Annotated Bibliography for HURT PEOPLE
PEOPLE OF INTEREST
MARINA ABROMOVIC
Notes: Performance artist best known for her work that takes her to the brink of death. Interested in studying a woman whose insatiable curiosity brings her to the places that no one else would go (like my journalist/researcher who convinces herself that the only way to answer the “Why Questions” of a mass shooter is to go out and become one).
Preliminary Sources:
+ "EXHIBITIONS." MoMA. The Museum of Modern Art, 2010. Web.
+ “Rhythm 5” art piece where she lies down in the center of a pentagram which she lights on fire
+ YouTube. Perf. Marina Abromovic and Ulay. YouTube. YouTube, 02 Nov. 2012. Web.
LASHANDA and LASHAUN ARMSTRONG
Notes: New York mother of four children who drove her van into the Hudson River with her 1-, 2-, 5-, and 10-year-old children inside. Her oldest son, Lashaun Armstrong, swam out and was the only survivor. Interested in the exploring the psychology and immediate thought process of a mother who would kill herself and children. Lashaun reported that in the last minutes of the van sinking, she started screaming that she “made a mistake,” and blamed himself for not saving his mother or unbuckling his siblings. Interested in exploring the clarity, remorse, regret, panic, fear, instincts that kick in at the brink of death—the moment, or series of moments, that one has when they know they are about to die.
Preliminary Sources:
+ Barron, James, and Nate Schweber. "Mother and 3 of 4 Children Die as She Drives Van Into Hudson." The New York Times. The New York Times, 14 Apr. 2011. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.
+ Jackson, Joe, Edgar Sandoval, and Larry McShane. "Lashanda Armstrong, Who Drowned Herself & 3 Kids in Hudson River, Posted Apology on Facebook." NY Daily News. NY Daily News, 14 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
+ Steffen, Sheila, and Deb Feyerick. "Prosecutors Review Triple Murder-suicide after Woman Drives into River." CNN. Cable News Network, 15 Apr. 2011. Web.
ALYSSA BUSTAMENTE
Notes: a 15-year-old girl who killed her 9-year-old neighbor because she wanted to know what killing would feel like. This girl basically does what all of us are afraid to even wonder about. Because she kept a journal, there is vivid and immediate documentation of “what it was like.” The connections, relevance, and extrapolations are numerous. She will be one of the monologues.
Preliminary Sources:
+ "Alyssa Bustamante Called Killing 9-year-old 'enjoyable,' Then Went to Church." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 06 Feb. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
+ "'I Just F***ing Killed Someone and It Was Ahmazing': The Sick Diary Entries of Teen Who Strangled and Stabbed Neighbour, 9." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, Ltd, 7 Feb. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2013
+ Newcomb, Alyssa. "Teen Thrill Killer Alyssa Bustamante Could Get Paroled Some Day." ABC News. ABC News Network, 08 Feb. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
WAFA IDRIS
Notes: The first reported female suicide bomber. Interested in another woman who has committed a mass killing, especially from a non-American/Western culture. Especially because of her religious and culture origin, I am interested in exploring possible relationship to gender oppression and the manifestation of violence. She will be one of the monologues.
Preliminary Sources:
+ Bennet, James. "Arab Woman's Path to Unlikely 'Martyrdom'" The New York Times. The New York Times, 31 Jan. 2002. Web. 23 Mar. 2013.
+ "Female Bomber's Mother Speaks Out." BBC News. BBC, 30 Jan. 2002. Web. 23 Mar. 2013
+ Rabia. Dir. Muhammad Miguel Ali Hassan. Perf. Hanieh Jodat and Mo Gallini. Chapman University, Elypse Short Film Distribution, 2007. Online Download.
SUSAN KLEBOLD
Notes: Mother of Columbine shooter, Dylan Klebold, I am interested in the perspective of the “typical” suburban, white, house mother. Her son’s actions had come as a complete surprise, and she and her family are still living in the home in which they raised their son. My sense is that we always look to the parents, even to the point of blaming them. She is a terrific exploration for those Why Questions, and how, no matter how hard we try, we will never get an answer to them. She will be one of the monologues.
Preliminary Sources:
+ Cullen, Dave. ""Columbine Online: The Parents of Eric & Dylan: Tom & Sue Klebold and Wayne & Kathy Harris." "Columbine Online: The Parents of Eric & Dylan: Tom & Sue Klebold and Wayne & Kathy Harris. N.p., 2010. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
+ Klebold, Susan. "I Will Never Know Why." Oprah.com. Harpo, Inc., Nov. 2009. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
JILLIAN ROBBINS
Notes: A 19-year-old woman opened fire in front of the Hub on Penn State University's campus in 1996. Evidently, she was not a student, but had access to a Mauser rifle. She had a history of mental problems, and killed one person, wounded another, and was tackled when she was reloading.
Preliminary Sources:
+ Mountz, AnneMarie, and Lisa M. Roselinni. “After the Tragedy, a Time to Heal.” Shooting at Penn State. Penn State Unviersity Archives, 26 Sept. 1996. Web. 13 Apr. 2013.
+ ”Penn State Shooting Is Fatal to Student; Woman Is Arrested.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 Sept. 1996. Web. 13 Apr. 2013.
JENNIFER SANMARCO
Notes: Out of the 62 mass shootings in the United States over the past 30 years, Jennifer Sanmarco is the only female. I’m interested in digging into her background, with history of “bizarre behavior,” mental illness, and aggrevated racism. She may or may not be one of the monologues.
Preliminary Sources:
+ Frosch, Dan. "Woman in California Postal Shootings Had History of Bizarre Behavior." The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 Feb. 2006. Web. 1 Mar. 2013.
+ "Jennifer San Marco." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Feb. 2013. Web. 1 Mar. 2013.
SUSAN SMITH
Notes: One of the first highly publicized infanticides of the 20th century because of her nationally televised pleas to catch the black man who stole her car with her children inside, only to confess later that she herself drowned her children by letting the van drive into a lake. Exploration of panic, remorse, regret after a killing. Interested also that she has been having sex with prison guards while incarcerated and signed up and retracted several times her participation in a prison pen-pal program. This indicates to me a need to reach out for companionship, intimacy, anything to not be alone.
Preliminary Sources:
+ Egan, Nicole Weisensee. "The Susan Smith Murders 15 Years Later 'It Haunts Me Every Day'" People.com. Time Inc., 05 Apr. 2010. Web.
+ Pergament, Rachel. "Susan Smith: Child Murderer or Victim?" Crime.library. Turner Entertainment Networks, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
TAMERLAN, DZOKHAR, and ZUBEIDAT TSARNAEV
Notes: Tamerlan and Dzokhar Tsarnaev, responsible for the recent Boston Marathon Bombing, were reported go to class, a party, pick up a car in the shop, and do other mundane “daily-life” things immediately after the tragic bombing. After Tamerlan was killed in a shoot-out and Dzokhar was found and arrested, their mother, Zubeidat, refused to believe their guilt, going so far as to claim that the whole thing was a hoax the the United States staged specifically to frame her sons. Interested in the mother point of view, as well as exploring the concept of “life goes on” in the wake of tragedy. The sun still rises, work still needs to be done, bills need to be paid—the hole in the world is a set-back for some, and an event to read about for most.
Preliminary sources:
+ Brown, Tim. "Tsarnaev Mom: "I Don't Care If My Son Is Killed, Allahu Akbar"" Freedom Outpost. N.p., 25 Apr. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.
+ Loiko, Sergei L. "Bomb Suspect's Mother: Tamerlan Tsarnaev's Touching Call." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.
+ Murphy, Tim. "The 11 Most Mystifying Things the Tsarnaev Brothers Did." Mother Jones. Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress, 22 Apr. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.
+ Stanglin, Doug. "Bomb Suspects' Mother Will 'never' Accept Their Guilt." USA Today. Gannett, 25 Apr. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.
AILEEN WUARNOS
Notes: Prostitute serial killer who killed her johns to support herself and her lesbian lover. Interested in exploring a possible link of the intimacy of sex and killing, as well as the concept of dehumanization (in order to kill). Perhaps she did not dehumanize at all. Murder in the name of love, protection, revenge, survival.
Preliminary Sources:
"Aileen Wuornos Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
Monster. Dir. Patty Jenkins. Perf. Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci. DEJ Productions,
2003. DVD.
HISTORY, BACKGROUND, FOREGROUND
THE SECOND AMENDMENT:
Notes: The Second Amendment is the fulcrum on which all arguments about guns in the hands of civilians are balanced. Pro-gun, Anti-gun, assault weapons vs no assault weapons, why, why not, rights, freedom, and every other piece of opinion, law, input, and legislation rests on this amendment. Looking at the Bill of Rights, and the rest of the constitutional amendments as an observer and critical thinker will allow me to piece together a narrative of what these Americans deem important. What is the narrative? What is the story? What does this document say about these people, this nation, and what it holds as sacrosanct and important? And, by omission, what is unimportant, unnecessary, or ignored? I want archival support for the hypothesis that the fanatical protection of the Second Amendment protects our right and freedom to be violent.
Preliminary sources:
+ "The Bill of Rights: A Transcription." Bill of Rights Transcript Text. The U.S. National Archives & Records Administration, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.
+ Florida “Stand Your Ground” law
+ Wilburn, Bart. "The Real Second Amendment." Articles:. American Thinker, 8 Dec. 2012. Web. 6 Mar. 2013.
+ Weisman, Jonathan. "Senate Blocks Drive for Gun Control." The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 May 2013.
NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION
Notes: This hardly needs any explanation as to why it is being included in my research, but I can pinpoint that I am interested in learning what the NRA, its members, affiliates, martyrs, and fanatics believe. What is the NRA believing? What are they practicing? What are they doing that points to their faith? They list meeting places, and there are some in the area. I’d like to go to 1-3 meetings to observe and gather first-hand information, to literally “get a feel” for the culture, in addition to the online and published research I can do by watching videos, reading articles, and watching interviews.
Preliminary research:
SCHOOL VIOLENCE
Notes: Schools and the workplace are the two highest targets for mass shootings. Are schools the source (with bullying, bad grades, quantifiable failure/success, first exposure to non-familial community, etc). I am especially interested in exploring the school as a place where aggression and violence is manifested—by students and non-students alike.
Preliminary sources:
+ Bully. Dir. Lee Hirsch. By Cynthia Lowen. The Weinstein Company, 2011. DVD.
+ NG, Christina. "Ohio School Shooter TJ Lane Laughs, Gives Finger at His Sentencing." ABC News. ABC News Network, 19 Mar. 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.
+ Mosbergen, Dominique. "N.J. Girls Allegedly Create Murder Video Threatening To Kill Seventh Grade Classmates (VIDEO)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Apr. 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2013.
+ Wong, David. "5 Ways Modern Men Are Trained to Hate Women." Cracked.com. Demand Media, 26 Mar. 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.
MASS SHOOTER PROFILES
Notes: The sources I’ve encountered assess the similarities and qualities of a mass shooter, and yet it is simply impossible to use these statistics as predictors of who is going to be a mass murderer and who is not. This is what has inspired the kernel of my writing—that there is no way to predict, and therefore no way to protect. The data on the shooters is purely reflective (which is useless and terrifying), while the simple fact that people who do not have access to assault weapons are unable to assault people is not only a certainty, but preventative. This forms the foundation for where I think this piece is going to go—it’s not about stopping the right people, it’s about interrupting the channels between shooter and weapon.
Preliminary sources:
+ Brown, Jeffrey. "Can Violent Video Games Play a Role in Violent Behavior?" PBS. PBS, 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.
+ Cronin, Melissa. "Mass Shooting Psychology: Spree Killers Have Consistent Profile, Research Shows." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.
+ Follman, Mark, Gavin Aronsen, and Deanna Pan. "US Mass Shootings, 1982-2012: Data From Mother Jones' Investigation." Mother Jones. Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress, 28 Dec. 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2013.
+ O'Brien, Jack, and David Wong. "5 Mind-Blowing Facts Nobody Told You About Guns." Cracked.com. Demand Media, 26 Mar. 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.
+ "Profiling Mass Shooters and Assessing Threats." Interview by Guy Raz. Www.npr.org. National Public Radio, 15 Dec. 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.
+ The Unibomber
+ Waco, TX
WRITING, PERFORMANCES, PLAYS
Notes: This is the section where I’ve compiled a list of plays, books, readings, recordings, and other art to which I feel I should expose myself in order to write something worth watching. If nothing else, I consider it artistic exposure for ideas, inspiration, and even instruction.
WOMEN and GIRLS
Notes: Eve Ensler wowed me with her speculation that “being a girl is so powerful that we’ve had to train everyone not to be that.” With the prevalence of activities that comprise what is now called “Rape Culture,” which is neither new nor numbing in its perpetual ability to shock, surprise, and devastate us, I am interested in exploring the female as something that is beyond the Witch, the Bitch, the Mother, and the Whore. (Or in today’s archetypes the BitchBoss, the SoccerMom, the Girlfriend, and the Sexpot) I want to explore the Kali-Maa—the Hindu mother goddess of birth and destruction—in the female. Females are at once allowed to be emotional, compassionate, empathic, and sensitive, while simultaneously trained that these qualities are “over-dramatic,” “over-sensitive,” “over-[…].” Is there a difference in the way women/girls fight, destroy, love, and protect than males? Though the Feminine Warrior been oppressed (or in the case of the Bacchae, wiped out completely), where does she manifest in female blood memory? I could go on and on here, but here’s a light list of the things I’m looking at for foundational information and inspiration.
Preliminary sources:
+The Burning Bed. Dir. Robert Greenwald. Perf. Farrah Fawcett and Paul Le Mat. NBC Network, 1984. DVD.
+ Ensler, Eve. I Am an Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls around the World. New York: Villard, 2010. Print.
+ Euripides. Bakkhai. Trans. Reginald Gibbons and Charles Segal. New York: Oxford UP, 2001. Print.
+ Euripides. Medea. Trans. Svarlien Diane Arnson. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2008. Print.
+ Pipher, Mary Bray. Reviving Ophelia. Neutral Bay, N.S.W.: Transworld, 1996. Print.
+ Wiseman, Rosalind. Queen Bees & Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence. New York: Crown, 2002. Print.
MANY VOICES, ONE WOMAN
Notes: Since this is going to be a one-woman play, it is important that I read and see examples of the kind of piece that I am writing.
Preliminary sources:
+ Annie Baker, playwright
+ Caridad Svich, playwright
+ Kimberly Dark, playwright
+ Orlandersmith, Dael. Black N Blue Boys/Broken Men. [S.l.]: Soft Skull, 2013. Print.
+ Raffo, Heather. Heather Raffo's 9 Parts of Desire: A Play. Evanston, IL: Northwestern UP, 2006. Print.
+ Tóibín, Colm. The Testament of Mary. New York: Scribner, 2012. Print.
VIOLENCE and PSYCHOLOGY
Notes: These plays and movies provide examples of humanizing the killer/murderer/shooter, dehumanizing the victim, and the psychology of people in hot water. I will be reading/watching them through a psychological and relationship-focused lens, while also observing story/dramatic structure and how the story is told.
Preliminary sources:
+ Jenny Holzer, artist
+ The Silence of the Lambs. Dir. Jonathan Demme. Perf. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. Orion Pictures, 1990. DVD.
+ Sara Lebowitz, artist
+ Svich, Caridad, and Zac Kline, eds. 24 Gun Control Plays. South Gate, CA: NoPassport, 2013. Print.