JP- The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 21, 1997 A2 writers to read at Shaman Drum By Sarah Beldo For the Daily The Ann Arbor literary community is often praised for its ability to attract top writers to read at local bookstores and at University events. Less often noted is the number of talented writers who emerge from the community itself, in particular from the University's creative writing MFA program. The MFA pro- gram boasts writers with voices that are fresh and challenging, writers not often given a wide opportunity to be heard. On Friday night, two of these emerg- ing talents, Margaret Price and Catherine Li-Ming Seto, will read their Hopwood Award-winning stories at Shaman Drum. Their pieces are fea- tured in Scribner's new anthology "Best of the Fiction Workshops 1997," which highlights the best short stories gleaned from close to 100 writing programs in the U.S. and Canada. Price's and Seto's stories were chosen from a batch of nominated stories by acclaimed writer Alice Hoffman, who edits this year's edition. Margaret Price's story "Jericho," which Hoffman describes as "a heart- breaking story of leave-taking p g (where) it is the P daughter who is the Mar caretaker of the Ca father," headlines the anthology. An Ann Arbor native, Price has been writing her entire life but hadn't considered writing as a vocation until her undergraduate years at Amherst. "I used to tell everyone I wanted to be a brain surgeon because it sounded good," Price told The Michigan Daily. It Rl rg thl YELLOW 20ommemM Ann Arbor, MI 48103 663-3355 Largest and newest fleet 4 can share the fare * Service to metro airport * Night Ride service " 663-3888 24 Hour Taxi Service wasn't until her advisor encouraged her to do a creative writing thesis that Price decided to seriously pursue her talent. At the University, Price was pleasant- ly surprised to enter the MFA program and find "40 people E V I EWwho didn't think I was weird for doing aret Price and what I was." lerine Li-Ming Price, who grad- Tonight at 8 uated from the pro- Shaman Drum, Free gram last year and now lectures at the University, looks forward to the experi- ence of reading at Shaman Drum because it is her first bookstore reading. "Jericho" will also be featured in the March/April edition of Ms. magazine. Like Price, Catherine Li-Ming Seto didn't always know that she was headed toward an MFA in writing. Seto, origi- nally from Troy, was an art major at the University as an undergraduate. "I was always very bad at English," she said. "But after I started writing on my paint- ings, my art teacher said I should take some English classes." Now a second-year MFA student, Seto has had fellowships, and she has been published in literary journals, but this is her first major publication and major reading. Her story, "First Grade," was touted by Hoffman as "an elegantly wrought tragedy (that) shows us how a group of children try to make sense out of the hand of fate and the extreme brevity of life." Her work tends to focus on the experi- ences of Asian Americans in the U.S. Both authors spoke highly of the University's MFA program. Price said there's a lot of debate about what pur- pose a writing program should serve. She said the best advice she received was to treat the program as "two years just to write. It provides the two things you need more of - time and space." Shaman Drum will provide both the time and the space to hear these two talented writers read their work. XFILES Continued from Page 5 night, for example, it was a raccoon that had mutated into, um, a water buffalo, and I had to exterminate it with a pair of pliers." Oh. "Then again, stranger things happened on the actual show." The Villain In the beginning, William B. Davis didn't even have to speak. ic would squint, scowl and vanish into thin air, leaving in his wake a Morley cigarette twisted into an ashtray. The Cancer Man's progress will remain one of the most fascinating cases of gradual character develop- ment. A figure once identified primari- ly by a whiff of smoke (ironically, Davis quit smoking years ago), who uttered his first line on the fifth or sixth appear- ance, has grown into the show's most enigmatic and intriguing character -- with an extensive back story and a vari- ety of unique traits. In a telephone interview with The Michigan Daily, Davis said the role of Cancer Man presented him with an unprecedented mix of pure evil and human tragedy, enviable artistic show- cases both. "I act villainous toward peo- ple I feel villainous against, for OPENS SUNDAY, FEB. 23 AT 1:00 & 6:30 Advance tickets for opening day shows are available at BORDERS or by calling 313/668-TIME. Students only $5.00 SHOWTIMES THIS WEEK: MON-WED 7:00 THURS-FRI 7:30 ih an Theater 603 E. Liberty " Info Line: 313/668-8480 01 M1Chia x heaerhttp ://www. michtheater. con/mnt/ Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny star in "The X-Files." instance, A.D. Skinner. My relationship with Mulder is much more complicat. ed. First of all, there was definitely thing with Mrs. Mulder that may affee how I feel toward Fox." Does this mean a "Lute-I'm-your, father"-type revelation could be loam- ing on the horizon? "I really can't say. I just don't know, it hasn't been written yet. But if you think about it, the timing (of the supposed affair) is right." Even the principal actors of "The Xs. Files" have little or no idea of storylintes forming in Carter's head until it's tiftte@ shoot - which is literally days before the episode is broadcast on FOX. "The, show is famous for running very close to the airing date," Davis said. "It creates- additional stimulation, though. At one point, we were joking about just doing a live feed on Friday nights." Among the surprises Davis- had recently encountered was an episodd devoted entirely to his character. A bri liantly oddball script imagined Cance Man coming of age, getting recruited I a sinister unnamed agency and, irn a twisted "Forrest Gump" homage, conse- quently taking part in every major con- spiracy from the '60s to the present day. Asked if he was amused to find out that he now had to play the man- who shot both Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., Davis replied, "There are pur- poseful inconsistencies in that episode.' It's really a Lone Gunmen version Cancer Man's life, told through 4 very subjective narration. But yes, it was fun.' What is in the character's immediate future, then? "There will definitely be' more of my back story with Mulder's' mother. And right now it looks like I've gotten quite a hook into Skinner." In other words, human drama might pro- pel the show from now on, but there's still room for some high-quality vil-' lainy. It's Sunday, and "The X-Files" is * Langly is in a sewer with his laptop, helping Special Agent Mulder break into a top-secret medical facility 'iii search of a cure for Scully. Cancer Man chain-smokes and makes his first bid for Assistant Director Skinner's immor- tal soul. Twenty-two million people are watching. Fo R 4Y LAS d ,O? i r I I LiIL Yap,7 WE.'L STILL S'PhiMJUiyy ~. I I "A terrific film. I recommend it highly." -Roger Ebert, SISKEL & EBERT "****. Brilliant. Don't miss it! Jon Voight and Ving Rhames are superb." -Paul Wunder, WBAI RADIO "An unforgettable film. Superior performances." -Pat Collins, WWOR-TV = 11m I - I .............. MENEM :1 m E E