of reading

Even as a student at UMBC, Kara Lee Corthron ’99, theatre, looked to the intricacies of human emotion to drive her writing. Now established as one of theatre’s most promising playwrights, Corthron recently returned to UMBC from the stages of New York, Chicago and D.C. to share her love of theater with current students as they performed her new play, Wild Black-Eyed Susans, during UMBC’s Homecoming & Family Celebration weekend. Early Recognition Over the last few years, Corthron has racked up an impressive list of honors for her work. Her new play, Wild Black-Eyed Susans, received the 2007 Helen Merrill… Continue Reading A Playwright in Bloom: Kara Lee Corthron ’99

A Playwright in Bloom: Kara Lee Corthron '99

/ 3 minutes of reading

Even as a student at UMBC, Kara Lee Corthron ’99, theatre, looked to the intricacies of human emotion to drive her writing. Now established as one of theatre’s most promising playwrights, Corthron recently returned to UMBC from the stages of New York, Chicago and D.C. to share her love of theater with current students as they performed her new play, Wild Black-Eyed Susans, during UMBC’s Homecoming & Family Celebration weekend. Early Recognition Over the last few years, Corthron has racked up an impressive list of honors for her work. Her new play, Wild Black-Eyed Susans, received the 2007 Helen Merrill… Continue Reading A Playwright in Bloom: Kara Lee Corthron '99

All That Jazz: Ric Ryder ’84

/ 3 minutes of reading

Like so many times in his life before, Ric Ryder moved to the edge of the stage. The lights came up, and a round of applause sounded throughout the audience. Instead of bowing, however, the Broadway veteran took a step back and clapped along with the crowd for a student named Michael, who just sang 16 bars of “Why Should I Wake Up?” from the musical Cabaret for the second time. “With only 16 bars, you want to end that BIG,” said Ryder, who taught a one-day master class in vocal performance at UMBC last semester. “Let the voice do… Continue Reading All That Jazz: Ric Ryder ’84

All That Jazz: Ric Ryder '84

/ 3 minutes of reading

Like so many times in his life before, Ric Ryder moved to the edge of the stage. The lights came up, and a round of applause sounded throughout the audience. Instead of bowing, however, the Broadway veteran took a step back and clapped along with the crowd for a student named Michael, who just sang 16 bars of “Why Should I Wake Up?” from the musical Cabaret for the second time. “With only 16 bars, you want to end that BIG,” said Ryder, who taught a one-day master class in vocal performance at UMBC last semester. “Let the voice do… Continue Reading All That Jazz: Ric Ryder '84

Better Than Fiction: Arnold T. Blumberg ’93

/ 3 minutes of reading

The next time someone teases you about your hidden passion for philately, Hummel figurines or sudoku, consider the successes of UMBC’s own Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg. An avid comic book reader and collector since early childhood, Blumberg ’93, English, has managed to weave his love of super heroes, zombies, monsters and robots into a career as a published author, adjunct professor and – most recently – curator of the brand-new Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, a mecca of pop culture paraphernalia located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. “I like to joke with people and tell them all my hobbies have eventually turned into… Continue Reading Better Than Fiction: Arnold T. Blumberg ’93

Better Than Fiction: Arnold T. Blumberg '93

/ 3 minutes of reading

The next time someone teases you about your hidden passion for philately, Hummel figurines or sudoku, consider the successes of UMBC’s own Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg. An avid comic book reader and collector since early childhood, Blumberg ’93, English, has managed to weave his love of super heroes, zombies, monsters and robots into a career as a published author, adjunct professor and – most recently – curator of the brand-new Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, a mecca of pop culture paraphernalia located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. “I like to joke with people and tell them all my hobbies have eventually turned into… Continue Reading Better Than Fiction: Arnold T. Blumberg '93

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