Tucson Weekly: Cheap Thrills (November 12

Cheap Thrills RIVER REBOUND: Only 40 years ago, much of the Santa Cruz River actually flowed through Tucson. For centuries before that, the waterway reaching from near the Mexican border all the way to Pinal County had been a timeless source of sustenance for Native Americans who fished it, drank it, and channeled it to water their crops.
Today, the portion of the Santa Cruz coursing through town is dead most of the year, drained by a sprawling, thirsty populace. But the City of Tucson will place the river's restoration on the table with a free two-day conference titled An Unbroken Corridor of Green: The Past, Present and Future of the Santa Cruz River.
From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, November 13, in the TCC, 260 S. Church St., the conference will explore the river's history, the economic advantages of a green river, restoration of wildlife habitat and vegetation, and similar projects on other desert rivers.
Beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, November 14, at the San Xavier Mission, 1950 W. San Xavier Road, the gathering will include a self-driven tour of stopping points along the river, where neighborhood leaders, along with state and local officials, will discuss the future of the Santa Cruz.
Call 882-8177 for details.
TWO-WHEEL GALA: The Greater Arizona Bicycling Association offers you the chance at some great two-wheeled deals with their annual Bike Swap de Tucson.
There will be a veritable slew of chain-driven vendors and garden variety bikies on hand, offering everything from wheels, seats and tires to clothing, helmets and gloves--in other words everything related to the remarkable two-wheeled contraption.
The free swap meet runs from 8 a.m. to noon in the PCC West parking lot, 2202 W. Anklam Road. For information, call 323-9020.
WRITE FROM THE HEART: Words can create a unifying force or a terrible barrier, a truth pondered in Languages of the Heart: A Trio of Trilingual Readings, presented by the UA Extended University Writing Works Center.
In collaboration with poet William Pitt Root, the UA created the ongoing series of free readings aimed at dissolving the barriers of language. The aim is achieving this through the work of writers whose work crosses cultural borders. In addition to reading from their own work in English, each writer has selected poems to be translated into Spanish, Yoeme (Yaqui), and O'odham, which will be woven throughout the readings.
The featured reader on Friday, November 13, will be Joy Harjo, the award-winning author of several volumes of poetry, including In Mad Love and War, She Had Some Horses, and Secrets from the Center of the World.
Harjo was featured on Bill Moyer's PBS series, Language of Life, and most recently edited Reinventing the Enemy's Language: Contemporary Native Women's Writing of North America.
She'll appear from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Sunnyside High School Auditorium, 1725 E. Bilby Road.
Leslie Marmon Silko is scheduled to appear on Saturday, November 14, followed by Demetria Martínez on Sunday, November 15.
For information, call 626-4444.

Home | Currents | City Week | Music | Review | Books | Cinema | Back Page | Archives