City Week

Shameless Self-Promotion

If you read the Tucson Weekly consistently, you've read numerous stories by Margaret Regan. In fact, her piece on retired UA art professor Bailey Doogan ("A Life Lived") ruled the cover this past week. Needless to say, we like Margaret, so it is with great pride that we promote her appearance at Bookman's this Sunday.

Regan will be at Bookman's presenting a slide talk about her contribution to the UA Press photo-essay book Picturing Arizona: The Photographic Record of the 1930s. Her chapter is entitled "Paper Faces: Photographs of Navajos and Hopis," and at Bookman's, Regan will discuss Laura Gilpin's 1930 Navajo photographs.

Regan's credentials are impeccable (come on, she writes for the Weekly, for God's sake), with 15 years of writing about art in the Southwest. Just to further toot Regan's horn, her writings (which have won many journalism awards) have also appeared in publications like Newsday and Camera Austria. During Regan's talk, there will be copies of Picturing Arizona around for perusing and, you know, buying, if the mood suits you. --M.P.

Southwestern Words

Arizona Historical Society Holiday Bookfair

The Tucson-Pima Public Library, the Friends of the Tucson-Pima Public Library and the Arizona Historical Society are sticking to the old adage, "It's better to give than to receive," this holiday season as they offer up a handful of free events for literary Tucsonans. You and I--and perhaps a handful of others--may not know who Lawrence Clark Powell was, but Richard Shelton (regents professor of English at the UA) sure does, and Thursday, he will give a lecture in honor of the late Mr. Powell.

According to the press release, Powell was quite the accomplished man as a "prolific author, distinguished librarian, literary critic, self-proclaimed 'bibliomaniac' and Tucson resident for more than 30 years." However, there is more than meets the eye to this lecture. Noted children's author Byrd Baylor will introduce Shelton, while award-winning author Charles Bowden will introduce Katie Lee. Lee is "the octogenarian and ever-active environmentalist who will be honored with a lifetime achievement award for her contributions to Southwestern letters." Essentially, you're getting four authors for the price (it's free, by the way) of one memorial lecture.

Following the lecture (accompanied by a book sale/signing), the Arizona Historical Society will host its annual holiday book fair--focused mainly on Southwestern authors--on Friday and Saturday. The press release notes, "The book fair will feature more than 30 local and regional authors and will highlight recent publications. Authors will be present on both days to visit with readers and sign copies of their books that will be available at a 20 percent discount." --M.P.

This American Photo

When I'm 92 years old, I hope to a) be alive, b) be able to, for the most part, move my body parts, and c) walk from the bed to the bathroom without exhausting myself. Irving Olson, on the other hand, at 92 is an award-winning photographer still hard at it. Need proof? He and his wife of 65 years, Ruth, have traveled to more than 125 countries taking photos, and they are currently exhibiting them here in Tucson.

Many of their photos will be the subject of a December show and sale to benefit the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona. The exhibit (running until Dec. 28) is being held at the Jewish Community Center, and this Sunday, the JCC will host an open-house celebration for the couple and their photography.

Photos from the Olsons' exhibit will be available for purchase, with the proceeds going to the Jewish Federation. What exactly can you expect in the Olsons' photography? Well, according to the press release, all things globally intriguing, including "close-ups of hummingbirds in Tucson, street scenes from today's China, weather-beaten doors in France, and much more."

So, head on over to the JCC anytime (within their posted hours; check www.jewishtucson.org for details) to check out the Olsons' wonderful photography and perhaps pick up something for the photo lover in your life (prices of photos range from less than $50 to $1,000). --M.P.

Feliz Navidad

Reason No. 3,493 that we should be thankful to live in the Southwest: tamales. Around the holidays, we are privy to an outpouring of the delicious wrapped cornmeal treats, which make for a better snack than, say, roasted lamb or whatever people out East eat. So, we're happy to give tribute to the almighty tamale. And the Arizona State Museum has taken our love for these culinary treasures and turned it into a Saturday outing.

This Saturday, the Arizona State Museum will host "Culture Craft Saturday: Tamales, Piñatas y Más." Yes, the campus museum is dedicating three hours Saturday to all things tamale. Plus, it's interactive, with local cooks--that means you--invited to bring in their best tamales for a judged tasting. You must submit an entry form (either online or by calling 626-2973) to participate. Local restaurant owners, chefs and cultural experts will judge the tamales, with prizes awarded to the best-tasting tamales in four different categories.

As you can see by the name, Culture Craft Saturday is about more than tamales. The museum's press release notes the range of activities happening this Saturday, including "tamale-making demonstrations, tamale sampling ... piñata making, tissue-paper flower making, storytelling, Norteño music with Los Hermanos Cuatro, a performance of scenes from the play Los Nuevas Tamaleras by the Catalina Players, and mask making." And in the giving spirit of the season, the entire event is free. College students, take note: Tamales may be the perfect brain food for acing those final exams, or it may just be tasty free grub. --M.P.