UA News

The series includes programs for young children as well as continuing education for adults.

Spring events at The University of Arizona Poetry Center will include a list of published faculty members and visiting writers and poets.

The lineup this spring includes readings by famed novelist of cult stature Denis Johnson and conservation science writer Gary Nabhan.

The center also will have programs specificially for young children plus continuing education for adults.

One Saturday morning each month, families will be able to introduce their 4- to 8-year-old children to poetry through "Poetry Joeys." Also, the center has a number of programs for adults, including the "Closer Look Book Club," the "Shop Talk" series and numerous other community classes and workshops.

Events will be held at the UA's Poetry Center in the Helen S. Schaefer Building, 1508 E. Helen St., unless otherwise noted. The spring lineup includes:

Jan 22 UA faculty members Ander Monson and Boyer Rickel will read at the Gallagher Theater, which is located in the Student Union Memorial Center, 1303 E. University Blvd. The event will be held at 8 p.m. and is co-sponsored by the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership. Monson has authored collections of essays, poems and fiction. Rickel has published collections of poetry and personal essays.

Jan. 24 Families are invited to the "Poetry Joeys" program, "What Goes Buzz Buzz and Schlopp Schlopp" with Patricia Escárcega, a UA alum who is a visiting writer. The event will be held at 10 a.m.

Jan. 31 On each Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. through March 7, UA alum Ken Lamberton, who has published numerous poems and essays and has written about his time in prison, will be providing community classes on memoir writing. The cost for the class is $150.

Feb. 5 The Mary Ann Campau Memorial Fellowship Reading will feature Stephanie Balzer. Balzer will read at 8 p.m. Balzer's poems have appeared in numerous publications, including CUE, the Mid-American Review and Chelsea.

Feb. 17 On Tuesdays from this date through March 31, from 6 to 8 p.m., award-winning poet Geraldine Connolly will teach an introductory community class on poetry. The class will not meet on March 17. Tuition and course materials cost $155.

Feb. 21 Families are invited to attend the "Poetry Joeys" program, "Oyes, Oyes! Listen, Listen!" with Rita Magdaleno, a published poet who works with the Arizona Commission on the Arts.The event will be held at 10 a.m.

Feb. 23 As part of the "Shop Talk" series, Peter Gizzi will discuss his work. The series is held in an informal setting and encourages an in-depth discussion about literature. The discussion will begin at 6 p.m. and is lead by Gail Browne, the center's executive dirctor.

Feb. 26 Award-winning poet Peter Gizzi will read at 8 p.m. Gizzi is the author of "The Outernationale" and a number of other publications.

March 5 Gary Nabhan, a research social scientist at the UA, will read beginning at 8 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by the UA College of Humanities and the English department.

March 9 The "A Closer Look Book Club" will have an in-depth discussion about Haruki Murakami's "The Wind-up Bird Chronicle." Led by Annie Guthrie, the center's marketing specialist, the event will begin at 5:30 p.m.

March 14 The Poetry Center will celebrate the Tucson Festival of Books with a series of readings and lectures. Beginning at 10 a.m., Alison Hawthorne Deming and Luci Tapahonso will speak. At 11:30 a.m., C.K. Williams and Peggy Shumaker will talk; Juan Felipe Herrera and Sherwin Bitsui will talk at 1 p.m.; at 2:30 p.m., Rebecca Seiferle and Demetria Martinez speak; and at 4 p.m., Billy Collins will speak with the Poetry Out Loud competition finalists. The event is sponsored by the Arizona Daily Star.

March 15 As part of the Tucson Festival of Books, Richard Shelton and Ken Lamberton will talk at 10 a.m.; Gerald Stern and Anne Marie Macari will speak at 11:30 a.m.; Ofelia Zepeda and Chris Burawa will speak at 1 p.m.; at 2:30 p.m., Jimmy Santiago Baca and the Poetry Out Loud competition finalists will talk; and Steve Orlen and Jane Miller will speak at 4 p.m.

March 16 A "Shop Talk" event will be held to discuss the works of poet James Wright. The conversation begins at 6 p.m. and will be led by Rodney Phillips, a UA master's student in the creative writing program.

March 26 ArtsReach, a program run out of the Tucson Indian Center that works with mostly American Indian youth, will give a presentation at 7 p.m. The event will be held at the UA in the Modern Languages Auditorium. The student reading will feature the fiction, poetry and nonfictional work of students involved in the program.

March 28 The "Poetry Joeys" program will continue with "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," featuring Kimi Eisele, a writer and coreographer. Eisele, who is the special projects director for NEW ARTiculations, will work with children to translate their movements into poems. The event begins at 10 a.m.

March 28 John Wright will be leading a workshop on the legacy of poet Robert Frost. The workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and costs $105 for tuition and course material.

April 4 William Pitt Root will be leading, "Quickenings," a master class for advanced poets. The 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. workshop costs $105, which covers tuition and materials.

April 6 Another segment in the "A Closer Look Book Club" series will discuss "Jesus' Son" by Denis Johnson. The conversation begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be led by Cybele Knowles, the events coordinator.

April 9 German-born Denis Johnson will speak during an event co-sponsored by the UA Prose Series. Johnson has published several books and plays and has received numerous awards for his work. His reading will be held at 8 p.m.

April 11 Poet, songwriter and singer Marianne Dissard will lead a workshop, that will continue April 12, on writing song lyrics. The first workshop will be held from noon to 2 p.m., and the second will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Tuition costs $100.

April 16 Undergraduates who have submitted works to Persona, the literary magazine at the UA, will read beginning at 8 p.m.

April 20 Led by Frances Sjoberg, a "Shop Talk" event will be held to discuss the work of Heather McHugh. The event will be held at 6 p.m.

April 23 Award-winning author Heather McHugh will read beginning at 8 p.m. McHugh has authored 10 volumes of original poetry, including "Hinge & Sign" and "Broken English." She will lecture at 4 p.m. on April 24.

April 25 "The Pattern of Little Feet" is part of the "Poetry Joeys" program and will be held in conjunction with the UA Museum of Art. Children will work with visual arts educators to create and participate in a performance piece incorporating poetry, movement and color.

April 25 The annual High School Corrido Contest Awards Presentation will be held beginning at 11 a.m. The is open to all high schools throughout the state of Arizona.

May 1 The center will host a symposium in honor of David Forest Wallace from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. A memorial tribute to the novelist and essayist will then be held at 8 p.m. and is co-sponsored by the UA Prose Series and the Sonora Review.

May 7 Students pursuing their master's degrees in the UA's creative writing program will read their work at 8 p.m. A second reading will be held May 8, also at 8 p.m.