Phillips gives SLF fans

With dramatic delivery, one of the newest American short story writers read two selec­ tions from her latest work, Black Tickets, last night in the Library Auditorium. Sensual in nature, both dealt with a char­ acter’s inner perception of life. Jayne Anne Phillips, at 26 critically acclaimed, spoke to an overflow crowd of 450, as the Sophomore Literary Festival continued. She opened with “ Home” a story about “ love, guilt, and survival.” In a humorous vein, she described the subject as “ close to heart here in Indiana.” “ Hom e” portrayed the human interaction between m other and 23-year-old daughter. Challenged by her mother’s ever present concern with her life, especially its sexual aspects, the daughter struggled with self-doubt and guilt. Her mother simultaneously tries to avoid any contact that would result in a reawakening of her sexual appetite, long since shelved. She attempts to understand her child without endangering her own safe shell. Following an enthusiastic re­ ception, Phillips continued with “Lechery.” She advised all 13-year-olds to leave. “Lechery” was the voice of a 14-year-old mute orphan mak­ ing her way through life peddl­ ing dirty pictures and selling her body for a drug-addict pimp. Phillips delved into the girl’s mind eliciting impressions of a world of horrors. Obscene view followed obscene view in such stark description that at times it forced muffled laughter from the audience. In addition to Black Tickets, Phillips at present serves as a fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Mass. Her awards include a selection in Best American Short Stories 1979 and Prize Stories 1980: 0 'Henry Award. She is also a recipient of the 1979 St. Lawrence Award for Fiction and the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. Construction o f the Stephan Chemical Building creates problems between students and security. Story on p . 9. \photo by John Macor]