Wednesday, march 14, 1979
daily nebraskan
pago 13
Local poet evokes small town image
By Cheryl Kisling
Images of small town life in the Midwest are reflected
in the poetry of a 46-year-old Nebraska Wesleyan teacher.
William Kloeflcorn began writing poetry about 10 years
ago instead of obtaining his Ph.D. in English and said he
has no regrets about it. Since that time six of his books
have been published and he Is working on three others.
Kloeflcorn grew.up in Attica, a small farming commun
ity in Kansas. After reading the work of contemporary
poets, he began to search his own potential.
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Daily Nabraskgn photo
Poet William Kloeflcorn
"When I saw I might be able to use the material, people
and places I began to tinker with It, and I've been tinker
ing ever since," Kloeflcorn said .
He cot his start by sending poems to various magazines.
One of the first he wrote was entitled "Funeral for an Old
Man." It is about an old man who died that reminded him
of his grandfather.
Kloeflcorn earned his Bachelor of Science and master's
in English at Emporia State College. In the fall of 1962 he
began teaching at Nebraska Wesleyan College and wrote
his first poem in February of 1969.
BaDgame
One of the books Kloeflcorn is working on is about
sports. A selection from that book is entitled "After the
.Ball Game."
"It's about my hieh school basketball team," Kloef.
korn said. "We were bad but had a good coach. During
half-time he would always say one of those day, boys,
things are going to gel." Well, they never did. Then I
thought he might have meant it in a longer range context.
Who's to say?" .
His other books are AMn Turner as Farmer, Uncertain
the Final Run to Winter, looney, ludi jr., Voyages to the
Inland and Sea and Stocker.
- Midwest setting
Most of his poems are deliberately set in Kansas and
, Nebraska but some are set elsewhere. An example of that
is of a small town kid, about 18 or 19, leaving home for
the first time and telling of his experiences along the way.
Humor seeps into Kloeflcorn s poems occasionally,
which he refers to as "gentle cynicism."
"A lot can be done with humor," he said. "Many poets
take themselves too seriously."
Kloeflcorn is married and has raised his four children in
Lincoln.
"I don't wish my hometown experience on them,"
Kloeflcorn said. No place is automatically better to bring
up children in and all places have surface advantages.
"I like Lincoln," he said. "It's a good place to grow up
in and write out of. I don't make any apologies for writing
from here and I don't envy coastal writers."
. According to Kloeflcorn, it's the person and his
attitude that make the poem, not where he writes it.
They're
Coming
SUNDAY
MAR 18
at 3 PM
if
One PArmance only .. .
everyone loves the downing
antics of the Trotters!!!
" All Seats Reserved! $650-$550-$450
Box Office opens 12 noon till 6 pm
City discos waltzing along
By Doug Hull
Disco. The word conjures up sophisti
cation and . glamor, but Lincoln patrons
may not be buying that image, according
to four nightclub managers.
Greg Hiatt, assistant manager of Sweep
Left, 81S 0 St, said although he feels
disco is not i passing fad, it hasn't caught
on in Lincoln yet.
"Our customers aren't really into disco
dancing," Hiatt said'. "At Sweep Left we
really don't have a disco atmosphere."
Sweep Left lost customers who seek
more of a disco environment, he said.
"We've lost a few customers to the
Starship Enterprise, but not enough to
alarm the management," Hiatt said.
Ron Rocker, manager of The Point
After, a teen disco at 2440 0 St., said disco
will survive, but will change as rock 'n' roll
did.
"It will be like the metamorphosis of
rock 'n' roll since the 50s," he said.
Rocker said he is not worried about
competition because The Point After caters
to the "teen-age crowd."
"Top 40 was all we played when we
started out" he said. 'We more or less re
fused to play Top 40 later on and began to
expose the kids to more disco music."
Although disco is still "pushed," cus
tomers are still requesting Top 40, Rocker
r 1
said.
The recorded disco sound is unpopular
with some music lovers and Paul Dietrich,
manager of the Hidden Valley. Club, said:
his patrons come to hear a live band.
"I can't stand disco, and most of the
customers at Hidden Valley can't stand it
either," Dietrich said. "We have strictly
live entertainment."
Dietrich said disco is attractive because
the audience can get into a "star trip."
He said disco dancing allows people to per
form and say-, "Hey, look at me!"
He said the future of disco in Lincoln is
uncertain because he does not feel it at
tracts a representative crowd.
"I don't know if the midwest is quite
ready for disco yet," he said.
Dave Genzmer, manager of Little Bo's
West, 2630 Cornhusker Highway, said he
expects disco to die within 10 years. He
said he has noticed a decline in the demand
for disco music among his customers.
"Lincoln isn't ready for disco," Genz
mer said. "It's the worst town I've seen
for disco."
Genzmer said Bo's will continue its
disco format until the demand stops com
pletely. "If the bar would goto hell because
disco was dying, we'd go back to present
ing live music," he said.
Red Cress
B E N E PTT
EUg CITY CQICTL
O. G. KELLY'S
220 N. 10th
WEDS. MARCH 14, 1979
9:00 till l:0p
DAVID LANDIS CHRIS GRIFFITH
JOHN WALKER DAR HORRICAN
$1 DONATION
Pd for by Eric for Council Committee
Doug Kline Treasurer
mm
n.
TOP
QUALITY
xL
mi t 4
Bottom Prices
end fast
service, too.
AN EXERCISE IN EROTICA I
""TV """L 1 1
ft' . i fX n
I I I f , . f -i U j
Presents
WEFM Iffl
a spcclz! adaptation of
Shckczpccro's hilarious mlsadvcnturo
Saturday, March 17, 1979 8:00 PM ,
HOWELL THEATRE
12th & R Streets
Lincoln, Ne 68588
CALL 472-2073
TICKETS $3 (all students)
$4 (general admission)
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Thft NobrMta Ttmtra Cimr it
trttttl pujtt of n Oimfw
support of t Natraata Ails
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