Gather in the mezzanine Thursday as Irma Moreno, dressed in period costume, becomes Petra Santa Cruz, a remarkable woman born in the Old Pueblo when it still belonged to Mexico; she married a prominent American pioneer and politician.
Moreno's presentation is the first in the Thursday Afternoons with the Curators Series at the museum. The free event, at 1:30 and 3 p.m. every Thursday, runs through February 8. Each 30-minute program is followed by a question-and-answer period.
The Arizona Historical Society Museum is located at 949 E. Second St. Free parking is available at the garage at Second and Euclid. For more information, call 628-5774.
UNIVERSAL HARMONY. If the idea that "the underlying principal of the universe is vibrational" intrigues you, drop by Borders Books on Saturday.
Composer-producer Riki Newell sends a strong message with his music--that music can help you understand yourself, and that tuning in to music can lead to health and happiness.
The local favorite will continue his efforts to contribute to the overall balance of the universe in a presentation from 7 to 9 p.m. at Borders, 5870 E. Broadway Blvd., at Park Place. For more information, call 584-0111.
SARDONIC CRAFTSMAN. Aurelie Sheehan, author of the curiously titled Jack Kerouac Is Pregnant: Stories, will read from her work at the University of Arizona.
Sheehan, an assistant professor in the UA's creative writing program, is the winner of the Pushcart Prize for an essay called The Seven Sisters. She has taught at Johns Hopkins University, Sheridan College and the City College of New York.
For Kerouac, Sheehan has been praised as a "sardonic craftsman."
"Sheehan holds the reader's attention with her insightful look at the crises and tribulations of women, their female sensuality and sensitivity, and their response to male faithlessness," wrote George Cohen of Booklist. "Here is a fine beginning by an enormously important talent."
The event is part of the UA Poetry Center's Visiting Poets and Writers Reading Series. An informal reception follows the talk, and copies of Sheehan's works will be available for sale. The free reading on Wednesday begins at 8 p.m. in the Modern Languages auditorium. For more information, call 626-3765.
BADGES OF COURAGE. The books of one of Tucson's most celebrated authors take their place on a long list in which the sheriff is the central character.
J.A. Jance's series features a sheriff named Joanna Brady, who works in southeastern Arizona.
These and more than 30 books published since 1970 by 17 writers are part of the ongoing crime fiction book exhibition at the UA's main library.
The free exhibition is curated by special collections librarian Bonnie Travers.
A writer and librarian, Jance graduated from the UA with a bachelor's degree in education, then received a master's of library science in 1970. In December, she was awarded an honorary doctorate. She has written 25 novels, which have been translated into 18 languages.
The library is located at the southwest corner of University Boulevard and Cherry Avenue. Parking is available east of the library. For more information, call Travers at 621-4295, or email her at traversb@u.arizona.edu.
