March 2020 - Current Magazine

MARCH 2020

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MUSIC | ART | CULTURE

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Empowered entrepreneurs P6

Ann Arbor Film Fest

March 24-29, Back to the roots, P26

Coding to the Moon

Wild Swan Theater aims to inspire all ages, P24

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march 2020 | vol. 30 no. 03 Tell us about an influential and important woman from history who deserves more recognition.

Publisher/Editor in Chief

Collette Jacobs (cjacobs@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Ida Gray, the first black woman to graduate from u-M Dental School in 1890 and became the nation’s first black female dentist.

Co-publisher/Chief Financial Officer Mark I. Jacobs (mjacobs@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Jeanne Baret, the first woman to circumnavigate the globe (In 1766).

Editorial

Assignment Editor: Athena Cocoves

Discover All We Have to Offer!

WEDDINGS • FUNCTIONS • SHOWERS • GOLF OUTINGS MEETINGS • SPECIAL OCCASIONS • EVENT PLANNING

(annarboreditor@adamsstreetpublishing.com)

Golf & Social Memberships

Millie Ketcheschawno, the Native American activist who pushed Berkeley to become the first city to adopt Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

18 Hole Championship Course Private Lessons • Monthly Tournaments & Events • Fitness Center • Swimming Pool Dining & Bar • Monthly Social & Dining Events

Calendar Editor: Emma Barron

(calendar@ecurrent.com)

Susan Burton, who wrote about her experiences in the prison system and the War on Drugs in her community.

Weddings

Music Calendar Editor: Chris Box Taylor

contact: Robert Mauck

(music@ecurrent.com)

Wu Zetian, China’s only female ruler.

Director of Food & Beverage | Banquets

Staff Writer: Jeff McGinnis.

rmauck@polofieldsccmi.com 734.998.1555

Contributing Writers: Jason Buchanan, KA Letts, Jeff Milo, Jennifer Kellow-Fiorini, Charmie Gholson, Jen Sorensen and Rob Brezsny.

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Sales Coordinator Jen Leach (sales@adamsstreetpublishing.com Ida B. Wells, the first African-American journalist.

Sales: Micah Cotner (mcotner@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Rosalind Franklin, who played a major role in the discovery of DNA. Devin Stevens (dstevens@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress, four years before the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment.

Digital Media

Courtney Probert (digitalmedia@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Dr. Carolyn Huntoon who served in the NASA Astronaut selection committee and recruited more women in the 1970’s.

Art/Production

Production Manager: Imani Lateef (imani@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Octavia Butler, Science Fiction author.

Senior Designer: Leah Foley (leah@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Mary Edwards Walker, the first female physician in the U.S. Army and the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor.

Designers: Kelli Miller (kmiller@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Josephine Baker: Spy, Sex Symbol, Activist.

Anita Tipton (atipton@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Sybil Ludington, the female Paul Revere!

Norwin Lopez (nlopez@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Mildred Didrikson Zaharias, history’s first female sports star.

Administration

Accounting: Robin Armstrong (rarmstrong@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Katherine Johnson, NASA mathmetician. © 2020 by Adams Street Publishing Co., All rights reserved. 3003 Washtenaw Ave., Suite 3, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, Phone (734) 668-4044, Fax (734) 668-0555. First class subscriptions $30 a year.

Distributed throughout Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and neighboring communities.

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ecurrent.com / march 2020 3

Two new shops have joined the Ann Arbor bubble tea scene:

biz buzz

Internationally-known bubble tea brand Ding Tea, at 607 E. William St., offering both cold and hot bubble teas, fruit juices, slushies and more. 11am-10pm, Monday-Saturday. 11am-9pm, Sunday.

734-264-2690. dingtea.club

ANN ARBOR

Michigan-based breakfast, lunch and brunch eatery The Jagged Fork opened its first Washtenaw County location at 414 S. Main St., in the former Marnee Thai Restaurant space. The cafe’s menu, similar to Rochester Hills, Grosse Point Farms, West Bloomfield, and Lathrup Village locations, also features a few Ann Arbor-specific additions, like The Big House Crepe. 7am-3pm, daily. thejaggedfork.com After closing on 1760 Plymouth Rd. at the end of 2018, MD Bagel Fragel has reopened at 3500 Washtenaw Ave. Pick up their popular pastries and baked goods daily from 6:30am to 3pm (or until they sell out). 734-929-2756. facebook.com/BagelFragel The Old German has closed, but Grizzly Peak Brewing Co. has reopened the space as The Cellar at Grizzly Peak, an underground bar featuring memorabilia and decor from the original Old German bar. 4pm-2am, Thursday-Saturday.

120 W. Washington St., 734-741-7554. grizzlypeak.net

closings

Both the 3365 Washtenaw Ave. and 529 E. Liberty St. locations of Elevation Burger have closed.

Papyrus’ Briarwood Mall location, as part of the greeting card and stationery brand’s nationwide closure of all stores.

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Tea Ninja, at 535 E. Liberty St., offering

milk and fruit teas, slushies, pastries, macarons and more. 734-263-2772. facebook.com/teaninjaannarbor Dr. Steven Bennett of Bennett Optometry has retired after more than four decades in practice. Offices at 117 S. Main St. and 2623 Plymouth Rd. remain open, now operated by new owner, St. Louis-based Clarkson Eyecare. Main St.: 734-665-5306.

Plymouth Rd.: 734-930-2373. clarksoneyecare.com/bennett-optometry In anticipation of the 13-story Vic Village South high-rise project, developed by Hughes Properties, two locally-owned businesses have been replaced. The El-Awar family’s South U Pizza at 1106 S. University Ave. closed in December and their Rendezvous Hookah Lounge at 1108 S. University Ave. closed in January.

Their third business, Oasis Grill, has moved across the street to 1201 S. University Ave., previously China Gate. 734-665-2244. theoasismediterraneangrill.com

CHELSEA

Chelsea Burger plans to open this month in the former Seitz Tavern space at 110 W. Middle St. Co-owner Paul Fredenberg, who owns a 55-acre farm with his wife, plans to use an abundance of his farm-raised meat and produce in the eatery.

green corner Healing with a green thumb The Michigan Horticultural Therapy Association’s 41st annual conference explores the benefits of working with plants for therapy patients, along with live informational sessions, educational displays, a hands-on therapy activity and a presentation by Levi Gardner, the founder of Grand Rapids community farming organization Urban Roots. The conference is open to anyone interested in the benefits of horticulture in a therapeutic setting. $65-95. 8:30am4:30pm. Friday, March 6. Michigan State University, Plant and Soil Science Building, 1066 Bogue St., East Lansing. michiganhta.org —JM

fyi

Ann Arbor hotels named in human trafficking lawsuit

D2A2 B4 long Riders hoping for a faster way to travel between Ann Arbor and Detroit may be in luck. The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) and the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (also known as ‘TheRide’) have announced plans for a new pilot bus service between the two cities, with hourly trips between 6am and 10pm on weekdays, plus additional limited weekend service. Proposed fares are $12 one-way for adults ($10 for advanced booking) and $6 for seniors and those with disabilities. While no official launch date is set, representatives of the RTA and TheRide say they hope the buses can start rolling in 2020.

A Michigan woman who was a victim of human trafficking between 2003 and 2008 has filed a lawsuit against two major hotel companies, Marriott and InterContinental, for their failure to intervene. The case, filed in December, claims that the woman was taken to hotel rooms at Holiday Inn Express in Detroit and Fairfield Inn in Ann Arbor, where she was held captive, and despite signs that something was going on, no staff members came to her aid. The victim, only 17 when the incidents began, joins over 30 lawsuits filed around the country aimed at holding hotel owners responsible for failing to help prevent sex trafficking in their properties. —JM

feedback

“What a shame. Read it and weep, people.” ­— Rassalas Re: our note on the new 19-story building at 616 E. Washington St., the tallest building approved by Ann Arbor City Council in 50 years.

“We like White Pines Winery.

[Felipe’s] comment about “bright and bouncy” is spot on. We use it for cooking Poulet au Riesling, a great chicken braise with added chicken stock and cream. Arcturos from Black Star also is a good Dry Riesling.” ­

DJ Selina Style (Candy Bar) How I became a DJ at Candy Bar My DJ origin story actually started on accident, when the Ann Arbor Aviary’s superhero-themed student showcase party lost its DJ last-minute.

Without a substitute or a better Plan B, I got on my laptop, pulled up iTunes on one side and a Google search for “how to dj emergency” on the other, and did my best. It turned out people liked the songs I chose, and as soon as people started dancing, I was hooked and I haven’t looked back since.

(That party is also where I got my DJ name -- my costume for the superhero party was Catwoman.)

I think a good set is just a feedback loop of positive energy. When I play a track and the dancefloor accelerates, it gets ME more hyped up to get the next song. Like, “oh, if you think you liked that, you’re gonna LOVE this!” It’s why I’m grateful to have been thrown in the deep end early playing live, because I learned the importance of that loop. If you’ve got your head down the whole time picking the next song, you can’t see how people are vibing to the last one!

I started out at Candy Bar opening for DJ Lancelot.

One night he took a break I played almost all night. After our first promoter, Bobby Hoffman left, my co-host Deja D. Dellataro, and I took over the promoting and running. Over the years, it’s grown into a community that everyone helps build and for that, that I’m incredibly proud of.

Candy Bar is the best queer house party you’ve ever been to, where everyone is welcomed and free to be their whole self. We have space for our stage-loving theatrical gays and space for the quiet gays that want to hang out in a booth and chat as well as a dance floor and catwalk for those who simply must vogue.

Just think of Candy Bar as your local queer refuge: come make a friend or new connection, discover a new favorite performer, and leave it all on the floor for some dancefloor rejuvenation with me!

JOIN US EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT

— Jim Maslanka Re: February Wine Guide, when Felipe Diaz of Zingerman’s Roadhouse professed his new love for dry Riesling.

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s s e n i s u B in

Nia Spongberg

Life Coach 1785 W. Stadium Blvd. #202. 734-531-9024. niaspongberg.com What do you do? As a life coach with a niche in productivity, I help adventurous people blaze new trails concerning their personal time, tasks and transitions.

What’s one thing every entrepreneur should ask themselves? Asking,

“Whom can I learn from?” has been helpful. There are so many accomplished people who have experienced similar situations and scenarios. Very often they’re generous women who are willing to share their wisdom, which can help to prevent an entrepreneur from getting caught up in reinventing the wheel.

What’s one thing you wish you learned earlier?

To make peace with my inner perfectionist. I’m still working on this, and probably will be for life. I’ve learned, though, that each time I embrace the notion that “completed is better than perfect,” I am rewarded with good outcomes.

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What advice would you give to another woman entering your industry?

In coaching, training really matters, and there are many training programs to choose from. I encourage prospective coaches to take the time to research options, understand the differences, and see which ones resonate. Good training programs are accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF), so I’d focus on their affiliates.

What’s one key leadership lesson you’ve learned along the way? Being

vulnerable— admitting that you don’t know something, asking for help, speaking your truth— almost always results in a strengthened relationship both with others and with self.

What are some traits of great leaders? I think

leaders are guided by curiosity, live by their word, facilitate growth and inspire excellence in others.

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Entrepreneurs who Empower

The term “glass ceiling” was coined more than four decades ago. Since then, women have been positioning themselves in the workforce to break down the barrier.

While there’s still work to do, there are plenty of successes to celebrate. These local women are on top as leaders and business owners. Learn what keeps these women in business moving forward.

Photo Credit: Hassan Hodges/HH Photo Graphics for Current Magazine

n e m o W

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What’s your professional philosophy? I used to

want to be “an expert” at my job— I wanted to have all of the answers. Coaching has invited me to become more comfortable with not knowing outcomes: I’ve become a much deeper listener, and I’ve come to reside more in the present, trusting in process.

This evolution has shaped my professional philosophy, which somewhat aligns with Lao Tzu’s words, “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”

What has been the role of luck in your success?

We yearn to feel in control of our lives, but I think that a great deal of our existence takes place at fate’s whim.

I’m fortunate to say that luck has dealt me several generous cards in the form of wonderful clients, chance connections, and well-timed opportunities.

Generally, do you think there is a difference between how men and women lead? While there

are exceptions to every rule, I’ve found that women tend to be consensus-builders.

Alma Blackburn

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Publisher of Ann Arbor Coffee News & President of Elevate Marketing Ann Arbor, LLC 1-734-545-4780 annarborcoffeenews.com. elevateannarbor.com

What’s one thing every entrepreneur should ask themselves?

What are some traits of great leaders? Authenticity,

What’s one thing you wish you learned earlier?

What’s one key leadership lesson you’ve learned along the way? Try to see

“Are you ready to work really hard?”

Taking more risks, especially in my younger years. The only way to learn and truly grow is by stretching outside your comfort zone. You may fail, at first, but you are one step closer to success.

What advice would you give to another woman entering your industry?

Don’t be afraid to partner with experts. It’s ok not to know everything about starting a business, when first starting out. Learn and grow as you go.

Bookkeeping was a challenge for me, so I hired a great bookkeeper.

What’s your professional philosophy? How has it changed throughout your career? Keeping current in

your industry, believing in your product or services, and being honest to the customer— even if it’s something that they don’t want to hear but will help them to be more successful.

commitment, a positive attitude, honesty and a sense of humor.

the best in everyone, and to not take things so personally.

How do you achieve work-life balance? It’s

tough; I try keeping it top of mind, making balance a priority. It’s so easy to just keep working; there is always something to do, especially with all the hats that I wear.

What has been the role of luck in your success? Luck

is a winning lottery ticket. I have been fortunate in working hard and choosing like-minded people to connect with— having friends who share the same values and drive, in order to keep growing and to be happy.

What’s your mantra? Keep

moving forward, and don’t sit still. Doing the best that you can at this moment in time puts you in the best place for the next moment. You got this! continued on p8

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Suzei Povlich

Co-Owner, Media, Marketing, Graphics, Web, & Design Jet’s Pizza 506 N. Main St., Chelsea. 734-433-9700. jetspizza.com The Rumpus Room 510 N. Main St., Chelsea. 734-626-6646. therumpusroomchelsea.com The Grateful Cow, coming soon.

What do you do? I am a co-owner with my husband, of Jet’s Pizza in Chelsea, The Rumpus Room, and, coming soon, our new restaurant in Chelsea, The Grateful Crow.

I work in the creative side of ambiance and promotion.

What’s one thing you wish you learned earlier?

What’s one thing every entrepreneur should ask themselves? “What’s the end

You are absolutely capable of accomplishing your dreams and desires.

goal?”

How has being a woman impacted your career? The

early years, of being a mother of five sons, took up much of my time and attention.

Every role is equally significant in the functioning of a business.

What advice would you give to another woman entering your industry?

What’s your professional philosophy? Mindset is a

huge make-or-break factor.

Entitlement opposes success— an idea that has become more evident and concrete.

Photo Credit: Hassan Hodges/HH Photo Graphics for Current Magazine

Special Advertising Section

What are some traits of great leaders?

They’re good listeners and remain lifetime students.

Decisiveness. The ability to make difficult decisions and tackle the inevitable daily obstacles, head-on— that is a normal part of running a business. Delegation. Personal responsibility. Placement and positioning. Leaders are readers.

What’s one key leadership lesson you’ve learned along the way? It is not easy being

an entrepreneur; though, it is rewarding. It requires long-term vision, delayed gratification, and the power of compounding good decisions made over time. Success does not happen overnight.

How do you achieve work-life balance? Work

and life are one in the same.

I love what I do. My whole family works with me in different roles; so, essentially, we are always doing life together. We do make a point to take a family day together to rest and/or have fun every week.

What has been the role of luck in your success?

We have been blessed with some really great mentors, for sure, but there is not much luck involved with our success story. Maybe the timing on how things play out, but I wouldn’t necessarily call that luck. Mostly, success comes from hard work, accountability,

/letsgoblow

NIA SPONGBERG

335 S. Main Street Ann Arbor, MI 48104 (734) 263-7610 8

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LIFE COACH

Let’s blaze your new trail together.

(734) 531-9024 • NIASPONGBERG.COM

Candye Hinton

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Co-Owner Hinton Real Estate Group 36 N. Washington, Ypsilanti. 734-480-8650. teamhinton.com What do you do? My daughter, Kayia Robinson, and I sell real estate in southeast Michigan, specializing in the Ypsilanti area.

336 S. Ashley St. Ann Arbor, MI

What’s one thing every entrepreneur should ask themselves? “Do you

have the capacity to create opportunities for your business and your community?”

Vintage & Antique Treasures

How, if at all, has being a woman impacted your career? It makes me stay

awake and aware. You can’t take this business for granted, and as a woman, you have to be out there, in terms of your work, to make sure that people notice you and respect the job you can do!

What’s one thing you wish you learned earlier?

I wish I would have started tracking what I was doing from the very start. I was so absorbed and never really looked at the data; so, I wish that I would have paid closer attention to that aspect.

What advice would you give to another woman entering your industry?

Don’t give up. Work hard, and stay focused. Many things will divert your attention— don’t fall for it— stay the course.

What’s your professional philosophy? My philosophy

has never changed: “I have a limited amount of time to make an unlimited amount of impact.” Every move matters!

What are some traits of great leaders? A great

mindset and continuously improving skill-set— and they take action.

How do you achieve work-life balance? I don’t

try to balance; rather, I look at it as a scale. For the majority of time, your life will be unbalanced. Manage it, and stay aware of heavier times, so that you may create lighter times.

Boudoir & Pin Up Photography What has been the role of luck in your success? It is

never luck. God is good, all of the time.

What role does confidence play in your career? It’s

important to be confident. I feel as though I missed out on many things because I didn’t feel confident enough to raise my hand. As I have grown, I’m more comfortable with failing, instead of trying to achieve perfection.

Parties, Events, & Happenings COME PLAY DRESS UP WITH US!

WELCOME TO ANN ARBOR’S NEWEST PIERCING-ONLY STUDIO

Generally, do you think there is a difference between how men and women lead? Women lead

with feelings, and men lead with gut!

What gender-specific assumptions do you encounter, and how do you respond to them?

People assume that, as a woman, I am more sympathetic to their issues. I have empathy; however, I expect more and don’t care for excuses.

What is your advice to women about handling uncomfortable situations in the workplace? Address

what makes you uncomfortable and let people know where you stand, in a professional manner.

continued on p10

Providing up-to-date techniques & procedures We carry only the best in Implant grade titanium, niobium & solid 14k & 18k gold.

211 E. Liberty St. | Ann Arbor, MI (734)-997-0608 ecurrent.com / march 2020 9

Bonnie Dockham

Photo Credit Melanie Reyes

Special Advertising Section

LMSW / Executive Director Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor 2010 Hogback Rd., Suite 3. Ann Arbor.

734-975-2500. cancersupportannarbor.org What do you do? As the Executive Director of the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor, I am charged with the fiscal oversight, governance, and operations of a nonprofit that positively changes how people live with, through and beyond cancer.

What’s one thing you wish you learned earlier? To trust my instincts.

Some voices are louder than others, but I think the most important voice to listen to is the one that comes from within.

What advice would you give to another woman entering your industry? Surround yourself with other

amazing women, and don’t be intimidated when they have expertise in areas that you don’t. In fact, embrace that! I have found some of the best professional relationships have flourished by sharing differing and sometimes conflicting opinions about

an issue. You will never grow if you only surround yourself with people who think, look, and behave just as you do.

What’s your professional philosophy?

Be open. I realized early on in my career that it is unrealistic to accurately predict where life will take you. After graduate school, I thought thatI had my entire career mapped out and, interestingly, it did not include leadership of an organization.

My passion for service has remained the same, but how I provide that service has unfolded as I became motivated to create change on different levels and scales, and in various communities. You never know what opportunities will arise; we need to be receptive in order to see them.

What’s one thing you wish you learned earlier?

(L-R) Karin and Jillian Brooks, a mother-daughter duo.

Karin & Jillian Brooks co-owners Go Blow 335 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-263-7610. facebook.com/letsgoblow 9am-8pm, Monday-Saturday. 10am-4pm, Sunday.

What do you do? We are a motherdaughter duo who opened Ann Arbor’s premier blow dry bar! GO BLOW provides an enjoyable, relaxing experience with services including a shampoo wash, condition, and blowout style.

To have PATIENCE— everything in opening a business takes much longer than you anticipate. Don’t get discouraged if your timeline isn’t going according to plan.

Everything we did took longer than anticipated, but we kept on going. We wanted to make sure things were done right.

Even when it feels like there’s no progress, keep pushing forward and be patient.

What’s one key leadership lesson you’ve learned along the way?

Listening to our employees— this sounds simple, but actively listening to our employees has been extremely beneficial to both them and us. We want all of our employees to feel valued. Since neither of us has a background in cosmetology, we rely on the knowledge and input of our stylists. Their voices are heard, from simply asking what products and tools they like, what they did or did not like at their previous salons… we want to make the environment here fun and open, where our stylists can freely share their opinions.

Photo Credit: Hassan Hodges/HH Photo Graphics for Current Magazine

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Alexandra (Alix) Berneis Hoag

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Executive Director Ann Arbor Civic Theatre 322 W. Ann St., Ann Arbor. 734-971-2228. a2ct.org

What do you do? I am the executive director of a 90-year-old nonprofit community theatre.

How, if at all, has being a woman impacted your career? I feel as though I’m sometimes underestimated,

especially in terms of technical knowledge.

What’s one thing you wish you learned earlier? How to

assert myself.

What advice would you give to another woman entering your industry? Take care of yourself. You can’t pour

from an empty vessel, and especially in the world of nonprofit and the arts, it feels like there is always something more to do. But remember, it doesn’t all need to be done NOW.

What’s your professional philosophy? Don’t take a situation personally, and remember not to get bogged down in the details.

These two ideas help to remind me to stay focused on making the best decisions possible for my organization.

What are some traits of great leaders? Being a good listener, thinking before speaking, and standing up for what is right.

How do you achieve work-life balance? I schedule time to

do things that I enjoy, and I turn off my email after 7pm.

What role does confidence play in your career?

Confidence is HUGE, in what I do. I’ve never had a problem getting onstage, but this was a new role for me. I’ve definitely learned to speak up for what both my organization and I need, also learning to say no when it’s appropriate— being confident in those two areas is a major leap forward for me.

What is your advice to women about handling uncomfortable situations in the workplace? My advice to

anyone about handling uncomfortable situations is, first, don’t let it fester— address issues as soon as possible, but don’t approach a scenario unprepared. When tackling a problem, make sure that you have as much information as possible, choose a neutral location, and be kind but firm. Stand your ground, and make sure to follow through.

What are you doing to ensure more diversity in your industry? We’re really focusing on diversity and inclusion

within our organization. We want to make sure that we really are a COMMUNITY theatre, representative of our community. We want to make sure that our message and mission is out there— we are open to one and all, no matter your age, race, gender identity, socio-economic status, physical ability, or any other qualifier. As an organization, we are working to ensure that our programs and facilities are accessible, and that we have opportunities for all sorts of different people to come play with us.

What inspires you? Creativity and passion: those of our production staff, actors, volunteers, members, and audiences, as well as my own. I love how theatre makes people feel.

What’s your mantra? I have a photo of Tim Gunn on my desk that says, “Make It Work.” Sums it up!

Photo Credit: Hassan Hodges/HH Photo Graphics for Current Magazine

continued on p12

ecurrent.com / march 2020 11

Eileen Bristol

Owner, RelaxStation Main Location: 300 W. Huron St., Ann Arbor. 10am-8pm, daily.

Phoenix West Location: 117 N. First, Suite 30. 9am-9pm, daily.

734-623-1951. relaxstation.com What do you do? I run two businesses, RelaxStation Massage Therapy in Ann Arbor (with the help of a resident manager), and Sahara Lounge in Austin, Texas.

What is your current top priority? Making more

How did you get your start? Working in my parents’

not officially, but always glad to talk with people.

motorcycle shop in Houston. I was pulling a paycheck when I was 9, helping out in the parts department. Our motorcycle shop had customers from all walks of life, all races, professions and income brackets. So I am comfortable with all kinds of people.

What’s one thing every professional woman should remember?

Kindness comes first.

What are three secrets to your success? Hard work,

persistence and being open to trying ideas from employees and managers.

time for music, yoga and meditation.

Have you ever had a mentor relationship? No,

What do you wish someone had told you five years ago? Take

regular yoga classes and change my diet to eat a lot fewer carbs.

Who is a woman you admire and why? Aretha

Franklin, so intelligent and multi-talented.

What’s the best advice that you have ever received? Cut yourself a little

slack, just like you cut your friends some slack.

What do you believe will be the biggest challenge for the next generation of women? Working to

harmonize income disparity.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your career? Opening two

businesses. Just starting something is a huge risk. You can count on losing money during the first few years.

Jennifer Melchi

What’s one thing every entrepreneur should ask themselves? Is the day-to-

day work required for this business something I will never tire of.

How, if at all, has being a woman impacted your career? The wine

business, and for a long time, the restaurant business, had been dominated by men. I have always felt like I had to work harder than my male counterparts to prove my worth. Having said that, I feel wonderful support from my community as a female business owner.

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What’s one thing you wish you learned earlier? I wish I had

gotten more early training on the administrative requirements of running a restaurant. I think people view it as more of a creative field, but managing 30 employees requires a lot of paperwork and understanding of HR.

What advice would you give to another woman entering your industry?

Don’t feel like you have to change to be a woman in your industry. We don’t have to become men to be successful.

Like anyone else, we have to find our own management styles and perhaps carve a new path for how things should be done.

2020 / ecurrent.com

Being the business owner, I haven’t perceived a lot of change. Not having someone over me who might not respect me was never a problem.

What’s your professional philosophy? Live by the

Golden Rule— treat others as you would like to be treated.

It’s a hard job because that means a different type of nurturing for each different type of person. So if you can really pay attention to what people want and to fill that need, they will usually give you all of themselves in return.

Director of Marketing, Vinology Restaurant | Event Space 110 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-222-9841. vinologya2.com What do you do? I manage our Birmingham restaurant location, Vinotecca, and oversee our location in Ann Arbor, Vinology.

How has your industry changed for women since you first got your start?

What’s one key leadership lesson you’ve learned along the way?

Always take the high road.

What’s your professional philosophy? How has it changed throughout your career? I have always wanted

my employees to get better jobs when they leave me. We educate relentlessly and like for people to leave us better off. I have always regarded myself as an Equal parts leader and teacher.

What are some traits you think great leaders possess? A great leader

brings the best out of someone.

How do you achieve work-life balance? When I

leave work I really try to check out. I put my phone away as much as I can, I play games with my kids, exercise as much as I can, And try not to worry until I get back to work.

What has been the role of luck in your success?

Timing and some lucky partnerships

What role does confidence play in your career?

Confidence plays a huge role and I have grown more

Isabel Wanty, Jamie Brooks and Kit Wanty-Lambert

Co-owners of O&W Inc. along with their fathers, cousin Cooper Wanty, and Isabel’s Twin Brother Onwbeer.com What do you do?

Isabel: I manage the people

and everyday processes at our family-owned and operated beer distributorship. O&W, Inc. has been run by our family since 1933, and today six Wanty family members work hand-in-hand with over 180 employees to “deliver cheer” to licensed accounts in seven Michigan counties.

Jamie: As Director of

Communications, I collaborate with our executive team concerning company goals, vision, and strategic plans.

I deal with marketing, communications, creative and special events as well.

How, if at all, has being a woman impacted your career?

Isabel: Being a woman in

the beer business provides a very unique and valuable perspective for our company.

This industry is teeming with men, at all levels, and their opinions are everywhere.

However, we have three women built into our top management level which guarantees that a rare viewpoint is heard.

What’s your mantra?

Isabel: “It’s probably nothing

a beer can’t fix.”

Jamie: Lead with love.

What’s one thing you wish you learned earlier?

Isabel: You’re not going to

please everyone, so just do and say what you believe is right.

You’ll probably end up kicking yourself later if you don’t.

What are some traits that great leaders possess?

Jamie: Great leaders start

with “what is the goal” and work backward figuring out how to get there. They’re excellent listeners, great

questioners, caring motivators, direct with expectations and empowering for their collaboration team.

What’s one key leadership lesson you’ve learned along the way?

Isabel: To be in a learning

mindset. As a leader, you may feel like you need to have your opinion heard or that you need to be the one teaching others.

I’ve felt the strongest as a leader after a day of learning from others— we all make each other stronger.

Jamie: You don’t have to be

an expert at everything, find the experts in each field. Let those experts shine, and give credit where credit is due.

(L-R) Kit Wanty-Lambert, Isabel Wanty and Jamie Brooks.

What is your advice to women about handling uncomfortable situations in the workplace?

Kit: Be confident and stay on

message. Something that often happens to me is that I will ask people to do something, and people will push back. I’ll stay on message and ask again and get push back. I’ll ask a third time, and after the man is done explain to me all of the why’s, he will finally agree that it is

good to look at the situation in a new way and gives in to the ask.

What inspires you?

Kit: Setting a goal, working

collaboratively to get there, and getting the results you want.

Jamie: My faith, family and

this incredibly fun and everchanging industry we’re in.

What has been the role of luck in your success?

Isabel: Luck has played a

huge role in my career, (I think as I sit at my grandfather’s desk at the business that has been handed down through generations). It’s important to me that I am cognizant of it, that I don’t get lazy and that I use this privilege to advance others.

Kit: I am very lucky to be a

Beer Distributor! Our business has a very low barrier of entry due to being in a regulated industry, franchise laws and the high priority families place on having succession plans. So I guess you could say I was born into something lucky, but luck isn’t the thing that motivates you to wake up every day and be the best leader you can… that is hard work, patience, being optimistic, having a vision, listening, caring about people and at the end of the day being fun to work with.

Every Move Matters TEAMHINTON.COM

36 N. WASHINGTON • YPSILANTI, MI

(734) 480-8650

VIEW MORE ANSWERS ONLINE @ ECURRENT.COM

ecurrent.com / march 2020 13

food

Casablanca’s vegetarian combo— falafel, baba ghanoush, zalook, and shakshouka.

Casablanca

Comfortable, down-to-earth Moroccan cuisine

Couscous with chicken tagine.

By Emma Barron

Casablanca, on Washtenaw, close to Downtown Ypsilanti, has a comfortable, down-to-earth atmosphere, hiding it’s 35-year-ago provenance as a Taco Bell. The manager/owner, Mohammad Mohammad, is hands-on, ensuring satisfaction for each customer, assuring that each dish placed on the table is properly presented. The abundant natural light from ample windows gives the dining area a warm, cheerful vibe, creating a family-friendly venue, perfect for celebrating events, going out to lunch with friends or taking your significant other on a date!

Fatherly inspiration

Mohammad was inspired to cook by his late father, a good cook, who taught by example. Mohammad, who emigrated from Jordan in the 1980s to attend the engineering school at UM, has a business partner in the Casablanca venture from Morocco.

Mohammad began his career working in food service at Domino Farms and has now moved up to owning and operating his own restaurant. Before opening Casablanca five years ago, Mohammad owned a grocery store, specializing in fresh fruit and produce for almost a decade. He learned from experience that his passion was to be in the foodservice industry.

Authentic Moroccan cuisine

The menu at Casablanca is expansive and adventurous. There are plenty of options to choose from, for those that are experienced with Mediterranean cuisine, or for those of whom have never tried Moroccan or Middle Eastern selections. The spices, which flavor the dishes, like the ras hanout spice mix (over a dozen spices in different proportions, which commonly includes cardamom, cumin, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice, dry ginger, chili peppers, coriander seed, peppercorn, sweet and hot paprika, fenugreek, and dry turmeric) are imported and authentic. The Moroccan influence of Mohammad’s business partner results in food that is unique to the area and true to its roots. We tried multiple dishes from the menu, including the falafel sandwich, hummus, baba ganoush, zaalook and sweet lamb curry.

The falafel sandwich, an amazing combination of house-made falafel, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, tahini sauce and hummus, all wrapped in pita, exceeded expectations. We couldn’t get enough of the hummus, which was creamy and tasty, unlike anything you can buy in the grocery store. They offer a variety of vegetarian dishes, so there are options for everyone. The baba ganoush, mashed charred eggplant, was perfectly seasoned with a smoky taste and a smooth, airy texture. The zalook, eggplant with tomatoes in a dip-like serving, had a bit of a kick, but in the best way possible. We finished our meal with leftovers to eat later!

If you’re looking for authenticity, Casablanca is the place to be.

Casablanca Moroccan Restaurant 2333 Washtenaw Ave., Ypsilanti.

734-961-7828. casablancami.com 11am-10pm, Monday-Saturday.

Noon-7pm, Sunday.

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Nominations march

2020 / ecurrent.com

NOMINATE YOUR FAVS AT ecurrent.com

ONGOING TUESDAY

$2 Tuesdays

8pm. $5. Punchline Comedy Lounge. punchlinecomedylounge.com

Whoever said that a dollar can’t get you much these days clearly hasn’t been to the Punchline’s $2 Tuesdays and open mic night.

Take advantage of their food/ drink specials and then work out your material in front of a crowd.

WEDNESDAY

Wine Down Wednesday

5pm. Cultivate Coffee & TapHouse. cultivateypsi.com Free

2 Monday Herb & Vegetable Seed Giveaway

7pm. Matthaei Botanical Gardens. mbgna.umich.edu Free

Summit for sustainability

Wagashi-making and Tea-roasting Workshop

For 11 years, the Local Food Summit has brought its message of sustainable, locally grown foods to individuals and organizations of Greater Washtenaw County. The 2020 edition features traditional workshops, networking and more, with a keynote from Leah Penniman, educator, farmer and author of Farming While Black. —JM

Seeds are on a first-come basis.

There will also be a free raffle of a new seed-starting kit.

7:30pm. $20. TeaHaus. teahaus.com

Learn about wagashi, traditional Japanese confections, and try your hand at it! The evening includes a hojicha tea roasting demo.

3 Tuesday

It’s Wednesday again! That means half-off all wine bottles!

Stop by and try the newest selection of wines, or just sample a few.

Odd Side Ales Tasting

THURSDAY

Sample brews from Odd Side Ales!

Girls Night Out

8pm-midnight. Jim Brady’s Ann Arbor. jbdetroit.com

Beer, wine, cocktails and more — all drinks are half-off for all ladies who join the shenanigans at Jim Brady’s every Thursday night.

SUNDAY

Sundaylicious

5pm. Motor City Wine. motorcitywine.com

Sundaylicious is your day to kick back and enjoy some food and music featuring a different menu every week by a pop-up chef.

Music provided by the Jazz Vinyl Club.

1 Sunday Creamery Production Tour 1pm. $10. Zingerman’s Creamery. events.zingermanscommunity.com

Tour behind-the-scenes at Zingerman’s Creamery and see how artisans make cheese and gelato from scratch. On this creamery tour, you’ll observe mozzarella being hand-stretched, taste justmade gelato and more.

5-7pm. Blue Front Ann Arbor. bfa2.com Free

Wine Tasting Night

7:30pm. $40. The Session Room. sessionrooma2.com

Enjoy an evening exploring wines with hand-selected wines. Ticket includes five pours and communal charcuterie spread. Additional pour tokens are available for purchase during the event.

4 Wednesday French Quarter Cuisine

6-8pm. $55. Fustini’s Oils and Vinegars. fustinis.com

Delicious Cajun flavors from New Orleans will include crawfish dip, creole crab cake, jambalaya and beignets.

Desserts by Decade: 1970s - The ME Decade!

7-8:30pm. Westgate Branch: West Side Room. aadl.org Free

Join Lakehouse Bakery owner Keegan Rodgers and local history writer & storyteller Patti Smith as they discuss foods from the ‘70s.

8am-4pm. $15-50. Monday, March 9.

Washtenaw Community College Morris Lawrence Building, 4800 East Huron Dr. localfoodsummit.org

5 Thursday HumusFalafil at Argus Farm Stop

11am-3pm. Items range from $5-$8.

Argus Farm Stop. argusfarmstop.com

Ferial, owner of HumusFalafil, will be back at Argus Farm StopPackard to serve lunch every Thursday. Some items include grilled falafel sandwiches, tabbouleh salad and grape leaves.

History of Highlands Scotch Tasting

6-9pm. $81.90. Vinology. vinologya2.com

History of The Highlands, featuring Glenfiddich and Balvenies Best, to include tapas-style appetizers served table side.

Founders IPA Takeover

6-10pm. Rappourt. rappourt.com Free

Featuring some new IPAs and a few tried and trusted goodies from Founders Brewing: Unraveled IPA, Hello Jane IPA, Devil Dancer Triple IPA, All Day Session IPA and Red’s Rye IPA.

6 Friday

10 Years, 10 Beers with OddSide 5-11:30pm. The Grotto. thegrottobar.com Free

10 years, 10 beers, and an It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia coloring contest!

Cheese, Wine, & Chocolate Pairing

6:30pm. $45. Zingerman’s Creamery. zingermanscreamery.com

Start with the single varietal chocolate bars at Zingerman’s Next Door Café and pair them with carefully selected artisan cheeses and complimentary Michigan wines!

7 Saturday Dexter Winter Marketplace 9am. Dexter United Methodist Church. dextermarket.com Free

Support local vendors at the Dexter Winter Marketplace. There will be arts and crafts, bread and baked goods, jewelry, fresh produce, eggs, cheese, meats and more. Also featuring local musicians and vendor drawings.

Griffin Claw Tasting

5pm. Blue Front. bfa2.com Free

Sample brews from Griffin Claw Brewing Company.

Continued on p.16

• LOCALLY GROWN INGREDIENTS • FRESH BAKED BREADS FROM BENNY’S IN SALINE • MICHIGAN BEERS • SALINE COMMUNITY FUNDRAISERS AND DONATIONS

6877 S State Rd D, Saline, MI 48176 | (734) 429-7700 | oscarssportsgrill.com ecurrent.com / march 2020 15

On your mark, get set, grow Have seeds? Bring seeds. Need seeds? Take seeds. Project Grow’s annual Seed Swap brings gardeners together to exchange potential crops and strategies. This regular event is part of Project Grow’s mission to encourage the creation of organic community gardens throughout Ann Arbor. Get a head start on planning for your spring crop and pick the brains of fellow gardeners at the Seed Swap. —JM 10-11:30am. Saturday, March 21. Downtown Home and Garden, 210 S Ashley. 734-996-3169. projectgrowgardens.org

10am. $3, child. $5, adult. Hudson Mills Metropark. metroparks.com

Experience how maple syrup has been made over the years.

Tap a tree, and then see the sap being boiled into syrup. Stay and enjoy an all-you-can-eat pancake and sausage breakfast for an additional charge.

Monthly Bløm Tour

12:15pm. $10. Blom Meadworks. drinkblom.com

Join in on the first Saturday of every month for a tour of the meadworks! Includes a 45-minute tour, two samples and a Bløm glass.

8 Sunday Saturday Sampler: Around the Table

2pm. Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. lsa.umich.edu/kelsey Free

On this tour, learn more about what all of those unusually shaped Greek dishes and cups were used for and what was for dinner in Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Leave the museum with some ancient recipes to try when you get home!

Deschutes Tasting

5pm. Blue Front. bfa2.com Free

Sample brews from Deschutes Brewery.

11 Wednesday Seasonal & Delicious

Noon-2pm. $55. Fustini’s Oils and Vinegars. fustinis.com

The ultimate winter comfort food class with big flavors: glazed vegetables, mushroom pappardelle, sous vide balsamic lamb chops and warm bread pudding a la mode.

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Four Year Vertical Dinner

6pm. $65. Karl’s Cabin Restaurant & Banquets in Plymouth. karlscabin.com

Continued from p.15 Journey to the Sugar Bush

10 Tuesday

Savory Baking

2pm. $65. The Lakehouse Bakery. thelakehousebakery.com

Each student will also have a packet that includes recipes with tips and tricks along with clear instructions for use at home.

Cocktail Class: Drink Me, I’m Irish

2-4pm. $45. Tammy’s Tastings. tammystastings.com

Explore cocktails with ingredients from Ireland. Sample Irish Whisky and understand what makes it different from bourbon or scotch.

9 Monday Farmers Market Vendor 101

6:30-8:30pm. Ypsilanti Farmers Markets. growinghope.net Free

Gretchen Kopmanis informally started the Czechbox Bakery in 2012. Based on the lessons she’s learned, she’ll guide you through the planning stages for starting as a Farmers Market vendor.

Indulge in a four-year vertical tasting of the legendary Bourbon County Brand Stout, featuring 2016-2019 vintages and a four-course dinner.

Chai & Chobi: Iraqi Culture Night

6-10pm. Rackham Assembly Hall. facebook.com/iraqiumich Free

Celebrate and learn about Iraqi and Mesopotamian culture while wearing your favorite cultural clothes and enjoying food, music, dance, and tea!

Scrappy Apps with Lindsay-Jean Hard

6:30-8:30pm. $45. Zingerman’s Bakehouse. zingermansbakehouse.com

The local author shares recipes for appetizers from her IACP Award-nominated cookbook, Cooking with Scraps. There will be a demonstration on a selection of scrappy apps including kale stem hummus.

Basic Cake Decorating with Keegan Rodgers

7-8:30pm. Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room. aadl.org Free

Learn about a variety of frostings and how to make them during this hands-on and lively workshop led by Keegan C. Rodgers, owner of The Lakehouse Bakery in Chelsea.

13 Friday Mikkeller Tasting

5-7pm. Blue Front Ann Arbor. bfa2.com Free

Sample the celebrated beers of the Danish-based microbrewery.

Women’s Coffee Night

7pm. Cultivate Coffee & TapHouse. cultivateypsi.com Free

Bring a friend and come out for a relaxing night of coffee and conversation.

14 Saturday Advanced Mixology: The Spirited World of Amaro Noon. $109. The Sugar House. sugarhousedetroit.com

During this class, taste ten different varities of amari, and talk about their flavors, as well as discuss other important liqueurs from around the world.

Pi(e) & a Pint

3:14pm. Cultivate Coffee & TapHouse. cultivateypsi.com Free

Celebrate Pi Day by supporting the work of Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels and help feed your homebound neighbors by enjoying a slice of pie and your favorite beverage.

15 Sunday Cabin Fever Cooking Class 1-3:30pm. $75. Evans Street Station. evansstreetstation.com

Beat the winter blues at this cooking class featuring four dishes created using seasonal ingredients.

Continued on p.18 D, WNE CE 1975 LLY O LOCA ROWN SIN LLY G LOCA

THE TIME IS RIPE! 312 North River Street | Ypsilanti | (734) 483-1520 | ypsifoodcoop.org

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2020 / ecurrent.com

A peek into the minds of Ann Arbor’s culinary arbiters and their unique perspective on Washtenaw County’s dining and hospitality culture.

chef’s corner Photo Credit Zack Belsky

A2 Alchemy

Ann Arbor Distilling Company’s Alyssa Hughes talks production philosophy

By Erin Holden When Alyssa Hughes, the new interim head distiller at Ann Arbor Distilling Company, first started reading about alchemy as a teenager, she had no idea that her fascination with the topic would lead to her to become a cheesemaker and, eventually, a distiller of spirits. While the connection between alchemy, cheesemaking and distilling might seem obvious, Hughes explains how those elements came into play to bring her to where she is today.

When did you become the head distiller at Ann Arbor Distilling Co.? I’m actually more of an interim head distiller

where it’s a bit more like a trial period. I’ll be announced officially as head distiller in April.

What was your position like before you became a distiller, and how has it changed with this interim position? Before, I was developing products but I didn’t have

any say (in which ingredients were used and in what amounts), and before that, I was an apprentice, experimenting with making spirits that probably won’t really go anywhere (into production).

As the head distiller, I’m now the one developing the spirits.

One of Alyssa’s favorite Ann Arbor Distilling Company drinks— Fall gin and tonic with Water Hill cherry liqueur and orange zest.

How did you develop your interest in distilling? I was always interested in distilling in a more esoteric sense, but I didn’t know that I wanted to be a distiller as a career until very soon before I got hired. My background is in production management and business, so I knew that I wanted to work in a production facility. But my interest in distilling does go back to my early teenage years when I was reading about Zosimos of Panopolis and other old alchemists; distilling was a big part of that practice. What fascinated me most about distilling was not so much the idea of distilling alcohol at that time, the fascination was more with the distillation of the soul— the betterment of yourself.

Kind of like stripping away the unnecessary byproducts of life and trying to keep the essence of who you are. With everything I make here, I very much try to put that essence into it.

What did it take for you to become a distiller? When I became an apprentice here [at Ann Arbor Distilling Co.] it was a little bit more fast-track than a lot of the other apprenticeships out there. I started doing distillations my first week here. Normally in an apprenticeship, you wouldn’t get to touch the still until much later, sometimes not until the end of your first or second year. It was a ‘trial by fire’, which is absolutely nothing new to me. I’ve done trial by fire all my life.

How did you bring your skills as a cheesemaker into your work as a distiller? My favorite aspect was the

production management. You plan ahead, trying to prefill orders before they happen, ordering raw materials in time to be available when they are needed. It really is a skill. It’s not something you can go into thinking it will be easy. (My experience as a cheesemaker) translated very well to being a distiller and, funny enough, both jobs use a lot of the same equipment and processes.

Do you have any product ideas right now that you haven’t gotten around to experimenting with yet? I’m

really waiting for blue lotus to become legal because I would love

Alyssa Hughes (left) who started off as an apprentice, now has her own apprentice, Ian Shackleford (right).

to make something with it. It’s very floral and has a melony smell to it. I’d probably pair it with grapefruit and cucumber. It does have some very slight psychoactive effects that are probably on par with wormwood (used in Absinthe). I’m not a chemist, so I can’t go into the details further than that, but people drink blue lotus tea for the same reasons that we drink chamomile tea, so it’s a very calming flower.

What concoctions are you most excited about now at Ann Arbor Distilling Company? We have a very interesting

brandy category, which I’m very excited about. But we’ll also be doing a Fox River Black Label whiskey, where we’re hoping to work with brewers to age our whiskey in beer barrels, while they age their beer in our whiskey barrels.

Ann Arbor Distilling Company 220 Felch St., Ann Arbor. 734-882-2169. annarbordistilling.com Tasting Room Hours: 4-10pm, Tuesday-Saturday. 2-8pm, Sunday.

Happy hour from 4-6pm, Tuesdays-Thursdays.

ecurrent.com / march 2020 17

18 Wednesday

International flavor, local destination

Cookbook: Anthony Bourdain

Sample the often-spicy, always delicious cuisine of Bangladesh during International House Ann Arbor’s next Tastes of the World series. Raju Ahmmed, a Fulbright scholar from Bangladesh, will oversee the cooking of a menu of Bangladeshi favorites, including chicken/beef bhuna and lentil soup, with a dessert of Semai. —JM

6-8pm. $70. Fustini’s Oils and Vinegars. fustinis.com

The celebrated celebrity chef will serve as the focus of this course, with attendees learning how to make appetizers inspired by his work.

19 Thursday

6-8pm. Friday, March 27. International House Ann Arbor, 921 Church St. 734-662-5529. ihouseaa.org

Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri Italian Wine Tasting

6pm. $50. Vinology. vinologya2.com

Enjoy an evening of the best Italian selections from the world-famous Gambero Rosso Magazine. All wines are rated Tre Bicchieri.

20 Friday

Continued from p.16

16 Monday Flavor Rush Cheesecake Tasting

11am. $15. 24th Cheesecakerie.

24thcc.com

To kick off the new location, 24th Cheesecakerie is hosting a cheesecake tasting giving ticket holders the ability to sample five flavors of cheesecake and take a mini cheesecake to go.

Bell’s Brewing Tasting

17 Tuesday

5-7pm. Blue Front Ann Arbor. bfa2.com Free

Grand River Tasting

5-7pm. Blue Front Ann Arbor. bfa2.com Free

The award-winning beers from Marshall’s own Grand River Brewery will be sampled at this free event held at Blue Front.

With delectable year-round flavors and an assortment of seasonal brews, the inspired brewmasters at Bell’s will have something special to offer for attendees at this free tasting.

Vegan Potluck

6:30-8:30pm. $5. Humane Society of Huron Valley. hshv.org

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Bring a vegan dish or donation, tour the Humane Society, participate in a trivia contest and in general spend a fun evening connecting with fellow animal lovers.

a

Best Mom & Pop Restaurant

Homesteading & Hobby Farming: Maple Sugaring 10am. Kensington Metropark. metroparks.com Free

From identifying maple trees in winter, to tapping trees, and processing sap, learn the skills needed to make tasty syrup at home.

A Dainty Tea Party

Noon. $20, child. $30, adult.

Virginia Park Historic District. brownpapertickets.com

Open 7am-3pm, 7 Days a Week

You Are What You Eat

Now Serving Eggs From

Dine and enjoy all of the different essences of teas with all five senses while serenaded with the classical bouts of violin fiddling.

NOMINATIONS Be sure to ARE OPEN! nominate us!!

CAGE FREE, VEGETARIAN FED HENS, All natural, Gluten FREE Sausage!

PRESERVATIVE & NITRATE FREE BACON

OUR CATEGORIES:

LOG ON TO:

18

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2020 / ecurrent.com

Noon. Free except for the cost of drinks. The Grotto. thegrottobar.com

Come drink some classics and try some fresh-off-the-press brews from some local favs!

Nominate us!

1015 BROADWAY • 734.995.0965 ECURRENT.COM View the full menu at NorthsideGrill.com

22 Sunday Triple Tap Takeover

Cocktail Class: Drinking through the Decades 2pm. $45. The Last Word. tammystastings.com

The class includes a combination of history and stories, technique instruction, and hands-on making of cocktails. Plus sampling, of course!

24 Tuesday Monkey Fist aka MiddleCoast Tasting

5pm. Blue Front. bfa2.com Free

Sample brews from MiddleCoast Brewing Company, formerly named Monkey Fist Brewing Company.

International Sauces with Keegan Rodgers 7-8:30pm. Pittsfield Branch: Program Room. aadl.org Free

Learn the basics to conquer a variety of sauces from curry and mother sauces to Mexican mole during this talk led by Keegan C. Rodgers, owner of The Lakehouse Bakery in Chelsea.

25 Wednesday Vegan Cheese

7-8:30pm. Downtown Library: 4th Floor Meeting Room. aadl.org Free

Join the Vegan Amys for an adventure into the scrumptious world of vegan cheese.

26 Thursday Buffalo Trace Tasting

7-9pm. $60. Ashley’s Ann Arbor. ashleys.com

Some of the most legendary bourbons in America come from Buffalo Trace out of Kentucky.

Some see what has kept them making liquid gold for more than two centuries.

27 Friday Farmhaus Cider Tasting 5-7pm. Blue Front Ann Arbor. bfa2.com Free

Try out some of the delicious and crisp flavors of Hudsonville’s own Farmhaus Cider company.

28 Saturday Monthly Wine Tasting 6pm. $25. Motor City Wine. motorcitywine.com

This walk-around tasting offers at least 18 wines accompanied by cheeses, charcuterie and antipasti. All wines will also be available for purchase!

31 Tuesday Founders Tasting

5-7pm. Blue Front Ann Arbor. bfa2.com Free

Some of the finest beers from one of the finest craft breweries in Michigan, Founders Brewing Co., will be on hand for this free tasting.

music Third Monk Brewery

Empowering local performers with licensing agreements

By Jeff Milo

ASCAP writer Doug Frederick performs.

Onboarding artists

Sara Melton Keller (above) and BMI writer Gus Tasker (below).

Educating musicians on earning potential

Robinson moved from Michigan to L.A. in 1990, moving back in the early ‘00s, teaching in the Recording Technology programs at Schoolcraft and Washtenaw Community College. After producing bands in studios for years, working as a radio D.J. and performances as part of a duo with songwriter Jason Dean, Robinson said he “was surprised by the disparity between (songwriters and their levels of organization of their original works)... I’m trying to educate musicians about how to take the next step and utilize (live performances) as a position to earn.”

“It’s possible, now, without the big hand of the music industry’s control, that you don’t have to sign to a major label— you can control all of your own revenue streams without giving it up to other entities.. . . indie artist(s), are the publisher(s)

of (their) own music. If an artist is affiliated, they should be deriving their writing royalties.”

Robinson spreads awareness of both ASCAP and BMI among members of the local music scene. “(ASCAP and BMI) collect royalties on behalf of the songwriter. Any indie artist I work with, I encourage them to take the steps to register with both services and send them your catalog. It allows the artist to get paid for original songs. Once they’re affiliated, they can report any song they play.” Beyond that, said Robinson, artists also have the option of becoming “an affiliate with ASCAP, as a publisher, (which pays artists for) performing rights. While BMI lets you be your own publisher.”

At the end of a performance, Robinson offers to onboard local artists onto mobile apps from BMI where they can then report the songs they played at Third Monk.

“And they’ll have the full list of the types of venues you can report, not just a brewery, or a bar.” Made possible by Robinson’s payments of annual fees, as part of Third Monks’ fiscal budget, directly to these music licensing organizations, the affiliation assures that songwriters performing original material are eventually compensated with earned royalties.

Music fans and songwriters have heard that it’s harder than ever to make a living off of downloads, sales, or, worse, streaming (Spotify averages .003 cents per song).

Robinson prioritizes the value of songwriters, which led to Third Monk paying out more than $8,500 to songwriters in 2019 alone. Because of the brewery’s relatively small output, Third Monk pays a lower amount in federal excise tax per barrel brewed, which gave Robinson the budgetary flexibility to support local artists. “It’s important for me to be able to offer this venue.” Robinson explains, adding that it was important that Third Monk is recognized not only for beer but as a “listening room.”

Third Monk is also the name of one of Robinson’s indie record labels, where he most recently engineered local songwriter Brion Riborn’s album Don’t Look Back, Never Look Back. Robinson has hosted 240 open mic nights to date, and he plans to start back up with more performances in the listening room in April.

228 S. Lafayette St., South Lyon.

248-278-6366. thirdmonkbrewingco.com facebook.com/thirdmonkbrewingcompany

ecurrent.com / march 2020 19

Images Courtesy of Jeff Robinson

Jeff Robinson can hear the music of the brew. After working as an audio engineer for nearly 30 years, the owner of South Lyon’s Third Monk Brewing doesn’t see that career as dissimilar: “...malt is the bass,” he says, “and hops are the treble, and the yeast is the mastering. I can take components of beers, like carbonation or a hops profile, and slot it right in like it’s full-spectrum audio. When I make a beer, I’m listening to a beer.”

Robinson is also listening closely to the local artists who perform at Third Monk Brewing, the venue he co-owns with Darlene Dunlop. While this South Lyon locale has been serving beers (such as the 5-time medal-winning Lyon Pride Strong Bitter) for nearly five years, with his background in the music industry, Robinson utilizes the 48 seat space for live music as often as possible. Included in the schedule is an open mic night, where Robinson has introduced several songwriters to mobile apps for ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and BMI, and the rights protecting organization known as Broadcast Music Inc., make sure that songwriters, performing free shows inside Third Monk, are getting appropriate and deserved reimbursement.

music 1 Sunday Alta Boover: A Woman’s Life (And Love) 2-8pm. $10-$40.

The Kerrytown Concert House. thekerrytownconcerthouse.com

This is the final presentation of KCH’s Fair the Fall of Songs weekend: A Woman’s Life (and Love), featuring mezzo-soprano, Alta Boover, and pianist, Tian Tian.

2 Monday Crystal Bowersox

7:30pm. $25. The Ark. theark.org

Country-folk-rock artists Crystal Bowersox placed second on Season 9 of American Idol and then went on to a solid musical career, performing alongside legendary artists like Joe Cocker and Harry Connick Jr. David Luning opens the show.

3 Tuesday Jigjam

7:30pm $20. The Ark. theark.org

Jigjam is an award-winning Irish quintet that performs Celtic music, bluegrass and Americana with onstage energy and musical virtuosity.

4 Wednesday Susan O’Rourke and Zig Zeitler: Shamrock Shores of Michigan Concert and Stories of Emigration 7pm. Downtown Ann Arbor Public Library. Multi-Purpose Room. aadl.org Free

Susan O’Rourke and Zig Zeitler, three-time Irish Music Award nominees, present an evening of traditional Irish music and original songs. This concert will feature the chronicles of the journey and settling of Irish immigrants to America.

Alina Morr Trio

7-10pm. No cover, entertainment donation suggested. The Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Jazz pianist and arranger Alina Morr perform a blend of genres including jazz, Latin, and contemporary music.

Kevin Griffin

7:30pm. $25. The Ark. theark.org

Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin performs music from his first solo album. Sinclair opens the show.

5 Thursday Randy Napoleon Quartet

7-10pm. No cover, entertainment donation suggested. The Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

World-renowned progressive jazz guitar player Randy Napoleon performs with his quartet.

We Banjo 3

7:30pm. $25. The Ark. theark.org

Two sets of Irish brothers make up We Banjo 3. The group plays a blend of American, bluegrass, Celtic music, and pop that accentuates the vocal harmonies of the brothers.

The Essentials

8pm. $10, in advance. $12, day of. 18+.

The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

A night of reggae and traditional ska featuring The Essentials, Ancient Elephant, The Solid Eights, and Dirty Notion.

6 Friday Ashley Daneman

8pm. Canterbury House. canterburyhouse.org Free

Michigan-based jazz-folk singer Ashley Daneman performs music from her new release, People Are Fragile. Opening set by singer Emma Lee Aboukasm.

Live Snakes

7 Saturday The Anders Orange and Jake Kershaw

7pm. $15 All Ages. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

The rock band, started by the Detroit-based artists, twin brothers Nick and Chris Brandon, perform music from their latest self-titled album.

Tartan Terrors

7:30pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org

The Tartan Terrors are more of an experience than a band. They bill themselves as a Celtic event featuring Highland dancers, comedic performances and expert musicianship.

Book Lovers

8pm. $5 suggested donation.

Ziggy’s. Ziggysypsi.com

Local band Book Lovers performs with Fat Angry Hens and Fascist Daddy.

8 Sunday The Oblivion Project

2-8pm. $10-$40. The Kerrytown Concert House. thekerrytownconcerthouse.com

The Oblivion Project teams up with the New York-based singer Carla Canales for a program of Astor Piazzolla and other great music from South America.

9pm. $5 suggested donation.

Ziggy’s. ziggysypsi.com

Live Snakes is a series of live music events promoted by Really Nice Recordings. This event features Jason Hogans AKA :brownstudy, Scott Coleman, Edwin Fabre and John Stoll.

The music will consist of house, techno, and funky beats.

Comprehensive health care and mental health services exclusively for teens and young adults.

Call 734-484-3600 today for your appointment or visit www.cornerhealth.org for more information.

All services are provided judgment-free and confidential to any 12 to 25 year old, and their children, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

The Corner Health Center is located within walking distance of the downtown bus station at 47 N. Huron St, Ypsilanti, MI

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Keyon Harrold World-renowned jazz trumpeter and songwriter Keyon Harrold was born and raised in Ferguson, Missouri, in a large musical family of 16 children. Harrold left Ferguson at 18 and moved to New York where he landed his first major gig as a trumpeter.

Soon he was performing alongside stars like Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, and Beyoncé and released his first solo album in 2009, Introducing Keyon Harrold, which was hailed by critics and he was recognized as a leading trumpeter of a new generation of jazz musicians. Harrold also received accolades for performing all of the trumpet parts in Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead. Harrold’s music can be described as a fusion of jazz, funk, hip-hop, and rock. $30 - $50. 7pm and 9pm. Saturday, March 7.

The Blue LLama Jazz Club.

314 S. Main St., 734-372-3200. bluellamaclub.com

10 Tuesday Talisk

7:30pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org

Talisk has only been around for less than four years but in that time they’ve established themselves as one of the top folk groups. They were recently voted “folk band of the year” by the Scots Trad Music Awards.

11 Wednesday Andy Adamson Quintet

7-10pm. No cover, entertainment donation suggested. The Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Andy Adamson is an Ann Arbor native musician and composer.

He combines many styles of jazz into his style with influences ranging from John Coltrane, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Chick Corea. His Quintet recently released the album First Light.

Karan Casey

13 Friday Paul Keller and Friends

7-10pm. No cover, entertainment donation suggested. The Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Jazz string bassist Paul Keller is a fixture of the local jazz scene and considered one of the top bassists around. He’ll be leading his band through jazz standards and his original compositions.

Wakefire

8pm. $15. 18+. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

Two of the best Celtic Irish rock bands in the area kick off the St. Patrick’s day weekend festivities.

Wakefire and Pictus team up for an evening of Celtic rock.

14 Saturday Ellen Rowe’s Momentum 7-9pm. $25-$45. The Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Karan Casey is considered one of the most accomplished and imitated voices in Irish folk music.

She has released six albums and appeared on over 50 recordings.

Currently, she is on tour in support of her most recent album, Hieroglyphs That Tell the Tale.

Ellen Rowe is an extremely talented and accomplished jazz pianist and composer. She is currently Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation at the University of Michigan. Rowe will be performing music from her latest project, Momentum – Portraits of Women In Motion.

Social Meteor

Tiny Moving Parts

7:30pm. $20. The Ark. thark.org

8pm. $5. 18+. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

Four local bands of various styles perform: Social Meteor, Atomic Omelet, Painted Friends, and Dream About Me.

12 Thursday Ara Topouzian

7pm. Downtown Ann Arbor Public Library. Multi-Purpose Room. aadl.org Free

Musician Ara Topouzian performs Armenian and Middle Eastern music on the kanun, an ancient stringed harp. He will share stories about the music, culture and his experiences in playing music.

Diplomacy

7pm. $15 adv. $20 day of. All Ages.

The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

Jack Falahee and Tim Wu were childhood friends growing up in Ann Arbor. After college, they both ended up in Los Angeles where they reconnected and started their group Diplomacy.

Their sound is a mix of smooth pop, hip-hop and funk.

Orrin Evens Trio

7-10pm. $15 - $35. The Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Pianist Orrin Evens explores a variety of musical styles, incorporating everything from country to hip hop into his compositions, but he maintains a traditional jazz foundation throughout.

Ypsilanti Social & Organizing Center Benefit The General Defense Committee (GDC), along with other community organizations, is working towards converting a restaurant on Ecorse Rd. in Ypsilanti into a multi-purpose, Community Center and Union Hall with a plan to engage members of the community and to create a place where people can come together. The group’s mission — “Anything that fosters strong community involvement and projects to defend and promote the world we want to see.”

The GDC benefit concert, to raise funds and awareness about the project, will be held at Ziggy’s in Ypsilanti, with the progressive punk vibes of Trux Valux followed by the thrash hardcore sounds of Homunculus. MC Kadence will also lay down some fresh rhymes. Scissor Now will end the night with their eclectic jazz, funk, punk insanity. $5 Suggested donation. 8pm. Saturday, March 25.

Ziggy’s, 206 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti. ziggysypsi.com

7pm. $20-$23. All Ages. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

Screamo, math rockers Tiny Moving Parts performs along with Belmont, Capstan, and Jetty Bones.

Harper & Midwest Kind

8pm-midnight. $15. The Rumpus Room Chelsea. therumpusroomchelsea.com

Enjoy world blues and roots music from Australian singersongwriter Peter D. Harper, who is now based in Detroit.

15 Sunday ‘An Introduction to Black Composers’ with Anthony R. Green

3:30pm. Downtown Ann Arbor Public Library. 1st Floor Lobby. aadl.org Free

Internationally acclaimed composer, performer, and social justice artist Anthony R. Green will discuss Black composers from around the world, from the 1500s to the present, with images and audio samples of these composers’ music. The presentation will also include live piano performances, as well as a question and answer session.

Presented by ÆPEX Contemporary Performance.

Continued on p.22

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Deadicated

The Olllam

8pm-midnight. $8. The Rumpus Room Chelsea. therumpusroomchelsea.com

The Olllam is a progressive Celtic influenced electric indie-folk band formed in 2012. The group, a collaborative partnership of core members— Irish musician John McSherry, and Detroit natives Tyler Duncan, Michael Shimmin (known for their popular groups Vulfpeck, My Dear Disco and Ella Riot)— is named after the bards of Irish Kings. Heavily influenced by traditional Celtic folk sounds and melodies, they don’t rely on performing traditional tunes, instead providing an updated modern feel with their own compositions while incorporating different time signatures and instrumentation.

18+. 7pm. Saturday, March 28.

The Blind Pig, 208 S. First St., 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com Continued from p.21

17 Tuesday An Intimate Evening with Kat Edmonson

7:30pm. $25. The Ark. theark.org

Vintage pop and jazz vocalist Kat Edmonson performs with pianist Matt Ray.

Kat and the Hurricane 8pm. $10. 18+. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

Kat and the Hurricane are on their first Midwest tour in support of the release of their new EP, Libra.

See them with special guests Ship & Sail, and Luke Powell.

18 Wednesday Bob Sweet Quartet

7-10pm. No cover, entertainment donation suggested. The Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Veteran local drummer Bob Sweet, an original member of the Sun Messengers, leads his Jazz ensemble through a set of traditional jazz standards and originals.

Dustbowl Revival

7:30pm. $25. The Ark. theark.org

American roots folk group Dustbowl Revival perform their politically tinged, booty-shaking songs. Smooth Hound Smith opens the show.

19 Thursday Vincent York Quartet

7-9pm. $10 - $30. The Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Saxophonist and flutist Vincent York is a world-class musician.

He is a former member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and has performed with some of the most prominent jazz artists locally and internationally. This will be his debut at the Blue LLama.

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Deals Gone Slack

8pm. $10. 18+. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

Deals Gone Slack is a new collaboration between the members of Deals Gone Bad from Chicago and The Slackers from New York.

The Solid Eights open the show.

20 Friday Vanessa Rubin & the Motor City Groove Collective 7-10pm. No cover, entertainment donation suggested. The Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Jazz vocalist Venessa Rubin is well known for her storytelling music as well as her sultry smooth vocal style. She will be performing selections from the eight albums she has released throughout her career. Rubin features the Motor City Groove Collective as her backing band.

The Crossing wsg Wes Fritzemeier & Friends

8pm-midnight. $10. The Rumpus Room Chelsea. therumpusroomchelsea.com

Hear a mix of traditional Celtic and original songs from The Crossing, who has been performing since 1984. Playing with special guests Wes Fritzemeier & Friends.

21 Saturday Greg Ward’s Rogue Parade 7-9pm. $15 - $30. The Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Saxophonist Greg Ward debuts his new band Rogue Parade. The group’s sound takes influences from jazz and pop and combines them to create a fresh new instrumental experience.

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Join for another psychedelic dance party! Everything you need for a special intimate Shakedown Saturday: pizza, drinks, kind people, live music!

22 Sunday David Wilcox

7pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org

Singer-songwriter David Wilcox is known for his warm voice, effortless guitar playing and songs that draw you into his world.

Riff Raff

8pm. $20 in advance. $25 day of. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

Internationally renowned hip hop artist Riff Raff performs his unique rap freestyle.

24 Tuesday Artist Spotlight: Joe Nolan 7:30pm. The Ark. theark.org Free

Alberta’s singer-songwriter Joe Nolan is an award-winning Canadian folk artist. Nolan sings about life, love and loss. His latest album Cry Baby is out now.

West Side Story

8pm. $20-$75. Michigan Theater. a2so.com

Join the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra for an evening that celebrates the contributions of the Latinx community to classical music.

25 Wednesday Emma Aboukasm Quartet 7-10pm. No cover, entertainment donation suggested. The Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Emma Aboukasm is a Detroitbased recording artist, vocalist, pianist, and composer.

She was nominated as “Best Jazz Vocalist” 2019 Detroit Music Awards and is a recent 2019 graduate of the Jazz & Contemporary Music at the University of Michigan. She’ll be performing her original compositions along with new versions of old songs.

Alejandro Escovedo with Don Antonio & Alex Ruiz 7:30pm. $30. The Ark. theark.org

Alejandro Escovedo will be performing music from his latest album The Crossing. It tells the story of two young immigrants, one from Mexico and the other from Italy, as they search for the American Dream and their punk rock idols.

26 Thursday Alex Levine Trio Featuring Marcus Elliot 7-10pm. No cover, entertainment donation suggested. The Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Brooklyn, NY guitarist and U-M grad Alex Levine team up with Detroit saxophonist, composer Marcus Elliot to perform a night a jazz improv.

Kayla Drange

8pm. $10. 18+. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

Young local musician Kayla Drange headlines the March Madness show with Ixsontra, Maudlin, Fly Parade, and Territorial Chant.

27 Friday Straight Ahead

7-9pm. $10-$30. The Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Straight Ahead features some well known and well established modern jazz players. Their sound ranges from mainstream jazz R&B ballads, avant-garde to Brazilian funk.

The RDF Boys

7:30pm. $11. The Ark. theark.org

The legendary hometown bluegrass heroes perform.

28 Saturday Sasha Masakowski

7-9pm. $25-$45. The Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

The daughter of jazz guitar luminary Steve Masakowski, Sasha was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she has been a leading artist on the New Orleans music scene for many years as a vocalist, composer and producer. She is considered to be one of the hottest young talents in modern jazz and pop.

29 Sunday Jack Harlow

7pm. $22, in advance. $25, day of.

The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

The 21-year-old award-winning rapper Jack Harlow performs.

Guapdad 4000 opens the show.

30 Monday Folk Song Jam Along

7pm. Ann Arbor Public Library, Malletts Creek Branch: Program Room. aadl.org. Free

Family-friendly sing-along.

Beginners welcome. Bring your voices and/or instruments— lyrics and chords will be projected, so all can sing and strum along. You choose from 350+ familiar folk/pop songs. This event is led by Lori Fithian and Jean Chorazyczewski.

ecurrent.com / march 2020 23

theater

Photo- MIT Museum

Coding to the Moon: Margaret Hamilton and the Apollo Missions Wild Swan Theater aims to inspire

By Jason Buchanan

History books are filled with tales of brave men who broke the rules to forge a future with their vision. Conquering kings, wise politicians and brilliant scientists offer our sons a list of heroes to emulate, and frontiers to push.

Margaret Hamilton poses with an MIT pennant inside an Apollo lunar capsule model.

Imagine for a moment how America might look today had our “Founding Fathers” actively included a fair collection of mothers. As Co-Artistic Director of Wild Swan Theater, and the playwright of Coding to the Moon, Hilary Cohen knows the vital role that inspiration plays in education. This year, in commemoration of Wild Swan’s 40th Anniversary, Cohen inspires our daughters.

In Coding to the Moon: Margaret Hamilton and the Apollo Missions, Cohen explores how the 20th century’s most astonishing feat would not have been possible without Margaret Hamilton, a young female software engineer. Hamilton’s remarkable innovation, foresight and leadership allowed Neil Armstrong to take that “one small step” to forever alter the course of human history.

Writing the play, Cohen was driven by disheartening statistics revealing that interest in science among young girls drops-off dramatically in middle school. So, she set out to share the story of an ordinary young girl who embraced an extraordinary destiny, told in a way that is particularly accessible to middle schoolers. Fortunately for the playwright, her subject is still living and and generous enough with her time to spend “hours and hours” in conversations with Cohen over two years as the play took shape.

Brains, not brawn

From the 1960s space race between nations, leading to brave test-pilots being strapped to rockets and shot into space, the Apollo program has the explosive drama and larger-than-life characters to inspire a dozen stage plays. Bookish and bespectacled, Hamilton is an unlikely hero in this high-stakes world, but it was her brains that made the mission possible.

“It’s one of the great scientific accomplishments of all-time, but it wouldn’t have happened without the onboard computer,” observes Cohen, “because the navigation (wasn’t possible) with the technology we had. The computer was absolutely necessary.

There was no such thing as software when Hamilton started writing code. Everything had to be invented when she was doing this, and that part of the story is wild.”

The Apollo Guidance Computer was, in fact, the first silicon integrated circuit-based computer. By pioneering the use of silicon chips, Hamilton and her team at MIT were able to create a computer small enough to fit in the cramped quarters of the space shuttle (at a time when a typical computer might take up an entire room). The drama intensified as the cocksure pilots balked at the prospect of a computer doing their work for them.

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Photo- MIT Museum

What about our daughters?

Margaret Hamilton, lead Apollo flight software engineer, in the Apollo Command Module.

“It makes good theater as well as an exciting science story,” explains Cohen while reflecting on the Apollo 11 moon landing.

“It was such a great, shared sense of accomplishment. Imagine what might be possible today if 400,000 of our greatest scientists decided that climate change was something that mattered to all of us.”

The play follows three critical chapters of Hamilton’s life.

We see her as a 7-year-old girl dreaming of life among the stars.

Then, Hamilton is a young woman in her twenties, leading an intrepid team of scientists in developing the Apollo Guidance Computer. Finally, we meet Hamilton as an octogenarian reflecting on her remarkable accomplishments.

Vibraphonist Jon Brown performs the original score composed

by U of M Music Professor Erik Santos, and video art by Dave Foresee and Ariana Shaw provides a cosmic backdrop to the earthbound drama.

‘Coding to the Moon: Margaret Hamilton and the Apollo Missions’ premieres this month. $15, adults. $12, youth and seniors.

March 4-7. 10am, Wednesday-Friday. 12:30pm, Friday. 2pm, Saturday.

Washtenaw Community College Towsley Auditorium 4800 E. Huron River Dr., Ann Arbor. 734-995-0530. wildswantheater.org

Photo Credit: K.A. Letts.

art

The Public Square at UMMA

Cullen Washington, Jr.’s meditations on interconnectedness, civility, democracy and inclusion

By K.A. Letts In Ancient Greece, the agora was a central public space, meaning “gathering place” or “assembly.” The agora served as a political, commercial and social hub and was also where Socrates found himself in trouble because of his philosophical inquisitions.

In The Public Square, an exhibit on view at the University of Michigan Museum of Art through May 17, African American painter/collagist Cullen Washington, Jr. re-imagines the agora as a metaphor for non-hierarchical and open dialog and as a possible setting for the rebirth of hope and love. Relying on his recent artist’s residency in Athens, Greece, he explores the history and meaning of the classical agora and its possible modern reinvention as “the heart of the artistic, spiritual, and political life of a city.”

Evoking ancient architecture

The central space of the A. Alfred Taubman Gallery has been reconfigured to evoke the layout of an agora. Several of Washington’s monumental artworks surround a seating area, forming the heart of the exhibition.

‘Agora 1’, 2017, mixed media collage on canvas, by Cullen Washington, Jr.

More built than painted, the artist’s pieces use sheets of paper to define the outer perimeter, with layers of marks, tape, cut paper and other items forming a rough approximation of the architectural grid and the physical space of an imagined agora. Many of the features on the surface of the mediums are discreet placements of paint, tape, plastic, and paper attached to the substrate. The effect of painterly abstraction is achieved through a process, a bit more like writing, a selection of individual components added together to create meaning. Washington’s artworks lean on the color black for drama (Robert Motherwell springs to mind), using color sparingly as an indicator of compositional direction, or as a stand-in for humanity in the exhibit.

Noteworthy pieces

While the entire installation is compelling, a couple pieces are especially noteworthy. The squarish Agora 3 is exemplative of Washington’s methods; he maps out the central space with black striated blocks loosely referencing the columns of the buildings surrounding the lively agora, punctuated by red, yellow, and green. The mood of the piece is harmonious, an agora imagined as a venue for playful dialog. Agora 6 is larger, with the central agora depicted as very small, giving this artwork a unique presence. Washington’s restrained use of color in the piece is especially deft.

Smaller works by the artist, utilizing collagraph and other printing techniques, are in an adjoining gallery. During last summer’s residency, Washington took special note of the center of Athens; inspired by that place, these hybrid collages, and other urban detritus, create relief monoprints that imply a fossil record of a city’s substance.

Studio visit

The side gallery also includes a video of a visit to the intimate setting of Cullen Washington’s studio. Washington is a man who loves his work. In one especially telling comment about his distinctive process, he says, “I’ve learned this [visual] language, and I feel I’ve just started to write poetry.”

At the other end of the gallery, an impromptu video theater offers short clips of various public figures, including James Baldwin, John F. Kennedy, Maya Angelou, U.N Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and Barack Obama, talking about human rights, racism, and future hope for equality. The videos have them all speaking simultaneously, mimicking the murmurous public speech of the agora. The videos, while certainly worth seeing, seemed somewhat forced in juxtaposition to the abstract and poetic work of the exhibit, like a public service announcement attached to a sonnet.

One wonders when African American artists will be free to make art without feeling the need to represent their ethnicity to the broader public. My guess is that we will reach this milestone when we learn to talk about racism honestly, throughout the year, not just during Black History Month, when this exhibit opened.

Then Cullen Washington’s dream of the agora will be complete.

‘Cullen Washington, Jr.: The Public Square’ is on view through May 17.

The University of Michigan Museum of Art A. Alfred Taubman Gallery I. 734-764-0395. umma.umich.edu

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film Ann Arbor Film Fest, back to the roots Pat Oleszko, honored and entertaining

By Jeff Glick Photo courtesy of the Ann Arbor Film Festival.

Ann Arbor, in the mid-1960s, was home to a burgeoning art and cultural scene, and the Ann Arbor Film Festival was part of it. The University of Michigan, at that time, was about as exciting a place to go to college as you can imagine, with the Art School in the epicenter of campus life.

Recalled beginnings

AAFF founder, the late George Manupelli.

Photo courtesy of pat oleszko, via patoleszko.com

This year’s Ann Arbor film festival contains a throwback to the early days before the Festival enjoyed the acclaim it has earned over the past almost six decades. Pat Oleszko, an art student and performer during the Festival’s founding year, will perform as a “warm-up” for a night of film viewing, much like she did over 50 years ago. Pat was there when George Manupelli, the dynamic force behind the formation of the Festival, was teaching at the University of Michigan Art School. As a freshman, Pat was witness to a vibrant and fantastic group of teachers. The scene was alive, and the School showcased the creative efforts of many were showcased at the School. But, despite that backdrop, the focus of the entire school year was the Film Festival, and this was Manupelli at his best. He arranged to view the cinematic works of others, experiencing what was happening in film from around the country, and around the world, with the Ann Arbor Film Festival, six nights at six hours a night.

As Pat tells it, the Art School was “absurdly over-enrolled” with three times as many students occupying the classroom space as the space was designed for, giving rise to a virtual beehive of activity. The place really began to buzz as filmmakers came in from all over the nation, and the globe, for the first Festival. In the early days, the festival was held in the back of the Art School in the Art and Design Buildings auditorium, where uncomfortable wooden chairs provided seating.

Performances

The films of the Festival were augmented by a variety of art exhibitions and performances held in conjunction with film screenings. These performances included the sounds of The Velvet Underground, who played one of their first gigs outside of the New York City area at the Festival in March 1966 (with Andy Warhol, Lou Reed and John Cale), arranged through connections with those in the scene. Due to her enthusiasm, Oleszko, as a young freshman, performed, doing her multi-disciplinary take on the use of her body as a vehicle for performance, decked-out sartorially to present and convey ideas. This living art, in a visually enhanced format, responded to items that interested her.

Described as a “semi-controlled circus,” after the film screenings, the group would often cross the intersection of Monroe and Tappan, heading to Dominic’s, which was then a virtual auxiliary Art School. Manupelli installed several print memorabilia pieces from the Ann Arbor Film Festival, much of it from the very early days, including posters and postcards along with tickets, all of which are testimony to George’s brilliance as a graphic designer. Those items still adorn the walls of Dominic’s, as reminders and visual keepsakes for all time (or at least as long as Dominic’s is in operation).

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Pat Oleszko, who performed during AAFF’s founding year, returns to present a series of short performances.

58TH annual Ann Arbor Film Festival March 24-March 29 In addition to the more than 180 films being screened as part of the festival, AAFF attracts a number of performance art pieces and special screenings to complement the event. Among them:

TUESDAY, 3.24 - All-female drumline Bitch, Thunder! out of Toledo will bring the noise on opening night at the Michigan Theater at 7:30pm.

WEDNESDAY, 3.25 - A pair of films by the founders of Women Make Movies will be screened at 7:30pm. Visual arts piece <<her* hands and his shape>> will be performed at the Michigan Theater at 9pm.

THURSDAY, 3.26 - Animator Martha Colburn will speak at 5:10pm at the

Michigan Theater. Sean Clute and Otto Muller’s Mud Season brings interactive video, sound and animation together at 3:30pm at the Ann Arbor Art Center.

FRIDAY, 3.27 - Tommy Becker’s Emotions in Metal will screen at the

Michigan Theater at 8pm. Kit Young will present A Concise History of American Progress at 11pm at Club Above.

SATURDAY, 3.28 - Former AAFF Executive Director Donald Harrison

premieres his new film Welcome to Commie High at 5pm at the Michigan Theater. Spectral Landscape by Luis Macias will be shown at the Michigan Theater at 9pm.

SUNDAY, 3.29 - The unique hybrid program Unseen Migrations will be held at the Michigan Theater at 2pm. Marit Shalem and Tony Kennedy’s Works on White will be presented as part of the after-party at Bab’s Underground at 9pm.

Festival Tickets: Individual Screenings: $12, $8 for students and seniors. Opening Night Reception and Screening: $50, $40 for students and seniors. Festival Passes for Opening Reception and all films: $125, $100 for students and seniors. Weekend Passes for Friday-Sunday: $75, $60 for students and seniors.

For more information, call 734-995-5356 or visit aafilmfest.org

Drawing comparisons

The Ann Arbor of today is difficult to compare to what the town was when Pat attended school there. Pat quickly adds that she could say that for almost any town. Fifty-five years ago, Ann Arbor was a small, insular college town. With extremely strong political activism at the time, as one of the first places where sit-ins demanded black studies along with Vietnam protests. Remember, Pat suggests, The Weathermen started in Ann Arbor.

Reflecting on these times, Pat explains that, even then, she and her fellow art students realized the significance of the event.

She relates that during the Film Festival, she was so excited to be present for virtually the entire Festival, almost 40 hours of film screening, that she barely slept.

Performing a lifetime

Originally from the Dearborn, Michigan area, Pat was exposed to the arts by her parents— an engineer father and a teacher mother— who had emigrated to the United States from Europe. Due to their European backgrounds, they encouraged the study of art, which was very much a part of life in Europe.

Pat Oleszko will present a series of short performances throughout the week of The Ann Arbor Film Festival (March 24-29, 2020). As the guest of honor, the internationally known multi-disciplinary performance artist will energize the atmosphere as a precursor for the cinematic delights, a ‘warm-up’ for the screenings. A self-described “spectacle,” Oleszko is intimately familiar with the artist’s struggle and has performed from the street to the stage to the silver screen, using intricate costumes, absurdly funny wit, and political commentary.

s n o i t a n i m o N NOMINATE YOUR FAVS TODAY! log on to ecurrent.com and nominate for your favorite business, local celebs, bars, events and more!

nominations open now thru march 15! ecurrent.com / march 2020 27

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arts & culture

Sat, 3.14 , Sun 3.15

A night (or day) of musical classics Singers from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance will enthrall audiences with a variety of show tune classics as part of The Best of Broadway, hosted by the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. Hear selections from Beauty and the Beast, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story along with more unforgettable tunes from the Great White Way, with an appearance by guest conductor Yaniv Segal of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. $29-35. 8-10pm. Saturday, March 14.

4-6pm. Sunday, March 15. The Michigan Theater, 603 E Liberty St. 734-668-8397. michtheater.org

Wed 3.18

WED 3.25 The sound of silents returns This past October, 8 Ball Movie Night hosted a screening of classic silent films accompanied by live bands providing original scores.

The event was such a hit that Silent Screams II won’t wait until next Halloween, instead taking place this month. Featuring Timesnake scoring Die Nibelungen, B-Knox scoring Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and You Look Poor! scoring Haxan.

Keep your edge sharp A sharp knife is an essential for cooks.

Learn the basics of keeping your home blades razor-sharp and in prime working condition at the workshop, Knife Sharpening Demystified, at the Michigan Folk School. Follow handson instructions on the best techniques to sharpen knives and how to apply those lessons to other tools around the house, as well. —JM $55. 7:15-9:15pm. Wednesday, March 18. Michigan Folk School, 7734 Plymouth Rd. 734-985-0198. mifolkschool.com

$10. 7pm-1am. Wednesday, March 25. The 8 Ball, 208 S 1st St. 734-996-8555. facebook.com/8ballmovienight

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arts & culture road trip The King returns

Ever since it debuted on Broadway in 1997, director Julie Taymor’s spellbinding production of Disney’s animated classic The Lion King has enthralled audiences on its way to becoming the highest-grossing musical of all time. The North American tour of this beloved theatrical event will visit Toledo for a three-week run beginning on March 25. If you haven’t seen it before, now is the time, and if you have seen it before, you know you can’t wait to see it again. $29-129. Various times. Wednesday, March 25 through Sunday, April 12. Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd., Toledo. 419-381-8851. stranahantheater.com —JM

Ongoing

[theater] Roadsigns

$14-$28. Purple Rose Theatre. purplerosetheatre.org

The play follows Lanny, a young poet, as he embarks on a journey to find the way to himself.

This nostalgic tale is filled with rich characters who dwell on the outskirts of life. See it through March 14.

DAILY

[art] Dear Stranger: Diaries for the Private and Public Self Hatcher Graduate Library. events.umich.edu Free

Explore more than two centuries of diaries and diary-like documents from across the holdings of the Special Collections Research Center during this exhibit. On view daily through the first week of April.

TUESDAY-SUNDAY

[art] Abstraction, Color, and Politics: Kaleidoscope

University of Michigan Museum of Art A. Alfred Taubman Gallery II. umma.umich.edu Free Kaleidoscope examines the constantly changing practices of local Detroit artists, women artists, and artists of color as they actively embraced abstraction’s possibilities. On view through October 25.

Cullen Washington, Jr.: The Public Square

University of Michigan Museum of Art A. Alfred Taubman Gallery I. umma.umich.edu Free This expansive look at the work and concerns of emerging contemporary artist Cullen Washington, Jr. pivots around the artist’s most recent series.

On view through May 17.

Pan-African Pulp: A Commission

by Meleko Mokgosi University of Michigan Museum of Art Vertical Gallery. umma.umich.edu Free

Artist Meleko Mokgosi’s Vertical Gallery installation features large-scale panels inspired by African photo novels of the 1960s and ’70s, a mural examining the complexity of blackness.

On view through September 2021.

Reflections: An Ordinary Day

University of Michigan Museum of Art Eleanor Noyes Crumpacker Gallery. umma.umich.edu Free See a selection of mid-century to contemporary Inuit prints, drawings, and sculptures that portray seemingly ordinary reflections of daily life along with daydreaming meditations, the exhibition bridges the mundane and the fantastic. On view through May 10.

WEDNESDAYS

[film] Movie Matinee

1pm. $2, non-members. Free, members. Parks and Recreation Facilities. calendar.a2gov.org Join to enjoy a great movie.

Includes free popcorn!

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[misc] Midweek Write-ins and Mindfulness

9am. Center for the Education of Women. events.umich.edu Free

Join for a combination of mindfulness and writing/working on Wednesdays! You have the option of the library open space in the morning and participate in a guided mindful meditation sit.

Pub Theology

7:30pm. $5. Third Monk Brewing Company. thirdmonkbrewingco.com

Join host Kenny Walkup for a weekly discussion of current events. Pub Theology is a National Program and this is one of only two local hosted events.

SATURDAY

[misc] Ann Arbor Scavenger Hunt: Ann Arbor Adventure 8:30am. $11. 313 E Huron St. letsroam.com

Explore Michigan’s most charming city and learn a thing or two at the state university on this loop around Ann Arbor! Tourist, local, or new to town, this is a lively small group activity that anyone can enjoy.

SUNDAY

[health] Yoga (With Cats)

8:30-9:30am. $10. Tiny Lions. tinylions.org/yoga

Can you bend better than a cat?

Probably not. So, practice yoga with furry feline yoga masters on Sunday mornings from 8:309:30m or on Thursday nights from 7:30-8:30pm. $10 per person, but your 10th class is free. Pre-registration and advance payment required.

SATURDAYS-SUNDAYS

[misc] Maple’s Sweet Story

11am. $3, child. $5, adult. Kensington Metropark. metroparks.com

Take a guided walk through the farm’s Sugar Bush. Learn how to pick the right tree, then watch how maple trees are tapped and sap is collected.

1 Sunday

[misc] Shamrocks, Snakes & Snacks Noon. $3. Stony Creek Metropark. metroparks.com

Come to the Nature Center and celebrate great snakes. Learn some snake facts and folklore, hold a snake and have a snack.

Ark Animal Encounters

2pm. $2/person, $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center. michigan.gov/dnr

A fun and educational afternoon featuring special hands-on experience with delightful live animals. Learn about their lifestyles and characteristics.

6th Annual Bollywood Bash: We Are The World

3pm. $14-$19. Canton Village Theater. canton-mi.org

A fundraiser for victims/survivors of human trafficking. This event will bring people together and create awareness through culture because we are all connected.

2 Monday

[film] Spartacus

6:30pm. $10.50, adult. $8.50, student, senior, and child under 12.

Michigan Theater. michtheater.org See Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 historical epic in celebration of the life and career of Kirk Douglas, a Hollywood legend and icon.

Cat Video Fest 2020

7:30pm. $10.50, adult. $8.50, students, seniors and children.

Michigan Theater. michtheater.org

Each year, CatVideoFest curates a compilation reel of the latest, best cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions and sourced animations, music videos, and, of course, classic internet powerhouses. Screening events raise money for cats in need. An additional screening will be held at 1:30pm on March 7.

4 Wednesday

[comedy] Comedy Jamm

7:30pm. $5. Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase. aacomedy.com

Get ready for cut-loose comedy of 12 of the current rising comedy stars in the Detroit Metro area and beyond. Anything can happen with this uncensored cacophony of comedy.

[theater] Coding to the Moon: Margaret Hamilton and the Apollo Missions 10am. $12-$18. Wild Swan Theater. wildswantheater.org Join for the world premiere of Coding to the Moon, a gripping drama of the Apollo space missions. See the play through March 7.

5 Thursday

[lit] Poetry at Literati: Ellen Stone 7pm. Literati Bookstore. literatibookstore.com Free

Welcome Ellen Stone in support of her latest collection of poetry, What is in the Blood.

[misc] Trivia Tap Take Over

7-10pm. The Rumpus Room Chelsea. therumpusroomchelsea.com Free

Play some trivia and sip from the tap list, featuring 11 brews from Saugatuck Brewing Co.

6 Friday

[film] The Big Lebowski

9:30pm. $10.50, adult. $8.50, student, senior, and child under 12. Michigan Theater. michtheater.org

Celebrate “The Day of the Dude” on the anniversary of the release of the Coen Brothers’ late-night cult classic.

[misc] Funky Frosty Fridays: 80s Night 7:15pm. Parks and Recreation Facilities. calendar.a2gov.org

The first Friday of each month during general skate will be themed with music/dress up.

Wear the best costume! This night is 80s themed.

[theater] The Wild Women of Winedale

3pm. $27 - $29. Brighton Coffeehouse and Theater. awildetheatre.com A Wilde Theatre is excited to announce the first show in their second season, The Wild Women of Winedale, by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten (authors of Dixie Swim Club and Always a Bridesmaid).

There are shows available from March 6-22.

7 Saturday

[art] Spring Celebration Arts & Craft Show

Noon. $2. Lutheran High School. festivalnet.com

Juried craft show of 100 crafters.

Bake sale and lunch available.

Students available to help crafters set up and take down, as well as deliver lunch during the show.

[misc] 38th Annual Slush Cup

11am. Mt Brighton Ski Area. michigan.org Free

Come as a spectator or register to try your luck getting across the bond on skis or a snowboard.

Entertainment and activities, an outdoor bar, tons of giveaways, and fun for skiers, snowboarders and spectators.

After Hours Gaming & Drinks 9:30pm. $5. The Owl, Morning ‘til Night. theowlmilan.com

Drinks, games, friends, and a good time had by all! There will be a library of games to play. $5 will let you play as many games as you like all night.

[theater] African Storytelling with George Otieno

8 Sunday

[misc] The Brides Bridal Show

1pm. The Kensington Hotel. Free

Come and talk to wedding vendors. There will be free admission and prize drawings!

9 Monday

[dance] Dance for Democracy

9pm. University of Michigan Museum of Art. umma.umich.edu Free

Dance for Democracy will bring U-M students of all political views together. Enjoy an evening of live music and dancing, as well as space for tabling for efforts related to democratic engagement and more.

[film] CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap 6:30pm. $8.50-$10.50. Michigan Theater. michtheater.org

CODE exposes the dearth of female and minority software engineers, explores the reasons for this gap and highlights breakthrough efforts. The film will be followed by a discussion with a special guest.

Taste of Cherry

7:30pm. $10.50, adult. $8.50, student, senior, and child under 12. Michigan Theater. michtheater.org

This dark, intense, and emotional film kicks off the Abbas Kiarostami: A Retrospective film series. The screening includes an introduction and post-film discussion with Arash Javanbakht (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Wayne State), and Cameron Cross (Assistant Professor of Iranian Studies at U of M).

[misc] Catching Your Breath

10am. Matthaei Botanical Gardens. mbgna.umich.edu Free

This is a free monthly program for caregivers of adults with memory loss, designed for learning skills for continued health and well-being.

10 Tuesday

[film] Alex Honnold: 3 Classic Films

7:30pm. $10.50, adult. $8.50, student, senior, and child under 12. Michigan Theater. michtheater.org

See three classic, award-winning Alex Honnold climbing films from the creators of The Dawn Wall, The Reel Rock Film Tour, and Valley Uprising.

arts & culture 12 Thursday

[dance] Dancing with the Michigan Stars 6pm. $160+. Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest.

Local celebrities will be partnered with professional ballroom dancers from Arthur Murray Dance Centers to raise funds benefiting local charities.

[film] CJS Art of the Camera Film Series: Tampopo

7:30pm. $8.50, students, seniors and children. $10.50, adults. events.umich.edu

This rapturous “ramen western”

by Japanese director Juzo Itami is a lavishly inclusive paean to the sensual joys of nourishment, and one of the most mouthwatering examples of food on film ever made.

[misc] 28th Annual Novi Boat Show

2pm. $0-$12. Suburban Collection Showplace. michigan.org

Featuring more than 100 exhibitors showing new 2020 and new non-current ski boats, fishing boats, pontoons, small to midsize runabouts, personal watercraft, kayaks, inflatables and more.

Dr. Alex Dehgan

5:10pm. Michigan Theater. michtheater.org Free

Dehgan and his team apply science, technology, open innovation, design, and engineering to try to end human-induced extinction and address the planet’s biggest environmental challenges in this lecture.

13 Friday

[lit] David Plouffe at the AADL

7pm. AADL 1st Floor Lobby Main Branch. literatibookstore.com Free

Literati Bookstore and Ann Arbor District Library partnered to support David Plouffe’s book, A Citizen’s Guide to Beating Donald Trump. A book signing will follow the author’s talk and Q&A.

2pm. Stamps School of Art and Design. stamps.umich.edu Free

Join for a talk by artist, activist and author, Nia King who will speak about her book series, Queer & Trans Artists of Color V 1, 2 and 3.

[misc] St. Practice Day

Noon-midnight. Townies Brewery. towniesbrewery.com

Warm-up for St. Paddy’s with this day-long celebration featuring music, food, beers and general holiday shenanigans!

Wear green!

Lucky’s St. Patrick’s Day Crawl 4pm. $15. Haymaker Public House. crawlwith.us

Get lucky with your friends at the biggest St. Patrick’s Day party of the year! Your ticket includes two complimentary drinks/items, custom lucky badge & lanyard, drink specials exclusive to crawlers and more!

15 Sunday

[film] King Kong

1pm. $10.50, adult. $8.50, student, senior, and child under 12.

Michigan Theater. Michtheater.org See the 1933 sci-fi classic, presented by Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

4pm. $3. Penn Theatre. penntheatre.com

This movie is about the surviving members of the resistance facing the First Order once again, and the legendary conflict bringing the Skywalker saga to its end.

Continued on p.32

Gift Cards Available!

Values $10 and up, good for any service!

E-Gift Cards also available on our website.

Open 10a - 8p 7 Days a Week 300 W. Huron,

3-5pm. St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Auditorium. stjoeshealth.org Free

Registered nurse George Otieno performs high-energy storytimes in full African costumes and attire and encourages audience participation. Also on Saturday, March 21.

14 Saturday

[lit] Queer & Trans Artists of Color Book Read Event

corner N. First

(734) 623-1951 relaxstation.com •Voted Best Massage 2019 •Walk-ins Welcome •Appointments Available FREE PARKING

Full Body Massage in Individual Rooms at our Second Location

ecurrent.com / march 2020 31

arts & culture 17 Tuesday

[misc] Palm Warblers: My Adventures As a Citizen Scientist 8am. Matthaei Botanical Gardens. mbgna.umich.edu Free

A presentation on these colorful, hyperactive songsters by retired Ann Arbor science teacher and birder Susan Kielb, who has studied palm warblers in the wetlands of the Upper Peninsula.

18 Wednesday

[film] Human Nature

7:30pm. $10.50, adult. $8.50, student, senior, and child under 12. Michigan Theater. michtheater.org This documentary on CRISPR technology will be followed by a Q&A with UM Medical School Departments of Internal Medicine, Human Genetics, and Pediatrics and James V. Neel Distinguished University Professor David Ginsburg, MD and UM Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Professor Shobita Parthasarathy, PhD.

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[lit] Poetry Book Club

7pm. Literati Bookstore. literatibookstore.com Free

Meet once a month at Literati Coffee to sit, read poems aloud, and share various reflections.

This month’s pick is Not for Specialists by W.D. Snodgrass.

[misc] Knife Sharpening Demystified

7:15pm. $35. Michigan Folk School. mifolkschool.com

Learn a simple and exact series of steps that will enable you to reliably bring your knife’s edge to shaving sharp.

19 Thursday

[lit] Shaka Senghor: Writing My Wrongs

4pm. Stamps School of Art and Design. stamps.umich.edu Free Shaka Senghor is a leading voice in criminal justice reform. His memoir, Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison, debuted on The New York Times Best Seller list.

2020 / ecurrent.com

[misc] Human Nature: An Eisenberg Forum

4pm. Tisch Hall. events.umich.edu Free

This event is part of the Thursday Series of the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies. The talk takes a non-universalizing approach to chemical violence and its relations to land and bodies.

[theatre] Arabic to English by David Wells 8pm. $22. Theatre NOVA. artful.ly

In a high-stakes trial, an Arab American man is accused of fraudulent marriage to gain a visa. Losing in court will send him to a country he barely knows. Directed by Carla Milarch. This play is available to see from March 19-April12.

20 Friday

[art] Handcrafters Spring Fling Art & Handcrafted Market

9am-5pm. $3. Northville Community Senior Center. festivalnet.com

This juried, indoor art and fine craft market features 70 unique hand-selected artists and craftspeople March 20-21.

[misc] Bitchin’ Bingo

7pm. Tap Room. taproomypsi.com Free

Big fun with Drag Queen Bingo.

To reserve a spot, email Jadein at jadeinblack@gmail.com

21 Saturday

[film] My Name is Kim Bok-Dong 1pm. The Michigan Theater. michtheater.org Free

This documentary focuses on Kim’s life and struggles in fighting to get the Japanese government to take legal responsibility for the comfort women. Part of the KOREAN CINEMA NOW Film Series presented by the Nam Center for Korean Studies.

[misc] Hike to See the Owls

10am. $4. Lake St. Clair Metropark. metroparks.com

Learn about Michigan owl species, then take a guided hike to view Lake St. Clair Metropark’s famous Great Horned Owl pair.

There will be a spotting scope set up and binoculars to use.

Ann Arbor Orchid Festival

Noon-4:30pm. Matthaei Botanical Gardens. mbgna. umich.edu Free

Featuring displays showcasing beautiful orchids, free talks and demonstrations on orchid growing, orchid raffle and vendors from March 21-22.

Tequila & Taco Bar Crawl

3pm. $17.99-$34.99. Detroit. facebook.com/margartiacrawlusa

This event is a free roam bar crawl in Detroit with establishments serving tacos & drink specials, hosted by Margarita Crawl USA. There are general admission and VIP tickets available.

22 Sunday

[theater] It Came From Mars

by Joseph Zettlemaier

2pm. $15-$30. James R. Hartman Theatre at Schoolcraft College. brownpapertickets.com

It Came From Mars features a troupe of radio actors in the 1930s who attempt to rehearse their own show the night that Orson Welles delivers his famous War of the Worlds broadcast. Performances will be on March 20, 21, 22, 27 and 28.

National Theatre Live in HD: Present Laughter

7pm. $22. Michigan Theater. ums.org

This giddy and surprisingly modern reflection on fame, desire, and loneliness star Andrew Scott (BBC’s Sherlock) as Garry, whose few remaining days at home are a chaotic whirlwind of love, sex, panic and soul-searching.

24 Tuesday

[theater] C. S. Lewis Onstage

7:30pm. $59-$89. The Power Center for the Performing Arts. events.umich.edu Using C.S. Lewis’ own words, award-winning actor Max McLean brings the brilliant Oxford Don to life, taking us on his extraordinary journey from hard-boiled atheist to “the most reluctant convert in all England.”

26 Thursday

[film] Martha Colburn: Rip it Up

5:10pm. The Michigan Theater. michtheater.org Free

Filmmaker, artist, and animator Martha Colburn’s films examine the complex dynamics of contemporary life, politics, and society. Part of the Penny Stamps Speaker Series, co-presented with the Ann Arbor Film Festival.

arts & culture 90s Bar Crawl

3pm. $20+. The Garage Bar/ Pizza House, Scorekeepers, Study Hall Lounge.

90sbarcrawl.com

Whether you grew up in the greatest decade or just happen to have a love for all things the 90s, join for a day of nostalgia, positivity, and most of all, 90s-style fun!

29 Sunday

[misc] Happily Ever After

7pm. $15. Greenmead Historical Park. michigan.org

The evening begins at the beautifully decorated historic Newburg Church with a guest speaker and music, followed by a “reception” with hors d’oeuvres. Wedding dresses from the late 1880s–1990s will be on exhibit.

28 Saturday

[dance] Dance for Mother Earth Powwow 10:30am. Skyline High School. michigan.org Free

The Native American Student Association is welcoming dancers, drummers, craftspeople, artists, and spectators! Welcome to all those interested in a weekend-long celebration of Native American culture.

[misc] 8th Annual Spring Enlightened Soul Expo 10am. $5-$14. Saline Middle School. enlightenedsoulexpo.com

Join for the largest indoor holistic-psychic event in Michigan! Over 150 vendors, bodyworkers and readers from around the Midwest!

[art] Paint Like Bob Ross

Noon. $60. Hudson Mills Metropark. metroparks.com

Have you always wanted to paint like a famous artist such as Bob Ross? Come and join Ted Simpson, CRI instructor from Natures Brush Studio as he walks you through painting a Bob Ross painting!

[theater] Why I Fight

2pm. East Quadrangle Keene Theater. lsa.umich.edu Free

Why I Fight, a theatrical production exploring psychiatric treatment and the arts as a path to wellness, is an adaptation of the 2019 Michigan Quarterly Review novelette by James Munro Leaf, dramatizes the perils of being defined by mental illness and being caught in the psychiatric system. See it March 26-29.

30 Monday

[lit] Eco Book Club

7pm Literati Bookstore. literatibookstore.com Free

Discuss matters about sustainability, climate change, and the environment and environmental issues.

Ann Arbor’s urban venue for private weddings and events 20-200 guests for more information contact us: (734)230-2300 or greyline@zingermans.com

100 N Ashley St, Ann Arbor, MI ecurrent.com / march 2020 33

cannabis

Christina Montague, right, with longtime friend The Rev. Jesse Jackson and her daughter Teesha Montague during a campaign event in Ann Arbor in 2012.

From County Commission to Cannabis Huron View Owner Christina Montague

By Charmie Gholson

Meet retired public school social worker and former Washtenaw County Commissioner board chair, Christina Montague, is the sole owner and operator of Huron View Provisioning Center, which she formed in 2017. Her daughter Teesha, who has a business management degree from Eastern Michigan University, serves as the operation manager.

Montague is one of two known women of color in Michigan who obtained a medical marijuana business license under the MMFLA and is still open and operating. Her state-granted license is a highly coveted commodity. For the first 24 months after November 1, 2019, an applicant for most adult-use licenses must hold an MMFLA license before the applicant is eligible.

Montague says since she opened the location on Packard in east Ann Arbor for Huron View, she’s spent over $100,000 defending herself against harassment, threats and a frivolous lawsuit by competitors to run her out of her business and her location. She graciously spent some time with Current to answer questions.

What compelled you to enter the medical marijuana retail market? My daughter was the first person to talk to me

about entering the legal cannabis industry, with the goal of funding my longtime ambition of starting a family solar farm. She and

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I traveled the state for the past four-and-a-half years, educating communities on the cannabis laws in Michigan. We also inform others of the benefits of cannabis and CBD. What are some examples of curative healing powers you’ve seen with cannabis? The things we often see are

women and men of all age groups with chronic pain or other distress issues. Our patients describe their cannabis use as a non-addictive solution for chronic pain, PTSD and other major physical and emotional stressors. Some are working to reduce tolerance and use of opioids, alcohol abuse and cigarette use.

What has been your experience as an African American woman in the industry? My daughter and I are educated and

prepared to be successful in this industry. It’s not easy but we’ve done the work and will continue to learn and teach others.

Can you talk about the industry’s predatory practices?

I’ve spent about $100K on lawyer fees since I began, just so that I’m able to operate my store legally, correctly and safely. There are people who want your licensed location, so they sue you. You can have a good record locally, and with the state, do everything right, but you can get sued so they can take over your location.

Once you’re in a location in Ann Arbor no (other retail marijuana seller) can move within 600 feet of you.

Some lawyers, if their clients have money to sue, they will sue you even though they know you’re in your location legally. They have said to us, “we will sue you and bankrupt you with attorney costs.”

Our court case was dismissed in 10 minutes, but it took weeks of me obtaining legal affidavits from all my fellow business owner neighbors just to prove my legal status and defend myself against their bogus accusations. Of course, I had to pay attorney fees.

The Ann Arbor City attorney’s office was very supportive and backed us in court too.

I’m not the only one this has happened too in the state, and it’s not just black women. I’ve heard some white operators talking about how they’ve been harassed also. If I didn’t have good lawyers I would probably wouldn’t have a business today.

Where would you like to see yourself and your business in ten years? With a portfolio of cannabis businesses

What changes have you seen in Michigan’s medical and recreational business industry? Something is wrong because

What do you see as being the greatest challenges to women and people of color in entering this market? Lack

they are continuously running short or running out of flower available for businesses to purchase in the state system.

When we first started, we were paying $2,000 to $3000 a pound. Now the costs are steadily increasing to $4000 to $5,000 a pound, or more. I’m hoping the state doesn’t let the big companies push out the small companies due to a lack of cannabis available for sale.

Where would you like to see this industry in five years?

Definitely more diverse industry ownership, with better opportunities for everyday people (not just corporations) to have a realistic chance for success in the industry. More research capital support would be so helpful for more complete scientific information to better serve/help our patients and break the stigma of this amazing plant.

And last but not least, my hope is that the Michigan Regulatory Agency will immediately implement rules that protect minorities and small businesses from attorneys who file court lawsuits designed to bankrupt owners and put them out of business. We need to put pressure on the people who administer the program to protect legal business owners from these predatory practices.

that provide employment for local constituents and give back to, and help stimulate, the community.

of financing and racism. It’s disheartening.

What do you see as being the most significant challenges that the State has in regulating this market? Illicit mar-

ket businesses, criminal activity and rules, and opportunities that only benefit wealthy cannabis investors and business owners.

Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?

My daughter and I are very appreciative of the leadership Governor Whitmer is providing in making the industry open and nondiscriminatory for all. State Senator Jeff Irwin educated us (and many others) and continues to work to make the state cannabis industry open, safe and available to those wanting to get involved.

I am very appreciative of the Mayor of Ann Arbor and City Councilwoman Anne Bannister, who personally worked to make sure the local licensing process was open and fair.

ecurrent.com / march 2020 35

person of interest Better Care for Everyone

Ozone House Executive Director Krista Girty shares her journey

By Erin Holden

What first drew you to your work at Ozone House? As a

Krista Girty (with microphone) at the January ribbon cutting of the Ozone House’s new building.

and creating opportunities. Everyone tells a different story, from saving a life with a suicide intervention and providing immediate safety in our shelter, to helping a family reunify under difficult circumstances and providing the only warm meal someone might have that day. It’s knowing there are open doors to a safe place to build community and get off the streets, having an appropriate relationship with an adult, often for the first time, coming out to an adult and feeling acceptance and celebration— not rejection. It’s making a difference in each other’s lives to make this world safer for all.

new social worker, over 24 years ago, I learned quickly that Ozone House was unique. It was easy to see that they put youth at the center of their program design and approach. I was lucky to work for Ozone House for the first time 18 years ago when I got to do amazing work with young folks and staff for several years before I moved to the South and then to the West Coast. In all my years of doing this work, Ozone House made the most meaningful impact on the core principles that have guided my practices. It taught me everything about youth work and laid an important foundation early in my career. I will be forever grateful for my early teachers and mentors through Ozone House.

In 2017, I learned that our (Ozone House’s) former executive director was leaving after 17 years with the agency (she is a legend!), and I instantly wondered what would happen to Ozone House. It has had stellar leadership since our start over 50 years ago… so an ED transition was a big deal. I started evaluating my work and what this next chapter could mean if I applied. I knew that Ozone House was a place where I could do meaningful work. I also believed that I was well positioned with extensive experience that fit perfectly for an ED transition, a capital campaign, a building project and doing our day-to-day mission work. I have been back (in Michigan) just over two years. Leading Ozone House into our next 50 years is the absolute honor of my career.

More beds. In our work at Ozone House, we continue to see an overwhelming opportunity to do better for young folks in collaboration with our community. I strive for a day when we never have to put a young person on a waitlist for a safe place to sleep.

What impact have you seen from the services offered at Ozone House? I get to witness the day-to-day successes in our

that there is so much more we can do for staff and the folks we serve. I really struggle with how undervalued our field of work is…

I wish we could take better care of everyone.

work and hear countless stories from youth and families that have been involved with Ozone House. The web of connections with youth, staff, volunteers, donors and community partners is really hard to explain. It is truly a special place focused on youth needs

36

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2020 / ecurrent.com

What success stories stand out for you most? I want to give

a shoutout to our entire community and everyone that continues to support our work! Our Capital Campaign has been widely successful, and we have moved into our new “Forever Home”! We made this success happen together.

What are your hopes for the future of Ozone House when it comes to future projects, programs and milestones?

What aspects of your personality and background make you successful as an executive director? There are many

ways to do this work, and understanding systems nationwide has given me a broad perspective that helps me locally. As for my personality— I always believe that there is a way; I am resilient, loving, and intuitive. And I am incredibly dedicated to my work. I think my passion and experience is easy to see and feel.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job? Knowing

What is the most rewarding aspect of your work?

Working with youth! They teach me everything and keep me honest and moving forward.

free will astrology © Copyright 2020 Rob Brezsny

MARCH ARIES (March 21-April 19): You may sometimes reach a point where you worry that conditions are not exactly right to pursue your dreams or fulfill your holy quest. Does that describe your current situation? If so, I invite you to draw inspiration from Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), who’s regarded as one of history’s foremost novelists. Here’s how one observer described Cervantes during the time he was working on his masterpiece, the novel titled Don Quixote : “shabby, obscure, disreputable, pursued by debts, with only a noisy tenement room to work in.” Cervantes dealt with imperfect conditions just fine.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “True success is figuring out your life and career so you never have to be around jerks,” says Taurus filmmaker, actor, and author John Waters. I trust that you have been intensely cultivating that kind of success in the last few weeks, Taurus—and that you will climax this wondrous accomplishment with a flourish during the next few weeks. You’re on the verge of achieving a new level of mastery in the art of immersing yourself in environments that bring out the best in you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I would love for you to become more powerful, Gemini—not necessarily in the sense of influencing the lives of others, but rather in the sense of managing your own affairs with relaxed confidence and crisp competence. What comes to mind when I urge you to expand your self-command and embolden your ambition? Is there an adventure you could initiate that would bring out more of the swashbuckler in you?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): For my Cancerian readers in the Southern Hemisphere, this oracle will be in righteous alignment with the natural flow of the seasons. That’s because February is the hottest, laziest, most spacious time of year in that part of the world—a logical moment to take a lavish break from the daily rhythm and escape on a vacation or pilgrimage designed to provide relaxation and renewal. Which is exactly what I’m advising for all of the earth’s Cancerians, including those in the Northern Hemisphere. So for those of you above the equator, I urge you to consider thinking like those below the equator. If you can’t get away, make a blanket fort in your home and pretend. Or read a book that takes you on an imaginary journey. Or hang out at an exotic sanctuary in your hometown.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo author Walter Scott (1771–1832) was a pioneer in the genre of the historical novel. His stories were set in various eras of the Scottish past. In those pre-telephone and pre-Internet days, research was a demanding task. Scott traveled widely to gather tales from keepers of the oral tradition. In accordance with current astrological omens, Leo, I recommend that you draw inspiration from Scott’s old-fashioned approach. Seek out direct contact with the past. Put yourself in the physical presence of storytellers and elders. Get first-hand knowledge about historical events that will inspire your thoughts about the future of your life story.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Over a period of 40 years, the artist Rembrandt (1606–1663) gazed into a mirror as he created more than ninety self-portraits—about ten percent of his total work.

Why? Art scholars don’t have a definitive answer. Some think he did self-portraits because they sold well. Others say that because he worked so slowly, he himself was the only person he could get to model for long periods. Still others believe this was his way of cultivating selfknowledge, equivalent to an author writing an autobiography. In the coming weeks, I highly recommend that you engage in your personal equivalent of extended mirrorgazing. It’s a favorable time to understand yourself better.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): If you’re like most of us, you harbor desires for experiences that might be gratifying in some ways but draining in others. If you’re like most of us, you may on occasion get attached to situations that are mildly interesting, but divert you from situations that could be amazingly interesting and enriching. The good news, Pisces, is that you are now in a phase when you have maximum power to wean yourself from these wasteful tendencies. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to identify your two or three most important and exciting longings—and take a sacred oath to devote yourself to them above all other wishes and hopes.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): From author Don DeLillo’s many literary works, I’ve gathered five quotes to serve as your guideposts in the coming weeks. These observations are all in synchronistic alignment with your current needs. 1. Sometimes a thing that’s hard is hard because you’re doing it wrong. 2. You have to break through the structure of your own stonework habit just to make yourself listen. 3.

Something is always happening, even on the quietest days and deep into the night, if you stand a while and look. 4. The world is full of abandoned meanings. In the commonplace, I find unexpected themes and intensities. 5. What we are reluctant to touch often seems the very fabric of our salvation.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “I remember a time when a cabbage could sell itself just by being a cabbage,” wrote Scorpio author Jean Giraudoux (1882–1944). “Nowadays it’s no good being a cabbage—unless you have an agent and pay him a commission.”

He was making the point that for us humans, it’s not enough to simply become good at a skill and express that skill; we need to hire a publicist or marketing wizard or distributor to make sure the world knows about our offerings. Generally, I agree with Giradoux’s assessment. But I think that right now it applies to you only minimally. The coming weeks will be one of those rare times when your interestingness will shine so brightly, it will naturally attract its deserved attention. Your motto, from industrialist Henry J. Kaiser: “When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): When he was 29 years old, Sagittarian composer Ludwig Beethoven published his String Quartet, Op. 18, No. 4 . Most scholars believe that the piece was an assemblage of older material he had created as a young man.

A similar approach might work well for you in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. I invite you to consider the possibility of repurposing tricks and ideas that weren’t quite ripe when you first used them. Recycling yourself makes good sense.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Are there parts of your life that seem to undermine other parts of your life? Do you wish there was greater harmony between your heart and your head, between your giving and your taking, between your past and your future?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could infuse your cautiousness with the wildness of your secret self? I bring these questions to your attention, Capricorn, because I suspect you’re primed to address them with a surge of innovative energy. Here’s my prediction: Healing will come as you juxtapose apparent opposites and unite elements that have previously been unconnected.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When he was 19, the young poet Robert Graves joined the British army to fight in World War I. Two years later, the Times of London newspaper reported that he had been killed at the Battle of the Somme in France. But it wasn’t true. Graves was very much alive, and continued to be for another 69 years. During that time, he wrote 55 books of poetry, 18 novels, and 55 other books. I’m going to be bold and predict that this story can serve as an apt metaphor for your destiny in the coming weeks and months.

Some dream or situation or influence that you believed to be gone will in fact have a very long second life filled with interesting developments.

ecurrent.com / march 2020 37

crossword Across 1. Newsman Smith 5. Gentle touches 9. Largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago 13. Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prime Minister during WWII 14. Get ready to glow while lifting 15. Switch rival 16. Mindless copier 17. Dish in a lab 18. Drip schmutz everywhere 19. StubHub? 22. Apple Pencils, e.g.

23. Cuthbert of â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Ranchâ&#x20AC;?

27. Jewelry worn by a demonstrator?

31. Actor Adam, or his dad Alan 34. David who played Bond 35. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Just sayinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;,â&#x20AC;? initially 36. Classic Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day gift 37. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never hold water 38. Smile from ear to ear 39. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A long, long time ___â&#x20AC;?

40. Run of the mill 41. Classic office plants 42. Wasp thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fast as lightning?

45. Falling sounds 46. 2020 word 49. Where James Harden keeps his money?

54. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grand Oleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? performance hall 57. Hooting baby 58. Double negative?

59. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite a long time 60. Casino tools 61. Meat stamp letters 62. Dino with arms only one meter long 63. Adamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grandson 64. Mic check

38â&#x20AC;&#x192;

â&#x20AC;&#x201A; march

Down 1. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do it now!â&#x20AC;?

2. Kachina creators 3. Toss out 4. Toon with a stutter 5. See 55-Down 6. Resort in Utahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wasatch Mountains 7. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hamiltonâ&#x20AC;? antagonist 8. â&#x20AC;&#x153;BlacKkKlansmanâ&#x20AC;?

Oscar-winner 9. Very rare 10. Corp. raiderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s takeover 11. Guitarist Scaggs 12. Chop 14. â&#x20AC;&#x153;___ Nerveâ&#x20AC;? (Maria Gainza novel) 20. Hilderbrand nicknamed â&#x20AC;&#x153;Queen of the Beach Readâ&#x20AC;?

21. Musk who founded The Boring Company 24. 6-Down habituĂŠ 25. Muscular stud 26. Bohr subject 28. Stuffed turnover 29. Line sung after â&#x20AC;&#x153;chicks,â&#x20AC;? say 30. Two-in-one item that was high tech in the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;90s 31. Keffiyeh wearers 32. Equip for use 33. Grassy hill 37. A perfect one is 1600 38. Fruit of an Asiatic palm tree 40. Ex-presidential candidate who was â&#x20AC;&#x153;just born to be in itâ&#x20AC;? (um...)

41. Bandleader Kuti 43. Adamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apple spot 44. Lizards in witches brews 47. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Almost!â&#x20AC;?

48. Pours drinks, e.g.

50. Kevin who wrote â&#x20AC;&#x153;Crazy Rich Asiansâ&#x20AC;?

51. Nevada county or its seat 52. Workout tops 53. Exactly 54. Cereal grain 55. With 5-Down, spending allowance 56. Spreadable eggs

2020â&#x20AC;&#x2021;/â&#x20AC;&#x2021;ecurrent.com

for crossword answers, go to ecurrent.com

Š2020 By Brendan Emmett Quigley (www.brendanemmettquigley.com)

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