Calendar

May
22
Wed
Poetry and the Written Word: Marilynn Rashid @ Crazy Wisdom
May 22 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Poetry readings are scheduled the 4th Wednesday of each month.  These events feature a reading by one or more published poets, followed by an Open Mic at which anyone is welcome to read something of their own or a favorite poem.

Marilynn Rashid teaches basic, intermediate, and advanced Spanish language and composition classes, intermediate literature classes, and the Spanish translation class at Wayne State. Her interests include Comparative Literature and the theory and practice of literary translation. Poetry awards include:

            Judith Pearson Siegel Award for Poetry, WSU English Department, 1993

            Finalist in New Issues Poetry Contest, Western Michigan University, 1997

            Nominated for Pushcart Prize, 2001

            Special Merit Award for Poetry, Comstock Review, 2009

 

Poetry Salon: One Pause Poetry @ Argus Farm Stop
May 22 @ 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm

ONE PAUSE POETRY SALON is (literally) a greenhouse for poetry and poets, nurturing an appreciation for written art in all languages and encouraging experiments in creative writing.

We meet every Weds in the greenhouse at Argus Farm Stop on Liberty St. The poems we read each time are unified by form (haiku, sonnet, spoken word), poet, time / place (Tang Dynasty, English Romanticism, New York in the 70s) or theme / mood (springtime, poems with cats, protest poems). We discuss the poems and play writing games together, with time for snacks and socializing in between.

Members are encouraged to share their own poems or poems they like – they may or may not relate to the theme of the evening. This is not primarily a workshop – we may hold special workshop nights, but mostly we listen to and talk about poems for the sake of inspiring new writing.

Whether you are a published poet or encountering poetry for the first time, we invite you to join us!

$5 suggested donation for food, drinks and printing costs.

8-10 p.m., Argus Farm Stop greenhouse, 325 W. Liberty. $5 suggested donation. onepausepoetry.org, 707-1284.

 

 

 

May
23
Thu
S. Max Edelson: The New Map of Empire: How Britain Imagined America Before Independence @ Robertson Auditorium (Ross)
May 23 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

A Michigan Map Society Lecture

In the eighteenth century, Britain relied on geographic knowledge to reform its American empire. The schemes of colonial development and control that these maps envisioned, Edelson argues, helped provoke the resistance that led to the American Revolution. Lecture presented in collaboration with the Stephen S. Clark Library. Dr. S. Max Edelson is Professor of History at the University of Virginia. His second book, The New Map of Empire: How Britain Imagined America Before Independence (Harvard University Press, 2017) was a finalist for the George Washington Book Prize and received the John Lyman Book Award for U.S. Maritime History by the North American Society for Oceanic History. Register online.

Vikki Tobak: Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop When @ AADL Traverwood
May 23 @ 7:00 pm – 8:45 pm

The perfect gift for music and photography fans, an inside look at the work of hip-hop photographers told through their most intimate diaries—their contact sheets.

Featuring rare outtakes from over 100 photoshoots alongside interviews and essays from industry legends, Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop takes readers on a chronological journey from old-school to alternative hip-hop and from analog to digital photography. The ultimate companion for music and photography enthusiasts, Contact High is the definitive history of hip-hop’s early days, celebrating the artists that shaped the iconic album covers, t-shirts and posters beloved by hip-hop fans today.  If you will be in LA this year from April to August be sure to check out The Contact High photography exhibit!

With essays from BILL ADLER, RHEA L. COMBS, FAB 5 FREDDY, MICHAEL GONZALES, YOUNG GURU, DJ PREMIER, and RZA 

VIKKI TOBAK is a journalist whose writing has appeared in The FADER, Complex, Mass Appeal, The Undefeated, Paper Magazine, i-D Magazine, The Detroit News, Vibe, and many others. Vikki is also the founding curator of FotoDC’s film program, and served as the art commissioner/curator for the Palo Alto Public Art Commission in Silicon Valley. She has lectured about music photography at American University, VOLTA New York, Photoville, Chicago Cultural Center and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.

This event includes a book signing and books will be on sale.

May
24
Fri
Poetry at Literati: Clayton Eshleman: Pollen Aria @ Literati
May 24 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Literati is honored to welcome back poet Clayton Eshelman who will be reading from his new collection Pollen Aria.

About Pollen Aria:
That Clayton Eshleman has not ceased from exploration over a career spanning more than 60 years is witnessed by the bulk, range, and diversity of his prior work. Now in his 80’s Eshleman presents us with a last collection of his poems-mostly recent, a few older. That he has sought to open up his life and work, to entwine and entangle it with others, through observation and vision, research and scholarship, translation and editing, and collaboration and conversation, all of this reflects Eshleman’s life commitment, indeed a commitment to life in writing poetry.

Clayton Eshleman has had published roughly 100 books and chapbooks of original poetry, translations, and nonfiction writings, and edited seventy issues of magazines and journals, including the ground-breaking Caterpillar and Sulfur. His writings have appeared in over 500 literary magazines and journals around the world and his books and writings have been translated into over a dozen languages. He has won many poetry awards, fellowships, and translation awards for his works through the years. It is undoubtedly unnecessary to observe that he made and has fulfilled a life commitment to poetry. Now in his 80’s he resides with his wife Caryl in Ypsilanti, MI.

May
25
Sat
Tracy Richardson: The Field @ Nicola's Books
May 25 @ 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Join author Tracy Richardson as she discusses her debut title The Field, a young adult sci-fi novel. She will sign copies following the event.

Ticket Information:

No tickets.

Event Details

Seating at the event will be first-come first-served. This event will be a standing-room crowd, so if you require a seat for medical reasons, please contact us in advance to make arrangements.

About the Book

Eric Horton sees fire. When he sleeps, he dreams of a world screaming in the midst of devastating explosions. These dreams terrify him, and as more strange happenings unfold around him, he’s unable to shake the feeling that what he’s seeing isn’t just a dream. When a new student, Renee, appears in his science class, he could swear he’s known her forever. But how could that be? As they get to know each other, he meets her father, who explains the experiments he’s been conducting involving the Universal Energy Field and Collective Consciousness—two things Eric has never heard of before. They seem to be tied to the idea that we are all connected by the same energy and are all more powerful than we realize. Eric begins to learn more about these groundbreaking concepts—but can they be real? As his life continues to shift and his knowledge of the Field increases, Eric will be tested beyond anything he’s experienced before. He must decide whether he believes in that part of himself which ties him to the world around him, and he must access it—or lose everything he’s been working to keep.

About the Author

TRACY RICHARDSON wasn’t always a writer, but she was always a reader. Her favorite book growing up was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. In a weird way that book has even shaped her life through odd synchronicities. She has a degree in biology like Mrs. Murry, and, without realizing it, she named her children Alex and Katie after Meg’s parents. Tracy uses her science background in her writing through her emphasis on environmental issues, metaphysics, and science fi ction. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her doing any number of creative activities — painting furniture, knitting sweaters, or cooking something. She lives in Indianapolis, and, in case you’re wondering, yes, she’s been to the Indianapolis 500.

May
26
Sun
Ann Arbor Storytellers Guild @ AADL Downtown
May 26 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

All invited to listen to guild members swap stories or bring their own to tell.

 

 

 

 

 

May
29
Wed
Poetry Salon: One Pause Poetry @ Argus Farm Stop
May 29 @ 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm

ONE PAUSE POETRY SALON is (literally) a greenhouse for poetry and poets, nurturing an appreciation for written art in all languages and encouraging experiments in creative writing.

We meet every Weds in the greenhouse at Argus Farm Stop on Liberty St. The poems we read each time are unified by form (haiku, sonnet, spoken word), poet, time / place (Tang Dynasty, English Romanticism, New York in the 70s) or theme / mood (springtime, poems with cats, protest poems). We discuss the poems and play writing games together, with time for snacks and socializing in between.

Members are encouraged to share their own poems or poems they like – they may or may not relate to the theme of the evening. This is not primarily a workshop – we may hold special workshop nights, but mostly we listen to and talk about poems for the sake of inspiring new writing.

Whether you are a published poet or encountering poetry for the first time, we invite you to join us!

$5 suggested donation for food, drinks and printing costs.

8-10 p.m., Argus Farm Stop greenhouse, 325 W. Liberty. $5 suggested donation. onepausepoetry.org, 707-1284.

 

 

 

The Moth Storyslam: GrandSLAM Championship @ The Ark
May 29 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm

*Tickets for this event are available one week before the show, at 3pm ET.

*Seating is not guaranteed and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please be sure to arrive at least 10 minutes before the show. Admission is not guaranteed for late arrivals. All sales final.

Media Sponsor: Michigan Radio.

 

May
30
Thu
Ana Johns: The Woman in the White Kimono: A Novel @ Nicola's Books
May 30 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Detroit native, Ana Johns, joins us to share her debut novel The Woman in the White Kimono.

Ticket Information:

No tickets.

Event Details

Seating at the event will be first-come first-served. This event will be a standing-room crowd, so if you require a seat for medical reasons, please contact us in advance to make arrangements.

About the Book

Over ten thousands babies were born to American servicemen and Japanese women during the post-World War II occupation. Most of them (and their mothers) were ostracized and many were surrendered in shame to orphanages. This little documented history is at that heart of Ana Johns’s exquisitely-wrought debut novel, THE WOMAN IN THE WHITE KIMONO.

Romeo and Juliet meets Madama Butterfly as two elegant narratives intertwine: a twenty-first century investigative reporter embarks on the most personal story of her life—locating the truth about a woman with whom her father had a forbidden relationship more than a half century ago. As her father’s secret past unfolds, the truth will reveal as much about him as about the woman and baby he left behind.

Japan, 1957. Naoko Nakamura, only seventeen, has done the unthinkable—fallen in love with an American sailor she calls Hajime, despite her family’s plans for a respectable, arranged marriage with the son of her father’s business associate. Naoko, who wishes to honor both her family and her heart, is torn between her two marital options—until she discovers that she is pregnant and must go with her heart. It is a decision that will have crushing consequences, though, as she loses the respect and support of her family and community. Sixty years later, as American Tori Kovač cares for her beloved father in his final days, she learns a shocking truth about his life before he met her mother. Unanswered questions propel her to Japan in search of the woman in the photograph she finds among his possessions—and the half-sister she never knew she possessed.

About the Author

Ana Johns worked over twenty years in the creative arts field, as both a creative director and business owner, before turning her hand to fiction. Born and raised in metro Detroit, she now resides in Indianapolis with her family. THE WOMAN IN THE WHITE KIMONO is her first novel.

lsa logoum logoU-M Privacy StatementAccessibility at U-M