by Alexis Blue

Gutswurrak was filled with chatter, chilled drinks and cookies from a refreshment table on Feb. 11. The room felt lively; students, faculty, staff and community members gathered to listen to renowned author and activist Loretta J. Ross speak on contemporary society’s inclination towards cancel culture. 

Ross spoke as the Black Liberation Month Keynote Speaker, hosted by the Umoja Center for Pan African Excellence. Ross is an activist, feminist, public intellectual and professor at Smith College in Massachusetts. A 2024 National Women’s Hall of Fame Inductee, Ross was an exceptional figure in the women’s movement. She joined in 1978 by working at the first rape crisis center in the country, where she developed her knowledge on women’s human rights, reproductive justice, white supremacy and the intersectionality of race with each issue.

In her book, Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel, Ross dives deep into what it means to call in, and how this strategy may be used to foster real change in activism as a whole, to fight modern facism in the United States. 

“I remember Trump coming down that golden escalator,” Ross said. “I knew that America was not prepared for what he represented. Everybody in the media thought that he was a joke. I thought that he was an outcome of what America is and has busily denied forever.”  

Ross continued by saying that 30 years ago, and even now, American society was so eager to call itself “post-racialist” to move past the fact that racism still exists in this country. 

As an activist, Ross discussed her experience trying to fight facism in the past, and particularly in the contemporary political climate that surrounds the current administration. Her activism for the larger part of her life has never been easy, but has allowed her to gain insight into how exactly she wants to work towards her goals. 

In developing how she wants to do work in her activism, she identified certain barriers and ways that people can advocate for change more effectively.
“Doing anti-Klan work, doing the human rights work, doing the women’s rights work,” Ross said. “All of that slowly brought me to the realization that we cannot effectively fight facism when we’re spending our best bullets on each other.” 

Ross outlines what she describes as a “Five C Continuum,” a framework for responding to challenging ideas and conflicts amidst one’s own activism: calling out, calling in, calling on, calling off and canceling.

She strays from the idea of cancel culture, and instead promotes her idea of calling in, as it allows people to confront their own ideas in a more productive way. 

“The first person you have to call in is yourself… You are modeling your best integrity in the world that you want to live in, not the world that you’re fighting,” Ross said. 

A part of the continuum, a calling on strategy is useful specifically in addressing the people in one’s life as an incentive for them to confront internal ideas that are affecting their external behaviors. 

“A calling on strategy is to help [the people in your life] pay attention to the good things that they’re capable of,” Ross said. “Using the adage of what Adrienne Maree Brown says, ‘What you pay attention to grows.’” 

Ross highlighted the importance of humanizing people that have differing opinions and the importance of human rights. In a world full of hate, facism, racism and people in power trying to strip humans of their basic rights, Ross spoke to the power of love to defeat hate. 

“For a movement, there will be many different people with many different thoughts moving in the same direction,” Ross said.  

Alexis Blue is a senior at Cal Poly Humboldt, majoring in journalism – public relations and minoring in writing. In her free time, you’ll probably find her drinking coffee, watching sunsets, collecting shells on the beach and playing soccer.

by Luke Shanafelt

Tasseled titties spun in circles as the host, Mr. Gino, emerged onto the stage in an emerald crusted blazer. The swing band filled ears with waves of roaring twenties jazz tunes. A pastel pink haircut bounced to the beat, waiting for a dancer to throw shreds of underwear upon them.

Burlesque entertainment uses elements of comedy, music and striptease to create a feminist counterculture rooted in tradition. On the night of Saturday, Feb. 7, more than 10 dancers, including Eureka Mayor Kim Bergel, took the stage at the Eagle House.

Harry Sass closed the show with a flamboyant display of unapologetic swag. He came in hot dressed with a funky white suit and a long silver wig. As the crowd begged for more, that white suit began to dematerialize. With an array of stringed disassembly, pasty white quadrecepts revealed themselves in the red light. 

“Burlesque was kind of like women taking back their power,” Sass said. “It’s about celebrating the beauty in everybody. The perfect body is what society says it is, and it’s unattainable.”

In Humboldt County, people use burlesque to express themselves without feeling shame. The host for the evening, Mr. Gino, helped highlight why Humboldt is a great spot for drag and burlesque.

“We have so many performers who feel safe putting themselves out there because we have love and support from our community,” Mr. Gino said.

Mr. Gino’s hosting skills kept the momentum of the show beating like a pulse. Backed by an incredible talent of jazz musicians and two beautiful singers, Mr. Gino could do no wrong. Cheers rang almost every minute. It was the same enthusiasm some give to the Super Bowl.

Ryan Citro, an organizer and performer in the event, talked about the style associated with drag and the time period it comes from.

“When I dress up, I want to look like Marilyn Monroe,” Citro said. “I just love old Hollywood glamor, I love being on the stage and I love creating costumes.” 

Citro took the stage with the attitude of a burlesque seasoned veteran. Her personality came through in her act with a calm confidence. Her peacock inspired attire also reflected her leadership and owning her own body, flaunting it not to attract mates, but to impress herself beyond her own expectations.  

“Burlesque gives me a lot of confidence,” Citro said.

Stripteasing takes some guts, especially performing to a sold-out crowd of more than 50 people. Citro created the peacock costume herself, something she tries to do with most of her costumes when she has the time and money. When she doesn’t, she looks to the community for help. Burlesque has themes of mocking high society, so hand-made costumes are not only sustainable, but also mimic the incredibly expensive culture of high fashion. 

To striptease for a sold out crowd of people takes major skill, practice and confidence. These artists work hard to own their body and their style, and embracing themselves makes it easy for outsiders to come in and find confidence as well. 

Burlesque dancers express themselves in a way that inspires. It’s an art form that shines light on glistening nipple pasties of all shapes, colors and sizes. In times of heated political turmoil, Americans have always had the freedom of expression to fall back on. Humboldt county’s hippie transplant origins gave the performers a comfort that holds them soft like a fern. 

Humboldt is artistically rich. Whether it’s finding confidence in yourself by watching your favorite dancer, getting inspired by the epic costume design and music, or supporting the people who work hard to create events like this. 

Mr. Gino had some final comments for the students of Humboldt regarding drag and burlesque.  

“Get out into your community,” Mr. Gino said. “A lot of times students come up here just for school. Don’t just come to school and leave, w. We have a beautiful place here. It really is a special little bubble.”

Luke is a senior journalism transfer from Socal who enjoys video editing, music journalism, and man on the street interviews. Contact him at ls432@humboldt.edu.

by Will Bishop

This Saturday night, beneath a haloed Waxing Gibbous moon, the high ceilings of Kate Buchanan were filled with churning and rapturous sludge. Main act Frankie and the Witch Fingers, in tandem with opener Zookraught, metamorphosed the vast, generally bean bag adorned space into a downright disgusting melee of bodies and sonic warfare. No vast Orwellian projections of Kevin from The Office on the walls this time around. If you wanted to escape your roommates and sleep for an alarming amount of time in Cal Poly Humboldt’s unofficially-official chamber of nap-titude, you were gonna be better off trying your luck under that big lightbulb in the sky.

Launching the night in T-minus to dance-punk doomsday fashion was Zookraught, a trio from Seattle consisting of Stephanie Jones on bass, Sam Frederick on guitar and Baylee Harper on drums adorned with facepaint that invited the tantalizing question, “What if Kiss was good?” Well, if Kiss was good, and a completely different genre of music and not in any way remotely similar to Kiss with the exception of their facepaint, then perhaps they would be like Zookraught — and perhaps they would be face-meltingly sick as fuck. Like Zookraught. For the first minute or two, I wondered where exactly their vocals were even coming from before realizing this is one of those “OH MY GOD THE DRUMMER SINGS”-type bands, promptly followed by the realization that they in fact all sing, and they will throw around that vocal baton at breakneck speed.

Describing themselves after the show as “Team Fun,” the band conjures an aura of whimsicality, theatricality and ferocicality (sometimes bands deserve new words) in equal measure, crossing guitar necks like simulated ten-string intercouse and raging at the American political machine with all manner of electro-acoustical might. Nary an ass was left unshaken by the end of this blistering set, as the band perfectly navigated the precarious zone between hard as nails punk and hooky-danceable-borderline pop that you could show to your pop-loving suburban aunt if you wanted to kill her or something. 

By night’s end, frontman of Frankie and the Witch Fingers Dylan Sizemore was among Zookraught’s biggest admirers, even going as far as to call them one of his favorite bands. 

“It’s insane they even opened for us, because they’re amazing,” Sizemore said. “I wouldn’t even call them an opener, we just played with them tonight.” 

Which brings us neatly to psych rock extraordinaires Frankie and the Witch Fingers, whose current lineup is comprised of the aforementioned Dylan Sizemore on vocals and guitar, Nicole “Nikki Pickle” Smith on bass, Josh Menashe on guitar, Jon Modaff on synths and Nick Aguilar on drums. The lone synth of Trash Classic introductory track Channel Rot heralded their arrival, prickling up the back of my neck and wriggling into my ears. Now that I’ve been infected with the Mind Virus, it is time to begin. 

Cue guitars. The relentless, borderline monotonic ripper T.V. Baby immediately established the cadence of the set. From there on out, it was go, go, go. The jerky stork-like posture dancing of Sizemore, like the hands of a rapidly malfunctioning clock, could practically show you how the music sounded without hearing it. With a head rigidly strapped to a constantly pecking gimbal metronome hybrid apparatus some might refer to as a “perfectly human neck” and a hard V stance akin to an upside down yield sign — which for those of you who don’t have driver’s licenses, means go very fast. He is the visual embodiment of the band’s sound.

While some may think of psych rock as eternally dressed in kaleidoscopic spaced out collages of LSD ambiance, Frankie and the Witch Fingers quote from a very different book. After the mayhem, Sizemore could be heard telling eager young fans about proto-electronic group Crash Course in Science, and it is precisely this kind of out-of-left-field reference that holds the keys to their unique sonic makeup. The high precision playing, the mutating repetition, the synth lead-ins; it all very much evokes the ethos of fringe, punk-inflected techno long before you would ever think of genre staples such as Spiritualized or Pink Floyd. Like motorik refracted through the scuzzed-out fuzz of psych rock. A mutant, a freak, a disgusting and abominable thing. Give me more, I want to keep hanging out with the swamp monster robot.

Will Bishop is a Cal Poly Humboldt journalism major. He is prone to writing essays about things that bother him, and fictional works about things that also bother him but in different ways. A highly bothered individual, and a lover of cinema, music, and large trees/rocks, he can often be found in the woods, dancing to bring down the sky.

by Ryndi Greenwell

**Name of volunteer not shared due to protecting their anonymity/ability to volunteer. This article will refer to them as “volunteer” or “presenter.”

On Dec. 8, Cal Poly Humboldt received a report back from the West Bank — a presentation and Q&A from a volunteer who spent three months in the West Bank of Israeli-occupied Palestine. They spent most of their time in Masafer Yatta, a rural collection of 19 villages within the occupied West Bank. The presentation took place at the Behavioral and Social Sciences building on campus, drawing in about 20 students and community members. 

The presentation covered a volunteer’s personal experience while in Masafer Yatta, including risks they encountered as well as the joy they found there. The presenter worked with the volunteer group Masafer Yatta Solidarity Alliance (MYSA), who work to establish a protective presence of international volunteers in the homes and properties of local Palestinians. The presenter discussed how the presence of volunteers made Palestinian families less prone to targeted actions from Israeli settlers.

“Families are less likely to get attacked if a volunteer is present,” the presenter said. 

The volunteer reported that in the area they stayed, there was some kind of incident with Israeli citizens or the Israeli Occupational Force (IOF) daily. The force is also known as the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), however the volunteer clarified that the defense part of the acronym is not accurate to their imperial actions. These daily incidents included the deployment of sound grenades to disrupt gatherings, IOF harassing locals for documentation frequently, destroying property and crops, water sabotage and more. Many of the incidents the presenter encountered were related to livestock and land protection.

“Settler shepherds were encroaching on their land,” they said. “Some days as early as 6 a.m., some days at 8 a.m..” 

Another main goal of the volunteer organization is to document incidents as they happen. Having a witness to violent or unfair treatment may help the families have a better case in court, and settler forces are less likely to harm Palestinians if an international volunteer is recording. Their phones or cameras are also much less likely to be seized or broken by the IOF. 

For those who might consider volunteer work like this, the presenter shared that there are few barriers to entry. Volunteers must complete an online training program before they can travel to the West Bank and can choose to not participate even after the training is completed. MYSA asks that volunteers stay for a minimum of three weeks in order to complete necessary on-the-ground training, but encourages the full three months in order to have the most impact. 

“The relationships you can build are deeper the longer you stay,” the presenter said. 

That was one major takeaway from the presentation — much of the difference one can make is creating close relationships with local Palestinians. Protective presence volunteer work gives communities some safety, but also leaves volunteers with a greater understanding of human rights. The presenter explained that most volunteers find themselves wanting to stay in the West Bank, and may return many times. 

“It is a life-changing, radicalizing experience,” the volunteer said. 

For more information or questions about volunteering, check out MYSA’s Instagram @masaferyattasolidarityalliance or their website my-sa.org

Ryndi is a news journalism major who loves to cook, paint and sing. Contact her rg315@humboldt.edu

by Sadie Shields

California State University, East Bay Professor and Philosophical Counselor Susi Ferrarello has spent years exploring the intersection of philosophy, literature and human emotion, ultimately shaping a body of work that bridges intellectual inquiry and lived experience. Her career in philosophical counseling gradually inspired her to write a book devoted entirely to the practice.

“I started doing philosophical counseling and then the experience accumulated,” Ferrarello said. “I thought it might be interesting to write a book about that.”

In her recent keynote at Cal Poly Humboldt on Nov. 6 titled “On the Philosopher’s Couch,” Ferrarello invited students to reconsider what it means to love intentionally. Blending philosophy, literature and personal anecdotes from her practice, she encouraged the audience to explore the potential for deliberate, mindful engagement in their relationships. 

“I wanted to give students that space — the same one I try to create for my clients — to know that we can become smarter when it comes to love,” Ferrarello said.

Preparing the lecture posed unique challenges. Ferrarello was aware she would be addressing a diverse audience including students, faculty and community members, and she sought to create a discourse that would resonate with all.

“When we want to share love with someone, we don’t need to act out of an invisible pressure,” Ferrarello said. “There is a space to make relevant choices in our loving life.”

Ferrarello explored two primary themes in her talk: the nature of choice in relationships and the role of emotions — particularly rage — in shaping human interactions. Drawing on Homeric literature, she referenced Penelope and Odysseus as an archetype of relational choice. Ferrarello paralleled this with a client named Christina, who, after more than a decade of marriage, faced continual choices regarding her life and identity within the relationship.

“Love is not just an intention,” Ferrarello said. “Even if I act in good faith, the outcome is not guaranteed.” 

Rage, she said, often complicates the capacity for rational choice in relationships. Referencing the Iliad, she examined Agamemnon’s destructive anger and drew upon stoic philosophy to distinguish between empty, unnatural rage and justified, purposeful thumos — a form of courageous anger grounded in values. 

“It’s not blind, violent rage,” she said. “It’s thumos — the kind of courage that lets us stand our ground and assert who we are. In those moments, we become heroes — we become agathos.” 

To translate these insights into practice, Ferrarello shared exercises from her book The Ethics of Love, designed to help readers reconnect with their capacity for thoughtful, intentional love. Ferrarello said her interest in love is both personal and professional; her book emerged from the intense emotional experiences of counseling clients during the pandemic alongside formative memories from her childhood in Rome. She recalled a neighbor, a woman subjected to psychiatric treatments, whose life left a profound impression.

“I always thought, oh my God, what a terrible life this woman is having,” she said. 

Ferrarello also reflected on the experiences of three other women, two of whom died by suicide following abusive relationships. She dedicated her book to these women, citing her own challenging upbringing as a lens through which she could understand the risks and complexities of love. 

“I could touch with my hands how dangerous and painful love can be if we don’t put our mind into it,” Ferrarello said.

Anxiety and possessiveness, Ferrarello noted, are pervasive challenges in human relationships. An anxious individual may be warm and affectionate yet fail to truly perceive the needs of others because they are consumed by their own fears. 

“The other person becomes an object, not the actual person,” Ferrarello said. 

Recognizing such patterns, she argued, is a crucial step toward healthier relational dynamics. For Ferrarello, the cultivation of self-awareness and humility is central to meaningful love. Humility, she added, prevents people from overestimating themselves or allowing others to define their worth.

Ferrarello explained that healthy self-love is not selfishness, but an ethical engagement with one’s own needs and potential. It involves recognizing one’s unique talents, moral responsibilities and inherent dignity. From this foundation, individuals are better equipped to nurture themselves and others. Ferrarello warned against seeking validation through superficial markers like popularity or wealth, noting that these forms of recognition are fleeting and can leave individuals vulnerable to manipulation. 

“This is another easy way of being loved that does not bring true happiness or fulfillment,” she said.

Ferrarello’s work underscores a central principle: love is a skill that requires reflection, ethical consideration and intentional practice. Through her counseling, writing and lectures, she seeks to equip individuals with the tools to navigate emotion, choice and human connection with greater clarity, compassion and courage.

Sadie is a junior communications major, journalism minor at Cal Poly Humboldt who has an interest in covering and taking photos for sports and wildlife journalism and a slight interest in breaking news. She can be reached at sls331@humboldt.edu.

by Luke Shanafelt

Everyone’s seen a cigarette butt on the ground at some point in their life — a yellowed, plastic tip sitting in the street, waiting to be disposed of. It’s the mascot behind the “I.D.G.A.F” mindset. 

The Surfrider foundation fights for plastic reduction, ocean protection, clean water and more. On Nov. 4, Surfrider Humboldt threw an event with a screening of The Cigarette Surfboard that showcased the process of creating a surfboard made up of over 10,000 cigarette butts. 

Dozens of community members flowed through the doors of the Arcata Theater Lounge to support the cause and listen to the filmmaker Ben Judkins talk about the idea behind it all.

Judkins, a former Arcata resident, was at the event and held a Q&A session after the screening.

There were many familiar faces interviewed for the documentary. One notable waterman and musician, Jack Johnson, had a significant role talking about environmental consciousness in the film. Local Humboldt student Andy Garvin marveled about the impact of the film.

“It showed how small amounts of people could make big changes in government,” Garvin said. 

In the film, Santa Cruz local Taylor Lane entered a contest to create a creative surfboard and his cigarette surfboard entry won. This sparked a movement with Lane refining the design and having real professional surfers like Mikey February styling on the board in a high performance surfing display.

The film was inspiringly disturbing. Many cigarette butts end up on the beach, then consumed by sea life and birds that come across the discarded pieces of plastic. With the help of local surfers, Lane went to the Santa Cruz city council and passed a bill that will outlaw the sale of filtered cigarettes by 2027. This bill is a huge step in the right direction for ocean conservation — the cigarette surfboard has a movement big enough to initiate change behind it. Starting from a hopeful ideal to reuse a product that most people find useless enough to flick on the ground with no regards, to real legislation being passed in the city of Santa Cruz.

Humboldt’s surf community has long balanced a love of good waves with a commitment to protecting the places that make them possible. That’s what made this film so real — it turned a familiar object into a mirror of self reflection. The next time you have a cigarette after watching this movie, it is going to be hard to disregard all of the hard work these folks are putting in to combat all the years of flicking butts. 

Luke is a senior journalism transfer from Socal who enjoys video editing, music journalism, and man on the street interviews. Contact him at ls432@humboldt.edu. 

by Dylan Jewett

On a quiet evening, the Eric Rofes Multicultural Queer Resource Center (ERC) hosted an event for students on campus called Queer Joy in Nelson Hall. The event held on Nov. 14 aimed to provide an opportunity to express yourself through makeup and gender-affirming clothing, surrounded by a like-minded community. 

During the event, there were a lot of different gender-affirming items available for guests to use and take home. This included guides on how to use the makeup, a clothing closet and drinks available for the guests. Groups across campus like the Women’s Resource Center, Campus Advocate Team and Student Health and Wellbeing Services were also tabling, offering a place for students to ask questions and learn about what their respective offices offer and how they can serve the student body.

Event Organizer and Fiscal Director Jesse Benefiel put together the Queer Joy event to showcase the resources available on campus for queer students and to give them a space to express themselves. Queer Joy started before Benefiel came to the school, but he continues to host the event. 

“It’s a chance to express yourself,” Benefiel said. “That’s an important thing for our community, being able to express yourself.”

Junior criminology major Alejandra Sanchez came to the event to explore more ways to support queer people and students.

 “It’s really nice to know that there’s a space where they can come and express themselves and have fun,” Sanchez said. “It’s an opportunity where you get to meet other queer students and find community.”

The live DJ for the event, Parker Smith, was mixing songs and bringing dance tunes for the crowd to enjoy. Smith has been a DJ for other events at Cal Poly Humboldt like Skate Night and TrExpo, and does other live music as well. She likes to DJ these kinds of events because she can highlight queer musicians and give back to her community. 

“Queer joy at its core is love, experimentation and expression,” Smith said. “I feel like it’s something we’re actually good at. I love that we can all share; it’s joyous.”

Cal Poly Humboldt student Jamie Lambaren attended the event and was decorating the laces of their shoes with pony beads. Lambaren likes coming to queer events hosted by the school because they are more inclusive. 

“I’m glad there’s a space for that and they’re allowing that,” Lambaren said. “I couldn’t think of any other way of having it.”

The ERC hosts other events throughout the school year like Queer Karaoke, crafting events and tabling in the quad for Transgender Day of Remembrance. Next semester, they are hosting TrExpo, a trans expo where they highlight resources around the community for trans students. 

“It’s very good to remind everyone that we have this community here,” Benefiel said. “It shows that there’s people who are there for you.”

Dylan Jewett is a fourth-year Journalism major at Cal Poly Humboldt. You can catch them wandering the forest, exploring the coast with their camera, enjoying live music and crocheting little things in their free time. Contact them at daj59@humboldt.edu. 

by Sadie Shields

Walking into the normally routine dining hall felt like something out of a fall postcard. Warm lights, decorated tables and the sweet aroma of pumpkin spice welcomed guests as KRFH DJs filled the space with upbeat music.

 The “spiceful” event — one of only two major programs Humboldt Dining has organized this fall — brought together students, staff and friends for an afternoon rich with seasonal flavor and campus spirit. Student organizations set up tables to share information, promote their own upcoming events and answer questions, turning dinner into an opportunity for involvement and connection.

Attendees got hands-on with autumn-inspired crafts, where they created their own pumpkin-spice blends and tea bags to pair with their J-ordered meals. For many, it was a chance not only to grab food, but to slow down, socialize and enjoy the shift into the colder months. A pumpkin carving contest also brought an element of competition to the mix, with students casting votes for the most creative gourd on display. 

The event came as a complete surprise in the best way. Hannah Callahan, a junior sociology major, described the excitement of unexpectedly stumbling into the seasonal celebration.  

“I just walked into the J, and I didn’t know what was going on,” Callahan said. “I think that would be kind of cool to walk in [on] like a regular day you normally would, and then all of a sudden, there’s the big event.”

Despite the surprise factor, crowds quickly grew as word spread, and the J was quickly filled to almost full capacity. Humboldt Dining staff and volunteers worked steadily to support the crowd; they offered supplies, answered questions and helped guests navigate activities.

In a semester filled with assignments, storms and fast-approaching finals, the event provided a welcome opportunity to come together and celebrate the season. 

Sadie is a junior communications major, journalism minor at Cal Poly Humboldt who has an interest in covering and taking photos for sports and wildlife journalism, and a slight interest in breaking news. She can be reached at sls331@humboldt.edu.

by Julia Kelm

The stage was lit in a warm glow — light cascaded down onto the faces of dancing actors holding golden goblets, celebrating the end of a war and the crowning of a new king. However, in a turn of expectations, these celebrations soon turned bittersweet. Cal Poly Humboldt’s theater department’s interpretation of the Greek tragedy, Antigone, came to life in the opening scene. 

Antigone will be open for public viewing in Gist Hall Theatre on Nov. 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m., and Nov. 9 and 16 at 2:00 p.m.

Antigone was written by the ancient Greek tragedian, Sophocles. The story follows a female protagonist, Antigone, as she defies the new king, Creon, by burying her brother, Polynices, whom the king had declared a traitor and left unburied. It follows themes of female empowerment and an anti-government call to action.

The play was chosen by the university, with Tony-nominated actress Cynthia Martells hired to direct the play.

Martells believes that the story of Antigone is just as important as it was a millennium ago. 

“Even though we do use some older terms, there’s a lot about this play that is very modern,” Martells said. “[The play] has a lot of references to things that are happening in our time, so [audiences] might not find this so foreign as you might think.” 

The theater welcomes all who are interested in seeing this production of Antigone. Your support of local theater helps keep this ancient tradition alive.

Julia is a journalism major, and is the life and arts editor for the paper. She loves film and is a regular on Letterboxd. She also enjoys going on walks in the forest, and taking pictures to relax. If you have a movie you want her to review, email her at jk328@humboldt.edu.

by Carmen Ruiz Fernandez

“Coyote and the Monsters Yet to Slay,” now taking place from Oct. 16 to Nov. 22 in the Goudi’ni Gallery, showcases the latest collection by Pacific Northwest Native American artist Ryan Elizabeth Feddersen. Located on the bottom floor of the Behavioral & Social Sciences Building, the exhibition invites viewers to explore how ancient Coyote stories confront the monsters of today’s world.

This series of artworks addresses contemporary social issues through the lens of the Plateau lore, a group of Native American tribes from the non-coastal regions of the Northwestern U.S., Canada and parts of British Columbia. The main plot of the stories unfolds on the day that the animal people received their final names, and Spirit Chief appointed Coyote chief of all the tribes. Spirit Chief warned him about human-devouring monsters and tasked him with stopping them from killing all the people. Because Coyote’s mission was dangerous, he was granted special powers to transform, to be revived from death and to call on his excrement for advice. In this project, Feddersen embodies social problems as monsters themed around modern issues like wealth, hoarding, greed, relentlessness and killing, inviting viewers to name and symbolically slay them.

The collection consists of ten pieces: two main paintings titled “Coyote and Corporate Convenience” and “Coyote and the wormhole,” four smaller framed serigraphs, a large rack displaying small hand-painted gouache serigraphs titled “Coyote tries again” and three painted glass vessels.

 According to the gallery director, Brittany Britton, she already had an idea of the kind of artist she wanted to feature when planning this exhibition. The main goal of the gallery is to showcase the work of local Native American artists, while also bringing Native artists from other regions to encourage cultural exchange. Britton said this diversity benefits art students, Native American students and others across campus. She specifically wanted someone from the Pacific Northwest to exhibit this time, since it had been a while since the gallery featured an artist from that area. Britton came across Fedderson online and remembered meeting her in person during a show at the Portland Art museum and knew she would be the perfect fit for this exhibition.

“Our main goal is to showcase local Native artists, but we also have a focus of bringing artists from other tribes to our area, so that we do have more of a cross-cultural exchange,” Britton said. “[Fedderson’s] work really fits in line with the mission of the gallery, as well as thinking about the ways that art impacts political systems and how we think about the world.”

Feddersen said the main message she wanted people to take away from this collection is that, like Coyote, humanity must always try again in everything it does. Especially if humankind is working towards living in a better world, failure is inevitable. She mentioned that her most meaningful piece of the exhibition is the painting “Coyote and Corporate convenience,” which depicts people being smothered by an ominous black cloud, raising their hands with money towards a monster above them that consumes all of the profit, while offering them corporatized conveniences in exchange. She explained that she thinks about this painting often, as it carries a profound message about how much convenience costs us as a society, coming at the expense of the planet and air quality.

The painting also stands out among the others because, on the black clouds, people can use their body heat to unveil secret icons related to collateral damage underneath.

“It’s a way of showing something that is hidden,” Feddersen said. “When you create an action in order to reveal things that are hidden, people are going to put in the effort to reveal those messages. It’s a parallel with life, it can be brought to other aspects of the world. People hide things from us, so this teaches us to go for the things that are hidden for us, to keep searching.”

Tristan Brown, a first-year transfer majoring in studio arts, came to the exhibit for a class assignment. Once there, he found the pieces had profound meaning, making him reflect on how trapped modern society can be by corporations and responsibilities.

“I think this collection shows a lot about a lost cultural identity,” Brown said. “It’s kind of a blend between Indigenous culture, modern society and some of the things we’ve lost as a civilization.”

Carmen is a freshman journalism major whose passion is to write stories for newspapers. She is a writer and photographer, and likes to read and take walks through the forest in her free time. She can be reached at cr433@humboldt.edu 

by Sadie Shields 

Students and community members recently came together in the Library Fishbowl on Monday, Oct. 20 to co-create a zine for the Campus and Community Dialogue on Race (CDOR), an initiative known for fostering conversation on equity and inclusion. The themes centered on concepts of rest as a right. In addition, there were also themes of boundaries and centering the self. 

A zine — a self-published, small-circulation magazine — has long served as a grassroots medium for self-expression and activism. Participants collaged with magazines, newspapers and stickers creating one cohesive zine. Through collage and sketching, they created a story. This collaboration marked the first CDOR event of the academic year. The event not only sparked creativity, but also encouraged healing through shared storytelling.

Sage Brislen, a senior rangeland major, helped organize this event through College Corps. They focused on providing support and making sure the logistics of the event ran smoothly.

“I think events like this that encourage artistry, creativity and connection are vital to building community,” Brislen said. “I think often art is not appreciated or prioritized because of some severe environmental pressures, but making a space for activities like this is really important for us as humans. Especially at CDOR, because it’s a great way to connect with others.”

Sadie is a junior communications major, journalism minor at Cal Poly Humboldt who has an interest in covering and taking photos for sports and wildlife journalism, and a slight interest in breaking news. She can be reached at sls331@humboldt.edu.

by Barley Lewis-McCabe

An earthquake is inevitable — you can’t control where or when it’ll strike, but you can control how you respond. 

“If an earthquake happens, someone’s gonna be caught with a torch in their hand,” jewelry student Lily Wolf said during an impromptu earthquake drill in the Cal Poly Humboldt Jewelry Lab. 

Oct. 16. saw California’s annual Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill. Shakeout is a yearly statewide earthquake drill that happens on the third Thursday of October. The drill is asynchronous, and people are encouraged to drop for cover no matter where they are or when it is. This coincides with our university’s safety week, placing earthquakes fresh in the minds of students.  

Geology Professor Amanda Admire spoke about the unique seismic conditions seen in Humboldt County.

“We live in one of the most seismically active regions in the United States outside of Alaska,” Admire said “We also live along a convergent boundary known as the Cascadia Subduction Zone. So, it has the capability of producing significant earthquakes, but then we also have other faults in the area.” 

The Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) is where the Juan De Franca plate slides underneath the North American Plate. The CSZ is a part of the Mendocino Triple Junction, which is where three plates — the two aforementioned and the Pacific Plate — meet in Cape Mendocino. This causes a significant build up of pressure which will someday release into a large-scale earthquake that is expected to be catastrophic. 

Jewelry lab studio monitor, Sophia Portolese, talked about how the lab handles unexpected threats due to the potentially dangerous nature of the work

“We are really on top of general safety, and safety within the tools that we use every single day,” Portolese said, “I don’t think we think enough about larger hazards that are out of our control. So, I wanted to bring the ShakeOut Drill to the studio.” 

Coinciding with the ShakeOut, portolese led a spontaneous earthquake drill which consisted of her walking up to different artists as they worked and asking, “What would you do if there was an 8.0 magnitude earthquake right now?” while weaving through large tables, demonstrating how she’d get low to the ground or under something sturdy. 

“When a tank falls over, it doesn’t just explode,” Portolese said. “It torpedoes, and creates almost like a fire tornado.” 

The safety measures that we would use in our homes are different than what they do in the jewelry lab, but, according to Admire, doing anything is better than nothing,

  “The important thing is we want to build your muscle memory for this,” Admire said. “We can’t schedule them for any specific time. All we can really control is how we’re going to respond to them. 
So, the more you take time to practice for these events, the better your response will be and the better off you’ll be during one of these events.”

Barley is the photo editor and an untraditional reporter who focuses on social change and stories with a real human impact. If you’d like to reach him for whatever reason email bl258@humboldt.edu.