City Week

Hey, somebody's got to do the grunt work and pick our vegetables. It certainly isn't going to wrench the backs of U.S. citizens--all those ones screaming about illegals taking away their precious jobs.

A controversial guest-worker bill put forward on July 25 by Senator John McCain and Congressmen Jeff Flake and Jim Kolbe--all Republicans--would allow millions of foreigners, including illegal immigrants already in the United States, to live and work here with temporary visas. They say the bill would reduce migrant deaths on the U.S./Arizona border and fill needs for low-skilled labor nationwide. They also say it would improve national security. Gov. Janet Napolitano is also supportive of a guest worker program.

But it's not so simple. What do you do with people who've already entered illegally? What about the referendum that would require state agencies to report illegals to the feds, or the one that would make people prove they're citizens before getting any government services?

It's complex. Come hear all the dirt from lawyer Margo Cowan--including the hidden meaning behind much of the wording and the reality of what it will mean for migrant workers, communities and the society as a whole. Hosted by Coalición de Derechos Humanos and Alianza Ind'gena Sin Fronteras, the lecture starts at 6:30 p.m. Suggested donation is $5. Bring a potluck dish to share.

For details call 770-1373.

TRADITION, TRADITION

Friday, Aug. 22

Temple of Music and Art Cabaret Theater

330 S. Scott Ave.

Seven bands and a local historian/ storyteller. Wow.

It's a fund-raiser for the Tucson Friends of Traditional Music's concerts for the year. It's a showcase of traditional music from just about every corner of the Earth.

The evening opens with Round the House performing Irish jigs, reels and songs. David Firestine, Sharon Goldwasser, Mike Smith and Claire Zucker play acoustic mandolin, fiddle, banjo, bouzouki, guitar and bodhran on tunes. They've won awards and play locally at Ceili and Contra dances, plus they often show up at O'Malley's.

Ted Warmbrand is a banjo-picking singer with a repertoire of a thousand songs. For the showcase, he sings songs with a Jewish theme. Traveling along the musical road for the evening is Conjunto Nopal playing polkas, cumbias and waltzes that take contemporary Mexican border music back to its roots with a bit of Waila flavor. Then it's on to Eastern Europe with the chorus Mzekela. Following in the fifth set is Tucson folklorist Big Jim Griffith, bringing his old time mountain songs and accompanying himself on banjo with the occasional French harp or guitar.

There's more. Jim McConnell and William Don Carlos perform guitar, fiddle and vocals along with a Uillean piper playing Scottish tunes. The Privy Tippers belt out old-time songs, and it's all followed by an hour-long open jam session if you can stay up until 11 p.m.

The concert starts at 6 p.m. and costs a mere seven bucks. (That comes out to a dollar a band.)

Questions? Call for answers at 293-3783.

HOW TO WRITE A MYSTERY

Saturday, Aug. 23

Reader's Oasis

3400 E. Speedway Blvd.

For all you mystery-reading fans, here's your chance to find out if you have the heart, or maybe it's stomach, to write a thriller.

There seems to be a warehouse-sized stash of mystery writers living in Tucson. A bunch of them get together for a panel discussion to talk about how to get started with your nascent ideas. They also touch on character development, plotting styles, theme and series mysteries, and dealing with or finding a publisher.

So who's showing up? J.R. Daily, author of The Yellow Ribbon Snake, and Elizabeth Gunn, whose Seventh-Inning Stretch has just been released, both have a thought or two to share. J.M. Hayes talks about working with small presses, Susan Miller regales her experiences with university presses and Marci Martin and Stella Clancy talk about the ins and outs of self-publishing.

Six panelists have much to say about mystery writing. The answers are anything but mysterious. They get started talking at 2 p.m.

Call 319-7887 for more information.

STOREFRONT ART

Saturday, Aug. 23

The Drawing Studio Gallery (214 N. Fourth Ave.)

The Limelight (634 N. Fourth Ave.)

Zoe Boutique (735 N. Fourth Ave.)

Saunter down Fourth Avenue and peek in a couple of windows.

Three art shows open with receptions featuring a variety of work. At the southern end of the avenue at The Drawing Studio, it's the fifth annual figure show. Here's where you see the results of work produced from the age-old practice of life drawing--imaging nudes and all their fleshy beauty. There's drawing, but also painting, printmaking and sculpture, much of which originates in the open studios or classes offered at studio itself. The reception goes from 6 to 9 p.m. The show stays up through Sept. 27 and gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.

Stay on the same side of the street and head north toward a little bungalow where The Limelight shines on two artists. Mirle Freel Jr. draws from the subconscious. His work contains elements of conflict and serenity, an emotional look at life and death confronting us daily. "Perhaps life is a dream that we may awake from someday," Freel ponders.

Christina S. Hiett offers a grid of individual small acrylic paintings titled, "Set Theory," in which she focuses on an artistic interpretation of the mathematical notion of sets and functions. Viewing the units forms a one-to-many relation between the viewer and the grouping. Both artists show up for the reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Their show is on view through Sept. 27.

One block up and across the street is an opening at Zoe Boutique, where self-taught Mexican artist Sergio Castrezana will tell you all about his work. Castrezana was born in 1970 and left home 18 years later to live in the streets of Coyoacan. He supported himself by selling paintings and eventually murals commissioned for private homes. He later studied psychology, ecology and marine biology. Castrezana's watercolors reflect the conflicting perspectives of his Spanish/Mexican background and strict Catholic upbringing. Come by and see the work at a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. or stop by from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday.

It's a night of art in the dwindling days of summer in Tucson. For questions, call The Drawing Studio at 620-0947, The Limelight at 623-3973 and Zoe Boutique at 740-1201.

BUZZING BIRDS AND THE UNDEAD

Saturday, Aug. 23

Barnes & Noble (5130 E. Broadway Blvd.)

Sunday, Aug. 24

Barnes & Noble (Foothills Mall, 7325 N. La Cholla Blvd.)

Local naturalist and author Pinau Merlin loves birds. Just this month, she's keeping track of their annual trip from the Western United States down to Mexico. Her colorful guide, Hummingbirds of the West, was produced with the help of the Arizona Desert Museum.

Merlin offers details about migration and all-things hummingbird on Saturday at 3 p.m. She also discusses and signs her latest book, A Field Guide to Desert Holes, in which she details not just holes, but depressions, shelters and the animals who use them. There's a whole world under there. Take a gander.

On Sunday at 2 p.m., Tucson writer Daniel Martinez talks about creatures of the underground--sort of. Queen of the Undead is a fantasy that features Tom, Betty Ann and the Queen herself who all come to stand before and enter the low pink building that is the gateway into worlds beyond their imagination. Martinez' books have been compared to those of Tolkien, Robert Jordan and Laurell K. Hamilton. Meet the local author and peer below the surface.

Both readings are free. Questions? Call the Broadway Boulevard store at 512-1166 or the Foothills Mall store at 742-6402.