Thursday 24
I LOVE LIBRARIES. Don't try to convince me that people who never go to libraries are getting all their literary, research, people-watching and olfactory pleasures online.
I Love Libraries (With Apologies to Lucille Ball) is a library-loving event sponsored by the Friends of the University of Arizona Libraries. (Call and ask them about the parenthetical quip about Lucy.) They extend an invitation to come down to the library and chat with mystery writer J.A. Jance.
The New York Times best-selling author shows up at the Special Collections Library located inside the Main UA Library just west of Cherry Avenue and south of the UA Mall at 7 p.m.
Most know Jance for her two mystery series: One features the hard-nosed Seattle homicide detective J.P. Beaumont; the other features the dedicated sheriff of Cochise County, Joanna Brady.
Partner in Crime, brings Beau and Joanna together for the first time while investigating a murder case that spans both their jurisdictions. The two strong-willed characters don't take to each other right away. But they're out to stop a killer. Come hear how.
For questions or to reserve a spot on a hard seat in the Library, call 621-6431.
Friday 25
A QUEER LUMINARY. If it weren't for Michael Lumpkin, we would be lacking in cinematic images of gays and lesbians, bi and tranny folks and all those other quirky, queer people who, let's face it, are far more interesting than boring straight people. Oh, sorry.
Lumpkin founded and still directs the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, a leader for queer fests internationally. He also directs Frameline, a distributor that has brought little-known filmmakers to the fore: little guys like Gus Van Sant and John Waters and producers the likes of Christine Vachon, who thankfully has launched bizarre films like Safe and Poison into our psyches.
Tonight Lumpkin flies into our berg to talk about his work and the world of queer filmmaking. One of his co-productions is the documentary, Celluloid Closet, an adaptation of Vito Russo's groundbreaking book about gays and lesbians in Hollywood cinema, narrated by Lily Tomlin. At 7 p.m., Lumpkin is interviewed by UA Creative Writing Professor Fenton Johnson.
Dish and Dessert: An Evening with Michael Lumpkin offers conversation as the dish and his film as dessert at the Tucson-Pima Public Library Main Branch, 101 N. Stone Ave. It's free. Call 624-1779 for more information.
SONGS BEGET WORDS BEGET INSTURMENTALS. Often songs are inspired by a writer's texts. But rare is the bard who writes novels and plays music. If you're a fan of both, get yourself over to the Berger Center for Performing Arts for a concert and reading benefit for the Center for Biological Diversity at 8 p.m.
Novelist Barbara Kingsolver and her mostly instrumental group, the Now or Never Project, show up to play music with singer Carrie Newcomer and pianist Winton Reynolds. Barbara has been a fan of Carrie's music for half a decade and Carrie's tunes have been inspired by Barbara's novels, especially The Moon Over Tucson. It's a yin-yang thing.
Carrie's newest album, The Gathering of Spirits, with Alison Krauss singing on the title cut, has received rave reviews. Rolling Stone says Carrie's music is "rapturously tuneful. It's music that asks all the right questions and refuses to settle for easy answers."
Kingsolver, of course, is a Tucson treasure with her desert-inspired writing. She'll read excerpts from her work and also join Carrie for the second half of the concert.
The Berger Center is on Speedway just west of I-10. Parking is in the east lot with shuttle service to the performance hall. All tickets are reserved and cost $18 general and $16 for seniors or members of In Concert! and the Center for Biological Diversity. Get them in advance at Antigone Books, CD City, Reader's Oasis or charge by phone at 327-4809.
DON'T GET LEFT IN THE DUST. Have you been in Tucson long enough to remember Poco Loco or the Night Train or Stumble Inn? If you have, you know these guys. The Dusty Chaps return for tonight's benefit gig for KXCI community radio.
Formed in '69, The Chaps' Peter Gierlach and George Hawke rambled around town playing acoustic gigs, opening for Linda Ronstadt, The Charlie Daniels Band and Richie Havens. Then, like all good acoustic hippies in the '60s, they went electric and country-western, enlisting Leonardo Lopez on drums, Red Davidson on keyboards, Pat McAndrews on guitar and Bill Emrie on fiddle. With Gierlach on accordion and vocals and Hawke writing the tunes and playing bass, they garnered a crisp, original Texas sound. (They've never played the Lone Star State, but don't tell Billboard).
The show opens with another home-grown band, The Titan Valley Warheads, blending their own version of bluegrass, swing and western tunes. If you've found yourself at Little Abner's Steak House on a Sunday night, you've caught the Warheads in action.
Doors open at 8 p.m. with the Warheads climbing on stage at the historic El Casino Ballroom, 437 E. 26th St. followed by the Chaps at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Fork over $12 (KXCI members) and $15 general. Get tickets for the first show at Antigone Books and Hear's Music. You can only get tickets for the second show at KXCI (623-1000, ext. 13) or on the web at www.kxci.org.
Saturday 26
110 DEGREES TIMES TWO. The dizzying trek of adolescence is tough, but tougher still are the rugged realities of marginalized low-income, non-white kids here in Tucson.
Voices Inc. has offered "at risk" youth a chance to express their feelings, document their experiences and navigate collective magazine publishing. The result is 110 Degrees. Issue #2 has hit the streets.
The journal takes its name from the longitude coordinate of Tucson and from the degree the mercury might reach on a hot summer day here. It's the brainchild of Regina Kelly. She's gotten professionals in the community to donate their expertise to teach the kids how to capture the stories of people of all ages, backgrounds, colors and experiences. Recent topics have included ethnic and racial identity, sexuality, body image issues and housing controversies as well as the local music scene and Tucson youth slang.
Meet the young writers, photographers and production staff of the second issue of 110 Degrees as well as the journal's founder at 2 p.m. at Reader's Oasis, 3400 E. Speedway Blvd. Call 319-7887 with questions.
MINDING THE MATTER. The Spirit In Action Center believes that individual well being, social harmony and accelerated evolution of consciousness and spiritual growth are the essentials for a healthy life--for the mind, body and spirit.
Join them for their Mind/Body/Spirit Expo, a veritable two-day feast for all elements of the being. Beginning at 10 a.m. today and lasting through the evening and starting at 11 a.m. tomorrow through the afternoon, you can take classes, hear lectures and drum up a storm.
Here's a preview of some highlights: At 11 a.m. today, Kay Aubrey-Chimene, of Grand Adventures Ranch, talks about holistic approaches to nutrition; at noon, the Vegetarian Resource Group explores the ethical, environmental and health aspects of a plant-based diet; at 2 p.m., Heidi Jurka brings three toning bowls to show how they have an effect on the body and spirit. On Sunday at 1 p.m., Bill White coaches you on your relationship and at 2 p.m., Paul Bucky shows how to reduce stress, pain and physical ailments with his light touch healing technique. There's much more.
It's free and takes place at the Spirit In Action Center located at 6979 E. Broadway Blvd. at Kolb, Suite 125. For more information call 751-7502.
MOVING IMAGES. It's not just for TV or the big screen. When images are projected onto a gallery wall, it's something entirely different.
The Museum of Contemporary Art presents three exhibitions opening tonight that feature artists whose medium is the projected image. Miltos Manetas is a Greek artist who works and lives between Los Angeles and New York City. His art is often Internet based, but also consists of paintings. At MOCA, he offers Jesus Swimming, which consists of a single projection. His work joins Tucson video artist Vikki Dempsey. You may recognize her as the curating mogul behind VideoTENSIONS/Alternate Routes, a decade-long summer series of cutting-edge videos. Her work has also been exhibited at the Arizona Biennia and her new piece, Somewhere in Between, is featured at MOCA. Daniel Peltz, a New York-born video artist, is currently a visiting artist at the UA. He uses a single projection beam split onto multiple projection surfaces. Texxture investigates surface tension in his present desert context.
Meet the artists at a reception from 7 to 9 p.m. The show stays up at MOCA's HazMat Gallery, 191 E. Toole Ave., until December 7. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Call 624-5019 for information.
BIRTH, DEATH AND LIFE. It's that time of year where we honor, praise and talk to those who've passed, where we explore the events between points of entrance and exit.
Dinnerware artists mark it with an evening of performance art, video works and spoken word in the spirit of two holidays: Dia de Los Muertos, a festive embracing of our mortality, and Halloween, a childlike embracing of all that scares us. Bringing us Night of the Dead is Artlab 16, an artistic production consortium from Phoenix that's dedicated to producing live art events and exhibits. The artists for the evening are Annie Lopez, Steve Gompf, The Klute, Trish (jusTrish), Stephen G. Roy and Jeff Falk.
The night begins at 8 p.m. at Dinnerware Contemporary Art Gallery at 135 E. Congress St. Admission is $6 at the door. Call 792-4503 for details.
Sunday 27
THE SPRING OF 1692. Step back in time with Arthur Miller's classic drama, The Crucible, in a production by the Catalina Foothills High School Theater Department.
It's Salem, Mass., late-17th century. A searing courtroom battle surrounds the witch trials. Miller's work is a political indictment against the dangers of mob rule and the abuse of government power. Not so ironically, it echoes the political heat of the McCarthy hearings and Miller's own feelings of outrage at accusations made against him in the Neanderthal 1950s.
The Crucible launches Catalina Foothills' 2002-2003 season. Terry Erbe directs with Norm Testa serving as technical director. Shows begin this week on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. There's a 2 p.m. matinee today. Shows continue next week Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Catalina Foothills Little Theater is located at 4300 E. Sunrise Drive. Tickets cost $7 general and $5 for seniors, children and students. For information, call 577-5090, ext. 6000.
Monday 28
LOOKIE UP HERE. Steward Observatory has been hosting public evening lectures in astronomy since 1924. Tonight Dr. Art Code, of the Observatory staff, shares his know-how of telescopes and stars of the desert Southwest.
Weather-permitting, you'll get a chance to view the night sky with a 21-inch telescope at the Campus Station of the Observatory operated by astronomy undergrads.
The lecture starts at 7:30 p.m. and is free, as is all the viewing. The UA's Observatory is located in Room N210 at 933 N. Cherry St. For questions, call 621-5049.
Tuesday 29
TOOTING HORNS. The Arizona Brass Quintet is a new incarnation at the University of Arizona. An ensemble comprised of UA School of Music professors, it consists of Kelly Thomas on tuba and euphonium (what a great word), Keith Johnson on horn, Ed Reid and Julie Patton on trumpet and Tom Ervin on trombone.
Lowell Greer wrote "Gallatin Fanfare for Eight Hunting Horns," which the quintet performs tonight. They'll also play Margaret Brouwer's "Sonata for Horn and Piano" as well as work by Derek Bourgeois, Verne Reynolds, Morton Gould, Samuel Scheidt and Eugene Bozza. (Bet you didn't know there was so much music written just for horns.)
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in Crowder Hall, UA School of Music, just off Second Street at Park Avenue. Tickets cost $10 general, $8 UA staff and seniors and $4 for students. Call the box office at 621-1162.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? Translation is an amazing art. It's not just switching words from one language to another: The nuance is in the culture-specific ways of speaking, writing and reading.
Poets Pura López-Colomé and Forrest Gander offer a workshop that lets participants investigate the translation process. López-Colomé is a Mexican poet, essayist and translator of work by Beckett, Seamus Heaney, Frank O'Hara and William Carlos Williams. Her book, No Shelter: The Selected Poems of Pura López-Colomé, is the first collection of her work in English, translated by Forrest Gander. Gander is an American-born editor and author of six books of poetry including most recently, Torn Awake and Science & Steepleflower.
At 7:30 p.m. at Hotel Congress, López-Colomé and Gander talk about their work and concerns as translators of contemporary poetry--the philosophical and political implications of translation, importance of a language's structure and all things poetic.
The workshop fee is $5. It precedes López-Colomé's reading on Wednesday at 8 p.m. as part of the UA Poetry Center's Fall Reading Series. For more information on both events or to register for the workshop, call 626-3765.
Wednesday 30
FAT GIRL. Got a problem with that? Many girls do and body image issues begin at younger and younger ages it seems.
In conjunction with the Lauren Greenfield exhibit--Girl Culture at the Center for Creative Photography--today's panel discussion tackles the culture of thinness from anthropological, physical education, women's studies and other perspectives with speakers from the University of Arizona offering insight into why girls (and we adults) still think thin is the only way to be.
Girls and Their Bodies: What's the Problem is moderated by Myra Dinnerstein, Research Professor in Women's Studies at the UA. Speakers include Mimi Nichter talking about what girls and their parents say about dieting; Samantha J. King addressing girls in sports and body politics; Colette Marie Sims looking at resiliency among African American females; and Sandra Soto exploring the cultural connections between girls and body identity.
The panel is free and it starts at 5:30 p.m. today in the CCP Auditorium located in the arts courtyard just east of Park Avenue and Speedway Boulevard. Call 621-7968 for information.
