Tucson Weekly: Cheap Thrills (April 22

Cheap Thrills SALES SHARKS: David Mamet's tale of four bloodtcheming for the Big Sale from their sleazy little office, comes to life when the UA Theatre Arts Department presents Glengarry Glen Ross.
Show time is 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22 through 24, in UA Drama West Building Directing Studio, Room 116, on the southeast corner of Speedway and Park Avenue. Admission is free. For details, call 621-1162.
RIPARIAN RENDERINGS: One of Arizona's premiere rivers (and the last free-flowing waterway in the United States) is celebrated today in San Pedro: Scenes and Visions.
Organized by long-time conservationist Michael Gregory as part of Bisbee's Central School Project, the exhibit highlights some 500 species that call the San Pedro home, portrayed through the work of 15 artists.
For his part, Gregory was instrumental in designating part of the San Pedro as the first National Riparian Conservation Area. But that didn't end the struggle. "The river has been nominated as a World Heritage site," he says, "and truly is a national and international treasure. But despite federal protection, the river and its riparian habitat are under increasing threat from uncontrolled urban growth in Arizona and industrial development in Mexico."
Enjoy visions of this endangered natural jewel from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 24 and 25, in the Old Central School, 43 Howell Ave. in downtown Bisbee, behind the Copper Queen Hotel. Public viewings continue on April 30, and May 1 and 2. For information, call (520) 432-5374.
WRITING ON THE LINE: Writer Demetria Martinez learned her way around a tough story while covering United States/Mexico border issues as a reporter. That gig landed her in court in 1987, when the government charged her with conspiracy and violation of immigration laws for helping Salvadoran refugees as part of the Sanctuary movement.
During the trial, prosecutors used her own poetry in an attempt to incriminate her. Eventually, she was acquitted on First Amendment grounds.
Twelve years later she remains a busy writer of poetry and prose, and her first novel, Mother Tongue, won the 1994 Western States Book Award for Fiction. Her second book of poetry, Breathing Between the Lines, was recently published by the UA Press.
Karen Falkenstrom was meanwhile making her own mark at the UA, where she earned an MFA in Creative Writing and Poetry, and as executive director of the Tucson Poetry Festival from 1992 to 1996.
Also in 1992, she founded the feminist-oriented Kore Press with book-artist Lisa Bowden. Her poems have appeared in several journals, including The Boston Literary Review, Jackleg and The Colorado Review.
Martinez and Falkenstrom will read from their work as part of the WomanSpeak poetry and prose series from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 25 in the Aroma Caffe, 346 N. Fourth Ave. Admission is free. Call 623-2088 for details.

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