Current September 2015 by Adams Street Publishing Co.

er septemb

2015 | FREE

Welcome to Ann Arbor!

2015 BLUE BOOK

LET’S

SPECIAL PULL OUT SECTION

GO JIM

Fumble no more

A return to fame for Michigan football p.8

A taste of unity 12

Unity Vibrations expand barrel distribution

19 Storytelling UM’s brightens up television with screenwriting program

september 2015

/ ecurrent.com

contents

Cover photo of Jim Harbaugh and Michigan football players by Eric Upchurch

september 2015 vol. 25 / no.9

15 Music

Conducting the business of music By Jeff Milo

19 Film

Igniting the next generation of film and tv writers By Nan Bauer

22 Art Feature Back to school spectacular By Louis Meldman

8 Return to Fame All hail Michigan football again. By Nick Roumel

32 Lit Feature Gary Snyder reads at White Lotus Farms By Gina Balibrea

12 Restaurant Review 33 Local Color Unity Vibrations By Brandon Bye

A companion to owls By Sue Dise

BLUE BOOK For the best places to eat, drink and be merry, check out our pull out guide.

online exclusives

ECURRENT.COM

Weekly What’s Up

Music writer Jeff Milo is on the scene, and his beat is correct. Tune in to ecurrent.com for Milo’s Weekly What’s Up column—a curation of Washtenaw County’s concert and music news.

Blackalicious making a comeback By Zach Marburger

Exclusive interview with hip-hop legends Blackalicious, playing The Pig on Tuesday, September 1.

ecurrent.com / september 2015 3

september 2015

/ ecurrent.com

Adams Street Publishing Co. What college course do you regret not taking?

Publisher/Editor in Chief

Collette Jacobs (cjacobs@toledocitypaper.com) French

Co-publisher/Chief Financial Officer Mark I. Jacobs (mjacobs@toledocitypaper.com) Greek and Roman Sports

Editorial

Assignment Editor: Brandon Bye (brandon@adamsstreetpublishing.com) The Psychology of “Seinfeld” Staff Writer: Rose Carver (rose@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Physiological Psychology Calendar Editor: Marisa Rubin (mrubin@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Medicine. I should have become a doctor. Contributing Writers: Nick Roumel, Sandor Slomovits, Louis Meldman, Stephanie Carpenter, Sue Dise. Jeff Milo

Art/Production

Production Manager: Brittney Koehl (adsin@adamsstretpublishing.com) Environmental Sciences Senior Designer: Leah Foley (leah@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Foreign Language Graphic Design: Imani Latief (imani@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Color Concepts. Hated it. Now I wish I’d paid attention. Contributing Designer: Stephanie Austin Pedicabbing: For your life

Advertising Sales Manager Zack Mintzias (zack@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Alexander, Aristotle and Naked Philosophy Sales Coordinator Cassie Haddad (sales@adamsstreetpublishing.com) To change people’s emotions Sales Executive: Carrie Cavanaugh (carrie@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Dr. James Johnston’s, Business Law Victor Foshion (victor@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Graphic Design Classifieds: Catherine Bohr (calendar@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Printmaking

Administration

Accounting: Robin Armstrong (rarmstrong@toledocitypaper.com) Education

© 2015 by Adams Street Publishing Co., All rights reserved. 3003 Washtenaw Ave., Suite 3, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, Phone (734) 668-4044, Fax (734) 668-0555. First class subscriptions $30 a year. Distributed throughout Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and neighboring communities. Also publishers of:

Mature

Member

Audited by

 Grizzly Peak’s New Look After a full interior renovation, Grizzly Peak is open with a new attitude. Go today to help break it in. 120 W. Washington St. 734-741-7325. grizzlypeak.net  Menchies Frozen Yogurt Pittsfield Place now includes the California-based self-serve frozen yogurt chain, Menchies, which allows customers to determine how much or how little of the sweet treats they want— at 52 cents per ounce. The new yogurt place easily accommodates diets and allergy specifications. 3155 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. 734-335-7679 menchies.com  Chinese Crepes Mark’s Carts welcomes a newcomer: The Stop, a cart that serves up a traditional breakfast dish found in the streets of Beijing. Crepes are made in a flash on a 420 degree surface, with a mixture of wheat, ground green bean, and corn flours, and an egg. Fillings include meat, spicy sauce, lettuce, and a secret crispy ingredient. 11:30am-2pm and 5-8pm. 211 W. Washington St.  Thistle and Bess Kerrytown welcomes an antique and vintage shop, with a mix of jewelry and books, old and new. Belleville native Diana Marsh returned home after 11 years in New York. She hopes to bring a little New York attitude to her new shop. 222 N. 4th Ave. thistleandbess.com  Salt Springs Brewery A new brewery in Saline claims to “quench your thirst and nourish your soul.” Salt Springs Brewery crafts gourmet bar food, beer, wine, and cider. 117 S. Ann Arbor St., Saline. 734-295-9191. saltspringsbrewery.com

 Purr-fect relaxation Do you like your coffee with milk? Or would you prefer milk on the side — in a saucer, for the 10-15 cats surrounding you? The Japanese sensation of cat cafés, a coffee shop/adoption center, will soon be realized locally. The Humane Society of Huron Valley has announced plans to open The Tiny Lions Lounge and Adoption Center, this winter. Tiny Lions will provide a temporary, human-kitty bonding experience for visitors considering adoption or searching for therapeutic relief. Local entrepreneur, Miranda Bono, is also hoping to open a cat café of her own, The Cat’s Meow, in 2016. ecurrent.com / september 2015 5

fyi Artsy Ypsi

Ypsi has had its ups and downs. At the moment, Ypsi is up. Businesses are cropping up, taking root, and becoming mainstays. A healthy existing business community creates a solid environment for new businesses to move in and grow. Now into its second year, First Fridays Ypsilanti has established itself as a channel to parade this transformation. The monthly event is a selfguided art walk hosted throughout downtown Ypsilanti at multiple venues. In an effort to showcase local talent while supporting local businesses, all venues offer free art events including displayed art, art workshops, and live music. Past music venues include ABC Microbrewery, Bona Sera, Ugly Mug Cafe, and Sidetrack Bar and Grill. Galleries included: Artifact and Whimsy, 22 North Gallery, Riverside Arts Center, and Chin-Azzaro studio. September 4, October 2. Details online at firstfridaysypsi.com.—BB

green corner Festival of the Honey Bee

September 4-6 /Ypsilanti One hundred years ago, beehives were abundant. If you had a farm, which many Americans did, you had bees. Some people even paid their yearly rent in wax. Then, before synthetics and electric lights, beeswax was an important technology and an essential part of homestead living. These days the majority of honey bees in the U.S. are used commercially, transported across the country, pollinating fields like seasonal workers— here today, gone tomorrow. But Ypsilanti bee activist Jamie Berlin is trying to keep the bees here today and tomorrow. Berlin proudly celebrates the third annual Festival of the Honey Bee, which began with a mission to increase public awareness about honey bees and the role they play in our food systems. This year’s Festival promises three days of hailing to the honey bee. Friday kicks off the weekend with the First Fridays Ypsilanti Art Walk, featuring bee art at participating locations for the month of September. Saturday is about education. Activities and demonstrations, discussions and lectures will be hosted at the downtown library. Sunday features the Bike2Bees urban hive bike tour and the Bee Bazaar vendor fair, both based at ABC Microbrewery (formerly the Corner Brewery). The bike tour departs and ends at the brewery and features different hive styles with bee yard sites changing year to year. The route is under 5 miles and intended for all fitness levels. More information in the Festival of the Honey Bee’s Facebook page. —BB

september 2015

/ ecurrent.com

ecurrent.com / september 2015 7

feature

A RETURN TO

ince 2008, Michigan football has stumbled on stage, drunk and incoherent, like Amy Winehouse in Belgrade: immensely talented, but lost and undisciplined. And like the “Fat Elvis,” even when they could perform, the Wolverines were a caricature of themselves—riding high before throngs of fans who adored them not for what they were, but for what they had done in the past. Can the Wolverines rise from the ash heap—like Robert Downey Jr. or Brittney Spears? Or remain moribund—like Miley Cyrus’s singing career, after she lost the Hannah Montana gig and wig?

by Nick Roumel PHOTOS BY ERIC UPCHURCH

stank to high heaven: Rich Rodriguez simply did not belong in Ann Arbor. He was construction worker Larry Fortensky marrying Liz Taylor, or Jerry Lee Lewis marrying his 13 year old cousin. He fit here like Randy Quaid’s character in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, staying in the RV in Chevy Chase’s driveway, emptying his septic tank at the curb. Rodriguez lasted three painful seasons before being mercifully relieved of duties by new Athletic Director Dave Brandon, the first and only good thing the ex-Domino’s exec did for the Wolverines.

Brandon went downhill fast, stumbling through a coaching search that resulted in the hiring of a badly overmatched Brady Blame it on bad management. Like Hoke, and four more years of mediocrity, Macaulay Culkin and his controlling stage like the John Travolta film era that culminated dad, Michigan football has a right to sue in “Battlefield Earth.” Hoke wasn’t helped by everyone who led us into this mess. Brandon’s Kardashian-like sideshow, distracting Bill Martin, the former athletic director, fans from what was actually happening on the Former UofM Head has a mixed legacy. Certainly he possessed Football Coach Brady Hoke field in every way possible. mad financial skills, and oversaw tremendous - Overmatched Like a true empty-suit corporate shill, facilities improvement. But a bungled search Brandon failed to consult constituents and made colossal for Lloyd Carr’s successor as football coach started a serious blunders. When he jacked up ticket prices and ended redecline, culminating in assault allegations against Martin served seating for students, he ticked off so many fans he was and his resignation. forced to institute massive ticket giveaways, like the famous However, Martin left us something to remember him free ticket with the purchase of a bottle of Coca-Cola. by, like the jilted spouse who moves out, but hides dead fish in the crevices of the house. The football coach he left us CONTINUED ON P. 10

september 2015

/ ecurrent.com

THE

PERFECT PLACE

ON A WARM SUNNY DAY!

72 draught beers 80 bottled beers

South Lyon 248.437.8000 Dexter 734.424.1400

50+ single malt scotch whiskies AMERICAN PUB FARE

featuring specialty burgers, salads, entrees, hand-rolled pizzas, and a variety of sandwiches on our homemade bread 338 S. State St, Ann Arbor | 734.996.9191 www.ashleys.com | twitter: a2ashleys

ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S YOUR PLACE!

aubrees.com

ecurrent.com / september 2015â&#x20AC;&#x192;â&#x20AC;&#x201A; 9

CONTINUED FORM P.8

When fans groused, he insulted them on email, cementing the destruction of his career like Michael Richards (Seinfeld’s “Kramer”) hurling insults at booing fans in his doomed comedy show. And like that true empty suit, Brandon blamed others for his failures, yet somehow landed on his feet after running both Domino’s and Michigan Football into the ground (he is now chairman and CEO of Toys “R” Us, getting filthy rich in the process, and laughing at us all like Norma Former Athletic Director, Desmond would have done if she’d Dave Brandon actually landed a movie role instead - Now Toys-R-Us CEO of shooting Joe Gillis in the back). That was Michigan football in December of 2014, lying bloody and motionless in a swimming pool, left for dead.

Enter three heroes. Two are so unassuming that I keep having to Google their names. Mark Schlissel was named as the 14th President of the University of Michigan a year ago, coming from Brown University, with no inkling as to the fanaticism that accompanies a major college football program. Nonetheless he talked to key people and made a brilliant Athletic Director hire, the equally modest Jim Hackett. Hackett handled the new coaching search like a brilliantlyexecuted Green Bay Packers “Power Sweep Right,” locking in on his choice for coach, and landing him with nary a misstep. Everybody said Jim Harbaugh would never come to Michigan. The former Michigan quarterback star (’83-’86) starred in the pros and after retirement, embarked on a stellar coaching career that found success wherever he went: as head coach at the University of San Diego, Stanford, and the San Francisco 49’ers. Skeptics said he would never return to coaching college after doing so well in the NFL. Other doubters, recalling Harbaugh’s 2007 criticism of Michigan’s academic standards for athletes, said that even if he did return to the college game, he would never come to Michigan. They saw UM’s pursuit of Harbaugh as hopeless as Robin Thicke’s obsession with Paula Patton. But Hackett never wavered, and when Harbaugh signed a contract it was as shocking as the reconciliation of Kobe and Vanessa Bryant. Since coming home to Michigan, Harbaugh’s been having a blast—messing with reporters at press conferences, running around shirtless in tag football games, and setting up satellite football camps in the heart of enemy territory—the backyard of the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Fan’s rekindled excitement is palpable, still tinged with a bit of disbelief, like “is Led Zeppelin REALLY reuniting, with John Bonham’s son Jason on drums?” But after all the recent misfortune, it’s OK. Fans have permission drop their cynicism, and act like wide eyed kids at a One Direction concert. Let’s rock the Big House like never before and lead with our passion. Michigan’s back, and it’s time for the comeback tour. Get your tickets wherever you can.

september 2015

/ ecurrent.com

Top to bottom: University of Michigan names Mark Schlissel President last year, he hires Athletic Director, Jim Hackett who seeks out Harbough.

GET PUBLISHED! 2015

y r t e Po n o i t c i F AND

special edition

Submit entries of Fiction or Poetry and you might see your name in print! • Each writer may submit up to but no more than two unpublished poems and one unpublished story (2,500 words). For short shorts (stories of fewer than 750 words), we accept up to two pieces. • Each entry should be printed in a 12-point font with the title on each page. • Provide your name and contact information. • A $7 entry fee must accompany each story or poem. • Mail your check and work to: Fiction & Poetry Contest Adams Street Publilshing 3003 Washtenaw Ave # 3, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

• Submission deadline: September 15. • Winners of Current’s Fiction and Poetry Contest will be printed in our November issue. Runners up will be displayed on the web at www.ecurrent.com • A panel of local literary experts judge work in each category. • You may also email entries to Brandon Bye at brandon@adamsstreetpublishing.com or submit entires online at ecurrent.com.

for more info visit ecurrent.com ecurrent.com / september 2015 11

food

Unity Vibration

Unity Vibration’s Big Plans

93 Ecorse Rd., Ypsilanti 734-277-4063 unityvibrationkombucha.com 9am-4pm, Monday-Wednesday 9am-10pm, Friday 5-10pm, Saturday

A taste of the future By Brandon Bye

Stepping into Unity Vibration’s tasting room is a trip—a George Clinton P-Funk Mothership kind of trip. The room, chrome-walled and colorful, could pass for the cockpit of a UFO, and what owners Tarek and Rachel Kanaan are creating in their funked-out, Ypsilanti UFO looks like the future. With the world of craft beer expanding faster than the known universe, sour beers—farmhouse style, Belgian lambics and gueuze beers—lead the charge. But the sour flavor movement isn’t exclusive to beer culture. While our appetite for foods like Greek yogurt, pickles, and kimchi rode in on a wave of newfound world cuisines, which continues to surge as our nation’s diversity grows, sour flavors are also trending because of what they are not: sweet. As high fructose corn syrup processed foods seem to have dethroned cigarettes as the King of bad things you can put in your body, sour foods, at the opposite end of the flavor profile spectrum, have given consumers seemingly healthier alternatives. Even healthy beer. “Everything in moderation,” Kanaan said. Sour power This golden age of sour foods and craft beer also has roots in DIY culture—pickling, fermenting, mustache grooming—and the emergence of a locally grown, artisanal focus on everything from ice cubes to pencil sharpeners. Whatever the origin of these cultural winds, at the center of the Venn diagram of craft beer, sour flavors, a focus on health, and crafty DIY pastimes and products, sits Unity Vibration. Kombucha beer hits the spot. Exiting the tasting room and heading for the brew room, which shares the same roof (for now), head brewer Charles Fenech explained his process to me. Triple Goddess, Unity Vibration’s most popular beer, combines thirty day-brewed Kombucha, organic dried hops, yeast, and either ginger root, raspberries, or peaches in giant

september 2015

/ ecurrent.com

oak barrels for an open-air-fermentation period. After a time, Fenech and his brew crew use brix refractometers (sugar-level-testing instruments) to determine when the beer has reached the desired sugar content—highly proprietary information. After bottling but before distribution, the batch enters a bottle conditioning (natural carbonation) phase for two to four weeks. Cases of Triple Goddess stack up outside the brew room, inching out into the tasting room, waiting to be shipped. “When I got here,” Fenech said, “there were five to seven barrels.”

Spreading Unity

Now with forty barrels in rotation, Kanaan says Unity is on track to bottle and sell upwards of 1,400 barrels this year. In comparison, Short’s Brewing Company sells over 30,000 annually. “Our goal is to grow as big as we can,” Kanaan said. “We believe in our product and we want it to be out there as far and wide as possible.” And it is. From San Francisco to NYC, Unity Vibration is sweeping the nation. I called Coit Liquor, a specialty beer and liquor store in San Francisco, to see what they had in stock and they were sold out of Unity Vibration labels. I called City Swiggers in NYC, a beer store with over 900 selections. They have two bottles of Bourbon Peach Triple Goddess, but they sold out of the raspberry and ginger options, one case of each, a month after their arrival. As the demand for kombucha beer builds, so too will Unity Vibration. Literally. The Kanaans have laid the groundwork for a full-on kombucha beer campus and plan to break ground by the end of the month. A beer garden and a service kitchen offering a raw food and paleo menu highlight the prospective changes. The tasting room will move from the back of the building to occupy a space right off of Ecorse Rd. Within the proposed 5,200 square-foot expansion, Kanaan envisions the L-shaped lot as one “big, long, weird rocket ship.” Unity Vibration is about to blast off.

Photo via hgfest.blogspot.com

food

Homegrown Festival

The 2015 Homegrown Festival showcases the “best” of our regions

locally grown food and drink in the form of a sweet party. Dance to some music while chomping on the freshest carrots around, or munch on some kale between sips of beer, mead, or cider made fresh by the contestants in the Homebrew Competition. 6-10pm Saturday, September 12. N. Fourth Ave. hgfest.blogspot.com Free

Saturdays

Chelsea Farmers Market

8am-noon. Chelsea Farmers Market, S. Main St., Chelsea. 734-475-6402. chelseamich.com

The season for farmers markets is here! Peruse all that Chelsea has to offer.

1 Tuesday

Enjoy Dinner with author Nicolette Hahn Niman at Zingerman’s Deli for an exciting night of dinner, drinks, and a discussion of sustainable agricultural practices. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Slow Food Huron Valley.

14 Monday

Tomato Dinner

Cocktail Class: Yo-Ho-Ho!

Easily the highlight of the harvesting season, the second Cornman Farms dinner showcases the best of the tomato season. Featuring the always popular Heirloom Tomato Bar - with numerous different tomato varietals, handmade fresh mozzarella, really good olive oil and Genoveses basil.

Learn how to drink like a pirate with a variety of rums and rum drinks.

7-9pm. $75. Zingerman’s Roadhouse, 2501 Jackson Ave. 734-663-3663. zingermansroadhouse.com

6 Sunday Honey Bee Bazaar

Noon-midnight. Arbor Brewing Company Microbrewery, 720 Norris St. 734-213-1393. arborbrewing.com

Come celebrate the Honey Bee with honey inspired food and drinks.

12 Saturday County Fair: Wiard’s Orchards

11am-6pm. $9.99/weekday admission. Wiard’s Orchards, 5565 Merritt Rd. 734-390-9211.

7:30-9pm. $45. The Last Word, 301 W. Huron St. 734-276-3215. tammystastings.com

15 Tuesday Cooking Matters

7pm-8pm. Ypsilanti District Library, 5577 Whittaker Rd. 734-482-4110. ypsilibrary.org Free

Make delicious meals with hands-on cooking activities while learning about nutrition and food.

17 Thursday Cocktail Class: Better with Brandy

7-9:30pm. $65. Cornman Farms, 8540 Island Lake Rd. 734-663-3663. zingermanscommunity.com

This distilled liquor made from fruit (most often grapes) has been on the alcoholic beverage scene for over 500 years.

Third Annual Russian Festival

Spaghetti Dinner: Habitat for Humanity Fundraiser

Noon-midnight. Arbor Brewing Company Microbrewery, 720 Norris St., Ypsilanti. 734-213-1393. arborbrewing.com Free

All-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner with meat and vegetarian sauces, salad, garlic bread, and desserts.

Homegrown Festival 2015

6-10pm. Ann Arbor Farmers Market, Detroit St. homegrownfestival.org Free

Learn all about locally grown food and support local farmers, by purchasing their wares and listening to music

13 Sunday Celebrating Beef

6-8pm. $100. Zingerman’s Deli, 422 Detroit St. 734-663-3663. zingermansroadhouse.com

ALL-U-CAN EAT RIBS 4-9pm Saturday’s

1-8pm. $1. St. Vladimir Orthodox Church, 9900 Jackson Rd., Dexter. russianfestival.stvladimiraami.org

Drink Vodka, play chess and eat Piroshki at this Russian Festival. Ukrainian Folk Music and performances and church tours will also be included.

Harvest Festival

Eat local eats, and drink local brews at the ol’ Corner Brewery.

20 Sunday Culinary Wellness: A Recipe for Success with Chef Frank Turner

3pm. Ann Arbor District Library: Downtown Branch, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-8301. aadl.org

Culinary wellness engages people to eat healthy, one meal at a time. In the history of eating, it was a short trip from a time when most people grew up on farms and every family had a garden to grow the produce they ate to the post-industrial, highly processed fast -and fat - food that now surrounds us. Along the way, cooking at home

cont. on pg. 14

ENJOY THE DRAFT OF THE MONTH ON THE PATIO! SATURDAY TAILGATE SPECIALS!

19 Saturday

A carnival atmosphere with a variety of family-oriented fall activities on this 6th-generation family farm. Hayrides, a petting farm, a corn maze, and more. Weekends only: a Noah’s Ark inflatable, a giant slide, a bungee run, and more. Pony rides, face painting, paintball, and other activities available on Sat. & Sun. for an extra charge.

5-8pm. $8. Calvary United Methodist Church, 1415 Miller Ave. 734-769-0869. a2calvary.org

2080 W STADIUM BLVD, ANN ARBOR, MI 48103 (734) 668-1292 HOLIDAYSRESTAURANT.COM

BLOODY MARYS AND MIMOSAS every day DRINK SPECIALS on Sundays 8am-3pm HAPPY HOUR EVERY DAY 3PM-6PM (Half off Appetizers) Draft and Sangria specials SOUP & SALAD BAR 11:30am-8pm BOGO DINNER ENTREE when you purchase 2 dinner entree’s and 2 drinks.

ecurrent.com / september 2015 13

food

Saline Oktoberfest

Why wait until October to celebrate Oktoberfest? Saline sure isn’t waiting to honor their sister city, Lindenberg, Germany. The Saline German fest kicks off with the “Tapping of the Golden Keg,” followed by a parade of jolly and drunken people in lederhosen. Grab a brew in the Bier Garten and fill a plate with heaps of traditional German cuisine (American food is also available if you aren’t into kraut). The second day begins with an early morning farmer’s market, and a Saline high school bake sale. Traditional German music from Linda Lee and Band will keep your feet moving with upbeat melodies (just don’t slosh from your stein), along with a cornhole tournament. Find the full schedule online. 5-11pm Friday, September 25, 8am-11pm Saturday, September 26. $5. Main Street, Saline. salinemainstreet.org.

cont. from pg. 13 got lost unintentionally and our diet became less healthy. Instead of promoting wellness our diet promotes illness.

24 Thursday Ravishing Reds

6-8pm. $35. Zingerman’s Creamery, 3723 Plaza Dr. 734-663-3663. zingermanscommunity.com

Guests attending this tasting session will learn to pair red wines with artisan domestic cheeses that lend themselves to the robust flavors of vin rouge.

25 Friday Saline Oktoberfest

6-11pm Friday, 10am-11pm Saturday. Downtown Saline, Saline. 734-717-7406. salinemainstreet.org

An all-American festival with a fun German flavor, Oktoberfest features live German, Rock and Folk music, a Kinderplatz activity area for the little ones and plenty of scrumptious German and American Food, beer and brats, Corn Hole Tournament, Oktoberfest has something for everyone.

24 Sunday 2015 Chefs in the Garden 5-8pm. $55/person, $100/couple. Growing Hope, 922 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti. 734-786-8401. growinghope.net

Talented, local chefs will dish up seasonal fare during these delicious dinner parties at our picturesque urban farm in the heart of Ypsilanti. You’ll enjoy an amazing multi-course meal, paired with great wine, beer, or tasty specialty cocktails.

28 Monday Cocktail Class: Classic Cocktail/Modern Twist 7:30-9pm. $45. The Last Word, 301 W. Huron St. 734-276-3215. tammystastings.com

Some of the best new cocktails came about when bartenders tinkered with the classi s. In this class you’ll see that process in action as you make and compare four classic cocktail recipes and their modern twists.

GLUTEN FREE • NON-GMO • NO PRESERVATIVES • CREATED LOCALLY

Thank you to all of our loyal customers!

Over 500 events each year-most are free! Events hotline 734.764.0583 League Ticket Office 734.764.2538 music.umich.edu

september 2015

/ ecurrent.com

visit annarbortortilla.com to see where you can ﬁnd our products

music

Conducting the Business of Music Coming home to U-M Scott Hanoian was recently named Music Director and Conductor of the University Musical Society’s Choral Union. The U-M alum admitted that it has always been a dream of his to someday “come home” to Ann Arbor, expressing how excited he is for this opportunity, which he considers a great honor, “The Choral Union is an incredible group of volunteer singers who come together to do amazing works with equally amazing orchestras, and they’ve sung some of the best music ever written, doing so at a very high level.” Hanoian started playing the organ at age nine, but admits, that at that time, he was much more interested in baseball. When he started studying and performing at the Interlochen Arts Academy as a teenager and experienced the exhilaration of rehearsing Carl Orff’s inimitably epic “Carmina Burana” in the majestic open air of a mid-Michigan forest, something clicked. “I realized I wanted to be a musician full time and went on to pursue an organ performance major at U-M. That’s where he met Jerry Blackstone. I took a beginning conducting class with Jerry, and under his mentorship and encouragement I realized there was some sort of bug in me that wanted to be in front of choirs. I started taking private lessons (with Blackstone) and pursued it further. And it’s amazing, now, that (Blackstone) is my direct predecessor at the Choral Union. I’m very lucky, but, of course, they are big shoes when you’re filling your own mentor’s. It’s an honor but also a big responsibility.”

Blue roots

Hanoian holds three degrees from the University of Michigan in choral conducting, organ performance and church music. Along with Blackstone, he also studied under Robert Glasgow and Theodore Morrison. After U-M, Hanoian went to Washington D.C. to serve as assistant organist and director at the National Cathedral where he conducted choirs and trained choral singers. His next stop was Grosse Pointe to become director of music at Christ Church. “If you were to ask me 10 or 20 years ago, what I’d like to do, it really would have been conducting a chorus like UMS. It’s not only an honor, but also something I’d been dreaming about. “ The act (and art) of conducting is a bit of an anomaly, as Hanoian puts it, because you have all of the control and yet none of the control. “Conductors are in charge of making the sound that comes at us in a perfect combination

Photo by Robin M Photography

By Jeff Milo

Music Director Scott Hanoian

from the performers and there’s a thrill in that, in collecting a group of people and unifying a musical vision with their voices and share that with an audience.” When one considers the intricacies involved in conducting a choir, it’s easy to see how Hanoian has always been so enthusiastic. “That’s what I love most about being a choir director: the idea of a human being producing the entire sound and of the brain energizing that voice and the vocal mechanisms involved. There’s something so personal about that and the commitment of the singer that makes the performance stand out. Obviously an orchestra is committed and there’s a deep connection there, but there’s just something about holding your instrument inside of you.” Hanoian particularly appreciates that each singer brings their own unique sound. He’s looking forward to getting to know the Choral Union and to learn much more than 170 first names. “We have a very busy season ahead of us,” Hanoian said, with delight. Upcoming performances include Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy on September 19, the halftime show at the U-M football homecoming game against Northwestern on October 10 (with the New York Philharmonic), and Handel’s Messiah with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, December 5 and 6. UMS Choral Union holds auditions this month: September 14, from 6-7pm and September 28, from 6-7pm at Palmer Commons, 100 Washtenaw Ave,.

ecurrent.com / september 2015 15

music Hip-hop at The Pig Blackalicious Tuesday 9.1 The Blind Pig

Blackalicious has been making boundary-pushing records since 1993. By now, they’re hip-hop legends. Gift of Gab—MC extraordinaire and poet—twists his lyrics with a carefree, syncopated confidence. And his positive lyrics always contain a message. Chief Xcel’s beats tread the same funky, lighthearted waters. Melodica, the group’s debut album, will be reissued digitally for the first time—originally released exclusively on cassette. Melodica contains “Changes,” an unreleased cut produced in part by DJ Shadow, who joins forces with Blackalicious producer Chief Xcel to offer dusty drum loops and subtle, textured samples that offer a glimpse into much of Shadow’s later work. 9pm Tuesday, September 1. $18/adv., $20/day of. The Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St. 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com.

Cannibal Ox Wednesday 9.23 The Blind Pig

Cannibal Ox released its highly-anticipated sophomore album, Blade of the Ronin, last March. The album, which served as the follow-up to the group’s 2001 seminal debut The Cold Vein, earned praise from European media outlets including The Guardian, Echos, DJ Mag, and Wire Magazine. 7pm Wednesday, September 23. $13/adv., $15/day of. The Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St. 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com

1 Tuesday Lee Dewyze

8pm. $50/VIP, $20. The Ark, 316 S. Main St. 734-761-1451. theark.org

With his rough-hewn voice and laid-back Midwestern charm, Lee DeWyze won over millions of viewers as a contestant and eventual winner of the ninth season of American Idol.

3 Thursday John Hiatt & The Combo and the Taj Mahal Trio 7:30pm. $39.50-$75. The Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. 734-668-8463. michtheater.org

Forty years into his recording career, John Hiatt has chosen to title his 22nd studio album, Terms of My Surrender. With his longtime guitarist Doug Lancio taking the producer reins, John Hiatt set out to bring the songs character (and characters) into intimate focus. “Taj Mahal bring’s his colorful music full of improvisation and innovation.”

september 2015

/ ecurrent.com

4 Friday Genna and Jesse

8:30-10:30pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tearoom, 114 S. Main St. 734-665-2527. crazywisdom.net Free

Sweet and savory, raspy and smooth, together they create a unique vocal sound, and then they complement that blend with Jesse’s prowess at the piano and guitar. Whether they sing their own songs, or the well-chosen songs of their peers, audiences are along for the ride in an intimate and inclusive show.

6 Saturday Summer Brashness

9:30pm. $7/general admission, $10/ under 21. Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St. 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com

A World Apart Records presents this cluster of hip-hop artists: ”Prhyme” Rhyme Boss, Versatai, Duke Newcomb, Ant The Champ w/ Man In Charge, and many more.

Derek Daniel

Alligators

Raised in the musical magic of metro Detroit, he has often been referred to as a “suburban nomad”, having resided in most all of Detroit’s suburbs. Known for his vocal styling, his music falls into the progressive folk/ rock/blues vein, but disdains categorization and refuses to be pigeon-holed.

In part of the Local Blues, Local Brews lineup.

8:30-10:30pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tearoom, 114 S. Main St. 734-665-2527. crazywisdom.net Free

10 Thursday Swervedriver

9pm. $17/advance, $20/day of. Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St. 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com

“Muscular, scorching guitars,” is the descriptors used by Pitchfork magazine for this band’s sound who made their way in London’s indie-rock scene.

The Accidentals

8pm. $15, free/with student ID. The Ark, 316 S. Main St. 734-761-1451. theark.org

Multi-instrumentalists Katie Larson and Savannah Buist are creating quite a name for themselves among music lovers of all genres.

11 Friday The Lucky Nows (Jen Cass/ Eric Janetsky) 8:30-10:30pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tearoom, 114 S. Main St. 734-665-2527. crazywisdom.net Free

If Steve Earle and Shawn Colvin had a love-child who was raised by Emmylou Harris and Jeffrey Foucault and haunted by the ghost of Townes Van Zandt,they would sound eerily similar to award-winning Michigan folk Duo “The Lucky Nows”

Alberto Rojo Trio

8pm. $5/student, $15/general admission, $20-$30/assigned rows. Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. Fourth Ave. 734769-2999. kerrytownconcerthouse.com

The Alberto Rojo Trio focuses on both traditional Argentinean folk songs and jazz. Most of the repertoire is composed by Alberto Rojo and jointly arranged by the trio that can also include jazz and contemporary improvisations.

12 Saturday Tecumseh Music Festival 3pm. $40. Hantz Golf Club, 5200 Milwaukee Rd. 517-423-0000. downtowntecumseh.com

Live music, BBQ, and live and silent auctions in a benefit for Community Arts of Tecumseh.

John Finan and Sharon Tse

8:30-10:30pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tearoom, 114 S. Main St. 734-665-2527. crazywisdom.net Free

John and Sharon’s chance meeting produced one of Metro Detroit’s finest acoustic duos. John and Sharon weave intricate guitar arrangements and effortless vocal harmonies into their unique brand of intelligent songwriting.

7pm. $5. Holiday Inn Ann Arbor, 3600 Plymouth Rd. 734-769-9800. hiannarbor.com

Ellis Paul

8pm. $15. The Ark, 316 S. Main St. 734-761-1451. theark.org

Listen to new music from the quintessential New England songwriter. He comes to Michigan with a new release, “Chasing Beauty,” produced by Kristian Bush of the country band Sugarland.

13 Sunday Death

9pm. $18/advance, $20/day of. Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St. 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com

The “first-ever” punk band from Detroit brings their edgy and progressive punk style.

14 Monday Jay Raymond Quartet

8pm. $5/student, $15/general admission, $20-$30/assigned rows. Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. Fourth Ave. 734-769-2999. kerrytownconcerthouse.com

Labeled “a prepossessing young trumpet player” (New York Times), John Raymond has been making a name for himself as one of the most promising, up-and-coming jazz musicians in New York.

15 Tuesday

music Beethoven Fest Saturday, 9.19 Hill Auditorium

Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra presents the award winning concert pianist Garrick Ohlsson, whose exceptional keyboard stretch clocks in at a 12th in the left hand and an 11th in the right. Ohlsson began studying at the Juilliard School at the age of 13 and has since expanded his repertoire to include over eighty concertos. He is especially noted for his performances of the works of Chopin, Mozart, and, of course, Beethoven. His Hill Auditorium performance will include: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, “Eroica” Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 Fantasia for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra, Op. 80, “Choral Fantasy” 8pm. Saturday, September 19, Hill Auditorium, 825 N University Ave. 734- 764-2538. a2so.com.

19 Saturday MUTEMATH

9pm. $20. Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St. 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com

This quartet had some internal struggles within the band, but shortly after proceeded to write the best songs they’ve ever written. Layered instrumentals with electronic synths to add to it’s edgy flavor.

Jimmy McCarty and Mystery Train

7pm. $5. Holiday Inn Ann Arbor, 3600 Plymouth Rd. 734-769-9800. hiannarbor.com

In part of the Local Blues, Local Brews lineup.

cont. on pg. 18

March of the Ant

8pm. Crossroad’s Bar and Grille, 517 W. Cross St., Ypsilanti. Facebook. com/crossroads-bar-grill Free

Crossroad’s Showcase Tuesdays presents March of the Ant and more!

Lucy Wainwright Roche & Suzzy Roche 8pm. $15. The Ark, 316 S. Main St. 734-761-1451. theark.org

Enjoy tunes from the motherdaughter duo from the first family of folk as they perform songs from their first collaboration, “Fairytale and Myth”, released last year.

18 Friday Davey O.

8:30-10:30pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tearoom, 114 S. Main St. 734-665-2527. crazywisdom.net Free

Embarking on a decade-plus journey that has resulted in a collection of justly-earned, highly introspective songs, Buffalo, NY born and bred Davey O crafts pure Americana that is not of the social and political consciousness, but is drawn instead from the deep well of experience and human emotion - no hackneyed story lines, no insincere polish, just an unflinching poet’s look at life.

ecurrent.com / september 2015 17

music Noah Gundersen Thursday, 9.24 / The Ark

The Indie-Folk Singer-Songwriter’s down-to-earth introspective sophomore album “Carry the Ghost” will leave you wanting more of his sentimental, deep and sometimes mesmerizing lyrics. Gundersen produced the album himself alongside Phil Ek (Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty, The Walkman). In 2014, his song “Family” was featured in the television series Vampire Diaries. Because of his solid fan base and melodic crooning style, he is becoming more than just a well-kept Pacific Northwest secret. 8pm Thursday, September 24. $15. The Ark, 316 S. Main St. 734-761-1451. theark.org —ML

cont. from pg. 17

23 Wednesday Punch Brothers

8pm. $25-$35. The Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. 734-668-8463. michtheater.org

Punch Brothers” latest album, the T Bone Burnett - produced

september 2015

The Phosphorescent Blues, addresses with straight-up poignancy and subversive humor the power and the pitfalls of our super-connected era. Digitally fueled isolation may be a theme, but this virtuosic acoustic quintet offers its warmest, most emotive and elegantly melodic work to date.

/ ecurrent.com

24 Thursday Jesse Blumberg and Martin Katz

8pm. $10/student, $20/general admission, $25-$35/assigned rows. Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. Fourth Ave. 734-769-2999. kerrytownconcerthouse.com

Baritone Jesse Blumberg is equally at home on opera, concert, and recital stages, performing repertoire from the Renaissance and Baroque to the 20th and 21st centuries. Martin Katz has been dubbed “the gold standard of accompanists” by the New York Times. His 40-year career has taken him to five continents, collaborating with the world’s most celebrated singers

film

Neo-Renaissance Man UM’s passionate storyteller ignites the next generation of film and TV writers By Nan Bauer

Jim Burnstein loves Shakespeare so much, he bailed on law school to study him. “I knew I was gonna be a lawyer from the time I was 10,” says the Director of the Screenwriting Program at UM. “But in my senior year of college, I took a Shakespeare course from Russ Fraser, one of the top Shakespeare experts in the country, and my head started to spin.” On his way to law school in Madison, WI, Burnstein realized he’d made “a horrible mistake.” He gutted it out through one semester, then headed back to UM to study creative writing. “I just started to write, anything that would pay the bills,” says Burnstein. “Basically, I would buy my creative writing time by writing TV commercials, ads, articles.” He became fascinated by the form of screenwriting, believing that “if Shakespeare were alive today, he’d be a screenwriter.” He also began teaching Shakespeare to an unlikely group of students: soldiers at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base near Mount Clemens, MI.

Finding a mentor

Then, a TV movie he had written was optioned for Timothy Hutton, all the rage in the aftermath of “Ordinary People.” Two weeks before production, Hutton quit, and the project died. “I went from not thinking the business was hard, to realizing it’s impossible,” say Burnstein. A meeting with the man who would become his mentor— Kurt Luedtke, Oscar-winning screenwriter for “Out of Africa” and UM alumnus—pushed him forward. “Kurt said, ‘Look, as long as you’re not gonna get paid, why not NOT get paid more? Stop screwing around with TV, write a feature. Tell the stories you tell me about teaching Shakespeare to soldiers.’ He said if he liked my screenplay, he’d option it. “ Luedtke proved to be a tough taskmaster, insisting on a series of rewrites over the several years it took Burnstein to turn his own story into a movie. Finally, 10 years from the day he’d begun it, “Renaissance Man” went into production with Penny Marshall at the helm, starring Danny DeVito as a short Italian version of Burnstein and Gregory Hines as the main soldier/student. The film began Burnstein’s screenwriting career— one he’s been able to conduct primarily from his home in Plymouth, Michigan. His desire to pass on his hard-won knowledge to the next generation of film writers is now the foundation of the program he directs in UM’s department of Screen Arts and Cultures. And he still channels Luedtke: extensive rewriting is an intrinsic part of the program. His students attest that his system works. “The more I work with producers and development executives in LA, the more I come to appreciate how expertly Jim designed the program. Producing an entire screenplay in a single college term seemed like a daunting task, but that’s the timeline professional screenwriters are typically expected to follow,” says A. Brad Schwartz, a recent graduate of the program whose book “Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds and the Art of Fake News” was published this year to glowing reviews.

Jim Burnstein directs UM’s screenwriting program.

The end of an era

Jim

But Burnstein has had to watch one dream die painfully. Inspired by location work he’d done in Winnipeg and Louisiana, he saw how generous tax incentives could turn unlikely areas into film production magnets. Appointed by Governor John Engler in 2003 to serve on the Michigan Film Office Advisory Council, he continued to work under Jennifer Granholm to create a plan that would draw filmmakers to Michigan. Granholm approved the program in 2008, saying to Burnstein, “Tell your students.” The Michigan Film Office website lists over 30 productions shot in the state that year, including Clint Eastwood’s “Gran Torino” and Drew Barrymore’s “Whip It.” (For comparison purposes, five are listed for 2007.) ’09 was even better with over 40 films, including Oscar Best Picture Nominee “Up in the Air.” Perhaps more thrilling to Burnstein and Granholm was the fact that, suddenly, film talent was staying the hell IN Dodge instead of running for the Hollywood Hills. But behind the scenes, the program was under attack. Much of the program’s criticism originated from the Michiganbased non-profit Mackinac Center for Public Policy, which contends that the Michigan Film Office has provided inadequate transparency in reporting just how much benefit the program provides. Following a March vote in the Michigan House of Representatives that will kill all film incentives along with the Michigan Film Office, Bill #4122 was ordered enrolled on June 18 of this year. “It’s a catastrophe,” says Burnstein. “Because of the national stature of our screenwriting program, we are attracting students from all over the country, even from outside the country. If we had a strong incentive program, they might have stayed. But now they’ll go where the filmmaking is.” Schwartz is an example. The Michigan native has relocated to LA, where, along with a number of UM alumni, he’s off to an excellent start. And while he may have left the state, Burnstein continues to stay with him: “When I’m writing now, I still sometimes feel like Jim’s looking over my shoulder, counting the extra syllables.” Furthermore, Burnstein’s connectivity with Hollywood has helped Schwartz and many other students find jobs that help them get a foot in various production doors. “Unfortunately, I haven’t inspired any of my students to follow my example of living in Michigan and working in LA—not even my own kid,” says Burnstein, whose son now works in the business on the left coast. In the face of the setback, Burnstein’s passion to help students learn the craft of writing a great story for film or TV shows no sign of diminishing. He’s just sorry the productions won’t be within easy driving distance. To check the bill’s status and contact your senator, go to legislature.mi.gov, click on “Bills” in the left menu, and type in 4122. ecurrent.com / september 2015 19

film

17 Thursday

American Psycho Saturday, 9.19 State Theater

In New York City, 1987, a handsome young urban professional named Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) has some videos to return. Bateman, an outwardly normal man who enjoys Genesis and staying fit, leads a second life as a gruesome serial killer. The cast is filled by the detective (Willem Dafoe), the fiance (Reese Witherspoon), the mistress (Samantha Mathis), the coworker (Jared Leto), and the secretary (Chloë Sevigny). This is a biting, wry comedy examining the elements that make a man into a monster. Midnight on Saturday, September 19. $8. State Theater, 233 S. State St. 734-761-8667. michtheater.org —BB

6 Sunday

1 Tuesday

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Oscar Nominated Film: Cutie and the Boxer

7-8:30pm. Ann Arbor District Library: Downtown Branch, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-4555. aadl.org Free

The acclaimed 2013 documentary is a candid New York love story about life and art that explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of renowned “boxing” painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife and artist Noriko. In addition to its Oscar nomination, Cutie and the Boxer won the 2014 Grierson Award for Best Cinema Documentary and the U.S. Documentary Directing Award for director Zachary Heinzerling at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

2 Wednesday Hunting Film Tour

What about Breakfast at Tiffany’s? Based on Truman Capote’s novel, a story of a young woman in NYC who meets a young man when he moves into her apartment building.

11 Friday Into the Woods

2pm. Tecumseh Center for the Arts, Downtown Tecumseh. 517-423-0000. downtowntecumseh.com Free

As part of Movies in the Park, Into the Woods is played on the big screen.

14 Monday Monday Night Movies

6:30pm. Ypsilanti District Library, 5577 Whittaker Rd. 734-482-4110. ypsilibrary.org Free

7pm. $15. The Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. 734-668-8463. michtheater.org

Come out and enjoy a two hour conservation minded, fair chase hunting film filled with awesome stories and breathtaking cinematography.

5 Saturday Spice World

Midnight. $8. The State Theater, 233 S. State St. 734-761-8667. michtheater.org

1:30pm. $15. The Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. 734-668-8463. michtheater.org

A movie is shown every Monday night, usually open to all ages.

16 Wednesday A Zen Life: D.T. Zuzuki, The Man Who Introduced Zen Buddhism to the West 7:30pm. Karma Thegsum Choling, 614 Miner St. 734-678-7549. Free

Witness the epic adventures of your favorite washed-up pop icons: The Spice Girls!

DVD showing of Michael Goldberg’s 2006 documentary about the life & legacy of D.T. Suzuki, the man who is credited with introducing Zen philosophy to the West.

University of Michigan Screen Arts & Culture Faculty Book Release and Signing 7pm. Literati Bookstore, 124 E. Washington St. 734-585-5567. literatibookstore.com Free

Literati welcomes Professor Caryl Flinn (BFI Film Classics: The Sound of Music), Professor Markus Nornes (Staging Memories: Hou Hsiao-hsien’s A City of Sadness), Professor Yeidy Rivero (Broadcasting Modernity: Cuban Commercial Television 1950-106), Associate Professor Matthew Solomon (BFI Film Classics: The Gold Rush) and Assistant Professor Colin Gunckel (Mexico on Main Street: Transnational Film Culture in Los Angeles Before World War II), to celebrate the release of, and sign, their recent scholarly publications.

Geist makes a special appearance to lead a post-film discussion following the screening of his 2006 film Souls Without Borders: The Untold Story of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.

24 Thursday Lusophone Film Festival 7pm Thursday & 2pm Friday. $8. State Theater, 233 S. State St. 734-761-8667. michtheater.org

Semester-long showcase of contemporary Portuguese language films shown with subtitles. The screenings are preceded by an introduction by a U-M faculty or grad student expert in the country of the film. Also on Friday.

Rosenwald

8pm. $10/adult, $8/students & seniors, $7.50/members. The Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. 734-668-8463. michtheater.org

Midnight. $8. State Theater, 233 S. State St. 734-761-8667. michtheater.org

Midnight at the State, witness the inner-workings of a raving psychopathic serial killer, played by Christian Bale.

Screening of Aviva Kempner’s 2015 documentary about how Chicago philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, the son of an immigrant peddler who rose to head Sears, partnered with Booker T. Washington to build 5,400 Southern schools in African American communities in the early 1900s during the Jim Crow era. Followed by a Q&A with director Kempner.

Hard to Be a God

The Hunting Ground

19 Saturday American Psycho

6:30pm. $10/general admission, $8/ students, seniors, veterans, $7.50/ members. The Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. 734-668-8463. michtheater.org

This Aleksei German film was released in 2013 after his death, and centers around about a group of scientists who embark on a journey to a planet in the midst of its own Middle Ages with the instructions that they not interfere with that planet’s political or historical development.

22 Tuesday Electric Shadows: U-M Confucius Institute/Center for Chinese Studies Contemporary Chinese Film Series 7pm. The Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. 734-668-8463. michtheater.org Free

Today’s film is The Golden Era, a biopic about Xiao Hong, one of China’s most famous essayists and novelists, who reflected the progressive thinking not frequently seen during the 1930s.

23 Wednesday Souls Without Borders: The Untold Story of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade 7-8:30pm. Ann Arbor District Library: Downtown Branch, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-8301. aadl.org Free

Professor and historian Anthony

6-8:30pm. Ann Arbor District Library: Downtown Branch, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-8301. aadl.org Free

The statistics are staggering. One in five women in college are sexually assaulted, yet only a fraction of these crimes are reported, and even fewer result in punishment for the perpetrators. From the intrepid team behind the Oscar nominated film The Invisible War comes The Hunting Ground, a piercing 2015 documentary and a monumental depiction of rape culture on campuses, poised to light a fire under a national debate.

The Invention of the German National Landscape by Jewish Filmmakers

4-5:30pm. Michigan League Building, 812 E. Washington St. 734-764-8018. Free

Talk by Hebrew University of Jerusalem Center for German History director Ofer Ashkenazi.

25 Friday Blessings: The Tsoknyi Nangchen Nuns of Tibet

7pm. Jewel Heart, 1129 Oak Valley Dr. 734-994-3387. jewelheart.com Free

This documentary, narrated by Richard Gere, is about a community of some 3,000 nuns living in a remote region of eastern Tibet that explores the Tibetan Buddhist monastic system and the changing role of women within it.

Searchable lists updated daily at ecurrent.com

september 2015

/ ecurrent.com

1 Tuesday Ice Glen

8pm. $18/general admission $12/ student. Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron St. 734-483-7345. ptdproductions.com

A story about a poet in need of a place to stay, ends up meeting her destiny at Ice Glen. Through September 5th. Sunday Matinees are at 2pm.

The 2015 Northern Writers’ Project

8pm (Sept. 1). 1, 4:30, & 8pm (Sept. 5). 10:30am & 2pm (Sept. 6). $10/ reading, $40/entire weekend, free/ additional events. Performance Network Theatre, 120 E. Huron St. 734-663-0681. pnetboxoffice@gmail. com, pntheatre.org

Playwrights will be given a chance to develop their plays during this week-long intensive program, involving playwrights, directors, actors and an audience. There will be a full week of rehearsal for each play, leading to a public reading and talkback. For more information on the plays features and their debut times, contact Performance Network Theatre directly.

5 Saturday Special Sneak Preview Reading of Performance Network Theatre’s 2015-2016 Season Opener Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

8pm. $10. Performance Network Theatre, 120 E. Huron St. 734-663-0681. pnetboxoffice@gmail. com. pntheatre.org

Before the dark comedy premieres in October, check out the preview.

10 Thursday The Addams Family

7:30pm Thursday, 8pm Friday & Saturday, 2pm Sunday. $13-$25. Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, 911 N. University Ave. 734-971-2228. a2ct.org/

Kevin Downey Jr.

8-10:30pm. $11. Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, 212 S. 4th Ave. 734-996-9080. aacomedy.com

Detroit native known for his bizarre stage personality and odd delivery, in a twisted but clever sense of humor.

The Boy Who Loved Monsters and the Girl Who Loves Peas

7pm September 11 & September 12, 2pm September 13. $15/regular, $12/ students and seniors, $9/members, $7/ages 6-12. Eastern Michigan University Theatre, 124 Quirk Building, Ypsilanti. 734-487-3130. emich.edu

Have you ever been forced to eat something you hate? This hilarious, family-friendly, heartfelt comedy explored the truth of “peas and happiness.”

15 Tuesday Moth Storyslam

7:30-9pm. $8. The Circus, 210 S. First St. 734-764-5118. circusannarbor.com

This storytelling theme for this month’s event is “Nerds & Geeks.”

16 Wednesday National Theatre Live: George Bernard Shaw’s Man and Superman

7:30pm. $22/adults, $18/Michigan Theater Members & UMS Donors or Sub. Michigan Theatre, 603 E. Liberty St., 734-668-8397. michtheater.org

Presented in partnership with the Michigan Theatre, the National Theater in London will bring Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes to the stay to play Jack Tanner in this reinvention of Shaw’s provocative classic.

17 Thursday Casting Session

8pm. $25-$38. Purple Rose Theatre, 137 Park St., Chelsea. 734-433-7673. purplerosetheatre.org

Trisha Fountain Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice’s darkly comic 2010 musical based on the ghoulish characters in Charles Addams’s classic cartoon-turned-TV series. The plot concerns the troubles that ensue when daughter Wednesday announces her intention to marry a normal boyfriend. Through September 13.

Guy Sanville directs the world premiere of Jeff Daniels’ comedy about 2 middle-aged NYC actors who have been competing for the same roles for 30 years and will go to great lengths to get a part. 8pm Thursdays and Fridays, 3pm Wednesday and Saturday, 2pm Sunday.

Phenomenon of Decline

Romeo and Juliet

8pm on Thursdays-Saturdays September 10-13, 17-19, 2pm Sundays. $10 suggested donation. Carriage House Theatre, 541 Third St. 734-546-6441. carriagehousetheatre.org

Even though his house is sinking, the solitary life of a writer living in a bog goes on.

theater

11 Friday

24 Thursday 7-10pm. $17. Quality 16, 3686 Jackson Rd. 734-623-7469. fathomevents.com/ event/san-francisco-ballet

Filmed broadcast of the San Francisco Ballet’s Lincoln Center performance of its artistic director Helgi Tomasson’s version of Prokofie’s ballet inspired by Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy. San Francisco critic Sean Martinfield says that Tomasson’s choreography translates the play “into lucid classical choreography that is visceral, fresh, and ultimately sublime.”

Sketch Comedy at The Ark The Second City sketch and improv comedy theater is celebrating 55 years of productions, and they boast great success. Some of the theater’s alums include superstars like Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert. In a limited tour run, Second City presents Fully Loaded, a performance stocked full of sketches and songs, many of which were made famous by those improv greats. Experience the exceptionally current and fresh satirical material from Chicago’s sketch comedy up-and-comers in a special two-night engagement. 7:30pm Friday, September 25. $35. The Ark, 316 S. Main St. 734-761-1800. theark.org —RC Dance Lecture & Performance

Noon. Michigan League, Vandenberg Room, 911 N. University Ave. 734-7640446. Free

Join Prof. Amy Chavasse for a lecture and student performance centered around Chinese dance.

Gu Jiani Chinese Contemporary Dance Residency 6pm. Michigan League: Hussey Room, 911 N. University Ave. 734-764-0446. Free

Gender and female sexuality in Chinese contemporary dance is often constructed in a way that reinforces patriarchal and heterosexual social norms. This is the theme of this dance recital.

25 Friday The Sklar Brothers

8-10:30pm. $17/advance, $19/general admission. Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, 212 S. 4th Ave. 734-996-9080. aacomedy.com

Fast-paced tag team stand up comedy by twin brothers Randy and Jason Sklar.

The Second City

8pm & 10:30pm. $17/reserved seating, $19/general admission. The Ark, 316 S. Main St. 734-996-9080. theark.org

One of the longest-running comedy improv groups in the country, Chicago’s popular Second City troupe lampoons contemporary political, cultural, and social events in an evening of short sketches. Its current show, “Fully Loaded,” features classic material made famous by Second City stars like Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell.

26 Saturday This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing

11am. $10. The Yellow Barn, 416 W. Huron St. 734-635-8450. ouryellowbarn.com

Jenny Koppera directs local actors in a family-friendly production of award-winning Australian playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer’s play that combines word, music, and movement to tell the heartfelt story of some adventurous triplet girls.

Right and Left

7-8pm. The University of Michigan Mendelssohn Theatre, 911 N. University Ave. 734-764-0808. confucius.umich.edu Free

Two female dances will employ the human body to express divergent reactions to human experience. This Chinese contemporary dance is choreographed by Gui Jiani. A free lecture at 6pm, on Thursday, September 24 will help illuminate the performance.

30 Wednesday Guest Dance Performance: Jennifer Monson with Elliott Maltby

6:30pm. Dance Building, Betty Pease Studio Theatre, 1310 N. University Ct. 734-763-5460. music.umich.edu Free

Jennifer Monson will perform excerpts of Live Dancing Archive, an ongoing project that proposes that the dancing body has the possibility of archiving and revisiting multiple scales of ecological experience.

ecurrent.com / september 2015 21

art

ArtBeat Back-to-School Spectacular from A&D

By Louis W. Meldman

In “Three Graces,” Mary Hambleton uses multiple layers of oils and paints.

Greeting, returning students (and returning parents). had a concern about survival, extinction and the fragility The Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design is putting of life. As she deteriorated she introduced color, often on a very exciting exhibition. The Stamps is on North bold color, into her work. Adding an additional layer to Campus, in case you just moved to town, and its shows her already multi-layered work in oil, alkyd, and polymer, are always free and open to the public. It’s a great cheap she began applying digital prints with gouache. These “at(er, sophisticated) date, and a joy to behold even if you’re tachments” included images of extinct and endangered rich and solo. The show, “Mary Hambleton: Waiting for birds, such as the Dodo and the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, the Miracles,” runs from September 8 through October 3 and even some of her own PET scans. She called herself in the Slusser Gallery within the A&D Building at 2000 a “maximal minimalist,” but was known as a very seriBonisteel Boulevard. If you’re timing your visit to coin- ous, abstract painter. “Often too serious,” she said. Her mainstay was juxtaposition, of style, of cide with a game at the Big House, keep in material, and ultimately of form, space, mind that the Gallery is only open 12 – 5pm time and sensation. She was fascinated on Saturdays. by science, especially waves and parMary Hambleton was a major East Coast ticles, and her pictures are suffused with artist. She was born in Baltimore and lived striping and dots to create an underlyon a farm in Maryland, going back and forth ing rhythm. She loved her own smaller to New York City from a young age. She paintings in which she used hundreds of died in 2009 at 56 after a seven-year battle tiny colored dots because they created an with cancer. The show is titled after one of “intimate gaze.” I love all her stuff, large her final paintings. Her first solo show was and small, and you will, too, when you in 1988 and although by all accounts she was see it at the show. a slow painter she tried to stage a new exThere will be a special Opening Rehibit every year and a half. Her career took Hambleton— her legacy survives. ception at the Gallery from 5-8pm on a major evolutionary turn in 1999, and it is to the last decade of her life that this exhibition is dedi- Tuesday, September 15, featuring a talk by the curator, cated. It includes a wide sampling of her work, paintings Tiffany Bell. Ms. Bell is a private curator and writer and and other works on paper in a range of sizes. She lived is the editor of the catalog for “Agnes Martin,” a travelling her adult life in New York City, beloved by collectors and retrospective that will be seen at the Tate Modern in Lonstudents. She taught at all the biggies: The New School for don, the Los Angeles Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Design, Parsons and the Rhode Island School of Design. in New York. This is especially apt, as Mary Hambleton And she was recognized by all the biggies: awarded two often referred to the late artist Agnes Martin as her spiriJackson Pollock grants, an Adolph Gottlieb Foundation tual mentor and even her “mother.” Life is short, art long Grant, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. (I hope you made and it’s a small world. it to the fabulous Adolph Gottlieb show at the University of Michigan Museum of Art that you read about in this “Mary Hambleton: Waiting for the Miracles,” space a year ago.) Noon–5pm on Saturdays, September 8 through October 3, After she was diagnosed, Hambleton saw her painting Slusser Gallery within the A&D Building, as a means of surviving in the world. But she had always 2000 Bonisteel Blvd. 22 september 2015 / ecurrent.com

Ongoing

The Shape of the Universe

9am-5pm. Museum Of Natural History, 1109 Geddes Ave. 734-764-0478. lsa.umich.edu/ummnh Free

This exhibit traces the history of our evolving understanding of the Universe, from Einstein’s discovery of space-time, through the development of theories explaining the Big Bang and cosmic expansion, up to cutting-edge research on gravity waves being conducted by U-M mathematician Lydia Bieri. This exhibit will include interactives, video, beautiful NASA photographs, and artwork by local high school students.

2 Wednesday Handbuilding with Clay: An Exhibit by Clay-ArtFriends 11am-7pm. Ann Arbor District Library: Downtown Branch, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-4500. aadl.org Free

This show will not only open a new world of ceramics to people, but create enough intrigue that they want to try it for themselves. Hand building has an accessibility not found in any other art form.

5 Saturday Closing Exhibit: Here is to Water, with Love Supreme WSG Gallery, 306 S. Main St. 734-761-2287. wsg-art.com Free

Paintings in this exhibit formed from the inspiration of water done with water color and oil, by artist Sara Alderstein.

8 Tuesday Transitions: Watercolor on Paper

8am-6pm. Dana Building, 440 Church St. snre.umich.edu/gallery Free

Takeshi Takahara in his upcoming exhibit “Transverse Waves” explores ripple patterns on still water as a reflection on the delicate balance of nature and as an allegory for human interventions. The exhibit is a collection of Intaglio on gampi paper works laminated on carved wood.

10 Thursday Closing Exhibit: Totems, Trees, and Birds

10am-9pm. Ann Arbor District Library: Mallets Creek Branch, 3090 E. Eisenhower Pkwy. 734-327-4555. aadl.org Free

Paintings by Betsy Beckerman and Joyce Tinkham feature thirty-five works in a variety of media, including watercolor, acrylic on canvas, mixed media on wood, and collage.

15 Tuesday Cuba—An Opening Door: Photographs by Sandy Schopbach 11am-7:30pm. Ann Arbor District Library: Downtown Branch, 343 S.

art

Fifth Ave. 734-327-4500. aadl.org Free

This exhibit includes 51 photos taken during Sandy Schopbach’s recent trip to Cuba.

17 Thursday Anatolly Khmara Exhibit Reception

7pm. Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. Fourth Ave. 734-769-2999. kerrytownconcerthouse.com Free

Ukrainian born Khmara’s awardwinning paintings and stained glass are held in high esteem all over the world. His exhibit is on display from September 1 through September 27.

20 Sunday Closing Exhibit: Mine More Coal: War Effort and Americanism in WWI Posters

UMMA, 525 S. State St. 734-764-0395. umma.umich.edu Free

During World War I, the American Government used a powerful poster campaign to rally all troops and farmers, housewives and shipbuilders, “old-stock Americans’ and immigrants to the cause. Propaganda, commodity, and art came together in WWI posters. This exhibition presents rarely displayed WWI posters from UMMA’s collection.

25 Friday A Thirty-Year Journey 5:30pm. Helmut Stern Auditorium, 525 S. State St. 734-996-0400. umma.umich.edu Join the creators of the Heidelberg Project and explore the 30-year journey alongside them, as they contemplate new possibilities for the future.

Jem Cohen: Life Drawing

Jem Cohen is a NYC-based film maker who uses a variety of media formats to capture the world as it unfolds. His dual-gallery presentation is entitled Life Drawing and illustrates a version of life drawing itself—there isn’t one way to capture its delicate creation. We Have an Anchor is an environmental portrait of Nova Scotia, with footage gathered over 10 years, crafted by using a singlechannel video projection that incorporates composited 16mm, super 8, and HD imagery. Poetic language flies across the screen accompanied by an original score performed by members of a diverse group of bands including: Fugazi, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Dirty Three. The Photography Gallery section includes 25 still photos of seemingly haunted geographies and their inhabitants. 11am-5pm Tuesday-Saturday, noon-5pm Sunday, all month. UMMA, 525 S. State St. 734-764-0395. umma.umich.edu. Free

29 Tuesday Costume Design Exhibit

Noon-6pm. Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd. 734-763-3266. dc.umich.edu Free

Part of the Department of Theatre & Drama’s 2015 centennial

celebrations, this display reflects 100 years of the Department’s designs. Included are costume and design renderings showcasing the talents of faculty, student, guest designers, and the craftspeople involved in the creation of the designs.

27 Sunday Harold Cohen Art Reception

1-3pm. Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor, 2935 Birch Hollow Dr. 734-971-0990. jccannarbor.org Free

Professor Harold Cohen is the retired Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at the State University of New York. Trained in the Bauhaus tradition of art and design, he combines his religion, design and art studies into a collection of works of prints, paintings and sculpture . The JCC of Greater Ann Arbor’s Amster Gallery is proud to present Harold Cohen in a solo show. Join us for an opening reception on Sunday, September 27th. The exhibit runs through October.

Searchable events updated daily at ecurrent.com

ecurrent.com / september 2015 23

lit feature The Father of Deep Ecology Poetry Gary Snyder reads at White Lotus Farms

By Gina Balibrea

If you live in Ann Arbor, you may recognize the name "White Lotus" from your local grocery store. It's the name of a farm, just outside of town on Liberty, especially known for its creamy goat cheeses, which are quite delicious, especially when spread on one of the whole grain breads also baked at White Lotus Farms. What you might not know about White Lotus Farms is their ongoing partnership with One Pause Poetry, a non-profit arts organization that brings together local and nationally recognized artists, poets, musicians, artisans, and performers to stimulate creative dialogue and create circumstances where beauty and awareness can flourish. Poetry events take place in White Lotus Farms contemplation garden, which is modeled after Monet's garden, and contains lavender fields, poppies, wildflowers, meditation spaces, and clear ponds blooming with lilypads and tranquil waterfalls.

One pause at White Lotus

Gary Snyder, the father of "Deep Ecology" poetry, reads at White Lotus Farms in September, inaugurating the 2015-2016 One Pause Poetry Series. I can't imagine a more suitable location for a reading of Snyder's work, which is born of and lives in the open air. In his poem "What You Should Know to be a Poet," Snyder writes, as an opening answer to the title's question: "all you can about animals as persons./ the name of trees and flowers and weeds./ names of stars, and the movements of the planets and the moon." At the beginning of last season, I went to see California poets, married couple Robert Hass and Brenda

Hillman reading together at White Lotus Farms. The air was golden. In the distance milky-eyed goats roamed, nodding, koi glittered in the pond, and we spectators gathered beneath a white canopy, as if for a ceremony. I remember the conclusion of Hillman's fiery, powerful reading, darkness settling around us, the moon becoming visible in the sky, and Hass taking the stage, calling out to his wife: "My beloved!" as she found her way to her seat again. The crowd seemed to vibrate with the warmth of that moment. One Pause Poetry's events series is free and open to the public; how incredibly fortunate we are for the opportunity to engage with this high caliber of art in an intimate, beautiful natural setting like White Lotus Farms. So, if you have never visited the lush gardens at White Lotus Farm, think about making the drive down Liberty as we slip into Fall. Hear poetry read aloud by some of our finest living writers, courtesy of One Pause Poetry. And don't miss Gary Snyder, September 17th, at 7pm, in the garden. Literati Bookstore, recently recovered from its unfortunate flood, will have booksellers on hand and a broad selection of Snyder's work for the signing, which will follow the reading. Again, the Gary Snyder event and all of One Pause Poetry's events, are free and open to the public. 7pm Thursday, September 17th. White Lotus Farms, 7217 W. Liberty Rd. 734-707-1284. whitelotusfarms.com

2111 Packard St | (734) 604-3868

24â&#x20AC;&#x192;

â&#x20AC;&#x201A; september

2015â&#x20AC;&#x2021; /â&#x20AC;&#x2021; ecurrent.com

Local Reads 1 Tuesday

Kim Harrison at Nicola’s

7pm. Nicola’s Books, 2513 Westgate Shopping Center. 734-6620600. nicolasbooks.com Free

New York Times Bestselling Author Kim Harrison comes to Nicola’s Books to discuss her new book, The Drafter. 10 Thursday

Emergine Writers Workshop: An Evening with University of Michigan Press 7-8:45pm. Ann Arbor District Library: Traverwood Branch, 3333 Traverwood Dr. 734-327-4555. aadl.org Free

Join for a special session with representatives from the University of Michigan Press to find out what their editors are looking for, and get tips on how best to market and promote your book. Renee Tambeau, Director of Marketing, Sales and Promotion and Scott Ham, Acquiring Editor for Michigan & Great Lakes, will join us on behalf of the University of Michigan Press.

Readings from Linda Gregerson, David Baker, and Steven Mullaney 7pm. Literati Bookstore, 124 E. Washington St. 734-585-5567. literatibookstore.com Free

Baker is the author of fourteen books of poetry, Gregorson is the author of several books and teaches Renaissance Literature and creative writing at U of M and Mullaney is a professor of English at U of M. 11 Friday

Fiction at Literati: Christopher Moore

Noon. Literati Bookstore, 124 E. Washington St. 734-585-5567. literatibookstore.com Free

The well loved Christopher Moore reads from his latest, Secondhand Souls. A signing and Q&A to follow. 14 Monday

Finding Wholesale Happiness in a Retail World 7-8:30pm. Ann Arbor District Library: Downtown Branch, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-8301. aadl.org Free

Jeff Yeager leads a talk on his book “The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches: A Practical (and Fun) Guide to Enjoying Life More and Spending Less.” 15 Tuesday

Poetry Lovers Group

7-8:30pm. Ypsilanti District Library, 5577 Whittaker Rd. 734-482-4110. ypsilibrary.org Free

Join this spirited gathering of poetry enthusiasts to learn how to read and appreciate great poetry. Facilitated by Dr. Heather Neff.

current reads

17 Thursday

Gary Snyder: One Pause Poetry

7pm. White Lotus Farms flower garden, 7217 W. Liberty Rd. 734-707-1284. onepausepoetry.org Free

Reading by this Pulitzer Prizewinning poet. Though he first came to attention as one of the Beats, Snyder is in fact one of the principal heirs of the Pound-Williams modernist tradition in American poetry, with its emphasis on rhetorical spareness and dynamic image sequences. 18 Friday

Fiction at Literati: Patrick Wensink with Aaron Burch 7pm. Literati Bookstore, 124 E. Washington St. 734-585-5567. literatibookstore.com Free

Literati is pleased to welcome Patrick Wensink, as part of our Fiction at Literati series, in support of his latest novel, Fake Fruit Factory (September 2015, Curbside Splendor). Reading with Patrick will be friend of the store Aaron Burch, the editor of Hobart: Another Literary Journal and author of the story collection Backswing (Queen’s Ferry Press, 2014) 25 Friday

Fiction at Literati: Robert James Russell Ft. Ben Tanzer

Kerrytown Bookfest

“Celebrating Old Friends” is the theme for this year’s Kerrytown Bookfest. Bonnie Jo Campbell (Above left) and Thomas Lynch (Above right) will attend a special breakfast at Zingerman’s in support of their new books: Campbell’s Once Upon a River, and Lynch’s Undertaking. Have you written a book, and do you want some feedback? Writer in residence John Smolen, author of 9 novels and 2010 Michigan Author of the Year Award winner (The Michigan Library Association), will read the first twenty-pages of your manuscript and provide his humble opinion. Poetry slams, signings, short story readings, and talks panels by a selection of women authors, including Ann Arbor’s own Tiya Miles, winner of the MacArthur Fellowship. Experts in all sorts of genres will speak, including comics, suspense, and mysteries, are also highlighted in this festival.

11am-5pm Sunday, September 13. $40-$85 Ann Arbor Farmers Market, 315 Detroit St. kerrytownbookfest.org

7pm. Literati Bookstore, 124 E. Washington St. 734-585-5567. literatibookstore.com Free

Literati is pleased to welcome freind of the store Robert James Russell to launch his western novel, Mesilla. Reading with Robert will be Chicago-based author Ben Tanzer. 27 Sunday

Jon Fine Reading

5pm. Literati Bookstore, 124 E. Washington St. 734-585-5567. literatibookstore.com Free

Literati is pleased to welcome Jon Fine, author of Your Band Sucks: What I Saw at Indie Rock’s Failed Revolution (But Can No Longer Hear). 29 Tuesday

Pullitzer Prize-Winning Author Julia Keller

7:-8:30pm. Ann Arbor District Library: Pittsfield Branch, 2359 Oak Valley Dr. 734-327-4555. aadl.org Free

Keller discusses her latest mystery: “Last Ragged Breath.”

Searchable events updated daily at ecurrent.com

ecurrent.com / september 2015 25

Kim and Kestrel

local color A Companion To Owls And other feathered friends By Sue Dise

The little Eastern Screech Owl is molting, giving her the look of a plush toy that’s been pulled through the shrubbery backwards while wet. She’s about the size of a mango and cute as a bug’s ear, and I resist the urge to tousle her head. This compact bird of prey is giving me the stink-eye it usually reserves for a particularly tastylooking vole. It perches on the thickly gloved fist of Kim Poisson. “If screech owls were any bigger, we’d all be in trouble. They’re feisty little birds,” admits Poisson, a licensed raptor rehabilitator. Rescuing hawks, owls, falcons and other raptors is Poisson’s calling. She became interested in rehabilitating wildlife after encountering injured bunnies in her yard, and feeling frustrated that she didn’t know how to help them. It’s not a process for casual amateurs. "Here in Michigan, if you want to be a wildlife rehabilitator, you have to take a course through the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council," she explains. "You take a two day course, then take a test, and when you pass that test you take your certificate and submit it to your state agency to apply for your state permit." And that’s just for mammals. Caring for birds requires more testing, mentoring, and hours of volunteer work, as well as establishing an appropriate facility for treatment and rehabilitation. Poisson is licensed by both state and federal agencies.

Kim Poisson, a licensed raptor rehabilitator.

"Most of the birds of prey that I see are either weakened after they've left the parents or prior to migration, or hit by cars." Poisson can perform a number of non-invasive procedures, such as wrapping broken bones or treating for parasites, but surgeries and sutures require a veterinarian. Treating an injured raptor is considerably more demanding than rehabbing a mammal. "They are athletes. We can't just say 'OK, your wing is better now, have a nice life,' and open the door. We have to put them in successively larger flight cages to build stamina, and we have to make sure the lazy birds, like the Red Tail Hawks that will sit there all day, are actually exercising and we're making them move around the enclosure." When the birds are just about ready to be released, they go to "Mouse School", a large flight enclosure equipped with video cameras "to track how successful these birds are while they're hunting live mice in there. That way, we're assured that when we release them they have the skills ...to be successful." Her reward? "When you put weeks and weeks, sometimes months, of work into this bird, and to be able to watch them fly away is amazing. That's the best part." Sadly, many of the birds she sees cannot be helped. “A lot of what I have to do is humanely euthanize because the physical needs of these birds to survive in the wild as a predatory bird are so great that if they have any kind of deficit that's going to keep them from hunting successfully... eventually this bird's health is going to decline to the point where I didn't really do him a favor." A fortunate few of the raptors who can’t return to the wild become Animal Ambassadors, visiting schools and science centers for educational programs. This is the most satisfying part of Poisson’s work. “My greatest success is not one single event, but the fact that I'm able to work with kids and share wildlife with them, and that I think is phenomenal." She reminds all of us that we have a part to play in supporting raptor communities. “We can reduce our chemicals and rodenticides. Hang a nest box for a screech owl or a kestrel. One of the greatest things we can do is not throw stuff out when we're driving." Organic waste on roadsides attracts the small mammals that raptors prey upon. "If you start with something small, it works into something big." For Kim Poisson, these magnificent birds are part of a larger story. "To me, it's a fascinating process to watch how they land in our ecosystem. They're a point that provides a lot of balance for the predators above them and the prey below them. They're a very good indicator for how healthy our ecosystem is." Interested in helping out or learning more about the birds? Visit a2raptorrehab.com. Do you know someone doing something creative, offbeat, weird, or delightful? Email Sue Dise at: sedise@yahoo.com

september 2015 / ecurrent.com

2 Wednesday 80th Saline Community Fair

9am-11pm. Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, 5055 Saline-Ann Arbor Rd. salinefair.org

Saline Community Fair celebrating 80 years, with rides, animals, food and fun. September 2 -6.

10 Thursday Nature Walk @ Black Pond Woods

7-8:30pm. Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Rd. 734-997-1553. lesliesnc.org Free

Join staff members of AADL and the City of Ann Arbor’s Natural Area Preservation for an informative nature walk in the beautiful 34-acre Black Pond Woods Nature Area.

Become a Medical Intuitive

7-8:30pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tearoom, 114 S. Main St. 734-665-2757. crazywisdom.net

Free

Tina Zion is a fourth generation psychic and author of Become a Medical Intuitive. She teaches medical intuition internationally.

12 Saturday Ton-Up Motorcycle Show and Music Festival

1-9pm. Depot Town, 10 E. Cross St., Ypsilanti. visitypsinow.com Free

support the care for individuals who need help and lack resources.

Pinball Pete’s September Tournament: Pinball Pete’s. Noon. $5-$10. Pinball Pete’s, 1214 S. University. facebook.com/ events/147490775585223/

All ages welcome. World Pinball Player Rankings points will be awarded. The format is double elimination with all rounds best of 3. Noon to 2:30pm: each player will play a single game to determine seeding. At 2:30pm, the main tournament will commence.

Monarch Migration Festival

1-3pm. $8. Leslie Science & Nature Center, 1831 Traver Rd. 734-997-1553. leslliesnc.org

All are invited to watch the release of tagged monarch butterflies. Games and other activities will be available to learn about its life cycle and the LSNC’s role as a waystation for migrating monarchs.

15 Tuesday The World Band as a Human Rights-Free Zone 5-6:30pm. School of Social Work Building, 1080 S. University. 734-763-9200. Free

Talk by UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights Philip Alston.

A festival of old, new and custom motorcycles with an array of live music in Depot Town.

Backyard Brains: DIY Neuroscience

Saline Antiques & Vintage Market

Talk by Greg Gage, cofounder of Backyard Brains, an organization teaching amateurs and kids neuroscience through hands-on experiments.

9am-4pm. $6. Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, 5055 Ann ArborSaline Rd. 937-875-0808.

Show and sale of antiques and vintage items in various styles, including Americana, art deco, mission, mid-century modern, industrial, shabby chic, continental, and more. Runs through the following day.

13 Sunday Dawn Farm 42nd Anniversary Jamboree

1-6pm. Dawn Farm, 6633 Stony Creek Road, Ypsilanti. 734-485-8725. dawnfarm.org Free

Have a great time while supporting a great cause at the 42nd Anniversary Dawn Farm Jamboree! The Jamboree is a family-friendly event with free admission and fun for all ages; including music and entertainment, a silent auction with 100’s of items, lots of farm animals and great gardens, a live auction including trips, art and much more, a children’s tent and midway, hayrides, food and beverages and a Gift Table by the Pittsfield Optimist Club. Funds raised at the event will

7-8:30pm. Ann Arbor District Library: Downtown Branch, 323 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-8301. aadl.org Free

everything else It Doesn’t Matter What You Wear Sunday, 9.6 Downtown Ann

Arbor

As long as you are there! The Ann Arbor Community of Traditional Music and Dance invites you to get Photo via Facebook those limbs moving at Dancing in the Street, an annual Labor Day festival. Lift your spirits by dancing your heart out. Embody traditional celebratory dances of our ancestors, or channel David Bowie and Mick Jagger. Either way, you are expected to ‘get up with the get down.’ A mish-mash of different music and dance traditions, from Swing to Tango, will be available to sample on multiple stages and dance lessons will be offered. 1-6:30pm Sunday, September 6. Main and Washington St. in downtown Ann Arbor. aactmad.org Free —RC

18 Friday Korean Wave in Latin America: K-pop Reception and Participatory Fan Culture

4pm. 1636 U-M International Institute/SSWB, 1080 S. University. 734-764-1825. Free

Lecture by Pontifical Catholic University of Chile history professor Wonjung Min.

One of Fodor’s 10 Best U.S. Flea Markets

16 Wednesday Antarctica: Penguins & Prions

7:30pm. U-M Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 N. Dixboro Rd. 734-677-3275. lsa.umich.edu/mbg

Free

Talk by Washtenaw Audubon Society education chair Cathy Theisen.

17 Thursday Nerd Nite Ann Arbor 7-9:30pm. Live, 102 S. First. 734-327-4555. aadl.org Free

Popular monthly event featuring several speakers who give fun yet informative talks, 1821 minutes long, about things that interest them, everything from nanoparticles to the science of the Simpsons and the genealogy of Godzilla

Established 1960

Everything on Consignment

www.treasuremart.com 529 Detroit Street • Ann Arbor 734-662-1363 • Office 734-662-9887 ecurrent.com / september 2015 27

everything else

road trip Detroit Jazz Festival

20th Anniversary of OutFest

Wednesday, 10.2-Friday, 10.4 / Braun Court

After the recent same-sex marriage ruling by the US Supreme Court, this year’s celebration is a very special 20th anniversary, with the same pride, combined with a commemoration of change. The festival honors the fluidity of gender identity and sexual orientation and the many diverse ways it manifests—be it L,G,B or T—with music, dancing, food and educational workshops in an alcohol free space. Join the queer and allied community at the locally loved Braun Court. Wednesday, October 2-Friday, October 4. Time TBA. 327 Braun Ct. 734-585-5440. brauncourt.com —RC

Friday, 9.4-Monday, 9.7 / Hart Plaza Detroit From Donald Byrd to Kenny Burrell, Elvin Jones to Yusef Lateef, Jazz roots run deep in Detroit, and this year’s Jazz Festival, the 36th of its kind, is sure to play in tune with tradition. Guitar legend Pat Metheny is slated for four performances—one with his trio, one in an acoustic duo with Ron Carter, one with the Gary Burton Quartet, and one with Scott Colley, Antonio Sanchez, Danny Gottlieb, and the Detroit Jazz Festival Big Band and String Orchestra. Other notable performers include Monty Alexander: Harlem-Kingston Express (a Caribbean inspired Jazz squad), Benny’s Threads (Benny Goodman tribute), and the Kenny Garrett Quintet (bop jazz, saxophone centric). Daily schedules vary, see website for details. 1 Hart Plaza, Detroit. 313-447-1248. detroitjazzfest.com Free —BB

20 Sunday Orphan Car Show

9am-4pm. $6. Riverside Park, 1 W. Cross St., Depot Town, Ypsilanti. visitypsinow.com

Come check out hundreds of now defunct cars and trucks from all over the state and country. These orphan cars are now rare and some are very difficult to find! Don’t miss out on your chance to view some awesome and historic vehicles.

Fireside Fun: A Good Old-fashioned Campfire Circle 6:30-8pm. Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Rd. 734-997-1553. lesliesnc.org Free

PJ’ S

RECORDS &USED CDS

SELECTION, QUALITY & PRICE ARE ALWAYS OUR TOP PRIORITIES!!!

IBUY-SELL-TRADE-RECYCLEI JAZZ BLUES ROCK SOUL CLASSICAL PUNK FUNK Open 7 Days

617-B PACKARD — NEAR HILL ST.

UPSTAIRS FROM PASTRY PEDDLER — 663-3441 Hundreds of Sealed LPs

september 2015 / ecurrent.com

There’s nothing quite as relaxing as sitting around a campfire, roasting marshmallows and swapping stories. Join LSNC in a circle of camp chairs around a blazing fire.

23 Wednesday Autumnal Equinox Celebration 6-9pm. Michigan Friends Center, 7448 Clark Lake Rd., Chelsea. 734-475-0942. Free

Celebrate the changing of the seasons with a potluck and bonfire with singing, storytelling and discussion.

26 Saturday 12th Annual Cars & Bikes on Campus 11am-3pm. WCC North Lot, 4800 E. Huron River Dr. 734-973-3443. wccnet.edu/carsoncampus

Display of hundreds of classic cars, trucks, hot rods, and custom motorcycles. Also, motorcycle competitions, kids activities, live music, and open houses in WCC’s automotive, motorcycle, welding, and HVAC departments. Food and beverages available.

27 Sunday It’s Easy Being Green: A Sustainability Expo

12:30-5:15pm. Ann Arbor District Library: Downtown Branch, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-8301. aadl.org Free

Keynote presentations on Plants, Pollinators and Why They Matter, plus eleven other learning sessions on a variety of topics including bike commuting, rain & container garden. Chat with organizations who specialize in an array of green subjects. Outdoor food vendors will also be in attendance!

Searchable lists updated daily at ecurrent.com

health events ONGOING

Monday, Wednesdays, Fridays Enhance Fitness

10am. $2/per class. Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron St. 734-480-2787. riversidearts.org

YMCA presents a fitness class for the older folks to help with arthritis, and boosts energy levels.

Saturdays

Open Meditation

10:45-11:45am. St. Joesph Mercy, 400 W. Russell St., Saline. 734-276-7707. mindfullnessmeditationmichigan. weebly.com Free

Please join us for this onehour mindfulness sitting; it’s appropriate for beginners and experienced meditators. There are two 20 minute sits, the first guided and the second silent, with discussion and questions in between. Community Crossfit Class 10am. Huron River CrossFit, 4477 Jackson Rd. 734-436-4267. huronrivercrossfit.com Free

Join the challenging work out sensation with the Huron River CrossFit team. Sundays: Yoga for Anxiety and Depression

6pm. $18. Sun Moon Yoga, 404 W. Huron. 734-369-2054. sunmoonyoga.com

Sukha Yoga integrates the healing use of sound and bavana (imagery) during a basic yogic asana practice to meet and balance depressed or anxious moods, clearing space in our minds and inviting sukha, joy to flow through.

9 Wednesday

CPR Family and Friends 6:30pm. $35. St. Joseph Mercy, 5301 McCauley Dr., Ypsilanti. This two and a half hour course is designed for adults (and young adults ages 15 and up) who do not need certification but wish to learn basic lifesaving CPR skills. Students aged 13-15 may register if registered with an adult. Includes information on Infant, Child and Adult CPR, AED use, as well as how to respond if someone is choking.

13 Sunday

Soft, Slow, Surrender 1-4pm. $40. Aprill Wellness Center, 107 Aprill Dr. 734-531-9570. aprillwellnesscenter.com Restorative yoga is relaxing, balancing yoga practice with blankets and pillows to support the body, which is deeply nourishing to mind, body and spirit.

health

17 Thursday Tai-Chi Class

10:30am-12:30pm. $300/month. Sun Shen, 2466 E. Stadium Blvd. 734-845-9786. sunshen.org

Tai-Chi Master Sang Kim is teaching the SUN SHEN Internal Cultivation and Healing System in an intimate hands-on format. This System is an integrated approach which incorporates Spiritual Counseling, Tai-Chi and energy cultivation and healing to resolve physical, emotional and spiritual problems.

22 Tuesday

Prostate Cancer and Controversies in Screening

7- 8:30pm. Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-4555. aadl.org Free

According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men (after skin cancer), but it can often be treated successfully. Learn how to get the most out of your doctor visits. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Class

6:30pm. $385. Aprill Wellness Center, 107 Aprill Dr. 734-276-7707. mindfulnessmeditationmichigan. weebly.com

Got Stress? Get calm with MBSR. Mindfulness is a scientifically proven method to gain inner calm and clarity, reduce stress and anxiety, and improve health and well-being. Mindfulness works! Sessions are every Thursday for the next 8 weeks.

24 Thursday

Peer-to-Peer Class

6-8pm. NAMI Washtenaw Office, 1100 N. Main St. 734-994-6611. namiwc.org Free

Are you living with a mental illness? (General Anxiety Disorder, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Panic Disorder, Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, PTSD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Dual Diagnosis, also called co-occurring disorders), meet with people who understand the struggle.

26 Saturday

5 Healthy Towns Walk to End Alzheimers

Dexter, Chelsea Breakfast Ride

Start the weekend off right with some fitness and fellowship along the scenic Huron River. Every Saturday, two groups of cyclists, one cruising and one fast-paced, set a course for the Dexter Bakery (22 miles round trip) and Zou Zou’s and Pierce’s in Chelsea (31 miles round trip). Riders work up an appetite, get a donut-coffee-cake-croissant glucose boost, caffeinate, and then ride home. Meet at 9am at Wheeler Park, N. Fourth Ave. at Depot St.

local. unique. handmade.

THE EYRIE

A Michigan Artisan Market 50 East Cross Street Ypsilanti, Michigan 48198 734.340.9286 theeyrie.net Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

117 N First St, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 (734) 623-1951 relaxstation.com

9am-noon. Donation. Downtown Chelsea. 800-272-3900. alz.org/walk

Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester, Grass Lake, and Stockbridge. Join the fight against Alzheimer’s Disease. Sign up for a team or walk as an individual.

September Special: $30

OFF 2 hr. Full Body Massage

ecurrent.com / september 2015 29

4. Basketball trick shot game 5. Snake along the Nile Across 6. Chairlift’s spot 1. Raging kegger, say 7. Is totally loaded 5. Arthur ___ Courage 8. Unendingly Award (ESPY) 9. “Head, shoulders, knees 9. Financial institution that and ___ ...” sponsors the home 13. Singing range of the Celtics and 14. Bulgarian, for one Bruins 15. She sang the hook for 10. Job done every Eminem’s “Stan” 3000 miles 16. Emails to others 11. Classy folks? discretely 12. Put into piles 17. Model’s position 20. Pinky ___ 18. Roth no. 22. Tip of 19. Vacation home spots Newport? 21. Fish with a big bite 25. Buns, e.g. 23. 90° from Nord 27. Animal in 24. Sharpen, as a blade 26. Do an ollie and a shuvit, many a rebus 29. Totally floor say 31. Weave together 28. Minor prophet of the 34. Group apology Bible 35. Dark black hue 30. “I’ve been better” 36. Situation in bowling 32. “___ That’s What I with just the two and Call Music!” seven pins remaining 33. Island off the coast of 37. If it’s positive, it’s bad China news 35. Brutish D&D type 38. Caddie’s handful 36. Hit song that shares 39. Game system that more than a passing resemblance to Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up” ... and a hint for four areas of this puzzle 39. Bread with korma 40. Like a rainy day 41. Go back, as the low tide 42. One locked into mortal combat, perhaps 43. Crew team directors 46. Damascus’s nation 48. Reindeer in “Frozen” 50. Caps Lock neighbor 52. Lou Barlow’s indie band with a gibberish name 54. Cold comfort? 56. Church setting 57. Naked archer of myth 59. “The Past is Another Land” musical 60. Indie actress Taylor 61. Tuscan river 62. ___-majesté 63. “___ and Otto and Russell and James” (2015 novel) 64. Some caustic soaps 65. Newspaper website section

crossword FOCUS GROUP?

Down 1. Talk nonstop 2. Not taking credit? 3. Glued on

september

2015 / ecurrent.com

came with Duck Hunt 42. Virgin overseer 44. Overstock.com, e.g. 45. Debris used to clean up vomit 47. Portugal’s peninsula 49. “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” cable channel 51. Cranks the volume up

53. “I agree to the terms” 55. Speak Spanish? 56. Can-do 58. Brillo rival

for crossword answers, go to ecurrent.com

PAYMENT

-------------------------------------

Payment must be received before an ad can be placed. We accept checks, cash, money orders, and credit cards (MasterCard, American Express, or Visa) Sorry, no refunds. Misprint results in credit toward next ad.

-------------------------------------

FREE CLASSIFIED ADS One (1) free 20-word classified ad per issue. Free ads include noncommercial concerns, free services, products being sold for less than $150. Line Classifieds $20 for 20 words or less. 40¢ per each additional word. Box Classifieds $25 per column inch. One column = 1.4519" Photos can be placed in box or line ads for an additional $5 per photo.

DEADLINES Ad copy must be received at NOON on the 15th of the month prior to publication.

CONTACT INFORMATION Mail: Current Classifieds. 1120 Adams Street, Toledo, Ohio 43604. Phone: 419-244-9859. Fax: 419-244-9871. Email to: classifieds@adamsstreet publishing.com

Services

Beginning Tai-Chi with SUN SHEN: Mondays, Tuesdays or Thursdays at 7pm. $55/mo. 2466 E Stadium Ann Arbor www.sunshen.org

-------------------------------------

Massage: Walk-in appointments available. Free parking. Make some time for yourself! Come in stressed leave refreshed. RelaxStation. 734-623-1951

-------------------------------------

Eve & Mother Earth’s The organization’s mission is to recycle. Join us in the celebration! Erase carbon footprints. Visit eveandme.org ------------------------------------Got Knee Pain? Back Pain? Shoulder Pain? Get a pain-relieving brace -little or NO cost to you. Medicare Patients Call Health Hotline Now! 1- 800-419-3684

-------------------------------------

Events

------------------------------------GIVE BLOOD - SAVE LIVES! #ChooseYourDay to donate blood. Call 1-800-448-2543 or go to RedCrossBlood.org. Appointments preferred. Walk-ins welcome.

-------------------------------------

EDUCATION -------------------------------------

Are your children interested in Astronomy? Do they like observing the moon,

classifieds

------------------------------------

FOR SALE

------------------------------------

The path to your dream job begins with a college degree. Education Quarters offers a free college matching service. CALL 1-800-375-6219

Safe Step Walk-In Tub Alert for Seniors. Bathroom falls can be fatal. Approved by Arthritis Foundation. Therapeutic Jets. Less Than 4 Inch Step-In. Wide Door. Anti-Slip Floors. American Made. Installation Included. Call 1-800906-3115 for $750 Off

HELP WANTED

ANNOUNCEMENTS

We’re looking for a freelance writer and a freelance photographer. Paid gigs for Current & Ann Arbor Family magazines. E-mail us at editor@adamsstreetpublishing.com

Sell your structured settlement or annuity payments for CASH NOW. You don’t have to wait for your future payments any longer! Call 1-800-391-0460 ------------------------------------SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS. Unable to work? Denied benefits? We Can Help! WIN or Pay Nothing! Contact Bill Gordon & Associates at 1-800208-6915 to start your application today! -------------------------------------

planets and stars? GO TO: www.youngastronomer.org

-------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------

Massage Therapist: Currently hiring therapists to work at RelaxStation in downtown Ann Arbor to accommodate our already established clientele. Free parking, flexible hours, great team! 734-623-1951

-------------------------------------

Give Hope. Become a Foster Parent. Attend a free training today to learn more! For more information: www.judsoncenter.org or 313-255-8272.

------------------------------------

AUTOS WANTED

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

WANTED TO BUY

------------------------------------CASH for sealed, unexpired DIABETIC TEST STRIPS/STOP SMOKING PRODUCTS! Free Shipping, 24hr Payments! Call 1-877-588-8500, Español AvailableTestStripSearch.com.

------------------------------------

CASH FOR CARS: Cars/Trucks Wanted! Running or Not! We Come To You! Any Make/Model. Instant Offer - Call: 1-800-569-0003

call

Catherine at 419.244.9859

to sell your stuff!

ecurrent.com / september 2015 31

p.org o h s t f i r 2ptoth

www.a

SUPPORT AAPS and its students!

Participate in a GREEN community effort to fund student enrichment at Ann Arbor Public Schools since 1993.

WE’VE DISTRIBUTED OVER

$300,000

to AAPS & its PTOs in

2014-2015

WE’VE DISTRIBUTED OVER

$1.6 MIL

to AAPS & its PTOs since July 2008

25% off

Student Discount EVERY SATURDAY ON EVERYTHING! *Must present a valid ID

voted Best Thrift Store! Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter

weekly sales on clothing, furniture & more all year! Donate to us and support Ann Arbor Public Schools.

50% OFF STOREWIDE SALES LABOR DAY, MLK DAY & MEMORIAL DAY