NOVEMBER 2017| FREE
MUSIC | ART | CULTURE
GUIDE TO THE
Arts
Happenings on Stage, Page and Screen p8
The Report on Rappourt Brew & Chew offerings p20
Talking with Christina Olson UMMA’s new director p33
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2017 / ecurrent.com
November 2017 vol. 27/no. 11
p8
mous a eF
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contents
Guide to the Arts
Your one-stop guide to stage, page and screen for the rest of ‘17.
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2017 Current Fiction and Poetry Contest Winners
17 lit: A Trio of Vibrant Young Voices Poetry Night in Ann Arbor Returns with a new format By Jeff Kass
19 commentary: America’s Most Intellectual City Breaking down the label By Carlina Duan
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20 food: Good Rapport with Rappourt by Jeff Kass
26 music: Cold Stone Harvest Plays The Ark By Jeff Milo
32 theater: Resisting Opens at Theatre Nova By Sandor and Emily Slomovits
33 art: Catching up with new Umma Director Christina Olsen By Jeff Kass
34 film: Townies Tally Movie Favorites By Heidi Philipsen
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39 person of interest
Laura Thomas: Local writer and U-M Creative Writing Instructor talks about her work By Cammie Finch
36 arts & culture
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Adams Street Publishing Co. Collected Works Celebrates 40 Years in Ann Arbor The longtime women’s clothing boutique celebrates with a 40th Anniversary open house Sunday, November 12th,1-5pm. Collected Works, which over the years migrated from a house on East Liberty, to Main Street, has now settled in the cozy Marketplace Building at 300 Detroit Street. Featuring American designers, the shop is always on the look-out for the unusual to enhance any special occasion. Salads UP at Briarwood 2013 U-M Grads Robby Mayer and Max Steir are opening up a third healthy onthe-go eatery, adding to locations at 611 E. Liberty St. in Ann Arbor and in Madison WI. The menu features salads, wraps, grain bowls, acai bowls, and smoothies. Salads UP will join California Pizza Kitchen, Chipotle, Which Which, and Freshii in the corridor formerly known as North Sears, now rebranded as Briarwood’s Dining Pavilion. Look for the opening in early 2018. Come in and say S’up! Urban Jewelers Going Out of Business after 49 years After nearly a half-century of hand-crafting jewelry at 215 South Main Street in Ann Arbor, Tom Veasey, and Cheryl and Mark Urban have decided to hang up their smocks and put away their tools. In celebration of their retirement and the store’s closing, Urban Jewelers is holding its first, last and only sale with numerous items up to 70% off through mid-November. Every item in the store is drastically reduced and all items must be sold. Zingerman’s New Candy Manufactory Watch out Willy Wonka,. Zingerman’s has opened a retail candy shop “a gumball’s throw” from Zingerman’s Bakehouse at 3723 Plaza Drive. The shop features Zingerman’s house-made candy like the Zzang and What the Fudge candy bars, and a new brand of roasted peanuts, with more confections promised on the way. After 30 Years, Pizza Pina Closes Up Shop Pizza Pino, the casual pizza eatery at the corner of Liberty and Ashley Streets in Ann Arbor, has shut its doors. In an email to The Ann Arbor News, David Khoury, who owned and operated the restaurant for the past nine years, explained that after 50 years in the restaurant business he was ready to retire to spend more time hunting, fishing and being with family. New Cloud Innovation Center Coming to Ann Arbor Chicago Technology Company AHEAD is opening a Research and Development Facility in Ann Arbor. The Cloud Innovation Center will serve as a hub for research on emerging cloudbased technologies. The location for the facility has not yet been announced, but Eric Kaplan, AHEAD’s Chief Technology Officer, says, “with the burgeoning tech startup scene in Ann Arbor, thanks to it being home to a renowned research university, the time is right to establish one of our AHEAD Labs here.”
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2017 / ecurrent.com
What was your favorite arts and culture experience over the past year?
Publisher/Editor in Chief
Collette Jacobs (cjacobs@toledocitypaper.com) Our Poetry and Fiction party.
Co-publisher/Chief Financial Officer Mark I. Jacobs (mjacobs@toledocitypaper.com) ann arbor film festival.
Editorial
Assignment Editor: Jeff Kass
(annarboreditor@adamsstreetpublishing.com)
Hearing vows written and recited by former Pioneer and U-M student and current New York writer Maggie Ambrosino at her wedding to NY poet Jon Sands. Calendar Editor, Staff Writer: Lo Rowry (calendar@ecurrent.com) concerts at the Blind Pig. Contributing Writers: Sandor Slomovits, Emily Slomovits, Cammie Finch, Jeff Milo, Heidi Philipsen, Carlina Duan, Vic Tanny.
Digital Media
Saul Jacobs (saul@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Fool Moon .
Art/Production Production Manager: Imani Lateef (imani@adamsstreetpublishing.com) a2caf AT THE ANN ARBOR PUBLIC LIBRARY. Senior Designer: Leah Foley (leah@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Ypsi First Fridays. Designers: Kelli Miller (kmiller@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Top of the Park concerts. Anita Tipton (atipton@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Anything that happens at Cultivate in Ypsi.
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OCTOBER MOST READ 1. Is Campus Safe for Women? 2. City Chefs 3. State of the State
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE DECEMBER 2017
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green corner
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Spend a Friday evening learning how to make your home more energy-efficient when Kim and Gavin Edwards open their house to anyone interested in greater energy efficiency through heating and cooling systems, insulation and space usage. Information will also be available about sustainable geothermal and solar energy systems. The event is hosted by Ecotelligent Homes based in Farmington Hills. Refreshments will be served.
Ecotelligent Homes Open House, 2255 S. 7th St., Ann Arbor. Friday, November 3, 5:30 - 7:30pm. For more info, visit ecotelligenthomes.com.
fyi At the intersection of sports and social policy Paul Tagliabue and Jim Hackett in Conversation at U-M
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6 
  november
2017  /  ecurrent.com
What does it mean when the President attempts to compel NFL owners to require players to stand for the national anthem? How do suspensions of football players affect policymaking regarding domestic violence, marijuana use, or steroids? It will all be on the table when U-M Athletic Director Warde Manuel moderates a discussion between Paul Tagliabue, former NFL Commissioner, and Jim Hackett, former U-M interim AD (who hired Jim Harbaugh) and current CEO of Ford Motor Company. Sponsored by the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, the discussion is free and open to the public. - JK
At the Intersection of Sports and Social Policy @ Rackham Auditorium, 915 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor. Thursday, November 14, 4 - 5:30pm. Free. For more info, visit fordschoo.umich.edu.
ecurrent.com / november 2017 7
Sound Loudon Wainwright III
GUIDE TO THE
Arts
Current helps you plan for the best art and entertainment from now until the end of the year. Here’s what’s happening, on stage, page and screen!
Stage
LW3, a cherished icon of American folk music, and a darkly witty and touchingly personal songwriter and storyteller with over 20 albums, is known for folk classics like “Dead Skunk” and “The Man Who Couldn’t Cry.” 11/16 Therark.org
The Verve Pipe
Michigan’s own hugely successful ‘90’s rock band with over three million albums sold. Formed in East Lansing, the band is known for soulful lyrics, innovative arrangements and textured, layered vocals. Featuring work from their latest album “Parachute.” 12/2
Theark.org
Dessa with Monakr
This rapper, singer and essayist with the Minneapolis hip hop crew Doomtree Collective has been a Billboard Top 200 solo artist, rapped at Lollapalooza, and performed her work with the Minnesota orchestra. 11/14 Blindpigmusic.com
Royce Da 5’9”
Heralded Detroit rapper and creator of 2000 hit “Boom,” Royce Da 5’ 9” has appeared on tracks with Eminem and worked with legendary producer DJ Premier. Recent releases include his 2016 solo mixtape “Trust the Shooter” and his solo album “Layers.” 11/17 Blindpigmusic.com
Abigail Stauffer
A folk siren, Stauffer mixes the language of acoustic, pop and neo-soul to create songs which showcase confidence and vulnerability, crafting a balance of pain, hope and joy. 12/18 @ Arbor Brewing Company in Ypsilanti.
Arborbrewingcompany.com
God of Carnage
Winner of the 2009 Tony Award for Best Play. A playground clash between 11-year old boys throws together two sets of parents for a meeting to resolve the dispute; a civilized get-together that turns swiftly and hilariously into a battle pitting couple against couple, husbands against wives, spouse against spouse. Contains adult language & content. 9/28 - 12/16. Purplerosetheatre.org
Harvey
Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy by Mary Chase. Good-natured, eccentric Elwood Dowd is well known in his small town for venturing about with his best friend Harvey...who just so happens to be a six-foot tall invisible rabbit. Quirk Theater @ EMU. 12/1 -12/10. High School matinees 12/5, 12/6. emich.edu/cmta/productions/2017season/harvey.php
The Year Without a Panto Claus
Anything Goes
The classic musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter showcases the madcap antics aboard an ocean liner voyaging from New York to London. Gangsters, night club singers, government agents and a stowaway in love with a high-toned heiress combine to stir up the fun in this musical that introduced the world to songs like “Anything Goes,” “You’re the Top,” and “I Get a Kick Out of You.” 11/24 - 12/23
Theencoretheatre.org
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2017 / ecurrent.com
The annual Theatre NOVA holiday tradition continues with the newest, silliest, and most-fun-yet romp from the team that brought you AN ALMOST BRITISH CHRISTMAS and SUGAR PLUM PANTO. Bring the whole family to laugh, boo, hiss, and sing your way through another fun-filled night of heroes and villains, updated popular songs, holiday favorites, and merriment. 12/1 - 12/31. Theatrennova.org
Laughs Bassem Youssef: The Joke is Mightier Than the Sword
Dubbed the Jon Stewart of the Arab World, Bassem Youssef created and hosted the wildly popular TV show “Al-Bernameg” — the first political satire show in the Middle East. Originally a five-minute show shot from his laundry room and posted on YouTube after protests in Tahrir Square unseated Egypt’s ruling elite, it became the most-watched program in the region, with 30 million viewers every week. 11/6 michtheater.org
HERsay III @ Pointless Brewery & Theatre:
Storytellers, performance artists, and public speakers shine the spotlight on women’s health. Half of all proceeds to benefit Ozone House. This lively show often sells out. Tickets $15. Pointlessbrew.com
Jimmy Pardo
Known as the ultimate “comic’s comic,” Pardo’s show includes frequent interaction with the audience and changes every night. Join him for an evening of rapid-fire quick wit. 11/10 and 11/11. Aacomedy.com
Heywood Banks
An annual Thanksgiving tradition, the wacky storyteller, poet, musician and comic returns to Ann Arbor. 11/24 and 11/25. Aacomedy.com
Cont’d on p10
ecurrent.com / november 2017 9
Cont’d from p9
Screen Valley of the Dolls
Before there was Sex in the City, there was Valley of the Dolls. In New York City, bright but naive New Englander Anne Welles (BARBARA PARKINS) falls in love with attorney Lyon Burke (PAUL BURKE). Anne befriends up-and-coming singer Neely O’Hara (PATTY DUKE), whose dynamic talent threatens aging star Helen Lawson (JOEY BISHOP) and beautiful but talentless actress Jennifer North (SHARON TATE). The women experience success and failure in love and work, leading to heartbreak, addiction and tragedy. 11/9 Michtheater.org
guess who’s coming to dinner
In this classic take on race in America, when Joanna Drayton Katharine Houghton), a freethinking white woman, and black doctor John Prentice (Sidney Poitier) become engaged, they travel to San Francisco to meet her parents. Matt Drayton (Spencer Tracy) and his wife Christina (Katharine Hepburn) are wealthy liberals who must confront the latent racism the coming marriage arouses. Also attending the Draytons’ dinner are Prentice’s parents (Roy E. Glenn Sr., Beah Richards), who vehemently disapprove of the relationship. 11/13
Michtheater.org
Sins Invalid and Discussion with Petra Kuppers
This 33-minute documentary explores Sins Invalid, a performance project that incubates and celebrates artists with disabilities, centralizing artists of color and queer and gender-variant artists as communities who have been historically marginalized. The performance work explores the themes of sexuality, embodiment and the disabled body. Petra Kuppers--U-M professor of English language and literature, women’s studies, art, and theater and drama--is a community performance artist and a disability culture activist. 11/14 Events.umich.edu Cont’d on p12
Searchable lists updated daily at
ecurrent.com 10
november
2017 / ecurrent.com
ecurrent.com / november 2017 11
Cont’d from p10
Page Nathan Englander @ Zingerman’s Greyline
Literati Bookstore and the JCC’s annual Jewish Book Fest team up to present NY Times Best-selling Author and Pulitzer Prize Finalist Nathan Englander as he reads from his new novel Dinner at the Center of the Earth. 11/13 Literatibookstore.com
Poets Kaveh Akbar & Hanif Abdurraquib @ The Neutral Zone
Literati Bookstore and The NZ combine to present two dynamic poets. Award-winning poet Kaveh Akbar, born in Tehran, Iran, has poems recently appearing in The New Yorker and on PBS Newshour. Hanif Abdurraquib, a columnist for MTV News, will read from his muchanticipated second collection They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us. 11/20 Literatibookstore.com
Maureen Jennings @ Aunt Agatha’s Bookstore
Highly regarded Canadian crime novelist Maureen Jennings returns with her first Inspector Murdoch novel since 2010. 11/18
Auntagathas.com
Art Date Night Screen-Printing
Spend a fun night out with your special someone and try your hand at some awesome screen printing techniques. Absolutely no experience is necessary and each participant will create their own unique set of screen prints. 11/10 annarborartcenter.org
In Conversation: In Vogue: Constructing Notions of Female Beauty in Gloss: Modeling Beauty
Gloss: Modeling Beauty explores ideals of female beauty in European and American photography from the 1920s to the present—from glamorous studio photographs of Edward Steichen and Philippe Halsman, to candid photographs of fashionable women by Andy Warhol and Guy Bourdin. Accompany Jennifer Friess, UMMA’s Assistant Curator of Photography for a conversation about photography’s role in shaping and challenging expectations of female beauty. 11/5 This program
is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Please register to secure your place by emailing umma-program-registration@umich. edu. Please include date and title of program in the subject line of your email. For info on more events @ UMMA, visit umma.umich.edu.
Holidays Handel’s Messiah
A U-M tradition dating back over 130 years, the UMS Choral Union and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra kick off the holiday season at Hill Auditorium 12/2 and 12/3. Ums.org
Ebird and Friends 10th Anniversary Holiday Show
A family-friendly tradition presented by the Ragbirds and spearheaded by Ebird (Erin Zindle), the band’s lead singer and songwriter and a multi-instrumentalist. Expect to be entertained, surprised, warmed and holiday-cheered by this collaborative artistic performance of new and old songs. 12/7 - 12/9 (two shows on 12/9). Therark.org
Big Little Holiday Party Featuring Your Generation In Concert
12
Celebrate the season at the Ann Arbor Marriot Ypislanti at Eagle Crest. Enjoy the concert and a gourmet buffet dinner and five-hour open bar for $125, or just the concert for $50. 12/14 Tickets @ eventbrite.com november
2017 / ecurrent.com
2017
Fiction Poetry and
winners
We enjoyed reading the many submissions for this year’s Poetry & Fiction Contests and are excited to publish some of the work here. Find additional pieces selected for Honorable Mention @ ecurrent.com.
1st place
Fiction Hitched
Charise believed if she remarried, her faucet wouldn’t drip and the left blinker on her Impala would work. In kind, she would clean house and cook meals for her new husband. But, one thing she wouldn’t do was wash his dirty underwear. Match.com was her preferred site to look for a man. As she scrolled through pictures, Ralph came over and started humping her leg. She made a seesaw motion to get him off. Charise’s recently deceased ex-husband bequeathed Ralph, his beloved Beagle, to her. The only reason Charise took the dog was because she got a monthly stipend. Now she could afford to go out to dinner once a week with her best-friend Rita. Ralph was hers now. Her only obligation was an occasional video chat with the executor of her ex-husband’s estate to prove that Raph was in good hands. She dreaded those “talk-and-see” calls. She wished she could train Ralph to “FaceTime” by himself. She didn’t want to groom Ralph nor get out of her pajamas for those video calls. Charise continued scanning Match.com and Ralph kept trying to hump her leg. Finally, she clicked on a picture of an older man with a dimple in his chin. His profile said he liked to fish. She had fond memories of fishing with her father. But the thought passed, so she closed the browser and abandoned her pursuit. Rita was waiting for her at the diner. Charise maneuvered her claw-foot cane on the worn-out carpeting and took a seat in the booth. Rita leaned in and said, “Did you find the right one?” “No. I told you I’m just looking.” “Well, when are you going to stop looking and start meeting?” “Probably never.”
“What do you mean Charise? Why did you sign up for Match. com?” “I don’t know … I guess … I guess I want to meet somebody.” “Well, why don’t you meet somebody?” “Ah, forget it, Rita. I’m busy right now. I’m teaching Ralph how to use FaceTime.” “FaceTime. What’s that?” “It’s a way to video chat with someone. Like on the Jetsons. Gawd, I hate that stupid app.” “So, if you hate it, why are you using it?” “I have to. It’s how I get my doggie-money.” “What?” “I didn’t tell you? Ralph’s attorney uses FaceTime to check on me and make sure I’m taking care of Ralph.” “That’s weird.” “Ah, it pays the bills.” Rita and Charise hugged before they left the diner. Charise went back to her apartment, and Ralph started howling as she opened the door. “Hello Ralphie boy. Ready to watch the Jetson’s? You know you love Astro. Don’t you?” Charise put on her silky pajamas, went back to the living room, sat on the couch and grabbed the remote. Ralph wagged his tail, went for her leg and humped it. Charise flicked her foot and patted the couch to coax him to sit next to her. Ralph hopped on the couch and licked her face. She kissed him back and thought “My check is in the mail.”
Denise Sedman Denise Sedman is a published author, writing both fiction and poetry. She runs a monthly Writer’s Group Workshop at the Westland Library.
Cont’d on p14
ecurrent.com / november 2017 13
Cont’d from p13
2nd place
Terra Firma
Inhale, exhale. The sunlight glissades onto me, I extend upward to soak in the light and energy. I feel the gentle pulses of those around me, I pass them on to my neighbors, who then echo the pulses back to me. This is continuous for most of the day, a series of soft ripples of communication, gradually sweeping the root network and returning back to the origin, the Mother. The subtle vibrations keep us connected, remind us that we are one. Some may live, some may perish, but the forest remains a forest nonetheless. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. A gust of wind sways us all; we moan and creak and we stretch, the sunlight dappling our leaves, allowing those who have been shaded all day to imbibe the precious energy. I feel the tremors of another network, the conifers. My roots are overlapped by a few of theirs, the pulses wash over me in a frequency I do not understand while in my own network. I try sometimes to interpret the subtle oscillations. For this, I must remove myself from my network to the best of my ability and delve deeper into the greater System. The Earth belongs to nothing, it is that from which we all grow, that by which we are all connected. With detachment from my network brings the overwhelming tide of feeling. The Earth teeming with life. I feel the grass, who have lost their sense of the individual and work instead as a homogenous and harmonious colony. I discern the trepidation of the flowers, each working ceaselessly to produce a seed and achieve pollination. I detect the rapid movement of the creatures that breathe that which we exhale, the beings that burn so brightly with vitality but whose flame is extinguished much quicker. Our imperative symbiosis with them is what sustains us both, what sustains us all. Once I have descended to this deeper level of creation, of being, I am able to comprehend the interconnectedness of the System; the delicate balance of give and take that allows some to grow and causes others to fade. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. There is a disturbance. Something has occurred. Something is occurring. I feel the strength of the pulses, washing over me again and again as each member relays the message repeatedly. One is gone, one has been taken. Their absence is felt in the system, a gap in the once-fluid stream of awareness, a break in the connection. What has brought this immediate change? Never has one in our number disappeared from the web suddenly, all change is gradual. Those other than the Mother are emitting pulses, each unable to understand what has taken place. Among the ripples, I sense another gap. The connection has broken with another. Again, this break is immediate, without warning. The Mother transmits a stream of pulses, we are thrumming, all bound by the Mother to receive her message with clarity. The thrumming carries a clear instruction. We all abandon our network and delve deep into the System, losing our sense of the individual and our awareness of each other, absorbing ourselves in the connection of the Earth as a whole. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. I probe the network, sending out a feeble pulse and waiting to feel the rebound informing me of others who have returned to the network. The ripple returns, much less significant than before. I relay another series of vibrations, the reply time is much shorter than it was before submerging into the System. The Mother is still there, I feel her in my roots, travelling the network and searching for lost kin. She retracts, allowing us all to extend and fully feel the absence. Life in all aspects is missing, there is a
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Rachel Pasche Rachel Pasche is a current student at the University of Michigan studying Creative Writing. She loves watching Spongebob Squarepants, hiking with her dog, and rereading the Harry Potter series as often as possible.
barrier we cannot extend beyond, we can sense nothing. Nothing except a new life, one that does not seem to connect. This life exhales that which we inhale, but that is the only contact we sense. Is this life the reason for the barrier? Has this new, detached life replaced our lineage? Will they return? This immediate change shocks us, the smaller network allowing for deeper connection that allows us to interpret ripples with more clarity. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. The new life grows larger in number and closer in contact. I feel them amongst us. They do not consume from the Earth, they do not seem bound by the Earth; they are still not connected to the System. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. The connection is stronger between us than before. There are fewer than there were. Each ripple returns with stronger response but weaker congruity. We are one, yet I am able to discern each pulse as its own from another, rather than as a universally interpreted message. The Mother has been quiet. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. The Mother is gone. The network is lost. The only connections I feel are those of the System. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. I now stand alone. The sun engulfs me, stunning me with light and energy in quantities previously unknown to me. I resurface from the System into my own network that contains solely myself. My seeds have fallen and will grow soon. I await their growth, their germination will mean that I am the new Mother. Soon. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. The new life is everywhere, I do not understand. I cannot connect. They have no network, they have no system. They place things on the Earth that contain no life, they themselves appear not to be living were it not for their growth and movement. Where is their network? Do they require the sunlight, as I do? My seeds have germinated and are creating root systems of their own. I gently emit oscillations, ensuring they photosynthesize properly and learn of the System. Soon they will be able to connect and create a network. Soon, I will be the Mother. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. The new life has ruined the Earth. Where there was life is unresponsive. The System has become limited and confined, I am no longer able to expand my reach as far as I am able. The barrier has extended around me in all directions. My seedlings are still unable to respond, but their growth is tangible in the Earth. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. The Sun envelops me, I bask in the rays. My leaves absorb what they need. The plasmids are funneled down to my roots. There is a fracture in the continuity, a gash in my solidness. The connection I feel to my leaves is narrowing, I can feel myself coming apart, my leaves and appendage abandoning the System and my roots. Inhale, ex -----
POETRY First Wolf The pots and pans the wooden spoons all shaking without us, a masterpiece of calamity.
1st place
Our tent couldn’t keep the noises from seeping in, almost as if they were invited. A lullaby I never
Lisa Folkmire
asked for. The boy I was with whispering to me to either fall asleep or keep him company
Lisa Folkmire is a poet from Warren, Michigan. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and her poems have appeared in Heron Tree Literary Arts Journal, Erstwhile Magazine, Yellow Chair Review’s Rock the Chair Challenge, Atlas & Alice, among others.
as I remarked again and again how I could almost see their little hands gripping all of our supplies, and how the noises, the banging of wood on metal, was like an ambulance rushing up behind when you’re trapped
Poetry & Fiction Soiree
at a stoplight. He was trying to soothe me back to sleep, trying to get me to compromise, either sink back into quietude
In honor of Current's Poetry and Fiction submissions we are hosting an event at
Literati Bookstore
124 East Washington St
or at least make it worth his while. In the distance I heard my first wolf, howling against the raccoons just outside.
Wednesday, November 29 6:30 -8:30 pm (Readings begin at 7pm) Light appetizers and drinks
Nature, he said, was like this. You can never control anything, just accept that some animals will take all that they can get.
Come meet and greet Current editors and contributors and hear readings of winners in Poetry and Fiction categories along with special guests Anthony Zick and Molly Raynor. Check Facebook for further details or annarboreditor@adamsstreetpublishing.com Cont’d on p16
ecurrent.com / november 2017 15
Cont’d from p15
2nd place
for Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, a mom who protected her son from gunfire during the Pulse shooting for the price of two bullets
i. when the moment & music shattered you didn’t freeze, falter, or forget. under those lights it must have come back to instinct;
Alex Kime
the reactionary orchestra of I know, get down
Alex is a teaching artist, dialogue facilitator, and recipient of the 2015 Jeffrey L. Weisburg Memorial Prize in Poetry. Currently a National Community Scholar in the University of Michigan’s Master of Social Work program, their work can be found in the Café Shapiro Anthology Series, the Michigan Daily, and Uncommon Core: Contemporary Poems for Learning and Living.
protect,
for you, mother of 11, this was just another night; your son, the club, making all of yourself into a promise it starts & you are his whole world again & we, Brenda, could only ever hope to match you should our names be called by Bravery ii. dear Brenda, I seem to only be able to write this letter fragment to you. four years ago I got around to begin opening up to my mother & since then she’s tried. the afternoon before you died she texted me simply to ask how I was doing I’m so very queer, even more tattoos and the same messy brain & we are both still learning how to love each other
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3rd place
Nighttime
Darkness soft and hazy. If a summer’s night fell into its lull Of heat and the shimmering tittering of crickets I’d imagine a thunderstorm in the distance, Its lightning nearly ready to crack the sky, Cleave it in two, Like some thing that could be broken. Midnight: the air is still heavy but A breeze rustles through the trees and sighs Onto my skin through the open window. A streetlight casts a cone of pale sheen on the pavement. Empty street, empty spotlight Sleeping city and spinning globe And me, resting my head on my elbows, Resting my elbows on window sill, Drinking in the black, Swallowed, but here, and here, and here.
Kelsey Zimmerman Kelsey Zimmerman is an Ann Arbor native and has a B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan. She is a skilled knitter and amateur photographer and writer.
Kyndall Flowers
Zaphra Stupple
A trio of voices Poetry Night in Ann Arbor’s new format by Jeff Kass
After 18 years, Poetry Night in Ann Arbor is getting a makeover. The annual show will with a shift from larger venues, like Rackham Auditorium, to East Quad’s Keene Theater. While prior shows have featured up to 30 youth poets, this year’s edition will showcase 10 performers. In place of nationally renowned poets – folks like Patricia Smith, Martîn Espada, Kim Addonizio and Ross Gay – this year’s special guests will be locally grown, emerging writers Kyndall Flowers, Dylan Gilbert and Zaphra Stupple. Raynor believes the smaller venue will “create an intimate vibe, and we feel confident we’ll sell out. A packed audience tends to create a sense of excitement and energy.” This year’s show will focus around the theme, “Joy, Despite.” “The despite is obvious,” Raynor explains. “Despite hate, despite division, despite racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, anti-semitism. Despite natural disasters and manmade disasters. In this show, we will name the ugly but we will also rejoice in the beautiful. We will practice joy together.” Flowers, whose work has been featured on National Public Radio (and who has written for Current) is a dual-enrollee graduate of Pioneer and Community High Schools and was a two-time member of the Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam team. While much of her work focuses on racism, sexism and other social justice issues, she also celebrates music, community and love. Gilbert, a first-year student at U-M, also a Pioneer graduate, was the 2016 Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam Champion. Her work combines a wonderfully playful sense of humor with hard-hitting zingers. She describes her poetry as “a way for me to fight, sway opinions, and force others to think deeply.” Stupple, still a senior at Pioneer, earned accolades in 2017 as both the Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam Champion and the Ann Arbor Youth Poet Laureate. Her deeply personal work examines trauma and the courage necessary to endure it. ”
Poetry NIght in Ann Arbor, The Keene Theater in East Quad, 701 E. University Ave., Ann Arbor. Thursday, November 11, 7-9pm. Advance tickets only $10 - $20. To purchase tickets or to find out more, visit neutral-zone.org.
Rachel Pasche
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE DECEMBER 2017
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ecurrent.com / november 2017 17
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2017 / ecurrent.com
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commentary
Ann Arbor Named America’s Most Intellectual City But does it deserve a pat on the back? by Carlina Duan
As we explore the tremendous art and culture offerings available in Washtenaw County, it’s worth remarking that in July 2017, Ann Arbor was also ranked by a WalletHub report as “most intellectual city in America.” According to the report, there are more people (aged 25 and older) with bachelor degrees, graduate/professional degrees, and associate degrees in Ann Arbor than in the other cities studied. But, how does this ranking affect the younger, non-yet-degreeholding generation? When I first learned of the findings of the WalletHub study, confetti popped in my brain. I celebrated. I was proud, hailing from “the most intellectual city” in the country. Yet, upon further reflection, my pride congealed into questions. It’s easy to feel good about a ranking. It’s harder to think about concrete ways these numbers play out in a community, and even blurrier when you consider how “intellect” can also breed a hypercompetitive academic culture—one that may further alienate students who already lack resources to help them succeed. I know from my own experience that many Ann Arbor high school students are under a lot of pressure. I felt this pressure in high school and nearly cracked from it senior year. I had friends who pulled allnighters twice a week to study. Mental illnesses, like anxiety and depression, are on the rise among area teenagers. So are suicide rates. I wouldn’t attribute these negative outcomes solely to academic pressures to uphold a “most intellectual city” ranking, but I’m also not sure growing up under that burden is entirely healthy. Next, factor in the area’s racial education gap. Ann Arbor, according to a 2016 study performed by Stanford researchers, is among 10 percent of school districts with the widest racial
achievement gaps. What that means is that certain ethnic and socioeconomic groups do really well in school—mostly white and Asian middle class and upper middle class students—and others don’t. The result is a kind of two-tiered experience and which tier one winds up in shouldn’t be predictable by race or socioeconomic status. Can we truly call ourselves the “most intellectual city” if we can’t solve the puzzle of affording all our students equal access and opportunity? When I break down the meaning of the term “intellect” and lay it on the ground, contextualize it in the 21st century, I see emotional, linguistic and technological literacy. A student needs to have access to all these literacies— access to a laptop, an online dictionary, a library card and time to spend with friends. We can’t tut our feathers as “most intellectual” if we haven’t seriously considered the nuances and complications that come with the label. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up the wealth of fantastic organizations both within and beyond the Ann Arbor Public Schools that foster inclusivity, creativity, and intense intellectual engagement for youth. Numerous groups, like 826 Michigan, The Neutral Zone and Ozone House, put in the work to empower and stimulate young brains. And WalletHub did also find that Ann Arbor has the second-highest number of high school diploma holders (out of all areas studied). All this achievement is worthy of high praise. But how are we ensuring education extends beyond a degree? How are we feeding our emotional as well as academic intelligence? And as a community, do we have a plan to sustain our “most intellectual” educational future, given present and future cuts to the funding of the state and nation’s public education systems? I am glad we’ve placed first in a ranking. But it’s not enough. As “most intellectual,” we can—and should—always do more.
Carlina Duan is a writer from Ann Arbor. She holds a B.A. in English/Creative Writing from the University of Michigan, and has taught writing in Malaysia, Michigan, and California. Her journalistic and creative work can be found in The Michigan Daily, Mochi Magazine, HEArt Online, The Margins, and more. She can be reached at carlinawrites@gmail.com. ecurrent.com / november 2017 19
food The Report on Rappourt Brew & Chew Offers Just That by Jeff Kass
Tucked inside the retro-looking Plymouth Mall toward the rear entrance, Rappourt Brew & Chew is easy to miss. Diners interested in delectable variations on standard pub fare in a spacious, relaxed setting would be remiss, however, if they didn’t make the effort to find it. With 48 rotating craft beers on tap, along with a handful of wine options also on tap, the self-described “gastropub” offers a fun and appetizing dining experience.
Pub Fare Beyond the Ordinary
While appetizers include staples like House BBQ chicken wings, one can also order Crispy Romesco Wings (seasoned with smoked paprika, served with romesco verde and tossed in spicy mojo picon) or Chicken Parm Wings (parm-crusted with red sauce and topped with parmesan and provolone). Beyond wingfare, “Starters-Shareables” include Fried Green Tomatillos, Crispy Brussel Sprouts, Truffle Fries, Fried Risotto Balls and Poutine. Soups include a hearty Chicken Noodle, with chunks of tender chicken, full pasta spirals and a well-populated horde of carrots, celery and onions. A trio of salads includes a Watermelon Caprese (spring and summer only), a Bruised Kale and Roasted Beet Salad and a Chef Salad featuring mixed greens, roasted tomato, capicola, poached chicken and gruyere cheese. Shareables are in the $7-$9 range, while wings and salads are $10 - $12. Entrees include burgers such as the A2 Melt Burger (served with greens, roasted tomato, jalapenos and bacon, and topped with white cheddar beer cheese) as well as a housemade Blackbean Burger and a craftyour-own option. Opt for Street Tacos with black beans, mojo grilled chicken or shrimp, or an array of sandwiches including the Fried Tomatillo BLT (applewood smoked bacon, mixed greens, roasted tomato, pickled onion on a pub bun; topped with fried egg over easy and lime cilantro aioli), which proved a delightfully sloppy mess. A word too about the bacon, available for $2 on, or along with, any menu item –
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I’ve rarely tasted better. The slices were thick, not overly fatty, and cooked to that often elusive point, somewhere between chewy and crispy. Among a half-dozen “Small Plate Entrees,” one can find a Mousaka Lasganette (pappardelle pasta tossed with fried eggplant and lamb along with goat cheese, sheep’s milk cheese and housemade red sauce). Nothing on the menu costs more than $15. A token kids’ menu offers chicken fingers, grilled cheese or spaghetti, (all of which the twelve-year-old in our party pronounced ‘pretty good’), and a root beer float for dessert with (which instantly initiated an intense love affair).
Drink Options Galore
Among the 48 beers on tap, one can find numerous Michigan-brewed options like the Belgian Dubbel Horny Monk from Petoskey; Best Brown Ale out of Galesburg; Enigma, an Imperial/ Double from Bridgman; and, of course, Ann Arbor’s own Wolverine Brewery’s Premium Lager. There are also rotating tapped wine casks and a slew of innovative cocktails. Happy Hour is every day from 2-6pm and all day Sunday. Rappourt might be tucked into the back corner of a retro-mall, but there’s nothing outdated about the experience. In fact, you might say if you’re one who likes to eat and drink, it’ll be quite easy for you and this airy, comfortable gastropub to establish a rather pleasant rapport.
Rappourt Brew & Chew, 2721 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor (back side of Plymouth Mall). 734-929-2430. Opens daily @ 11:30am. For more info and a look at the full menu, visit rappourt,com.
3 Friday Ongoing Mondays Tios Modelo Mondays
All day every Monday. Tios Mexican Cafe. tiosmexicancafe.com
Quesadillas $7 cheese, $8 with beef, Chicken or Pork Giant Modelo Drafts only $4
Tuesdays Agave Tequila Bar: Taco Tuesdays
All Day. Agave Tequila Bar, Ann Arbor. agaveannarbor.com
Come by the Agave Tequila bar for tons of Tuesday specials. Tacos - $1.25 ea. / 4 for $5, Tequila Shots - $2, Pacifico - $3, Corona & Corona Light - $2.50
Wednesdays Wine Night Wednesdays 4-10pm. E vans Street Station. evansstreetstation.com
Enjoy 1/2 off bottles of wine from the Evans Street List! Can’t finish the bottle? You can have it corked and wrapped up to take home. Bottles available for retail purchase as well.
ednesdays & W Saturdays Ann Arbor Farmers Market 7am-3pm. Downtown Ann Arbor. a2gov.org
Fresh local produce, plants, flowers, dairy, meats, prepared foods, bakery items, artisan goods and more at this familyfriendly farmers market.
Saturdays Saline Farmers Market
8am. Downtown. cityofsaline.org
Fresh Local Food…Year Round. Growers only market sponsored by the City of Saline.
1 Wednesday Perfect Pies & Tarts
7pm. Ann Arbor District Library Downtown. peoplesfood.coop Free
The head baker at People’s Food Co-op leads a hands-on and lively workshop on making the perfect pie dough. You’ll make enough dough for 2 single crust pies.
2 Thursday A Decade Under the Influence
11am. Bar Louie. barlouie.com
Drink specials all day! $3.50 Martini’s, $5.50 Sangrias and $1.50 Domestic Bottles.
A Toast to Education
7pm. $40 - $50. Farmington Hills Manor. buschs.com
Charity event to benefit Farmington Public Schools. Enjoy tastings, live music, food and giveaways! 21+ event. Call or email info@ffhedfoundation.org for more information.
4 Saturday Game Day Charity Beer Garden and Food Truck Rally
10am. Stadium Club, Ann Arbor. Free
Game days just got better with food truck rallies & craft drafts at the Charity Beer Garden benefiting the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor
Wine & Cheese Fest 11am. Lucky’s Market. luckysmarket.com
We keep it wheel. Join us in our cheese department at noon as we crack open a wheel of our favorite Parmigiano Reggiano. There will be samplings of cheese, crackers, nuts, and- of course!- wine.
An experience for all your senses with Chicago pastry chef Malika Ameen 1pm. $75. Zingerman’s BAKE!. bakewithzing.com
In this class Malika will demonstrate a few of her favorite recipes from the book: earl grey pavlova, gingerbread cream and pear ribbon bread, and apricot rosemary coins (cookies). End class enjoying tastes of each recipe together. You’ll also go home with a copy of Sweet Sugar Sultry Spice! It’s sure to be a BAKE! event to remember, so don’t miss out!
The Great Big Potluck
5:30pm. St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church. stthomasannarbor.org Free
All are welcome to this community event. For the first hour eat and mingle with others and for the second hour there will be childcare and games in the gym while the teens and adults explore the topic “Exploring Proofs for the Existence of God”. 5:45pm-7:45pm
Baking Class
9 Thursday
7:30pm. $28. Eat More Tea. eatmoretea.com
Demonstration on how to make French macarons! Call or stop in to register.
8 Wednesday Filled Candy Class
5:30pm. $50. The Baker’s Nook. thebakersnook.com
In this class, you will learn how to make filled candies. You will also make a turtle, a mouse, dipped toffee bars, dipped peanut butter logs and peppermint bark. These are perfect gifts for the holidays. All supplies provided and you will take home your treats.
Passion & Perseverance 7pm. $25. Zingerman’s Greyline. kickshawtheatre.org
Local vocalists present the music of Broadway at this party for Kickshaw’s third season. Selections include music from Oklahoma, Cabaret, Funny Girl, Kinky Boots and more! Price of admission includes one of the signature “curiositini” drinks and a Dessert Bar by Zingerman’s. Cash bar.
Happy Hour & Tour at A2 Distilling
6pm. $25. Ann Arbor Distilling Company. tammystastings.com
A Tammy’s Tastings excursion to Ann Arbor’s hometown distillery! Head distiller John Britton will give a tour of the distillery and you’ll get to sample each of Ann Arbor Distilling Company‘s products. Enjoy snacks from Tammy’s Tastings and happy hour priced cocktails available for purchase!
10 Friday Danish: The Breakfast of Vikings
8am. $125. ZIngerman’s BAKE!. bakewithzing.com
Sail ashore and conquer the mysterious and rich world of danish dough. You will learn the techniques for laminating rich dough with butter, make your own dough in class, and create hand-shaped danish (almondfilled bear claws, pinwheels, and pockets filled with cream cheese or fruit), each surrounded by the rich tender flaky dough that makes a good danish. Oh so delicious! Cont’d on p 22
For eleven years Chef Thad has prepared every plate served at Logan.
For twelve years Chef Thad has prepared Experience the true meaning of Chef Driven our small, every plateinserved at intimate Logan. dining room. Experience the true meaning of chef-driven in our small, intimate dining room.
115 W Washington St. Ann Arbor, MI logan-restaurant.com (734) 327-2312
6 Monday MissKimJang!
6pm. $75. Miss Kim. misskimannarbor. com
Celebrate the first birthday of Miss Kim with a Korean Tradition. KimJang is an annual tradition in which communities make large amounts of Kimchi. Hear Chef JiHye Kim’s backstory and knowledge of this tradition and make your own batch of Kimchi, community style. Enjoy a strolling dinner and mingle with other guest. Plus! You leave with your own jar of Kimchi.
115 W Washington St. • Ann Arbor, MI 734.327.2312 • logan-restaurant.com ecurrent.com / november 2017 21
Cont’d from p 21
Parents’ Night OutWhooooo’s There?
5pm. $25 - $30. Leslie Science and Nature Center. lesliesnc.org
It’s a night out for grown-ups while the kids enjoy an exciting evening at LSNC. Meet our nocturnal hunters and explore the ways they fly, hunt, and survive. Explore our grounds after dark and test your own owl-like survival skills. Parents’ Night Out includes a Panera sandwich box with PB&J or Turkey as well as a late-night popcorn snack. Families are welcome to send their child with a dinner from home. Activities will be outside as much as possible, so please come dressed for the weather!
Holiday Mocktails
6pm. $29. Fustini’s Oils & Vinegars. fustinis.com
Bartender Sharon McRill incorporates Fustini’s vinegar and Young Living essential oils into cocktails for Thanksgiving! Attendees receive 10% off products purchased day of class. Registration is required online, in the store or over the phone.
11 Saturday Authentic Filipino Pig Roast
5pm. $7 - $15. First Presbyterian Church.
Hop Cat Beer Dinner with Revolution Brewing Co. Restaurant Matches Select Brews with Menu Items For this month’s beer dinner, Hop Cat teams up with new-to-Michigan Revolution Brewing Company to offer a “welcoming beer” followed by a four-course meal, each course paired with a different brew. Courses include an appetizer of pan-fried pumpkin fritters matched with Fistmas American Red Ale with Ginger Root and Orange Peel; a citrus kale salad paired with Amarillo Hero, a single-hopped IPA with amarillo hops; bourbon-braised short ribs with Deth’s Tar Oatmeal Stout; and a coffee creme brulee dessert paired with Coffee Eugene, an American Porter with Dark Matter Coffee. - JK
Hop Cat Beer Dinner, 311 Maynard St., Ann Arbor. Tuesday, November 28, 7-9pm. $31.80. Tickets @ eventbrite.com. For more info, visit hopcat.com.
you’ll look forward to impressing family and friends with your own from-scratch pies.
Enjoy an authentic Filipino pig roast. Advance reservations required, no walk-ins without reservations. Call the church office (743-662-4466) or Bob Wallin (734-355-2086) for reservations. Proceeds support project that meet the needs of the Dumaguete area community, Philippines. Deadline is Nov. 5.
Downtown Home & Garden Annual Humane Society of Huron Valley Supper Benefit
City of Chelsea’s 12th Annual Wine, Women & Shopping
Holiday WineFest
This November favorite heralds the holiday season with a multitude of shops and businesses offering special activities like trunk shows, live music, free raffles, specialty menu items in the restaurants, and discounts in the shops. In the spirit of the season, Wine, Women & Shoppers are invited to contribute non-perishable food items to the local food bank. Maps and brochures available.
12 Sunday Perfect Fall Pies
november
Wine | Food | Music | Community A Benefit for the Tecumseh Carnegie. Kick off the holiday season with this annual wine tasting. Enjoy over 60 wines from around the world and an extraordinary spread of hors d’oeuvres to match. Live music and a silent auction will round out the evening. For more information please call 517-424-5555 or e-mail info@evansstreetstation.com.
13 Monday Vinology Holiday Wine Tasting
5pm. $50. Vinology. vinologya2.com
Join in for this fun, hands-on class and learn to create irresistible two from-scratch pies to please any sweet tooth. You’ll work alongside other students, learning a creative twist for two classic pies. Once you have a handle on a few easy techniques,
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Downtown Home & Garden (DHG) staff will fire up the grill in a benefit for the Humane Society of Huron Valley, the former home of DHG’s Wallace the Cat. 5pm. $50. Evans Street Station. evansstreetstation.com
10am-6pm. Chelsea, MI. winewomenshopping.com
9:30am. $69. Sur La Table. surlatable.com
4pm. Downtown Home and Garden. downtownhomeandgarden.com Free
Wondering what to server for dinner for friends over the holidays? Join us for a holiday wine tasting. Open to the public, light appetizers will be provided. The cost is $50 plus gratuity and tax. (Wine club members will be required to pay gratuity for this event.) Reservations required by phone - 734.222.9841, or in person.
2017 / ecurrent.com
Common Grill Holiday Wine Show
6pm. $50. The Common Grill.
Guests will be treated to wide sampling of Chef Craig’s awardwinning cuisine and a variety of international and California wines. The specially selected wines will also be for sale that evening, with proceeds from the event benefiting Sounds and Sights on Thursday Nights and the Sounds and Sights Festival.
Cocktail Class: Visiting the Green Fairy 7:30pm. $45. The Last Word. tammystastings.com
Banned for most of the 20th century, Absinthe is back. Come learn all about this famous anise liqueur. The class includes a combination of history and stories, technique instruction, and hands-on making of cocktails. Plus sampling, of course! Total consumption is equivalent to 1.5-2 cocktails per person. Light snacks (pretzels, nuts) provided.
14 Tuesday Authentic Mexican at Home 6:30pm. $69. Sur La Table. surlatable.com
With the country’s mix of cultures and abundance of fruits, vegetables and seafood, authentic Mexican cuisine is vibrant and delectably diverse. In this class you’ll learn how to prepare an exciting menu of Mexican recipes with delicious ingredients, simple cooking techniques and more.
Arab American Special Dinner 217: A Table Shared with Ana Sortun 7pm. $75. Zingerman’s Roadhouse. zingermansroadhouse.com
After multiple visits to Turkey, the James Beard Award-winning chef became inspired to open her first restaurant Oleana in 2001. She is committed to using only the best ingredients to create her dishes, which take the traditional flavors of the Middle East to an approachable, yet evocative level of flavor. The Roadhouse welcomes all friends and family for an incredible experience while we fill your plates with rich, generous flavors at this family-style dinner.
15 Wednesday Color Tour Snacks
12pm. $59. Fustini’s Oil & Vinegars. fustinis.com
Interactive class with Chef Andy Stewart. Learn a menu with bright colors for Autumn season with Billi Bi with Paella Stuffed Mussels, London Broil and Orange Rice Salad, Bruschetta and Chocolate Angel Pie. Receive 10% off products purchased day of class. Registration is required. Sign up online, in store or over the phone.
Chinese Tea Workshop
4pm. The Confucius Institute at the University of Michigan.
CIUM offers Tea Artistry Workshop 2 times in the fall 2017. Each workshop will last 90 minutes, and you will get to taste a variety of high quality Chinese teas and learn about Chinese tea culture in depth. Tea and light refreshments provided during the workshop. This workshop is open to all, but you must register to participate. Only 5-6 participants per workshop.
BAKE! welcomes Ana Sortun & Maura Kilpatrick from Boston restaurants Oleana & Sofra 6pm. $75. Zingerman’s BAKE!. bakewithzing.com
Ana and Maura will team up to demonstrate their favorite recipes from their cookbook, Soframiz (available now). All you have to do is sit back, watch, learn and enjoy the sights and smells of their dynamic dishes. The class will include butternut squash gozleme, lamb sausage katmer, bread hummus salad, Syrian lentils and pistachio birds nests. End class tasting all the recipes together, and go home with your own copy of Soframiz, included in your class price. This is guaranteed to be 113% more fun than your usual Wednesday night! Don’t miss it!
Kick Off The Holiday Season at The Common Grill
Knife Skills 101
1pm. $59. Sur La Table. surlatable.com
17 Friday 2 1/2 Hour Interactive: COOKBOOK: CHARLIE TROTTER
12pm. $59. Fustini’s. fustinis.com
Described as a trailblazer, Charlie Trotter’s recipes are perfect for the creative flavors of Fustini’s. Kalamata Olive and Goat Cheese Tapenade; Sweet Corn and Shrimp Chowder; Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes and Bacon Sherry Vinaigrette; Molasses Spice Cake with Caramelized Apples.
18 Saturday Rise and Shine Brunch
9am. $65 - $85. The Kensington Hotel. girlsontherunsemi.org
Fundraiser brunch for Girls of the Run of Southeastern Michigan. Enjoy guest speaker Rachel Macy Stafford from The Hands Free Revolution. Each Ticket type includes a fantastic brunch. Check out the website for ticket levels to see which other options are available! Proceeds from the event will benefit the council’s scholarship program, ensuring that all girls have the opportunity to participate in Girls on the Run programs!
Become acquainted and adept with the most classic and important of chef’s tools, and your time in the kitchen will be transformed. In this hands-on class, you’ll hone basic knife skills and practice the fundamental cuts—mince, dice, brunoise, bâtonnet and julienne. Plus, an instructor will teach you a few advanced techniques and offer tips for keeping all your knives maintained and sharp. You’ll use these knife skills every time you cook, so if you only take one cooking class, this should be it!
Chelsea Restaurant Offers Annual WIne Show November 13th Guests will be treated to a wide sampling of Chef Craig’s awardwinning cuisine and a variety of international and California wines. All proceeds from the event benefit free Chelsea area Sights and Sounds entertainment events. “The Holiday Wine Show is one of The Common Grill’s most successful annual events and we saw it as a great opportunity to help raise funds for Sounds and Sights,” says Craig Common, proprietor and executive chef of The Common Grill.- JK
19 Sunday Baking for the Holidays 9:30am. $69. Sur La Table. surlatable.com
Warm up your kitchen this holiday season with the scent of good things baking. From fresh, hot dinner rolls to an exquisite apple tartlets, there are few things more pleasurable about fall than giving in to every whim to bake and cook. In this fun, hands-on class, our instructor will cover a few basics of baking —from mixing homemade doughs to creating a classic buttermilk glaze. Plus, you’ll laugh and learn alongside classmates as you practice shaping your dough to create perfectly risen and deliciously buttery Parker House rolls.
The Common Grill Holiday Wine Show, The Common Grill. 112 S. Main St., Chelsea. Monday, November 13, 6-9pm. $50. For tickets call The Common Grill @ 734475-0470. For more info, visit CommonGrill.com. Ypsi-Arbor SOUP
20 Monday
6:30pm. Barracuda Networks.
Ypsi-Arbor SOUP is so grateful for Barracuda Networks in downtown Ann Arbor to have offered space for this event! Share in supporting local projects, learning about what’s going on in our community, and finding out how you can get involved in some great local activities!
French Croissants 101 11am. $48.96. Sur La Table. surlatable.com
Who can resist a flaky, buttery freshbaked croissant? Join in for the 3-hour intensive workshop and learn the surprisingly simple techniques for making Cont’d on p 24
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Cont’d from p 23
the quintessential French treat. An instructor will walk you through all the steps—from mixing the dough and preparing the butter block to the turning and folding process. Enjoy working alongside classmates learning to shape dough and crafting three varieties of croissants, including classic, sweet and savory.
21 Tuesday Cozy Fall Dinner
6:30pm. $69. Sur La Table. surlatable.com
Chase away the chill of autumn and some quality time in the kitchen. In this fun, handson class, work alongside other students learning to transform seasonal ingredients into a delicious dinner. An instructor will walk you through techniques for making the creamiest risotto to perfectly roasting chicken. Plus, you’ll practice knife skills, learn how to make a homemade vinaigrette and make a quick and tasty topping for your chicken. Finish on a sweet note with a deliciously simple but decadent chocolate fondue.
23 Thursday Thanksgiving Day Buffet Brunch
10:30am. Adults: $25.99, Seniors: $21.99, Children: 6-12 $15.99, under 5 Free. Holiday Inn Ann Arbor. hiannarbor.com
Celebrate Thanksgiving with your family, but let Guy Hollerin’s do the cooking with this delicious Thanksgiving Brunch. Head to their website to see the full menu. Reservations are required.
Thanksgiving Feast
11am. Adults: $37.95, Children 6-12: $12.95, 5 & Under: $1/year . Evans Street Station. evansstreetstation.com
A glorious buffet with traditional favorites and special touches.
24 Friday
2pm. Kelsey Museum of Archaeology.
6:30pm. $85. Sur La Table. surlatable.com
Join us for an evening of fun, laughter, and amour as you and your date immerse yourselves in elegant Parisian cuisine. An instructor will walk you through essential French techniques for everything from making homemade vinaigrette to perfectly searing meat and creating an incredible pan sauce. Plus, enjoy working alongside your date and other classmates preparing the quintessential French fry and practicing the surprisingly simple steps for creating a classic French dessert.
25 Saturday 2 1/2 Hour Interactive: COOKBOOK: WOLFGANG PUCK Austrian born, Chef Puck’s recipes have a blend of European and American flavors. Radicchio and Arugula with Warm Goat Cheese and Herbs; Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Crispy Bacon; Beef Goulash with Spaetzle; Baked Alaska.
Holiday Sophisticated
6pm. $49. Fustini’s Oils & Vinegars. fustinis.com
On this docent-led tour, explore the production and transport of food in the ancient Mediterranean from Karanis, Egypt to a Villa in Pompeii.
29 Wednesday Family Style Italian
6pm. $59. Fustini’s Oils & Vinegars. fustinis.com
Interactive class with Chef Andy Stewart. Learn to make cuisine of Italy perfect for family gatherings with flavors from Fustini’s. Recipes include Red, White and Green Salad, Shrimp Scampi , Sunday Gravy and Tiramisu. Receive 10% off products purchased day of class. Register online, stop in or call the store.
30 Thursday
12pm. $59. Fustini’s. fustinis.com
Demonstration class with Chef Andy Stewart. Learn a sophisticated menu for this
Cuisine
26 Sunday Sunday Drop-In Tour | Food in the Ancient World
Date Night: Paris Bistro
International
holiday season. Recipes include Vichyssoise, Poached Salmon with Champagne Ravigote, Filet Mignon with Sherry Shallots Dijonnaise and Crème Brûlée. Receive 10% off products purchased day of class. Register online, stop in or call the store.
Thai Favorites at Home
6:30pm. $69. Sur La Table. surlatable.com
Who needs takeout when you can easily create delicious Thai dishes at home? In this hands-on class, an instructor will introduce you to authentic Asian ingredients and show you how to achieve the delicate balance of flavors—sweet, spicy, bitter and salty—that makes Thai cuisine uniquely delicious. Enjoy working alongside classmates practicing fundamental Thai techniques, including knife skills, grilling, wok cooking and more. Plus, learn to make the perfect pad Thai and a fruity dessert featuring forbidden rice.
Ann Arbor’s diversity is reflected by the number of fine ethnic restaurants and unique imported food stores in our area.
Call 734.668.4044 to be a part of this page.
Lunch
11AM-2PM M-F
Dinner Authentic Turkish Home Cooking BOOK PRIVATE PARTIES SPECIAL EVENT DINNERS
This special offer is valid only in store. It is not valid for delivery or other services. This special offer canot be combined with other special offers, promotions or discounts.
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5PM-9PM M-SAT
FIND US ON
1703 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor aysescafe.com | ayse@aysescafe.com
734-662-1711
Photo Credit: Misty Lyn Bergeron
music
Focus on Folk: After You Cold Tone Harvest releases first full-length album
From campfire songs to studio albums, (L-R) Ozzie Andrews, Tony Pace, Andrew Sigworth and Brian Williams have maintained a thorougly midwestern sound.
by Jeff Milo
You can’t hurry a harvest. Music this poignant takes patience. This band hooked me several years ago with the mystique of their name: Cold Tone Harvest. It conjures up the distinctions of the elements, Michigan weather; sound (the brisk timbres of banjos and acoustic guitars); and rural vocation, the harvest. It also acknowledges the blue-collar lifestyles that frame many of the themes and characters in their lyrics. The band members have purposefully taken their time, and the craft and care will show when they finally unveil their first full-length album November 30th at The Ark. “From the get go, when I first heard Andy (Sigworth) sing, I said that’s got to be the focus,” says Brian Williams, Cold Tone Harvest’s drummer. They met each other through mutual friends during a camping trip up north, when a campfire facilitated recitals of songs and music. “His voice is our lead instrument,” says Williams, recalling how his first jam sessions with Sigworth found him paring his drum kit back and starting off with softer brushes rather than snare-slamming sticks. Daniel Ozzie Andrews joined on upright bass before their first official show in 2010. “I think people might hear us as fitting into certain styles, like Americana, or folk…,” Williams says, listing off genres. “Or ‘Whiskey-rock!’” Sigworth slips in with a chuckled suggestion. “But we don’t go into a song with any of that in mind,” explains Williams. “It’s keeping that voice and building the music around those lyrics.”
Rugged soul
There’s an elegant ruggedness to Sigworth’s voice; it truly is an instrument unto itself, even though he’s never had any classical training. And it’s soulful— even if Cold Tone Harvest isn’t making soul music—since the sublime sway to its melodic
incantation comes straight from the heart and captures that thin border between fragility and perseverance. The relatable lyrics, odes to everyday travails, are also augmented by the keen subtleties of the musical arrangements via drums, banjo, upright bass, and most recently, the electric guitar of Tony Pace, the band’s newest member. “For the majority of the songs on this new album, the lyrics cover an array of experiences I’ve either had or have witnessed other folks go through,” says Sigworth. “There’s a certain Midwestern quality to what the music and lyrics put out there, almost as if we’re trying to capture the idea of adversity. There’s always a moment where you can dig deeper and be reminded you can push forward. That’s what we try to encompass with this record and these songs.”
First full length
The band has already released a handful of EPs in the past, and steadily continued to hone its craft, sound, chemistry and aesthetic before finally working on a full-length album. They recorded a good chunk of After You at 2188 Studio in Chelsea and had production and mixing assistance from Ann Arbor’s Chris Dupont. To make this the best record it could be, they went the crowd-funding route and were overwhelmed by the supportive response from fans. Sigworth says it was bassist Andrews who declared the new album a true “snapshot,” a capturing of the band at this moment in time and “of everything we’ve done up to this point.“ What you’ll hear most of all is the patience. These are adept musicians playing with care, creating a vibrant and evocative sound likely to stir something deep in your soul.
Cold Tone Harvest Album Release Party at The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-761-1451. Thursday, November 30, Doors at 7:30pm. $15, coldtoneharvest.com. ecurrent.com / november 2017 25
music Big Easy Roots Rockers To A2 The Subdudes Play The Ark on Friday, November 10th Don’t expect this concert to be subdued. The Subdudes, best known for using a tambourine player instead of a drummer, offer a lively and unique blend of folk, New Orleans Rhythm & Blues, funk, soul, country and cajun/zydeco. The band is led by singer/guitarist Tommy Malone and accordionist John Magnie and came together after backing artists such as Joni Mitchell and Roseanne Cash. - JK
The Subdudes at The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. Friday, November 10, 8pm. $40. For tickets or more info, visit theark.org.
Ongoing
Saturdays Senior music
Wednesdays Live Music: Thunderwüde
Different group each Saturday
8pm. Chelsea AleHouse. chelseamich. com
Wes Fritzemeier, Jason Dennie, and Tommy Reifel take the stage to deliver down-home bluegrass sound. Every Wednesday from 8-10pm.
Thursdays
Late Night Happy Hour w/ Dj Dick Jones 9pm. The Ravens Club. Free
Every Thursday, swing by the Ravens club for late night happy hour and some sweet tunes provided by Dj Dick Jones.
1st and 3rd Fridays Sweetwater Talent Night
8:30pm. Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea. Free
Featured Artist of the Night: Performance from 8:30-9:15pm. Open Mic spots available afterwards from 9:30-11pm. The people are passionate, the culture is rich and the spirit of Ann Arbor runs deep. If you want to share your art... let it be music, poetry or comedy, we want to hear it! Simply bring your original material, any equipment you need and show up early to sign up for a performance spot!
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2pm. Ypsilanti Township Community Center. Free
Sundays
Live Music: The Wes Fritzemeier Jazz Experience 6pm. Chelsea AleHouse. chelseamich. com .
End your weekend on the right note! Featuring Jed Fritzemeier, Brian Brill and Wes with the occasional special guest. Every Sunday night from 6-8pm.
1 Wednesday Crosscurrents: Zakir Hussain & Dave Holland
7:30pm. $26 - $66. The Michigan Theater. michtheater.org
This special collaboration between Zakir Hussain, a living master of the 3,000-year-old tabla percussion tradition, and distinguished bassist and 2017 NEA Jazz Master Dave Holland demonstrates the many directions of inspiration between the idioms of jazz and Indian music.
Bill Staines
8pm. $15. The Ark. theark.org
Now in his sixth decade of performing, Bill Staines tells heartfelt stories in song of places he’s been and people he’s met. He’s a champion yodeler, a wit to match the standup world’s best, a guitarist with a unique style (a southpaw, he plays a righthanded guitar upside down), and a musician with a gift for instantly memorable tunes that are liable to turn into singalongs at any time.
My Girlfriend Beru w/ Painted Shapes, Danny VanZandt, and Dr. Pizza 9pm. $7 - $10 The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
The rhythm section of Theo Czajkowski & Kevin Allen matured in the mystical land of Saint Clair Shores, where the rain can redeem you in a night and the lakeshore holds profane secrets. Singer/guitarists Daniel Rothenberg and Michael Zimmer, are from Farmington Hills, where Insane Clown Posse live. Ride a white swan; if you like to talk to tomatoes, have we got a show for you.
2 Thursday Einshoch6
4pm. Neutral Zone. neutral-zone.org
classical aesthetics of Rufus Wainwright, the medieval flourishes of Joanna Newsom, the dense, jazz-inflected harmony of Brazilian pop’s golden era, and the spacey grandiosity of classic Britpop.
Anne Hills // Cindy Mangsen & Steve Gillette 8pm. $20 - $27. The Ark. theark.org
The musical and marital partnership of Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen reminds us of what folk music is all about. Many of their songs were composed by Steve, one of the most prolific and widely recorded songwriters of the modern folk era. Anne Hills has, in the words of the Chicago Tribune, “one of the most glorious voices in all of contemporary folk music,” and she’s been called the heir apparent to Judy Collins.
Dopapod
8pm. $15 - $18. Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
The Boston born, now generally Northeast based, but ever on-the-go Dopapod has come a long way from their college basement, DIY party roots. Dropping on November 11, in the midst of an extensive Fall Tour, Never Odd Or Even is the spark that the band plans to ignite while in full stride of capping off an exciting year and launching them into the next.
Einshoch6 live! German Hip Hop meets Classical. Space is limited, tickets must be reserved in advance and will be collected at the door. Ticket availability will open on October 15, 2017 at 9am on a first come, first served basis. Sponsored by University of Michigan Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures.
Live Music from Gary Ritter
Jared Saltiel Performance
7pm. $13 - $50. 2|42 Community Church. sanctus242.brownpapertickets.com
7pm. Literati Bookstore. literatibookstore.com
With his new album Out of Clay, Jared Saltiel delivers a collection of story-songs about love, idealization and disillusionment. The music draws from far-flung influences — the reconstructed
PJ’ S
Sing for Justice, Michigan! Day-long event @ Pease Auditorium EMU and the Michigan American Choral Director’s Association combine to host an interdisciplinary event calling for musicians, artists and scholars from across the mitten to explore art advocating for social change. Event includes choral performances, literary arts performances, visual arts, and breakout discussion sessions. Registration begins @ 9:30am. Evening concert features the Chanticleers @ 8pm - JK
Sing for Justice, Michigan!, Pease Auditorium, College Pl, Ypsilanti. Friday, November 10, 9:30am - 6pm. Chanticleers Concert @ 8pm. For more info, visit evensi. us/sing-for-justice-michigan-pease-auditorium.
3 Friday 5pm. chelseamich.com
Gary Ritter plays music with his guitar and fiddle.
Sanctus Real LIVE IN CONCERT
Come out for a great night of music with multi Grammy nominated and Dove award winning artist Sanctus Real! You’ll hear the songs you know cont’d on p 28
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and love spanning their 20 years in music, as well as brand new, critically acclaimed songs like “This is Love�, “Safe in my Father’s Arms� and “Changed�.
Danny Schmidt
8pm. Green Wood Coffee House.
Danny Schmidt has amassed a cult following for his poetic, poignant imagery. With lyrical depth drawing comparisons to Leonard Cohen, Townes Van Zandt, and Dave Carter, Schmidt is an artist whose earthy poetry conjures magic from the mundane. Schmidt’s latest release is Owls, a mystical collection of ethereal allegories.
John McCutcheon
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8pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org
John McCutcheon’s art grew out of his absolute mastery of American traditional music and instruments. Classic American song, rooted in the best our musical tradition has to offer. John McCutcheon is a voice for peace, a community organizer, a writer, a literacy campaigner, and a performer who has packed concert halls on four continents.
Talent Night at Sweetwaters 8:30pm. Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea. Free
Welcome to Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea’s Talent Night! These will occur on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month from 8:30-11 pm.Featured Artist of the Night: Perform from 8:30-9:15pm Open Mic spots available afterwards from 9:30-11pmThe people are passionate, the culture is rich and the spirit of Ann Arbor runs deep.
Haskins with Sinker and Anders Orange
9pm. $10 - $13. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
Justin Jungman, Guy Vendittelli, Ken Bajorek, Jeff Carpenter & Kevin Bilbery are Haskins. Straight up indie rock with a dash of country thrown in for good measure, Haskins is the embodiment of life-long friends sharing their love of music.
4 Saturday The RFD Boys
8pm. $11. The Ark. theark.org
Delighting Michigan audiences since 1969 The RFD Boys are one of southeastern Michigan’s most durable musical ensembles, and their anniversary shows capture a deep slice of musical Ann Arbor. If you’ve been with the boys since the beginning, come and celebrate! If you’re new to the area, here’s a good time to check out this Michigan institution--and probably make some new friends!
5 Sunday American Romanian Festival: OPPOSITES 7pm. $5 - $30. Kerrytown Concert House. kerrytownconcerthouse.com
Downtown Ann Arbor 203 E Washington St 734-9 97-5399
The festival organizes educational, cultural, and artistic events which will take place in Romania and the USA. The organization supports cultural exchanges with Americans participating in events in Romania and Romanians participating in events in the USA.
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BeauSoleil
7:30pm. $25. The Ark. theark.org
You can come to a BeauSoleil concert to party or to experience musical history through the group’s mix of Cajun, zydeco, country, blues, bluegrass, Tex-Mex, and Afro-Caribbean sounds! Cajun bands come and go, but BeauSoleil endures and just keeps getting better. That’s because, in the words of Allen Toussaint, “they play music that’s honest to the bone.�
6 Monday Chamber Choir
8pm. University of Michigan. Music.umich.edu Free
No tickets required
Wind Chamber Concert
8pm. University of Michigan. Music.umich.edu Free
No tickets required
7 Tuesday China NCPA Orchestra 7:30pm. Hill Auditorium. ums.org
One of China’s great orchestras makes its UMS debut with a new work commissioned by Qigang Chen, the music director of the 2008 Summer Olympics. American composer Lou Harrison’s pipa concerto shines a spotlight on the traditional Chinese lute, performed by the world’s reigning pipa virtuoso and Silk Road Ensemble member, Wu Man.
Zoe Speaks
8pm. $15. The Ark. theark.org
The trio Zoe Speaks consists of Kentuckians Mitch Barrett, Carla Gover, and Owen Reynolds, who draw on their deep roots in the region to put their own spin on everything from traditional ballads to finely crafted, award-winning originals. A smooth, mellow instrumental mix lays the background for the close vocal harmonies that are a defining feature of their sound.
8 Wednesday Tommy Emmanuel & David Grisman: The CGP & Dawg Tour 7:30pm. $40 - $75. Michigan Theater. theark.org
For nearly half a century, mandolinist/ composer/bandleader/producer David Grisman has been a guiding force in the evolving world of acoustic music. A noted fingerstyle guitarist, Emmanuel frequently threads three different parts simultaneously into his material, operating as a one-man band who handles the melody, the supporting chords and the bass all at once.
Steve Poltz wsg. Rebecca Loebe 8pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org
He is a master of improvisational songwriting and works without a set list to be free to react instantly to the mood of a room. He is quite possibly the most talented, and engaging, solo performer on this planet. Whether he’s Canadian, or American, or simply from space, there’s no denying there’s only one Steven Joseph Joshua Poltz, and to know him is to love him. Austin Americana songwriter Rebecca Loebe opens.
9 Thursday The Brockowitz Duo
8pm. Kerrytown Concert House. kerrytownconcerthouse.com $5 - $30.
Atists: Phil Markowitz, piano Zach Brock, violin The Brockowilz duo cuts across genres to create new environments for a contemporary chamber music. The compositions are a melange of jazz, world music, and 20th century composers, that create a new dynamic setting for the venerable violin-piano duo.
Chamber Music Recital
8pm. $12 - $30. University of Michigan. music.umich.edu
Featuring Merryl Monard, flute; Andreas Oeste, oboe; Joshua Anderson, clarinet; M. Cody Dean, bassoon; Mary E. Garza, horn; and Mi-Eun Kim, piano. PROGRAM: Mozart- Quintet in E-flat major for Piano and Winds, K. 452 William Horne-Sextet for Piano and Winds. Free - no tickets required
Six Foot Poles Offers Final Footnote Concert
Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers
Local band to sign off at Ypsi Alehouse
See description under 11/10.
After 22 years of playing music together, the Six Foot Poles will jam out for one final concert at the Ypsi Alehouse. Selfdescribed as playing “vintage rock with a Motown twist,” the band features the three brothers Dave, Mark and Matt Brzezinski, along with Theo Smalls and the sole female member of the group, whom the band describes as their “five foot pole,” percussionist Joelene. Come say goodbye to the Six Foot Poles! - JK
SIx Foot Poles Final Footnote Concert, Ypsi Alehouse, 124 Pearl St. Suite100, Ypsilanti. Saturday, November 18, 7pm - 11pm. For more info, visit sixfootpoles.com.
Chanticleer NTE Presents: Generation Next 7pm. $5. Ziggy’s.
As a precursor to 734 Saturday’s monthly that begins in December, some of the younger kids in the area who might not normally get to perform get a chance to rock the stage for the first time!This will be a 16+ event , Ziggy’s hosts the event and please be respectful of the venue! Sounds for the night by: DJ Nitro. Headliners for the evening Lunicy, Mo Laheem, Wicked Jake, Moe Dav Vinci, Scottie Palmer, Buck Don’t Give A F**k, Naleek North, Ma$$, Pretty Erti, & Petey.
The Subdudes
8pm. $40. The Ark. theark.org
Before there were terms like “roots rock,” there were the Subdudes and their acoustic accordion-flavored musical brew that came straight out of the warmth and soul of their native
2pm. $5 - $30. Kerrytown Concert House. kerrytownconcerthouse.com
Take a behind-the-scenes look at the foundations of jazz. An education in the fundamentals of jazz...and a lot of fun! This month, the trio will diving into the fundamentals and secrets to jazz playing in a trio! 4pm. $26 - $56. Rackham Auditorium. ums.org
The trailblazing Israeli mandolin virtuoso Avi Avital and soulful Syrian clarinetist and composer Kinan Azmeh team up with The Knights for an extraordinary performance grounded in the classical tradition and crossing boundaries into the worlds of Middle Eastern, Balkan, klezmer, and jazz.
8pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org
10 Friday
12 Sunday All About The Trio Back To The Basics
The Knights
Nora Jane Struthers— ”Champion” Release Tour Nora Jane Struthers has written “some of the most quietly powerful narratives within the new wave of Americana artists,” says Ann Powers of NPR Music. Nora Jane’s new album, “Champion,” is built on these kinds of songs. A performance by Nora Jane and her band is full to the brim with stellar musicianship, unexpected arrangements that blur the lines between folk, roots, and rock, and an audible sense that everyone in the room is having a damn good time.
9pm. $15 - $30. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
Dar Williams
7:30pm. $35 - $55. The Ark. theark.org
New Orleans. The Subdudes sound has persisted through several changes of personnel, and now they’re back, with Steve Amedée on tambourine, making a joyful noise in the world’s funkiest city and beyond.
the evening is WCBN’s Michael Nastos. Featuring music from Hoodang bass player Ralph McKee and Mercury Salad Sandwich. Enjoy coffee from Hyperion and delicious pastries from Brewed Awakenings.
Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers
Balance (Marcus Elliot/ Michael Malis)
Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers will make a sprightly young groove doctor out of anyone. With spectacular energy pulsating from every member of the band, the Rainbow Seekers could illuminate the very chambers of Heaven. Also on 11/11.
Balance is a collaborative duo of saxophonist Marcus Elliot and pianist Michael Malis. Called “two of Detroit’s most important young jazz musicians” by the Detroit Free Press, Elliot and Malis’ “intuitive improvisations” stand on the threshold of composed and improvised music, creating intimate portraits of musical expression that deal in the language of subtlety. They have been named Artistin-Residence by the Chamber Music Society of Detroit for their 2017-2018 season.
9pm. $15 - $30. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
11 Saturday Second George Davidson Fundraiser 2pm. Zal Gaz Grotto Club.
All are invited to a jam session from 2 to 5pm. All jazz, all afternoon, all welcome. So far Tad Weed, Pete Siers, Kurt Krahnke, Ron Brooks, RJ Spangler, Los Gatos, Dave Sharp, Gloria Baker, Sean Dobbins, Paul VornHagen, and many more.
Benefit for master musician George Davidson 7pm. Ziggy’s. Free
He has worked and performed with the giants of Motown such as The Four Tops, The Supremes and many others. Your host for
8pm. $5 - $30. Kerrytown Concert House. kerrytownconcerthouse.com
Joshua Davis
8pm. $30. The Ark. theark.org
Raised between the homes of a Detroit schoolteacher and an Upper Peninsula outdoorsman, Joshua Davis is the product of both city and country. Joshua comes to The Ark with a new album, “The Way Back Home.” Gifts or Creatures opens with songs of the Great Lakes Basin.
Dar Williams is a longtime Ark favorite who finds the personal in the political and the universal— and sets folk commitment to great pop tunes. Tonight she comes to The Ark not only with her songs of politics, religion, sexuality, and family, and the grassroots activism she has practiced, but with her new book, What I Found in a Thousand Towns: A Traveling Musician’s Guide to Rebuilding America’s Communities.
13 Monday Jinjoo Cho & Arie Lipsky
1:30pm. $10. JCC of Greater Ann Arbor. a2so.com
The finest chamber recital music is played by A2SO musicians and guests. These hour-long concerts are open to listeners of all ages. Wind, string and brass soloists and ensembles combine programs to include freshly minted pieces along with timehonored classics. Doors open at 1:00 pm and the concert commonly is a little over an hour. cont’d on p 30
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Adrian Legg
8pm. $17.50. The Ark. theark.org
Guitar gods in training, take notice. Voted Guitarist of the Decade by Guitarist magazine and Best Acoustic Fingerstylist four years in a row by readers of Guitar Player, Adrian Legg dazzles audiences with an unclassifiable mixture of country, jazz, folk, rock, and classical styles.
14 Tuesday Dessa with Monakr 8pm. $15. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
november
8pm. $5 - $30. Kerrytown Concert House.
kerrytownconcerthouse.com Kaoru Watanabe is a Brooklyn based composer and musician, specializing in the Japanese taiko drum and shinobue flutes. He has spent decades artfully blending the sounds of Japanese instruments with those from around the world.
15 Wednesday
Dessa is a rapper, a singer, and an essayist with the Doomtree collective–the ascendant Minneapolis hip-hop crew. As a writer, she’s contributed to MPR, the Star Tribune, literary journals around the country, and has published two short collections of her own.
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Kaoru Watanabe
Wax Kings Sessions at Ziggy’s 7pm. Ziggy’s.
Hosted by PRophet Ecks with guest Dj’s Brexx & Knifhouse
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John McLaughlin & Jimmy Herring - John McLaughlin Farewell US Tour Meeting of the Spirits: Music of Mahavishnu Orchestra 7:30pm. $34 - $75. Michigan Theater. ums.org
On this tour, which features the first extended collaboration between two of the world’s foremost improvising artists, guitarist John McLaughlin revisits the legacy of his legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra with his co-headliner, virtuoso guitarist Jimmy Herring.
Riders in the Sky
8pm. $25. The Ark. the ark.org
Riders In The Sky are the ONLY exclusively Western artist to have won a Grammy (twice). That the band was even formed is a feat of improbable likelihood. What
are the odds that a theoretical plasma physicist, a wildlife manager–galvanizer–Life Scout, an English major–shot putter– Bluegrass Boy, and a Polka Hall of Fame member would collectively become “America’s Favorite Cowboys”?
Metempsycosis with Red Robe and Soji 9pm. $5 - $8. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
Metempsychosis is an experimental band from Michigan formed in 2009 by Neil Struble and Nick Cunningham.
16 Thursday Creative Arts Orchestra
7:30pm. University of Michigan. Music. umich.edu Free
no tickets required
Loudon Wainwright III 8pm. $25. The Ark. theark.org
Loudon Wainwright III, or LW3 for short, is a cherished icon of American folk music, a darkly witty and touchingly personal songwriter and storyteller. Loudon comes to Michigan with a new book, On Parents & Children, Exes & Excess, Death & Decay, & a Few of My Other Favorite Things. Songwriter Lucy Wainwright Roche, the daughter of Loudon Wainwright III and Suzzy Roche, opens the show.
17 Friday New York Philharmonic Bernstein’s Philharmonic: A Centennial Festival 8pm. $18 - $125. Hill Auditorium. ums.org
The New York Philharmonic returns for its second major UMS residency, this time with a focus on Leonard Bernstein, the celebrated New York Philharmonic music director and composer who was born 100 years ago. Also on 11/18 and 11/19.
Small Potatoes
8pm. Green Wood Coffee House.
Small Potatoes is Jacquie Manning and Rich Prezioso. They describe their music as “Celtic to cowboy,” and say it’s taken them “years of careful indecision” to develop a mix of music ranging from country, blues and swing to Irish ballads. You’ll hear two great voices, fine guitar playing and a touch of tin whistle, flute, mandolin and bodhran. Small Potatoes’ award-winning songwriting, close harmony and warm rapport with the audience makes for a wonderful evening. Their latest album is Christmas In The Cabin.
18 Saturday
smallpotatoesmusic.com
Mini-Moog Fest
11am. Ann Arbor District Library Downtown. aadl.org Free When Robert Moog streamlined the commercial manufacture of analog synthesizers, he helped create a music revolution that’s still being felt today. Join us for a celebration and exploration of all things synth at Mini MoogFest! Featured performances by North Coast Modular Collective (which builds much of its gear from
scratch), Mike Dykehouse (who brings the boom-bap with vintage synths), and the meditative trio of Chuck, Kendall Babl, and Sean Curtis Patrick (playing ambient space jams).
New York Philharmonic Bernstein’s Philharmonic: A Centennial Festival 2pm. $18 - $125. Hill Auditorium. ums.org
See description under 11/17.
Cheryl Wheeler w/ Kenny White
8pm. $25. The Ark. theark.org
It has always seemed as if there were two Cheryl Wheelers, with fans of the New England songwriter relishing watching the two tussle for control of the mic. There is poet Cheryl, writer of some of the prettiest, most alluring and intelligent ballads on the modern folk scene. Songwriter-pianist Kenny White opens, and Cheryl’s latest, “Cheryl Wheeler Live,” features the two together, with such hitsto-be as “Lady Gaga’s Singing Program.”
19 Sunday New York Philharmonic Bernstein’s Philharmonic: A Centennial Festival
3pm. $18 - $125. Hill Auditorium. ums.org See description under 11/17.
The Michigan Pops Orchestra 7pm. $8. Michigan Theater.
The Michigan Pops Orchestra is the oldest student-run, student-directed collegiate pops orchestra in the United States. The organization was founded in 1996 by Warren Hsu, a University of Michigan student committed to enhancing musical diversity across campus. He advertised the orchestra as one that performed music what students wanted to play and that no other orchestras on campus were programming. Hsu also wanted to give Ann Arbor residents unfamiliar with orchestras an opportunity to have orchestral experiences in a fun and exciting atmosphere. To this day, Hsu’s initial motives are still Pops’ biggest priorities. Members of the Michigan Pops come from all parts of the University of Michigan community. Most musicians are not music-majors. Most of our music directors have been graduate students in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. Today, we have over 100 members, and we are managed by an executive board of 14 students.
22 Wednesday King Crimson
7:30pm. Michigan Theater.
Sale Dates and Times: Public Onsale : Fri, 21 Jul 2017 at 10:00 AM Michigan Theater Subscriber Presale : Wed, 19 Jul 2017 at 10:00 AM Live Nation Presale : Wed, 19 Jul 2017 at 10:00 AM Citi® Cardmember Presale : Wed, 19 Jul 2017 at 10:00 AM In a career that has spanned nearly 5 decades, this 8 person lineup is their ninth iteration.
24 Friday Matt Watroba
8pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org
Your Thanksgiving weekend in Michigan isn’t complete without hearing Matt Watroba! Matt is the kind of guy who makes friends easily. Pick up a copy of Matt’s latest, “Community Sings, Vol. 1,” which reflects that community feeling, a homecoming for Michigan folk music, with great songs and warm memories—and often special guests!
The Patient Zeros with Dalinian Labour Day Weekend and Sister Wife 9:30pm. $7 - $10. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
Formed by life long friends and first time musical collaborators CJ Kjolhede and Joe Schramm. The group has played their brand of rock n roll in over 20 states, covering both coasts and most of middle America en route to or from their home of Denver, Colorado. The group’s latest release, “Born Again”, captures the band’s signature tense and dynamic bluesy-folk sound.
25 Saturday Mr. B
8pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org
Born in Flint and by now a Michigan institution, Mr. B (Mark Braun) is a rare living link to the early days of boogie woogie, having learned directly from legends like Little Brother Montgomery and Blind John Davis. This year saw him paddling a piano out to Mackinac Island. Each year Mr. B stops in at The Ark for a Thanksgiving weekend concert, and it always brings something new from this local treasure.
A War Within with Major Minor So Called Ghosts Stay Away and Liars & Thieves 9am. $10. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
For fans of We Came As Romans, Crown The Empire, Bring Me The Horizon, Blessthefall, Our Last Night and other bands alike, A War Within is a band that is dead set on giving the music world the best possible music and performance that will make any show goer and music lover remember them
27 Monday ÆPEX Presents: String of words 7pm. $10. Literati Bookstore. literatibookstore.com
ÆPEX Contemporary Performance is excited to open its third season by bringing Hungarian-American violinist Hajnal Pivnick to Ann Arbor’s beloved Literati Bookstore.
30 Thursday Cold Tone Harvest
8pm. $15. The Ark. theark.org Hailing from southeast Michigan, and bonded together by the members’ common interest in a musically historical and honest sound, Cold Tone Harvest formed in late 2008. The band comprises singer/songwriter Andrew Sigworth, bassist Ozzie Andrews, and drummer/banjo player Brian Williams, with newest member, Tony Pace.
Normal Park with Farewell Weekend Bad Television and Parkway & Columbia 9pm. $5 - $8. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
Ypsilanti based 4 piece “basement jams”
Figure with Midnight Tyrannosaurus
9pm. $15 - $20. The Necto. necto.com
Josh Gard, also known as Figure, has become a household name in bass music with a catalog that spans over 5 years and more than 100 tracks. Figure is best known for his signature, heavy bass sounds, but his music has crossed various genres as heard on his most recent full-length LP, Gravity (2015, DOOM MUSIC).
Searchable lists updated daily at
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theater Resisting Injustice On Stage New play explores racism in the criminal justice system
By Sandor and Emily Slomovits Veteran playwright David Wells, whose play Irrational premiered at Theatre Nova last year, has another new project, Resisting, playing in the same space this month. Irrational was set in ancient Greece, but Resisting takes place now and is based on a true story. Wells: The actual events took place in Baltimore in 2012 when a black woman pretended to film police abusing a young man. Filming police in a public place is not illegal, and yet she was arrested. A laundry list of charges was concocted, and she was offered a plea deal with probation. She declined to accept the deal and took the case to trial. The plot of the play is inspired by those real events, but I created original characters and relationships. What prompted you to write this play? Reading an article in Rolling
Stone about “broken windows” policing (monitoring urban environments to prevent small crimes, it is argued, helps to create an atmosphere of order and lawfulness, thereby preventing more serious crimes), which included a recap of this case from Baltimore, made me realize how little I was aware of the systemic racism in the criminal justice system that is actual policy. I figured if I was unaware of it, then a lot of people like me are probably unaware, too. How did you research the story?
I consulted with attorneys who’d worked as public defenders in Michigan, Baltimore, and New York (the public defender I consulted with worked out of
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Playwright David Wells inspired by real events.
the Bronx in the early and mid-1990s when “broken windows” was being introduced). Michelle Alexander’s book The New Jim Crow was also a great resource. Finally, after I’d already written the play, I saw the documentary 13th, but it confirmed a number of the elements I tried to portray. Authors often write about things they haven’t personally experienced. But to write about the black experience as a white man seems like a particularly daunting task. There may even be people who say, “What’s a white man doing writing a play like this?”
This was my biggest consideration and concern. I wrestled with it quite a bit before even starting the project. Can I tell this story? Should I tell this story? And if I do, who is the audience? Because I’m not going to presume to tell a black audience anything they don’t already know. I simply tried to: 1) get the legal procedural details right; 2) imagine how I’d feel in that situation, because, really, what else can a writer do; and 3) get a whole lot of feedback. To that end, we had a reading last spring in conjunction with the Wayne State Black Theatre Program and Black And Brown Theatre. After the reading, I asked the audience members and cast to hold nothing back— tell me everything I got wrong. They said I hadn’t gotten anything wrong, and, in fact, I could even go further
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than I had. I took that as confirmation to move forward with the play. I also specifically hoped Billicia Hines would direct the production. (Billicia Hines is the director of the Black Theatre Program at Wayne State. She also directed Mr. Joy for Theatre Nova last season.) Having her feedback during development has been great. We’ve also been fortunate to have a couple readings with the cast, and I asked them, as well, to call me out on anything I’m getting wrong. Black audience members I’ve spoken to were aware of the effects of the systemic racism the play explores, but not necessarily some of the actual police policy behind it. And I don’t think most white audiences fully understand how dense the systemic racism is within the criminal justice system. The play is a story about one woman’s journey through the criminal justice system, but it employs a number of perspectives, so I think the play is for everyone.
Resisting runs through November 19 at The Theatre Nova, 410 W. Huron St., Ann Arbor. 734-635-8450. General Admission $20. Pay-whatyou-can tickets available by emailing a2theatrenova@gmail.com with the subject heading “PWYC Tickets.” For more info, or to purchase tickets, visit TheatreNova.org.
art
UMMA Boldly Embraces Next Era Catching up with Christina Olsen, the museum’s new Executive Director by Jeff Kass
Christina Olsen recently began a five-year appointment as UMMA’s new Executive Director. Most recently, she directed the Williams College Museum of Art where she built a national reputation around critically acclaimed exhibitions, publications and new and innovative forms of faculty and student engagement. Olsen holds a bachelor’s degree in history of art, with honors, from the University of Chicago, and a master’s degree and a doctorate in art history from the University of Pennsylvania. Current caught up with her to talk about her vision for UMMA over the next five years.
of people and backgrounds, and I like the way Ann Arbor looks–the age and variety of the trees and the river and the ways it winds through the town. I love the burgeoning food scene and how much terrific music there is. I’m thrilled to be in a larger town again. There are many things to love about New England and Williamstown, where I previously lived, but I’m so grateful to have a greater mix of people, ethnicities and languages around me and to have Detroit so close. What inspired you to be part of the art museum world? I love art, and its
You’ve said you want to “create exciting, ambitious exhibitions that matter right now.” What role do you believe art can play in terms of what “matters right now”?
history, and thought for a long time I’d become a professor. But I turned toward museums New UMMA Director Christina Olsen: “Art can “distill, because I really felt that was interpret, and amplify...the world around us.” where art could continue to meet the present, and new much about what will drive attendance. Altogether that means they should be as generations of viewers. You know the old Art of all kinds—visual art, music, experimental and articulate as possible notion of museums was that art went there theater—has the capacity to distill, interpret about what they’re doing and how they’re to be preserved forever, unchanged and fixed. But humanities scholarship and an and amplify what’s occurring in the world doing it. around us, and what we’re preoccupied At UMMA, I’d like to make exhibitions understanding about people’s experiences with. Some artists do that very directly and installations that are about ideas and in museums have shifted that. I think and others more obliquely. More than that surprise visitors—by way of their of museums today as kind of brokering many other places, Michigan is grappling subject, or their point of view, or forms. the relationship between objects and with these dramatic cultural, political and Installations that upend your expectations, contemporary viewers, and recognizing environmental changes of national and or draw new connections between ideas and supporting the ongoing, developing set of meanings that art can have over global scale. UMMA’s programming has to and works of art, or between disciplines. time. I also really believe the best and reflect that, in order to have currency right now and in order to stay abreast of what What role do you believe UMMA most progressive values that museums and libraries hold at the core: that they are artists are concerned with. plays in Ann Arbor? UMMA should give people exposure to what matters for the public, and their collections and You’ve also said university museums right now nationally in the art world. It resources are held in the public trust, for “should be the bleeding edge of the should make the world bigger and more our benefit, education and pleasure. I’m looking forward to making UMMA field of museums; doing and trying interesting to a wide array of people in things other museums can’t.” Can Michigan. It should offer the community into one of the most exciting museums in you offer some examples and what a window onto the university—allowing the country, where a diversity of people people to participate in the university’s go to see really significant works of art would you like to see UMMA try? In deep wealth of ideas, expertise, and and exhibitions. It’s nested in the best general, university and college-based art resources. And it should collaborate public university in the country, in a state museums have abilities and responsibilities closely with other institutions and campus grappling with some of the most urgent other museums often don’t. They’re a part entities to offer a compelling vision for the issues of our time, so the museum should of higher education, and thus should hold centrality of the arts and artists on campus be really ambitious about its role and the same values as their parent institutions: impact! and in contemporary culture. to produce and disseminate new thinking in their sphere of expertise—museums and art. They are also usually free, so they aren’t dependent on admission, and therefore can program more freely, without worrying as
So far, what are your favorite things about Ann Arbor? I like how warm and
For more info about what UMMA is up to these days, visit umma.umich.edu.
relaxed people are here, I like the diversity
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film
1. ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN - the classic celebration of
Townies Tally Movie Favorites Washtenaw locals wax on films in their fields With summer blockbusters behind us, and holiday-viewing and Oscar-time lurking in the near future, what’s a movie-loving binge-watcher to do right now? Current suggests thematic movie marathons. Filmmaker Heidi Philipsen reached out to several Ann Arbor area professionals from different walks of (work) life to give us their top-five favorite movies connected to their chosen fields.
CYNTHIA KORTMAN WESTPHAL
Cynthia Kortman Westphal is a Broadway keyboard player and conductor, and professor of musical theatre at the University of Michigan.
1. THE
LITTLE MERMAID - I was a classical pianist
all my life, but this was the movie that put “musical theatre” on my radar. It was the spark that set me on a new path.
2. BEAUTY
AND THE BEAST - When this movie
first came out, I saw it 12 times, and in 3 different countries. I’ve now seen it countless times and the score of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman is perfection. The early death of Howard Ashman (lyric writer) was such a loss--he was about as good as it gets.
3. FAME
- As a teenager, I went through a phase of being obsessed with artists who were passionate and suffering, and just trying to figure out life. This one fits the bill!
4. AMADEUS - Visually and musically STUNNING.
I credit this movie with making me realize I wanted to spend my life in music.
5. RAGTIME
- I had the privilege of working with Randy
Newman on a musical he wrote. Most know him as the composer of Disney films like the Toy Story franchise, and A Bug’s Life. But Ragtime was his first film score, and it’s heartbreakingly gorgeous and evocative.
JEFF KASS
Jeff Kass, a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism and a former sports radio producer and talk show host, is the Assignment Editor for Current magazine. When not writing and editing stories for Current, he teaches Tenth Grade English and Creative Writing at Pioneer High School. His debut thriller Takedown is brand new from 5th Avenue Press.
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journalists who search for truth and are unwilling to be cowed into submission by the powers that be. Also hard to go wrong with that combo of Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford.
2. NETWORK
- Brought us the classic moment of people opening their windows and shouting, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” Provoked a lot of questions about the role of TV news in our culture that might seem tame in today’s shoutfest alternative-facts era, but at least started the conversation about people getting their news and/or thoughts from the box in their living rooms.
3. BROADCAST NEWS - Comedy with great dialogue and, also, I’ve had a long-time crush on Holly Hunter
4. ABSENCE OF MALICE - Featuring Paul Newman and Sally
Fields in a textbook on journalistic ethics, or non-ethics as the case may be.
5. ALMOST FAMOUS - Gotta love the starry-eyed young kid
figuring out what makes a good story. I’ve felt shy, ashamed and befuddled so many times when trying to track down a story so this film hits the heart.
R.J. FOX
R.J. Fox teaches film at Huron High School and has optioned two screenplays to the film industry. He is the author of two books: Love & Vodka and the upcoming Awaiting Identification. His collection of childhood-themed essays entitled, Tales From the Dork Side, will be released from 5th Avenue Press on November 5th.
1. AMERICAN GRAFITTI - We
all have that one magical, epic summer night during our teenage years. No matter when you graduated from high school, this movie perfectly captures the fleeting moment between high school graduation and adulthood when you realize things will never be the same. Ever.
2. BACK TO THE FUTURE - Marty McFly is that teenager we
all wished we were, when in reality, most of us were either a Biff, or a George McFly. Timeless, innovative, and in the DNA of every 80’s childhood.
3. ELECTION - A razor sharp satire about high school politics
and the pitfalls of ambition at all costs. Reese Witherspoon ruthlessly fights to win class president, as Ferris Bueller himself (Matthew Broderick) sets out to destroy her, managing to destroy himself in the process.
4. GREASE - Grease is the word. Enough said. The soundtrack to my early childhood....and beyond.
5. NAPOLEON DYNAMITE - If only we all had dance moves
like Napoleon Dynamite. And his fearless zest for life. A hero for any awkward misfit. Every year, I get at least one student like Napoleon Dynamite (I’ve even had some who look like him). And my day is so much more entertaining as a result.
SUZY AOUDE
Suzy Aoude earned her BA and MBA from the University of Michigan and is now a selfdescribed “Bio-wife, Mom, Group Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer and – most especially— Motivator.”
1. KICKBOXER
- The classic movie that started the kickboxing phase. I can’t help but feel motivated to create finesse in the moves I create after watching Jean Claude Van Damme in this film.
2. ROCKY
- Another oldie but goodie. Rocky inspires me to never give up and that it’s never too late to follow your dreams and achieve greatness in what you love.
JUDY HUNTINGTONPHILIPSEN
Judy earned a Master of Science in Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry, and worked at ParkeDavis/Pfizer for 39 years. Currently an Independent Patent Information Researcher, Judy is writing a memoir about working as a woman in science beginning in the 1960s. She is also the mother of the author, Heidi.
1. HIDDEN FIGURES -
Female, black mathematicians work at NASA on the successful flight of Friendship 7. They had two strikes against them and yet they proved they could accomplish as much as white men.
2. THE HELP - reminds me of growing up in the South. 3. DARK KNIGHT RISES - An action-packed comic book come 3. MRS. DOUBTFIRE - with Robin Williams and Sally Field, to life. The time is sure to fly if you watch this during a cardio run. I feel moments of increased adrenaline that push me further than normal.
4. STEP UP - What can I say? I’m a sucker for dance movies. This one twists classical dance with street dance and makes me feel creative and inspired.
5. MILLION DOLLAR BABY - One of Clint Eastwood’s finest movies. It’s inspirational to all women who want to enter the world of man. Determination is key in this one!
a wonderfully funny story but also points out the love of a father for his children and the sad effects of divorce.
4. MAMMA MIA – I loved songs by ABBA when I was first married, and still love the musical today. Have watched this film at least 10 times.
5. BEACHES - Because of all the songs Bette Midler sings in it, plus I like the story of the friendship between women.
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Michigan Theater’s Collins Recognized Ann Arbor Troop 4 alum awarded
Blood at the Root at Arthur Miller Theater U-M Alum’s play based on the Jena Six
Originally written for Penn State’s Graduate Acting Program, Blood at the Root was inspired by the 2006 incident at Jena High School in Louisiana when six black teenagers faced charges for assaulting a white student. That followed several other school incidents, including nooses being hung from a tree where white students usually gathered, but beneath which a black girl was one day bold enough to sit. “It all got roots,” states a character in the play. “ Why some people talk the way they talk, or hang out with who they hang out with, or love who they love, or hate who they hate—all got root.” Morriseau, refers to the play as a “choreopoem”, which will be performed by U-M actors.
Blood at the Root at the Arthur Miller Theater, U-M North Campus, 1226 Murffin, Ann Arbor. Thursday, November 16, 7:30 -10pm. $30/$12 w/ student ID. Tickets @ tickets.smtd. umich.edu.
arts & culture 2 thursday
Ongoing
[film] Documentary: A Plastic Ocean
[theater] Resisting by David Wells
2pm. $20. Theatre Nova. theatrenova.org. 11/2-11/5, 11/9-11/12 & 11/15-11/19
From the playwright of the smash-hit IRRATIONAL comes this hard-hitting, topical play about systemic racism in the American legal system. Based on a true story, a young black woman who begins to film an incident of police brutality is subjected to shocking treatment and becomes embroiled in a legal case that never should have been.
[theater] Farce of Nature
8pm. $12 - $18. Riverside Arts Center. ptdproductions.com. 11/9-11/12 & 11/15-11/18
Farce of Nature tells the story of one day in the life of the Wilburn family of Mayhew, Arkansas, owners and proprietors of The Reel ‘Em Inn, the finest little fishing lodge in the Ozarks—at one time, anyway. The show features an outrageous cast of characters and situations including gangsters, frustrated wives, cross-dressing, door slamming, and mad chases.
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7pm. Hatcher Graduate Library. lib.umich.edu Free
All people interested in sustainability and environmental issues are invited to join for a screening of the documentary “A Plastic Ocean,” which details the effects dumping plastic has on marine life. After the screening, stay for a panel discussion with University professors and other experts from the area about the contents of the film and other issues relative to plastic and the environment. Vegan desserts and light refreshments will be available.
[misc.] Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Presents Morehshin Allahyari: On Digital Colonialism, Re-figuring, and Monstrosity 5pm. Michigan Theater. stamps.umich.edu Free
Morehshin Allahyari is an Iranian media artist, activist, educator, and curator who uses computer modeling and digital fabrication techniques to explore the intersection of art and activism.
2017 / ecurrent.com
Russ Collins, Executive Director of the Michigan Theater Foundation, will receive a Distinguished Citizen Award for his dedication to Scouting at a dinner on November 7th at the Michigan Union’s Rogel Ballroom. “Boy Scouts were transformative for me,” Collins says. “I still remember the Scout Law and Oath. I also discovered inspiration in the words of Scouting Founder Sir Robert Braden-Powell, who said, ‘Singing and acting are excellent for training in selfexpression. Also, they mean good teamwork, everybody learning his part and doing it well, not for applause for himself, but for the success of the whole show.’” Reception begins at 6pm, followed by the dinner program at 7pm. - JK
Distinguished Citizens Dinner recognizing Russ Collins, Rogel Ballroom in the Michigan Union, 530 S. State St., Ann Arbor. Tuesday, November 7, 6pm. RSVP to scoutingevent.com/2722017dcd. Sponsorship opportunities available @ Melissa. Stricherz@scouting.org.
[lit] Grown Folks Story Time
7pm. Bookbound Bookstore. Free
We never really outgrow our love of hearing a good story read aloud. So join in for Grown Folks Story Time! This event is NOT for children – there may be profanity, wry humor and pseudo-intellectual banter!
3 friday
[art] Dan Barry Artist Reception 6pm. Pierre Paul Design. pierrepauldesign.com. Free
Pierre Paul Design invites you to the Prismatic Landscapes Artist Reception with painter Dan Barry. Enjoy delicious refreshments as you peruse the stunning oil paintings of Ann Arbor scenes and the surrounding countryside while visiting with local artist Dan Barry.
[lit] Poetry at Literati: Donald Dunbar, Christine Hume, Becky Winn 7pm. Literati Bookstore. Free
Welcome three wonderful poets as part of The Poetry at Literati series! Donald Dunbar, Christine Hume, and Becky Winn will be reading poems from their latest collections.
4 saturday
[film] Air Sex World Championships 8pm. $10 - $12. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
Part tour documentary, part comedy special, part exploration of modern sexuality, Air Sex: The Movie follows comedian Chris Trew as he tours North America hosting the raunchy, hilarious, sex-positive social phenomenon.
[misc.] Red Hawk Glow Disc Golf Tournament
5pm. $30. Independence Lake County Park. discgolfscene.com This is the only after-hours disc golf tournament hosted at Independence Lake Park each year. This 24 hole tournament is lit by glow sticks. The top 20% of players for each division will receive awarded payouts in disc golf discs.
5 sunday
[lit] Ann Arbor Poetry
7pm. $5 suggested donation. Espresso Royale Cafe.
Ann Arbor Poetry is an open mic and feature series on 1st and 3rd Sundays of every month, with your hosts Simon Mermelstein and Garret Potter. This weeks featured poet is Jack Siebel.
[misc.] Ann Arbor Stamp Show
10am. Washtenaw Community College: Morris Lawrence Building. annarborstampclub.org Free
Introduce your child to stamps, learn the value of that old album, see collection displays, and buy US and foreign stamps and postal history at the Ann Arbor Stamp Show. Sponsored by the Ann Arbor Stamp Club. The US Postal Service (a show co-sponsor) and United Nations Postal Administration have recent issues for sale.
6 monday
[film] Bassem Youssef: The Joke is Mightier Than the Sword
7:30pm. $18-$42. Michigan Theater. ums.org
In The Joke is Mightier than the Sword, Youssef shares his personal story and his thoughts on the political climate that led to the Arab Spring, its parallels to the current state of American politics, and how propaganda lays the foundation for dictatorial regimes. Talk, video, and audience Q&A.
7 tuesday
[lit] John U. Bacon - Book Launch
7pm. Rackham Auditorium. literatibookstore.com Free
Launch of the latest book from New York Times-bestselling author John U. Bacon, The Great Halifax Explosion. Literati Bookstore will be on site to sell copies of the book, released the day of the event. Following the book talk will be a Q&A and signing.
[misc.] Nerd Nite Ann Arbor (Sponsored by AADL)
Doors at 6:30pm, speaker at 7pm. LIVE. aadl.org Free
For the last 4 years, crowds have gathered each month in the early evening in bars and venues around Ann Arbor. Around 7pm, it begins: three boisterous speakers geek out up front. What is this? Some secret club? Nope: Nerd Nite!
8 wednesday
[theater] Passion & Perseverance
7pm. $25. Zingerman’s Greyline. kickshawtheatre.org
Local vocalists present the music of Broadway at this party for Kickshaw’s third season. Selections include music from Oklahoma, Cabaret, Funny Girl, Kinky Boots and more! Price of admission includes one of the signature “curiositini” drinks and a Dessert Bar by Zingerman’s. Cash bar.
[lit] Zingerman’s Bakehouse Book Signing & Tasting
6:30pm. $50. Zingerman’s Delicatessen. zingermansdeli.com
Go back to where it all started. Reminisce with the authors Frank and Amy, taste Deli sandwiches featuring the best of Bakehouse breads, snack on Magic Brownies and go home with a signed book!
9 thursday
[art] Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Presents Art Spiegelman: Comics is the Yiddish of Art 5:30pm. Michigan Theater. stamps.umich.edu Free
Artist and Illustrator Art Spiegelman is known widely for his Pulitzer Prize-winning literary graphic novel Maus, a Holocaust narrative that casts mice in the role of Jews and cats in the role of Nazis.
[lit] Open Mic & Share Poetry Series feat Groundcover 7pm. Bookbound Bookstore. bookboundbookstore.com
Open Mic featuring the poetry of writers and vendors from Groundcover News, a local street newspaper which exists to create opportunity and a voice for low-income people while taking action to end homelessness and poverty.
20 friday
[misc.] Parents’ Night Out Whooooo’s There?
5pm. $25 - $30. Leslie Science and Nature Center. lesliesnc.org
It’s a night out for grown-ups while the kids enjoy an exciting evening. Meet nocturnal hunters and see the ways they fly, hunt, and survive. Explore the grounds after dark and test your owl-like survival skills. Includes dinner.
12 sunday
[misc.] Open House with Guided Tours 1pm. Kempf House Museum. kempfhousemuseum.org Free
Visit the 1853 Greek Revival home of German-American musicians Reuben and Pauline Kempf. See Victorian period furnishings, including an 1877 Steinway piano, the first concert grand in Ann Arbor.
13 monday
[art] Date Night Screen Printing
[lit] Nathan Glander
Spend a fun night out with your special someone and try your hand at some awesome screen printing techniques. Absolutely no experience is necessary and each participant will create their own unique set of screen prints.
Literati Bookstore partners with the JCC of Ann Arbor as part of their annual Jewish Book Fest to welcome author Nathan Englander to Zingerman’s Greyline in support of his new novel Dinner at the Center of the Earth. Zingerman’s Greyline will have food and drinks available for purchase!
6:30pm. $85. Ann Arbor Art Center. annarborartcenter.org
[lit] Ann Arbor Storytellers’ Guild presents: STORY FEST
7:30pm. $15. Trinity Lutheran Church. annarborstorytelling.org
Join in for laughs, mysteries and sentiments. Steve Daut, Storyteller/MC is joined by tellers: Barbara Schultzgruber, Rich Swanson, Laura Lee Hayes, Jane Fink and Beverly Black. Door prize: a handmade quilt!
11 saturday
[health] Acro Yoga Series
1pm. $30. A2 Yoga. a2yoga.net
Each workshop will teach different poses, but they are not cumulative. Each workshop is taught on a beginner level, so you can go to any of them.. No partner required. Space is limited.
[theater] Improv Showcase
8-10pm. $10. Ann Arbor Civic Theatre. A2ct.org
The hugely successful Civic Improv Ensemble, now in its third season, will present a Fall Showcase, with all three Civic Improv troupes performing four shows.
7pm. $26.95. Zingerman’s Greyline. literatibookstore.com
[film] Guess who’s Coming to Dinner 7pm. $8 - $10. Michigan Theater. michtheater.org
When Joanna Drayton (Katharine Houghton), a free-thinking white woman, and black doctor John Prentice (Sidney Poitier) get engaged, they travel to San Francisco to meet her parents. Matt Drayton (Spencer Tracy) and his wife Christina (Katharine Hepburn), liberals who must confront the latent racism forthcoming.
14 tuesday
[misc.] WCED Lecture. The Politics of Secrecy in the Age of Revolutions 4pm. Weiser Hall - Room 110. events. umich.edu
Americans have been questioning the propriety of secrecy in government, particularly in the legislative process. Though there are few formal rules on what work must be done in public view there is a general expectation that a representative democracy requires a certain degree of publicity or transparency. Cont’d on p38
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arts & culture cont’d from p37
17 friday
[art] November Photo-Club
[misc.] Digital Marketing Workshop 2017
7pm. The Common Cup. commoncupcoffee.com Free
Hosted by Ann Arbor based photographer: Marc-Grégor Campredon this event’s theme is “Motion with emotion”. What to bring? A tablet or a computer to look at the slideshow. Make sure to RSVP.
16 thursday
[art] Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Presents Lucy McRae: Future of Wellness 5pm. Michigan Theater. stamps.umich.edu Free
Lucy McRae is a sci-fi artist, designer, body architect, and filmmaker placing the human body in complex, futuristic scenarios that confound the boundaries between the natural and artificial.
[film] Don’t Look Back
9:30pm. $8 - $10. Michigan Theater. michtheater.org
Film directed by D.A. Pennebaker chronicling Bob Dylan’s concert appearances, hotel room conversations and transportation downtime on the cusp of his shift toward rock music.
7:30am. $25-$50. EMU Student Center. events.emich.edu
The theme of this year’s workshop is The New Face of Main Street. Join over 20 expert panelists for sessions on integrated digital strategies and the New Face of Main Street. Event registration begins at 7:30 AM. The Program starts at 8:00. Lunch concludes at 2:00 PM.
[misc.] Talent Night
8:30pm. Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea. Free
If you want to share your music, poetry or comedy, we want to hear it! Simply bring your original material, any equipment you need and show up early to sign up for a performance spot! All submissions must be original and family friendly
[misc.] Owl Prowl (Adults Only)
7pm. $8. Leslie Science and Nature Center. lesliesnc.org
An enchanting evening with owls. Night hikes, owl calling, and visits with live owls will fill the evening with wonder as we
discover how ears, eyes, and feathers help owls survive. 18 and older.
18 saturday
[lit] Maureen Jennings
Maureen Jennings discusses and signs copies of her new Inspector Murdoch mystery, LET DARKNESS BURY THE DEAD.
[film] Warner Brothers Cartoons
2pm. Aunt Agatha’s Bookshop. Free
[misc.] Mini-Moog Fest
11am. Ann Arbor District Library Downtown. aadl.org Free
When Robert Moog streamlined the commercial manufacture of analog synthesizers, he helped create a music revolution that’s still being felt today. Join in for a celebration and exploration of all things synth at MoogFest, with performances and hands-on activities.
19 sunday
[art] Guided Tour - Gloss: Modeling Beauty
2pm. University of Michigan Museum of Art. Free
Focusing on the prominent role of women as the subject of photography, “GLOSS” explores the shifting ideals of female beauty that pervade European and American visual culture from the 1920s to today.
[lit] Feminist Book Club
7pm. Literati Bookstore. Literatibookstore.com Free
Enter a fun, thoughtful, and safe environment in which to discuss current issues surrounding feminism and equality. This November meeting, discuss The Power by Naomi Alderman.
21 tuesday
[art] Fun with Wire with Jesse
5pm. $30. The Bead Gallery. bga2.com Learn to use wire gages, tools and techniques to create wire shape. Also learn to make headpins, ear wires, S-hook clasp and wrapped loops (gallery wraps).
[lit] Moth StorySLAM: Revelations
6:30 pm sign up, 7:30pm start. Zingerman’s Greyline. themoth.org
REVELATIONS: “A-ha” moments, sudden focus, answers found, secrets disclosed. Seeing the light, finding the culprit, solving the mystery or stumbling upon the truth. Each teller will have 5 minutes to tell his/her tale.
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2017 / ecurrent.com
7pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room. crazywisdom.net Free
Traditional herbs can be used to nourish and support the GI system. Learn new ideas, explore old myths, and leave with health tips.
20 monday
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[health] Herbal Support for the GI System with Linda Diane Feldt
24 friday
11:30am. $8 - $10. Michigan Theater. michtheater.org
Make a pit-stop at the Michigan Theater during your busy holiday shopping and catch a selection of Warner Brothers cartoons.
25 saturday
[sports] Michigan Football vs. Ohio State
12pm. Michigan Stadium. Mgoblue.com
The team from Columbus comes to town on Saturday, November 25th for what is sure to be a heated battle at the Big House.
26 sunday
[theater] Open Stage
7:30pm. Pointless Brewery & Theatre. pointlessbrew.com
Open mic for bands, improv artists, poets and more. 8-10 minute spots to show your talents. Email info@pointlessbrew.com to sign up.
[art] Engaging With Art
1pm. University of Michigan Museum of Art. umma.umich.edu Free
UMMA docents will guide visitors through the galleries on tours as diverse as their interests and areas of expertise. Each docent plans a theme and includes a variety of styles and media to illuminate his or her ideas.
27 monday
[film] Monterey Pop
7pm. $8 - $10. The Michigan Theater. michtheater.org
Concert film highlighting the music of the 1967 California Festival. Musicians included are Mamas and the Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, Jefferson Airplane, the Who, Otis Redding and the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
29 wednesday
[lit] Moth: GrandSLAM Championship 8pm. The Ark. themoth.org
FUEL TO THE FIRE: The Moth presents the GrandSLAM, a battle of wits and words - fierce, hilarious, heartbreaking and all points between. Listen as ten StorySLAM champs tell tales of escalation and acceleration.
person of interest Laura Thomas Department Head and Lecturer at U-M’s
Residential College Creative Writing Program by Cammie Finch
Congratulations on your newest and highly praised short fiction collection, States of Motion (Wayne State University Press, 2017). Tell us about some of the themes within your stories?
Thank you! In the stories, the characters often make choices, or chase desires, with the goal of forcing a reaction from their families or their communities. Some characters, like Marlin in “The Lavinia Nude” or Moor in “State of Motion,” don’t see, or won’t admit, their goal isn’t to change themselves or their circumstances, but to shift troublesome energies onto others. The stories also question whether laws of the heart are as inevitable as physical laws. Many characters come to learn that love, or hate, are neither created nor destroyed, but only change form once they are set in motion. Another glue that connects these stories is Southeast Michigan. The great recession and its aftermath is definitely a recurring character too. Why do you think the story of the “small midwestern town” is an important contribution to the literary world? Ever since Hester Prynne’s town
forced her to wear that scarlet letter, America’s stories have been small-town stories. Our great Midwestern authors— Laura Ingalls Wilder, Willa Cather, and Theodore Dreiser— continued this tradition of planting storytelling roots in townie soil. We wouldn’t have the same American literary tradition at all, much less Midwestern lit, without narratives that spring from the complicated, vivid and entertaining social enterprise of living cheek to jowl in a small community. How long have you lived in the Ann Arbor area?
Most of my life. When I was 6 months old, my family moved to Ypsilanti from New Hampshire when my father landed a job with Ford Motor. My mother was taking evening classes at Eastern Michigan University at the time of the so-called “Michigan Murders.” In fact, we lived in the neighborhood where one of the murders took place! I’m a U-M graduate, from the LSA Residential College, and I now teach creative writing in the RC. My students are terrific, dedicated writers who write beautifully and devote themselves to artistic, challenging lives. What are some of your favorite ways to relax in Ann Arbor? I browse Literati Bookstore and Nicola’s
Books, and never, ever leave empty-handed. I also relax by being that oddball who drinks red wine in the new craft beer breweries around town. I love the wheaty amber and burly aroma of specialty beers, and the brewing process is endlessly fascinating. Concerts in Hill Auditorium and the Michigan Theater are also amazing fun. And I just like walking around town, or along the Huron River. In so many other cities, you really have to plan ahead to have fun. In the Ann Arbor-Ypsi cultural powerhouse, you can figure out what to do and get there pretty darn quick, not squander the fun in traffic.
ecurrent.com / november 2017 39
Cannabis The Guide to Cannabis Vapes Combustion is for cro magnons; all aboard the vapor train by Vic Tanney
The cannabis industry’s evolution (i.e. monetization) has led to technological innovations easily imagined as props in a sci-fi B movie. Picture two 1960s loners supine in the bed of an El Camino sharing a joint under the stars; they’re pipe-dreaming a future where one could legally vaporize cannabis using a device easily mistaken for a ballpoint office pen. (“It’s like you’d be smoking, but you wouldn’t really be smoking, man.”) Far out, indeed. Now, through the advent of compact, battery-operated heating coils and the progressing science of THC extraction, cannabis consumption has become increasingly approachable and discreet. Vaping extracts facilitate a smokeless, mostly odorless and controllable high that you can take on the go. If you’re just dipping your toes into the shiny arena of cannabis vaporization,there are several styles of vapes that can cause some confusion. With predominant verticals comprising flower, wax and CO2 cartridges, the first two options require a bit more expertise.
Flower
This type of vaporizer is typically more expensive and requires actual buds to use. You’ll want to finely grind your flower before loading it into the oven, a compartment that heats the bud to the point it releases THC vapor. You’ll not only be able to discern the flavor nuances of each strain you vaporize, but you’ll also end up ingesting fewer toxins than you would with smoking. As far as flower vapes go, we recommend going with a PAX-brand model, the weed industry’s closest equivalent to an Apple product in design and function. Cont’d on p42
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Cont’d from p40
Wax
These vaporizers are basically dabs without the blowtorch. Just buy some concentrates by the gram and use a small tool (paper clips work great!) to load the vape oven. Pushing a button heats the element and vaporizes the concentrate, sparking a skyward lift. Several trusted brands make these varieties, most notably PAX, GPen and Dr. Dabber. There’s also Ooze, a Michigan-based company known for a quality wax vape carried by many local shops.
Cartridges
Bursting onto the market a couple years back, cartridges provide the easiest, most discreet vaping experience. These prefilled pods contain a concentrate extracted using CO2, a substance that ends up looking more like honey than wax, crumble or
shatter. Available at most dispensaries, cartridges typically run $35-$60. And there are two types: one using a wick to draw the concentrate into the pen’s oven; the other, a wickless cartridge option, features a metal pole running through the tank to dispense the heated concentrate vapor. Though most cannasseurs are partial to the metal cartridges, both design varieties twist onto the $10-$20 rechargeable battery on a 510 thread. Some have a power button while others will kick on with just a puff on the pen. With this solid primer for selecting the vape that’ll work best for you, impress your local budtender as you confidently discuss the merits of each option. If you’re still unsure, err on the safe side and try them all.
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road trip David Sedaris Comes to Detroit Opera House Hilarity-inducing writer David Sedaris will be reading from his new collection of essays Theft By Finding Diaries (1977-2002). The collection, based on diaries over that twenty-five year period, traces Sedaris’ life from his early twenties – at which time he was doing things like camping out at The California State Fair in Sacramento and eating Cream of Wheat for dinner – to his mid-forties after he has settled in Paris as a best-selling writer and humorist. The New York Times called the collection an “elliptical, weirdly addictive narrative” and pronounces that Sedaris’ “prickly Southern wit is still intact and sparkling.” - JK David Sedaris at The Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway, Detroit. 313-237-7464. Saturday, November 4, 8pm. Tickets $45 -$60. For more info visit Davidsedarisontour.com
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NOVEMBER free will astrology
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Johnny Cash had a music teacher who quit after a few meetings because Johnny’s unique style was best unchanged. While I believe in the value of enhancing one’s innate talents: Make sure you, too, guard and revere your distinctiveness.
© Copyright 2017 Rob Brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Although the Civil War ended in 1865, a veteran’s offspring, still alive today, is collecting his pension. Blessings from bygone times, perhaps even from the distant past, will be available to you. But you'll have to be alert and know where to look. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "I wasn't in the market to buy a Day-Glo plastic fish from a street vendor," testified a witty guy named Jef on Facebook, "but that's exactly what I did.” It's good role-modeling for you. In the coming days, I bet you won't know exactly what you're looking for until you find it. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): England and France’s Hundred Years' War lasted 116 years. Russians celebrate their October Revolution in November. Trick answers like these are likely to be a recurring theme for you in the coming weeks, Gemini. Don’t be a Master of the Obvious.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): I recommend you indulge in any or all of the following exercises. 1.Dedicate an entire day to performing acts of love. 2.Buy yourself flowers, sing yourself a song, and tell yourself a story about why you're so beautiful. 3. Make a pilgrimage to an influential sacred spot. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): A scar on my face resembles an ancient Mayan sign meaning 'Builder of Bridges for Those Who Are Seeking Home’, describing the role I'm hoping to play for Leos. The coming weeks will be an excellent time for your tribe to clarify and cultivate your notion of home.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The teacher who kicked me out of the extracurricular Calculus Club upset me. Eventually, I realized it would have been a mistake for me to keep specializing in math. What debt of gratitude do you owe a person who you once considered to be a source of frustration? CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the lore of ancient Greek mythology, the god Prometheus stole fire from the deities and gave it to us humans. As In the coming months, Capricorn, I foresee you having Promethean inclinations. Your ability to bestow blessings and spread benevolence and do good deeds will be at a peak. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You might find this parable useful: When an armchair explorer was unexpectedly given a chance to embark on an adventure she has only dreamed about, she hesitated, but eventually takes the gamble. While ragged reality partially corrupted her fantasy, the adventure also brought her unexpected lessons that only enhanced the beautiful dreams. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "A game of chess is a struggle against one's own errors," said chess grandmaster Savielly Tartakower, a Pisces. I think this is excellent counsel during the current phase of your astrological cycle, Pisces. It's time to risk bold moves, because even if they're partly or wholly mistaken, they will put you in a good position to succeed in the long run.
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VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Author Clarissa Pinkola Estés encourages us to purge any tendencies we might have to think of ourselves as broken creatures yearning for rescue. You have maximum power to revise your selfimage so that it resounds with more sovereignty.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I used to scoff at people who play the lottery, but my opinion softened a bit when the planet Jupiter made a lucky transit to an aspect in my personal horoscope. Even though I didn't see profit during this favorable financial phase, Libra, here's the moral of the story for you: Meditate on what educational amusements you'd seek if you had more money.
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POT HOLDERS Across 1. La ___ (Milan opera house) 6. Rooftop spinners 11. Acapulco approval 14. Call to a waitress 16. On “E� 17. Films 18. Region where Watts is, commonly 20. Salamander 21. Feel malaise 22. French cabbage 23. State tree of Maine 25. Put on the line? 27. Kentucky tourist spot 32. Flower’s support 34. First name in feminist folk-rock 35. Hershiser on the hill 36. Previously named 38. Sign on a staff 39. “Untouchables� head 40. One might be needed to get a passport 45. Many months 46. Pink-slips 47. Julie or Marie: Abbr. 48. Kind of wrestler 49. Comprehended 50. 5:2, e.g. 53. Places to work out 58. Archer with wings 60. Winter blanket 61. Columbus ship 63. Accelerando’s opp. 64. Mind-influencing drug 65. Teens’s lifestyles 70. “___ no hooks� 71. Largest privately owned Hawaiian island 72. Knitted baby shoe 73. Neptune or Pluto 74. Devoured voraciously 75. Clear blue sky
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Down 1. “Alas!� 2. Sunday singers 3. Mojo or juju 4. Struck a match 5. Court icon Arthur 6. The bite stuff? 7. Cash reg. display 8. “A Way With Words� airer 9. Cockpit announcement 10. Graceful woman 11. Clearing 12. Safety item for boaters 13. In-house # 15. Bathtub dirt 19. Timeline part 24. Words to a winner 26. Left the group, maybe 28. Shakes’ peers? 29. “You’re the only ___ can trust� 30. Little disagreements 31. Other than what was listed 33. “Whatever� reaction 37. Bitcoin, e.g. 38. Item for an angler 40. Speak harshly of 41. “Uh, probably� 42. Sent back to a lower court 43. Organizational chart topper, for short 44. Suffix that means “little� in Spanish 51. Sex authority Westheimer 52. Social event 54. Tharp of choreography 55. Not at all with it 56. Lighter option 57. Rebuff an offer 59. Take the driver’s seat 62. Lotion base 64. Pull laboriously 66. Feed bag nibble 67. Article in France-Soir 68. 19th in a Greek series 69. Crib kid
2017  /  ecurrent.com
for crossword answers, go to ecurrent.com
Š2017 By Brendan Emmett Quigley (www.brendanemmettquigley.com)
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B&P Painting Company
KATIE: 6 yrs, Female, Pit Bull Terrier
Hello there! I was found with my daughter, Cassie a few years ago. We were in bad shape, but soon blossomed in our foster homes. Cassie has already found her perfect forever home. Now, it’s my turn! I am a sweet girl. I love to give kisses and to play ball. I am ok with some dogs, but it would be great to have my own home where I can get all of the attention. I like kids as well. Please send in your application today!
Decorate your interior with us!! BandPPainting.co 734.572.8557 Ann Arbor for sale Vinyl collection 33s & 45s FOR SALE. Beatles, Stones, oldies, classic rock 1950s to 1990s. Call 419699-3398 Signature Leather Jacket 2X, 5 sport embroidery sewn designs. Call for more info 419-699-3398
Services Massage: Walk-in appointments available. Free parking. Make some time for yourself! Come in stressed leave refreshed. RelaxStation. 734-623-1951 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- 800419-3684
Events GIVE BLOOD - SAVE LIVES! #ChooseYourDay to donate blood. Call 1-800-448-3543 or go to RedCrossBlood.org. Appointments preferred. Walk-ins welcome. Wednesdays Islam 101 Class 7pm. MCA Ann Arbor. Want to learn about Islam? Join our free class. For details: mca-a2.org/islam-101 Threshold Choir of Ann Arbor Gift of Song Loving songs to support you in meeting life’s challenges. Saturday November 11, 2017 3:30-5 pm Free Jewel Heart 1129 Oak Valley Drive, Ann Arbor 734-531-7960
Looking for Foster Families! To apply for one of our adoptable pets, please fill out an application Email us for more info
hbrlmi.org P.O. Box 87591 If you cannot adopt, please consider Canton, MI 48187 making a donation online to help homewardboundmi@yahoo.com out our furry friends! HELP WANTED 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
For Sale Building Materials Galvanized, Water Stained, Economy, 2 1/2” Corrugated 24” coverage, 50 pc bundles 8’ $4.32 a sheet, 12’ $6.48 a sheet Closeout Deal. slateroadsupply.com 717-445-5222
Miscellaneous For Sale Dish Network Satellite Television Services. Now Over 190 channels for ONLY $49.99/mo! HBO-FREE for one year, FREE Installation, FREE Streaming, FREE HD. Add Internet for $14.95 a month. 1-800219-1271
Announcements DISH. 190 channels. $49.99/mo. (24 mos.) Exclusive Dish Features -Sling and Hopper. HighSpeed Internet, $14.95/mo. (Availability/Restrictions apply.) TV for Less! CALL 1-855-493-9788
january 2017 call to advertise
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