"The Yellow Bird" now has become a story about
a story.
Written by 2004 UNO Writer's Workshop graduate
Margie Lukas, "The Yellow Bird" has earned various short-story accolades,
winning the Houston Writer's Conference Short Story Contest and making the
pages of the Roswell Literary review.
Such rousing success was only the beginning,
though. Carol J. Brown, Lukas' friend and fellow writer, converted the story
into a screenplay, a work that took first place for Best Short Script at the
2002 Moondance International Film Festival. That prompted the interest of
Smiling Toad Productions in Canada, which last year finished production on a
14-minute film short.
"Yellow Bird" premiered at the Cannes Film
Festival's "March du Film" in May 2005 and since has traveled the world, screening
at film festivals in Italy, France, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Germany,
and at the prestigious Vancouver International Film Festival. The film received
the Golden Sheaf Award for Best Art Direction at the Yorkton Short Film Video
Festival in Canada, a "Golden Monkey" Award for Best Cinematography in
Leicester, England and, most recently, the Audience Choice for Best
International Film in Cologne, Germany.
Canada's CBC network recently acquired rights
to air "The Yellow Bird" on "Canadian Reflections," and SBS Television in
Australia plans to show it as well. Most recently, "The Yellow Bird" won a Remi
Award, to be presented at Houston's "Worldfest" in April. Recipients won't know
in which category(ies) their film won awards until the event.
So what's all the fuss and feathers about?
"The Yellow Bird" website (yellowbirdthefilm.com/) provides the following
synopsis: "Fayette Colback has always been a dreamer, despite living a full and
oppressive existence with her controlling husband, Roy. That is, until a chance
encounter with a little Yellow Bird turns both their lives upside-down.
Inspired by newfound joy, Fayette proves that change can occur with a little
touch of magic and grave opportunity."
Lukas says the most gratifying part of having her
story translated to film has been seeing how the audience for her story has
expanded. "It amazes me to think that this little story I wrote in Omaha, Neb.,
has now traveled around the world and played to literally thousands of people."
In addition to her success with "The Yellow
Bird," Lukas has received numerous second- and third-place acknowledgements in
a variety of national writing contests. She recently had another short story,
"Eleven Minutes," published by Writers Online.
Lukas won the Dean's Award for the College of
Fine Arts in 2003 and currently is an adjunct instructor for UNO's Writer's
Workshop. She graduated with a BFA in writing and is working toward an MFA at
Pacific Lutheran in Washington State.
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Achievement, balance, commitment—all words that can be
used to describe Joan Lukas, recipient of the 2005 Alumni Achievement Award
from UNO's School of Communication.
A
1993 graduate, Lukas earned her MA in communication while working full time,
the sort of commitment and drive exemplified throughout a distinguished career
encompassing more than 20 years in public relations and marketing
communications. Today president and chief communication officer of the largest
communication counseling firm in the region, Lukas has plied her craft in a
variety of venues—secondary and higher education, the corporate world, and now
as a business owner.
No matter the organizational culture, though, Lukas'
communication strategies have consistently achieved positive results. She
helped implement MarianFEST, Marian High School's major fundraising event which
last year brought $425,000 to the school. While at ConAgra, she helped position
the start-up brand Healthy Choice and promoted many other brands, such as
Butterball, now a household name. She inspired Bryant Gumbel, host of CBS'
"Early Show," to host a luau party using Oriental Trading Company's products,
bringing national media attention to the company. And she positioned Creighton
University to receive front-page news coverage.
Lukas put all that experience to work for herself in
January 2005 when she joined partner Steve Kline in acquiring the public
relations firm of Leslie Associates. Renamed Leslie Kline Lukas & Associates,
it serves clients across the United States, focusing on public relations, media
relations, crisis communication, issues management, opinion research and
fundraising. Special events management is another service of the firm, which
manages the massive Fourth of July weekend concert sponsored by Bank of the
West in Omaha's Memorial Park.
Lukas credits UNO's School of Communication with helping
her think more strategically without losing sight of details. She also points
to the foresight exhibited by several of her professors, providing information
she still uses today.
For example, she recalls Dr. Hugh Cowdin's class on ethics
as being ahead of its time, especially with the current increased focus on
ethics among top executives and in the media. In addition, "Dr. Lipschultz
[director of UNO's School of Communication] had us tune into CNN when it was in
its beginning stages," Lukas says. "He said it would change the way news was
reported, and he was right."
Achievement, balance and commitment also apply to Lukas'
personal life. In fact, she lists raising her two daughters (ages 6 and 8) as
her greatest achievement. "Part of my job includes a lot of travel, so being
able to create high-quality family time has been very important to my husband
and me." Both daughters attend St. Margaret Mary grade school, Lukas' alma
mater. The entire family is involved in service projects there and enjoy giving
back to the community.
Even when vacationing, Lukas and family continue to give
back to the community. A favorite vacation spot is the Okoboji area in Iowa.
The family is helping the new Nature Center there thrive and grow in order that
it "be all that it can be to the area residents and the tourists who enjoy the
lakes area every year." Lukas also plays tennis, a sport she's loved since the
age of 10. She recently was on a mixed doubles team that made it into a
national USTA [United States Tennis Association] tournament held in Hawaii in
November.
A favorite memory Lukas has of her days as a graduate
student at UNO is the late Dr. Elton Carter's "card system" in which he used a
deck of cards to explain how systems worked. "He told us we had the choice
whether or not to participate in the systems of our lives—it was simple, yet
profound," Lukas says.
Joan Lukas has chosen wisely in which systems she wants to
participate; she not only participates—she excels.
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The College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media will
present undergraduate and graduate student awards April 7 as part of Student
Honors Convocation. Recipients also will be recognized at CCFAM's Honors Awards
Presentation & Reception April 10 in Strauss Recital Hall.
Undergraduate Honorees
Sarah Almquist, Kearney, Neb.— Outstanding
Undergraduate in Music Education; Dean's Award for Outstanding Undergraduate.
Graduates this May with a bachelor's degree in music education.
Frances Osugi, Omaha—Outstanding Undergraduate
in Studio Art. Graduates this May with a bachelor of fine arts degree in Studio
Art.
Jaime Venhaus, Lincoln, Neb.—Outstanding
Undergraduate in Art Education.
Tammi Owens, Omaha—Outstanding Undergraduate
in Art History.
Charles Reed, Omaha—Outstanding Undergraduate
in Broadcasting/New Media.
Meghan Pile, Columbus, Neb.—Outstanding
Undergraduate in Journalism/PR-Advertising. Graduates in May with a bachelor of
science degree.
Darcy Draper, Omaha—Outstanding Undergraduate
in Speech Communication.
Nicholas Squires, Omaha—Outstanding Undergraduate
in Music Performance.
Jennifer Agnew, Omaha—Outstanding Undergraduate
in Theatre. Graduated in December 2005 with a BA in theatre.
Gabriel Patton, Bellevue, Neb.— Outstanding
Undergraduate in Writer's Workshop.
Graduate Honorees
Angela Horschem—Outstanding Graduate in Theatre.
Michael Pollock—Outstanding Graduate in Music.
Stephanie Hand and Ethan Dean—Outstanding Graduate Students in Communication.
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Calendar of Events: March-May
|
Art
& Art History
Shows and events are held in the
UNO Art Gallery, 1st Floor, Weber Fine Arts
Building.
April 9-May 5
Spring 2006 BFA Thesis Exhibition,
UNO Art Gallery, Opening reception
April 7, 6:30 p.m.
Music
Performances start at 7:30 p.m.
in the
Strauss Performing Arts Center
Recital
Hall, unless otherwise noted.
Call
554-3427 for event information
or to
reserve tickets.
March 21
Ecoutez: Dora Seres, flute
March 31
Jazz Band Big Band Dance, Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom, Lessons,
7 p.m., Dance, 8 p.m.
April 2
Symphonic Wind Ensemble Concert
April 7
Chamber Choir Concert
April 12
Brass Ensembles Concert, 6 p.m.
April 19
Percussion Ensembles Concert
April 22
Concert Choir Concert
April 23
Symphonic Wind Ensemble & University Band Concert
April 25
Chamber Orchestra Concert
April 26
Jazz Band Concert, Milo Bail Student Center
April 30
Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra In the Park Concert
May 6
Symphonic
Wind Ens Concert, 3 p.m.
|
Theatre
Performance start at 7:30 p.m. in the UNO Theatre, Weber
Fine Arts Building. For ticket information, call the UNO Theatre Box Office,
554-2335.
April 13-15, 19-22
Arabian Nights by Mary Zimmerman
Writer's
Workshop
Missouri Valley
Reading Series
March
22
Art
Homer & Neil Azevedo
Art Homer, a UNO Writer's Workshop professor
since 1982, is the recipient of a 1998 Writing Fellowship from the National
Endowment for the Arts and a 1995 Individual Artist Fellowship from the
Nebraska Arts Council. He will be reading from his most recent of four poetry
collections, Sight Is No Carpenter.
Neil Azevedo, former UNO Writer's Workshop
student, publisher for Zoo Press, editor of The Nebraska Review, and adjunct
instructor for the Writer's Workshop department, will be reading from his
first poetry collection, Ocean. His poems have appeared in The Paris Review,
The New Criterion, Prairie Schooner, Antioch Review, The Journal, and Image,
among others.
April
12
Yiyun
Li
Yiyun Li grew up on Beijing and came to the U.S. in 1996. She
has an MFA from Iowa Writers' Workshop and an MFA in creative nonfiction from
the University of a. Her stories and essays have been published in The New
Yorker, The Paris Review, Zoetrope: All-Story, Ploughshares, The Gettysburg
Review, Glimmer Train, Prospect, and elsewhere. Named by Los Angeles Times as
one of the three authors to watch in 2005, she has won the Frank O'Connor
International Short Story Award, the Plimpton Prize from The Paris Review,
and a Pushcart prize.
|
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Alumni Spotlight
Attention Communication & Fine
Arts grads in:
- Art & Art History
- Music
- Theatre
- Writer's Workshop
- Broadcasting
- Journalism
- Speech Communication
The
College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media wants to hear from you! Drop us a
line to let us know what you have been up to since graduation. Your story may
get published in a future issue of the Alum
magazine!
Send
email to dcameron@mail.unomaha.edu
or snail mail to:
CCFAM
Alumni Spotlight
Attn:
Katie Cameron
College
of Communication Fine Arts and Media
WFAB 311
6001
Dodge Street
Omaha, NE
68182-0189
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