Aries (March 21 – April 20)

Although the beginning of the week is relatively calm (as calm as it can be with Mercury in retrograde), the new moon in Libra appears in your house of relationships on Wednesday. Go with your gut — is there tension in need of proper addressing? At the same time, Pluto goes direct in your area of career and public image. Prepare to stir the pot and commit.

Taurus (April 21 – May 20)

This week, the new moon in Libra takes place in your area of sense of purpose. Working with Venus entering Sagittarius in your eighth house of all things taboo, stay true to your fire as you find the balance between what you desire and how to make it yours. 

Gemini (May 21 – June 22)

How many plates do you have spinning in the air, Gemini? On Wednesday, the Libra moon settles in your creative house, so it’s time to work on finding a balance and putting your visions on paper. Venus enters your house of relationships the next day and asks you to take the leap and explore new aspects of your bond. Check off a bucket list item with a friend today. 

Cancer (June 23 – July 21)

This week, the Libra new moon will hit your area of home and foundations. Are you sure you’ve got a handle on what’s keeping you grounded? As Pluto stations direct in your house of sharing and relationships, so now might be the time to reinvent your base before it crumbles. 

Leo (July 22 – Aug. 23)

Especially with the Mercury retrograde happening until the end of the month, watch what you say as the moon in Libra falls into your communication sector. It’s time to find your boundaries and pick your battles. Channel this energy as Venus enters your fifth, creative house. Do some writing, work on Inktober or bake some pumpkin muffins. 

Virgo (Aug. 24 – Sept. 23)

How’s your relationship with money? The Libra moon falls in your financial and work ethic sector this week, and now might be a good time to give yourself a mental and physical budget. With Pluto reinventing your creative area, reinvest your time into things that will help you grow. 

Libra (Sept. 24 – Oct. 23)

It’s okay to be visibly unstable — the moon is stopping by to visit. Be emotional and then do a face mask, it helps. Lean into what comforts you, but don’t be afraid to mix things up as Pluto stations direct in your house of home. 

Scorpio (Oct. 24 – Nov. 22)

Whatever is ending for you this week, Scorpio, is going out with a bang. With the new moon in Libra as a symbol of the ultimate form of balance and justice, get ready to rock with Pluto direct as the planet of reinvention in your 12th house of death and rebirth. You’ll come out better on the other side. 

Sagittarius (Nov. 23 – Dec. 21)

This might be a heartwarming week for you, Sagittarius. As the Libra moon settles into your house of friends and hopes, lean into those around you and stay positive to balance out the bad vibes as things get tough. Venus enters your house of self, so take a little extra time to self-care and reflect on what parts of your identity keep you grounded. 

Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 20)

The Libra new moon will hit your career of finances and public image, so hold off on making a finsta or posting your hot takes on Twitter this week. As Pluto stations direct in your house of personal identity, now might be a good time to vibe-check getting that new haircut and really think about it before you begin to toy with your outward image.

Aquarius (Jan. 21 – Feb.19)

It’s time to stop and take a breath. On Wednesday, the Libra moon settles in your house of learning and travel, so it’s time to work on finding a balance between your social and academic lives this week. Venus falls into your social area on Thursday, so even though it’s tempting, set some boundaries on how much time you’re spending with your friends instead of on school or resetting with me-time. 

Pisces (Feb. 20 – March 20)

Don’t be too hard on yourself this week. The new moon in Libra takes place in your area of all things taboo. Working with Venus entering your house of career and outward perception, stay true to your fire as you find the balance between what you desire and how to make it yours.

Aries (March 21 – April 20)

Mercury retrograde stations direct on Monday, creating an opportunity to reflect upon where you stand in your relationships this week, Aries. What are some things you need to get off your chest? Now’s the time to change and reform. 

Taurus (April 21 – May 20)

Do you feel like stale bread? Take a look at your daily routine this week as Mercury retrogrades in your area of well-being. Give yourself some extra time for self-care, but try and get to the root of what’s giving you grief and implement change. 

Gemini (May 21 – June 22)

Keeping with the theme of last week, use this Mercury retrograde to double down on your finances and career goals. Cultivate confidence by assessing your strengths and weaknesses this week and lean into building up areas that previously escaped your attention. 

Cancer (June 23 – July 21)

Mercury retrograde is centered around your domestic family and home zone this week. If you’re into this kind of thing, now would be the time to sage your apartment and get rid of lingering sour energies. How can you reinvent your comfort zone?

Leo (July 22 – Aug. 23)

Prepare to work extra hard to express your thoughts this week, Leo. Mercury retrogrades in your area of communication, so you may have a hard time communicating accurately. Take a step back and figure out where your motivations lie. 

Virgo (Aug. 24 – Sept. 23)

Sit on your cash this week, Virgo. Mercury retrogrades in your financial area throughout the week, meaning that you should keep a tight grip on what you’ll be spending. Do you have a rogue subscription draining a couple bucks from your checking account? Take care of it. 

Libra (Sept. 24 – Oct. 23)

You’re in the hot seat! Mercury retrogrades in your sign for the next couple weeks, meaning you’ll be doing some serious evolving within your sense of self. Take a breather and recharge through the growing pains. 

Scorpio (Oct. 24 – Nov. 22)

Just in time for spooky season: what skeletons are lurking in your closet, Scorpio? With Mercury retrograde in your unconscious sector, use the next couple weeks to delve into what motivations are ruling your life. What are you running from? 

Sagittarius (Nov. 23 – Dec. 21)

Mercury retrogrades in your social sector this week, and you might find yourself surrounded by people you haven’t heard from in a while. Take the time to determine who makes you better. 

Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 20)

Impostor syndrome doesn’t look good on you. Mercury retrogrades in your career zone over the next couple of weeks, meaning you might start to second-guess your worth in the workplace. Give yourself some room to grow and remember, you can kick a**. 

Aquarius (Jan. 21 – Feb.19)

Mercury retrogrades in your house of expansion this week, Aquarius. This may reflect in your ability to commit to an idea, philosophy or travel plans. Don’t try to rush into anything this week, but plant seeds to make some philosophical (or literal) moves by the end of October. 

Pisces (Feb. 20 – March 20)

Not to be dramatic, but something’s got to die. Mercury retrogrades in your sector of growth and rebirth, meaning this is the ultimate time to let things go. Be disappointed in what doesn’t work out for you this week, but take it as a sign to move on. 

Aries (March 21 – April 20)

This week will be emotionally turbulent for you, Aries. Beginning with the moon in Pisces on Monday, you may feel trapped, overwhelmed even, but the moon will transition into Aries on Tuesday, giving you a sense of relief. Until the end of the week, you might feel on-edge as Mercury turns retrograde in your area of relationships. 

Taurus (April 21 – May 20)

As the week begins with Monday’s full moon in Pisces, you may feel the need to assess your emotional structure with those you love. How do your relationships fulfill or detract from you? Watch out for Mercury retrograde later in the week and prioritize self-care, Taurus. 

Gemini (May 21 – June 22)

It’s time to get that bread, Gemini. The Pisces full moon spotlights your career zone at the beginning of this week, allowing for some serious gaslight, gatekeep girl boss energy. However, Mercury transitions to retrograde in Libra later in the week, creating a sense of insecurity. Reflect on your strengths as you begin to second-guess yourself. 

Cancer (June 23 – July 21)

You might be feeling a little sentimental this week, Cancer. Connect with your emotional roots as the Pisces moon passes through Monday and as the Sun moves into Libra, your domestic sector, later in the week. Keep things flowing as Mercury in retrograde attempts to confuse your intuitive side. 

Leo (July 22 – Aug. 23)

You’re feeling a little emo, and that’s okay, Leo. As the Pisces moon falls into your sector of intimacy and desires, Mercury turns retrograde in your sector of communication. It’s time to blast your favorite sad tracks with the windows down to let it all out this week. 

Virgo (Aug. 24 – Sept. 23)

With the Pisces full moon on Monday, your focus this week will be on your relationships at the beginning of the week. As Mercury retrogrades in Libra later on, your focus will shift to money and building secure internal and external supports. Contemplate what will immediately benefit you and what you can hold off on until next week. 

Libra (Sept. 24 – Oct. 23)

Mercury trines Jupiter in Aquarius at the beginning of this week, asking you to invest some of your brainpower to see growth and success. Is there something you’ve wanted to accomplish you haven’t committed to yet? Now is the time to plant the seeds. When Mercury turns retrograde, approach your fixation with a new perspective. 

Scorpio (Oct. 24 – Nov. 22)

Your emotions will be a little turbulent this week, Scorpio. Focus on grounding yourself as your Mars in Libra trines your North Node in Gemini, making your financial prospects a little chaotic. Lean into your ​​introspective, secretive side. 

Sagittarius (Nov. 23 – Dec. 21)

Happy homecoming, Sagittarius. Now’s the time to curl up with a good book and settle in just before fall. Your Mars in Libra trines Gemini in your house of relationships on Tuesday. Look forward to developing a closer relationship with someone unexpectedly this week. 

Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 20)

The full moon in Pisces is in your communication sector this week, Capricorn. Now’s the time to invest your time in your creative projects. What inspires you? Make your dreams physical this week by putting in some hard work. 

Aquarius (Jan. 21 – Feb.19)

Emotional and physical travel is the theme for you this week, Aquarius. With the full moon in Pisces this week and Libra in Mars, you may find yourself having to navigate an open road, needing to find external influences to help steer your path. 

Pisces (Feb. 20 – March 20)

It’s time for a reset with the full moon in your sign on Monday, Pisces. Connect to your dreamlike, intuitive nature this week and reassess during the shadow period. Use this time to clean your house and mind.

This year, National Poetry Month celebrates its 25th year of recognizing important language, culture and community. Each April, poets and readers of all ages take part in National Poetry Month by learning about notable poets and pieces while crafting their own. As part of the University of Maine community, take part in National Poetry Month before April 30 by reading recent publications by students and faculty and by taking part in social media poetry challenges aimed to inspire a regular creative flow. 

Read UMaine’s “The Open Field” literary magazine

Featuring nearly 30 artists and almost 50 poetic, visual, fiction and creative nonfiction works, this year’s virtual issue of “The Open Field” literary magazine is “devoted to publishing poetry, prose, mixed-genre writing, and visual art by the undergraduate community at the University of Maine.” This year’s publication touches on a variety of themes while painting deeply personal, intricate vignettes inspired by nature, introspection and the simplicity of daily life. English undergraduate students Nola Prevost and Lily Comeau-Waite edited and assembled the spring 2021 edition under faculty advisor and assistant professor Hollie Adams. 

Follow @storiedumaine for a month-long poetry challenge

As UMaine’s creative writing club, Storied @storiedumaine, offers virtual daily writing prompts such as “Mind vs. Body,” “Fish Rain” and beginning this week, “Lighthouse,” “Final Frost” and “10 Things I Hate About You.” The club also features poems following the monthly prompts as submitted through their Instagram page. Storied holds weekly 6:30 p.m. meetings on Wednesdays covering a variety of writing-related topics. The group recently held a “Newspeak” event on April 14 covering the poetry within the technical vocabulary. For more information on UMaine’s Storied group, visit their linkt.ree for their mailing list, Coffee Shop and event Zoom links, and Google Classroom information. 

Be featured on-air with Maine Public’s month-long “mini-poem” campaign

Throughout the month of April, Maine Public Radio is “celebrat[ing] the art of the verse” by featuring short poems by submission on Twitter and TikTok. Using #NPRpoetry, poets may submit 140 words or less, or a less than 15 second TikTok submission for a shoutout on-air by a professional poet on “All Things Considered” if your poem catches their eye. This campaign is perfect for those who love flowing haikus, rhyming quatrains and those who get funky with free verse. Additionally, TikTok submissions allow for showing off your favorite spoken-word and slam poetry performances. 

Take part in “Escapril”: Where the community of poetry by prompt posts began

Started by author and poet Savannah Brown, who is originally known for her YouTube poetry slam videos, “Escapril” is a month-long writing prompt-based Instagram event that builds community via #escapril. With more than 22,000 followers and three years in the making, @letsescapril on Instagram features daily prompts, highlighted artist work, and notable poems to reconcile with in-between. Some of the prompts this year include “ego” and “here’s what i remember,” with upcoming prompts “mirror” and “in the distance, a small shape.”

Monday: National Garlic Day

Do you have a vampire problem? Ward off the evil undead with National Garlic Day. As an immune-boosting spice, what better time than during a global pandemic to add a pinch more garlic than usual? Additionally, garlic is proven to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol, though maybe not when coupled with an indulgent garlic-bread recipe by Delish that even Olive Garden would be jealous of. To celebrate, decide on how best to incorporate garlic into your diet. Add it to a bowl of choice veggies and protein, popcorn or save it for comfort food like garlic bread or garlic potatoes. 

Tuesday: National Look-Alike Day

Today, we’re seeing double. Similar to Twin Day, National Look-Alike Day lets you dress up like a friend or a celebrity someone swears you look just like. To celebrate, grab your best friend and aim for “The Parent Trap” level of twinness when picking out a hairdo, outfit and accessories. Could you successfully switch places? Today, ask a friend which celebrity they think you look the most like or if they’ve seen your doppelganger in town. Especially at a school as big as the University of Maine, there’s only a 1:135 chance you’ll find someone who looks exactly like you. Keep your eyes peeled!

Wednesday: National Tea Day

Established in 2016, National Tea Day was created on Queen Elizabeth’s birthday as a way to enjoy a classic beverage and pretend you’re royalty. Consisting of not only herbal, fruit, black, white and green varieties, teas are heavily ingrained in the development of culture worldwide, each region specializing in a particular variety. To celebrate National Tea Day, research where your favorite tea comes from. Is your tea locally sourced? Is your tea ethically produced? Additionally, if you tend to stick to one variety of tea, spice it up and try something new.  

Thursday: Earth Day

Created in 1969 as a result of a Santa Barbara, California oil spill, Earth Day aims to promote a healthy, sustainable earth. With climate change looming on the horizon, there are several ways to celebrate earth day this year, big and small. 1) Take a look at your water usage and conservation. Do you leave the tap on while you brush your teeth? 2) Evaluate your diet. Meat and agriculture production have incredible environmental impacts that can easily be reduced by conscious eating. 3) Upcycle and recycle old textiles and plastics. If your plastic bottles have been stacking up over time, take today to turn them in for a little cash and a lot of recycling. 

Friday: World Book Day

End the week with World Book Day. First established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1995, this holiday aims to promote literacy and creativity found by cracking open an exciting new title. To enjoy World Book Day, wander into the stacks of UMaine’s Fogler Library and ask a librarian what their favorite recommended reading is for this month or browse through Bustle’s April 2021 top picks. Revisit your childhood favorites by reading to a younger friend or family member today and cherish the magic of getting lost in a book!

All holidays were found on NationalDayCalendar.com and NationalToday.com. Be sure to keep up to date with our regularly featured holidays featured both on our Instagram @themainecampus and website.

22-year-old viral singer, rapper and songwriter Lil Nas X, otherwise known as Montero Lamar Hill, has come under fire recently for his No. 1 hit single and music video, “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” which both uses explicit themes and imagery and created backlash of religious demonization. At the same time, his online sale of “Satan Shoes,” modified Nike Air Max 97s, fit with pentagrams and allegedly, with a drop of blood in their soles, received similar backlash coupled with a lawsuit. 

Known for both his 2019 single and several remixes of “Old Town Road” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 19 weeks, Hill is an award-winning artist with recognitions including Grammy awards for best music video and best pop duo/group performance, two MTV Music Video awards for song of the year and American Music Award for favorite rap/hip hop song, all for his viral “Old Town Road”.

Two years later, Hill premiered “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” on March 26, instantly becoming a viral Youtube sensation, now with 120.4 million views. Featuring biblical, fallen-angel imagery, Hill attempts to “open up a dialogue about the continuing omnipresence of repression among LGBTQ youth, particularly within Christian spaces,” he explained in an interview with Time Magazine. 

Keeping in mind the “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” video is PG-13 at best, Hill received a wide range of reactions, some in support for advocating for the LGBTQ community and youth, while others deemed it sacrilege and intensely inappropriate, bringing up the issue of artist censorship on a platform frequented by those underage. 

On top of the controversial music video, Hill and producer MSCHF Product Studio Inc. also released modified Nike Air Max 97s, dawning pentagrams, biblical reference to a verse illustrating the fall of Satan and an alleged drop of blood in each sole. Naturally, these shoes intended as a marketing campaign for the new release fed into the sacrilege view, but more notably, led Hill and MSCHF to face a lawsuit with Nike for product alteration and resell and for “damaging its brand” as according to CBS News. 

On April 8, MSCHF announced it would buy back Hill’s “Satan Shoes” for retail price as settlement, also offering to do the same for their 2019 “Jesus Shoes” (which were not recalled at the time of release) in order to “remove them from circulation,” according to Nike. 

Although both releases of “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” and his “Satan Shoes” certainly gave way to significant controversy and roadblocks for the artist, Hill notes he “100% wants to represent the LGBT community” in an interview with The Guardian, possibly leading to more representation and activism in his upcoming debut album, “MONTERO” this summer.

3.5/5 Stars

With March marking Women’s History Month, “Moxie,” a new coming of age rom-com drama, was released on Netflix March 3. The film caters to a younger audience and presents information in an easily digestible format. With a runtime of 1 hour 51 minutes, this film still brings a wide range of women’s issues into the spotlight through a high-school lens, demonstrating issues with dress code, sports pay gap, accepted microaggressions, with hints at immigration and LGBTQ culture. 

“Moxie” was directed by Amy Poehler, produced by herself, Kim Lessing and Morgan Sackett, and written by Tamara Chestna. This film was adapted from the 2017 novel by Jennifer Mathieu also titled “Moxie.” 

Hadley Robinson stars as Vivian, the protagonist of the film. Starring in supporting roles are Lauren Tsai as Claudia, Vivian’s best friend, Alycia Pascual-Pena as Lucy, the new girl in school, Nico Hirago as Seth, Vivian’s love interest, and Patrick Schwarzenegger as the main antagonist and bully, Mitchell. 

Other notable appearances include Amy Poehler as Lisa, Vivian’s mom who inspired the Moxie revolution, Isaac Barinholtz, known for roles in “Suicide Squad” and “Neighbors,” as Mr. Davis as well as Clark Gregg, known for his role as Agent Phil Coulson in “The Avengers” and “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D,” as John.

Beginning in Rockport High School, Vivian, a shy girl with a long-time best friend, Claudia, comes face-to-face with her feminist awakening after witnessing “more than annoying” acts of bullying between Lucy and Mitchell as a result of Lucy speaking against reading “The Great Gatsby” as an American classic, questioning a woman’s role. 

Vivian witnesses repeated microaggressions toward the school’s female population such as literal talking-over or silencing of voice, dress-code interruptions and a school superlative list where all the girls are ranked by their so-called attractive qualities among others. She takes it upon herself to secretly create a feminist “Moxie” zine in rebellion to shed light on deep-seated issues that shouldn’t be brushed off by school administration, avidly supported by everyone she knows. 

In a punk rock format, this film incorporates the musical stylings of “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill coupled with the campaign form featuring stickers, a zine and lots of sharpie. The pacing of “Moxie” fell into a comfortable beat, helped along with each stunt created by the Moxie girl group at school. Treading safely behind the line of being unrealistic, this film portrays high school life in a grounded hyperbole by giving the audience characters like people we know and love, but in a larger-than life setting. 

This movie does a good job at casting a surprisingly diverse group, although both the main protagonist and antagonist remain white among the core cast. Explicitly mentioned in the beginning of the film when Vivian and her mother, Lisa, talked about her mother’s previous feminist protests and gatherings, intersectionality wasn’t taken into account nearly as much as it should have. In a Cosmopolitan op-ed, Vivian’s view of feminism through a white lens proves problematic, especially when Vivian remains anonymous while those of color take a defining role in the film. 

Regardless, “Moxie” brings up several critical women’s issues, and does a great job covering such a wide range without it seeming like there’s a timer and checklist driving the plot to the finish. Specifically during the scene which addresses sports support and funding, “Moxie” made a statement which iterated women’s work is still unfinished, making this a great film to open up a conversation with a younger sibling and sit and talk about current issues and events.

Beginning March 1, students Bailey West a fourth-year Honors biochemistry student and Katie Tims, a fourth-year Honors biology student, are launching their “It’s Personal” campaign in partnership with the University of Maine’s Black Bear Exchange (BBE), challenging UMaine’s professional and student groups and organizations to donate as many personal care items as possible before Maine Day on April 28.

This campaign aims to foster healthy competition within the UMaine community as a March-Madness style, basketball bracket event where teams who raised more personal care goods such as toothpaste, soap and bandaids, are moved along, and those who fall short, are knocked out. As of Thursday, March 4, the campaign had 17 different student and administrative UMaine groups signed up and ready to compete and donate starting March 8.

Expanding on an Honors College initiative last semester, West and Tims noted that the current fundraiser is a culmination of both curiosity and hard work toward raising awareness about personal care item insecurity and building a campus community willing to support that need.

“We wanted to hone in on what food insecurity looks like on our campus. COVID-19 has really exacerbated that for a lot of people and we wanted to build community in a time when everybody is struggling,” Tims said.

At the beginning stages, West’s and Tims’ aim was focused more toward food security as a broad issue affecting the UMaine campus, however, they determined food items were not the only products necessary to get-by when funds are low.

“We were originally pretty oriented on food insecurity, but when you’re insecure in terms of food, you likely are also insecure in terms of personal care products which also contribute to your quality of life. We didn’t realize that it was such a big gap that needs to be filled, initially,” West said.

During their “Giving Tuesday” event around Thanksgiving last semester, the pair sought to give back in a smaller capacity before their current “It’s Personal” campaign this spring. In a single day, West noted how much support came from the surrounding UMaine community.

With the current “It’s Personal” Campaign, West and Tims are already seeing donations coming through which will be making their way to UMaine’s BBE in addition to the $500 Maine Hunger Dialogue grant awarded to the initiative in December which will be used primarily for donations directly to the BBE and for means of spreading the word.

Lisa Morin, coordinator of the Bodwell Center, which runs the BBE, UMaine’s campus food pantry, commented on this tremendous campus support and the need for it while the financial stressors of COVID-19 are still affecting the campus community, especially students who relied on on-campus work study opportunities or jobs in the surrounding area.

“We had been serving 60 or so people in a week’s time, and now we’re seeing over 100. [COVID-19 has] increased both the number and type of people coming in,” Morin said.

Morin emphasized that there is “not one type of student” who can take advantage of the BBE, recognizing the stigma around using the term “food cupboard” and expressing that the BBE remains an “exchange” to make those who may feel uncomfortable welcome. Students may use the BBE once a week or even once a month depending on their own personal need.

As the fundraiser wraps up on Maine Day, both Morin, West and Tims hope for this campaign to first aid the UMaine community, but most importantly spread awareness that personal care item insecurity goes hand-in-hand with food insecurity.

“I think this is the ideal scenario where we get a lot of stuff that would carry us for a while [so we can] help people [for longer], but also that people would realize this need and be able to pitch in to help keep the shelves full on a more regular basis [on top of what has already been done],” Morin said.

To get involved in this fundraiser, check out the “It’s Personal” campaign page to discover which groups are currently in the running beginning on March 8 and support your favorite team, or keep up to date on the Honors College and BBE social media platforms.

To access and learn more about the BBE, please visit their website for more information on their current Black Bears To Go program.

On Feb. 24, McGillicuddy Humanities Center (MHC) Undergraduate Fellow Leela Stockley presented “The Double Standard: Protest Coverage and Racial Bias,” which covered her research on racial bias in relation to the recent Black Lives Matter Protests. Stockley is a fourth-year journalism and anthropology student and a prospective graduate student at the University of Maine. 

After an introduction by Karen Sieber, Stockley’s presentation detailed a culmination of over a year’s worth of research into media and journalist behavior in the mediascape within the context of the current Black Lives Matter protest coverage. The presentation noted the opportunity the McGillicuddy Humanities Center provided by allowing an avenue for in-depth intersectional research. 

Stockley combined her interests in journalism and anthropology by focusing her research on determining the context and framing of mass media with relation to diversity and inclusion within the newsroom. This was exemplified by a discussion of news headlines, both in smaller community press and in larger publications, as reactions to events during the Black Lives Matter movement. 

“It is an important aspect of research as an academic. By going through all of my undergraduate work, I have learned a lot about the value of bringing in various perspectives and being able to talk about why they are important to how we are approaching what we’re studying,” Stockley said. 

Stockley said she was drawn to focus on the Black Lives Matter movement as it has existed since 2010, serving as a long-standing basis for conversation surrounding racial bias and conceptualizing the protest paradigm. She noted the importance of learning how journalists may use delegitimizing language when framing both protest and general racial coverage as a whole, which helps to contextualize recent social justice issues and in shedding light on holes created by biased coverage. 

“Journalism is constantly trying to provide context. Any good journalism is able to present a [variety] of information and viewpoints, and I was curious to see if there were any patterns in journalism that show the way journalists can provide context,” Stockley said.

During her presentation, Stockley brought forth recommendations for approaching apparent news bias, discussing strategies on how to consciously engage when consuming media involving social justice issues by providing a checklist framework that aims to combat media bias and understand charged headlines by dissecting framed narratives. Stockley noted that this awareness is especially relevant when the diversity of newsroom populations do not proportionately match the communities they serve. 

“In order to combat media bias, it is important for people to consider how your media is produced and who is producing it. It is interesting to consider how news outlets are trying to curate news that is relevant and impactful to their communities, while not necessarily serving the needs of their communities,” Stockley said.

Stockley’s talk ended with a brief Q&A session reiterating varied frames between local and larger news with an emphasis on local news being a more reliable source of information as well as using local op-ed sections to build a general framework of what some community voices may look like among the general front-page content. 

The MHC will be putting on a number of series of events throughout the rest of the spring semester, as they continue to fund student research and promote events centered around humanities on campus. The next event will take place on March 10 at 7:30 p.m. called “The Art of Climate Change” featuring Maine-based artists Jill Pelto, Deirdre Murphy and Laura Helmuth, editor-in-chief of Scientific American, who will discuss ways art transcends scientific incorporation in public engagement. 

As posted on their Facebook and Instagram pages, the MHC is looking for applicants for both the upcoming spring/fall and fall/spring semesters. When selected, MHC fellows are awarded $8,000 across two semesters to research a topic of their choice, as a part of furthering student interdisciplinary skills and supporting meaningful dialogue between a broad landscape of humanities platforms and resources both at UMaine and beyond. 

For more information on the application process as well as general information, please visit their website or social media pages to stay up to date on current events and opportunities.

Local Orono “funk and soul-influenced” band Midnight Breakfast released their debut self-titled album on all streaming platforms on Jan. 30. With a total of nine songs and a runtime of 37 minutes, the band packs a punch with easy, conversational pieces which paint intricate vignettes from start to finish. 

Popular songs on this album include an optimistic “If You Comfort Me,” the intimate “I’ll Make You Happy” and “Bittersweet,” a fantastic showcase of instrumental improvisation and vocal command. 

Midnight Breakfast consists of five members who are either currently attending or are alumni of UMaine: Jennifer Shevlin-Fernandes on vocals, Matt Donovan who plays guitar and bass, Benjamin Flanagan on bass and keys, Reggie Kollman on drums and Loren Pinkham who plays saxophones and keys. 

Highlighting their most recent release within the context of their favorite performances at local Orono restaurants The Common Loon and at Woodman’s Bar and Grill, Donovan, and Flanagan, spoke to their beginnings and experimentality of composition. Both had significant roles in the album’s creative process, with Donovan contributing to the production and Flanagan helping combine the album’s instrumental and vocal aspects.

“When we recorded them, they came into their own life,” Donovan said.

During performances, some songs were seen as “explorative long jams,” while others were easy to pin down.

“Some of the songs, like the first track on the album, I can pretty much just always beat back to where it was, but pretty much all the rest of the songs [followed a relaxed form where] someone would take three times around the chorus and the rest of us will come in,” Flanagan said. 

Similar to their live improvisational performance style, Midnight Breakfast relied upon improvisational techniques during the recording and production of their debut album, many songs left as a single great take using only themes from trials before. 

“Most of the piano and saxophone you hear on the album is pretty like spontaneously improvised,” Flanagan said. “Very little of [the album] was predetermined, with the exception of ‘Biittersweet’ and ‘Comfort Me.’ ‘I’ll Make You Happy’ always has a different intro.”

During the composition process, the band took many different approaches, with each member adding to the progression and style, honing in on their own flair layer by layer until a finished groove would appear. “Somebody would come in with an idea or we’d be jamming and someone would say, ‘Oh, I like that idea, that little musical tidbit,’” Flanagan said.

“With ‘If You Comfort Me,’ one day, Jenn came over and she was like, ‘I don’t know how to describe what I’m hearing in my head, but she had written the first verse and had ideas for the chorus,” Flanagan said. “She didn’t know how to describe what she was hearing in musical terms, so instead, she just recorded herself singing all the parts a cappella… which really speaks to the level of musicianship [she has].”

Lyrically, Flanagan was able to speak for his and Shevlin-Fernandes’ composition process. If the band is not in a group session collectively brainstorming lyrics, or actively working lines and verses during a rehearsal in UMaine’s Black Box Theatre, Shevlin-Fernandes brings her own lived experiences to float upon the instrumental heartbeat of Midnight Breakfast. 

“I think for Jenn, the majority of the writings have immediate real-world correlations, then she finds a way to sing it with words [that apply to] universal experiences to be more accessible,” Flanagan said. “In ‘Bittersweet,’ [Jenn found a] color that is associated with [her] memories, and this combination of feeling [created an image of] candles, bookshelves and corduroys [in a] kind of dream.”

Since the band and their music are still nascent, Midnight Breakfast is currently exploring what genre means for the development of the group’s musicality. Not wanting to be put into a box or schedule a self-fulfilling prophecy, the band is toying with the idea of an “indie” label but acknowledges that at this point, they are finding themselves selecting different categories each time a platform requests a self-identified, “opaque genre” as explained by Flanagan. 

Still, Donovan credits Black American music genres such as blues, jazz, gospel and R&B for influences in the band’s feel, even if it isn’t directly apparent on the album. 

“[Take] making a horror movie [as an example],” Flanagan said. “[When defined by a] genre, that’s like saying, ‘Okay, here are the steps you follow to [fit into that box].’ It comes with certain responsibilities. As someone who’s playing certain types of music, even if we don’t [label] ourselves as [this kind of] band or that band, we still are both in some ways.”

Midnight Breakfast credits their success from community support and involvement and dedicated their self-titled album to those who encouraged them from the beginning. 

“It’s for the people that came to every show and said, ‘So when can I listen? When can we stream it?’ — I guess we should stream it; record it now. The amount of support around here is really awesome,” Flanagan said. 

Currently, the band is seeing upticks in their listenership on Spotify in Western Canada in addition to their listener base including the Orono area, Boston and New York City with 620 monthly listeners total. 

“Even that has exceeded my expectations,” Donovan said. “So now I’m just sitting back on the ride to see. If it doesn’t [exceed my expectations] again, it’s already beyond what I’m happy with.”

For more information on Midnight Breakfast, check out their Spotify, Soundcloud @midnight-breakfastmaine, Bandcamp and YouTube as listed as Midnight Breakfast as well as their Facebook and Instagram @midnight.breakfastme. To tune into their latest performance at Husson University’s “Overdrive: Full Saturation” benefit concert for the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter and latest music video, “I’ll Make You Happy,” visit their linkt.ree