First Things

Something Audible Podcast features nature ‘soundwalk’

You might pay lots of attention to what you’re seeing when out in nature, but what about what you’re hearing? A podcast created by a local biologist for the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy will teach people to use their ears to gain a new perspective on local preserves. She also hopes it will help people find inner balance by deepening their connections to nature. Soundwalking in the Time of COVID-19, recorded by Sharon Gill, a SWMLC board member and a professor of biological sciences at Western Michigan University, leads participants through a series of listening Sharon Gill. Courtesy Western Michigan University. exercises to help them hear the sounds of nature while walking at a Land Conservancy preserve or natural area. Participants are encouraged to listen to the podcast for the first set of instructions, walk while listening to the natural sounds around them, then pause to resume the podcast and the next instruction.

The entire podcast may take up to 45 minutes to complete, but you can easily shorten the exercise to fit your needs. (Suggestions for shortening it are included in the recording.) To access the podcast, visit swmlc.org.

Something Classical Ingrid Fliter to perform livestream concert

If you want to see pianist Ingrid Fliter perform, you won’t have to wait until the next Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival in 2022 — the perennial festival favorite will perform a special livestreamed concert at 4 p.m. Jan. 17.

Fliter, the 2006 Gilmore Artist, has been a part of almost every Gilmore Festival since that year and is beloved by audiences worldwide. She will perform a program of works by Beethoven and Chopin.

Tickets for the Virtually Gilmore Concert Season are available on a “name your own price” basis, allowing viewers to watch for free, pay the traditional ticket price or pay the amount of their choosing. Traditional ticket prices are $35-55 for adults and $7 for students.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit thegilmore.org or call 359-7311.

Tali Song Roth

Something Astral Online course offers astronomy lessons

Do you ever look into the night sky and ask, “Just what is it that I am seeing?” The Kalamazoo Astronomical Society can help you find the answer through its 12-week online course on the basics of astronomy.

Introduction to Astronomy will take place from 6-7:40 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning Jan. 12, via Zoom. The class, taught by diehard amateur astronomer and KAS President Richard S. Bell, will touch on almost all topics related to the cosmos, from the history of astronomy and telescopes to planets, stars, galaxies and other celestial entities.

The class is recommended for ages 15 and older, and the cost is $150. To register, send an email to kas@kasonline.org.

Something Jazzy Emmet Cohen Trio plans livestream performance

The Emmet Cohen Trio, led by a 30-year-old award-winning jazz pianist, will bring its modernflavored jazz to Kalamazoo through a performance livestreamed from the Wellspring Theater at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 3.

The trio, which also includes bassist Russell Hall and drummer Kyle Poole, is performing as part of The Gilmore’s Virtual Jazz Club. As the leader of the trio, Cohen is known for his “Masters Legacy Series,” a set of recordings and interviews honoring legendary jazz musicians.

The trio’s program will be announced from the stage, and tickets are on a name-your-own price basis. To purchase tickets, visit thegilmore.org.

Not sure how to stream a performance? The Gilmore offers instructions at thegilmore.org/ how-to-stream.

Something Liquid Special week celebrates craft beverages

It’s no secret that the greater Kalamazoo area has a deep well when it comes to craft breweries, distilleries and wineries, and Discover Kalamazoo is retooling its annual Kalamazoo Beer Week to highlight the area’s diverse beverage makers.

Now called Kalamazoo Craft Beverage Week 2021, the weeklong

event will be held Jan. 29–Feb. 6 and will feature events that celebrate the craft beverage industry. Depending on health-and-safety restrictions at the time, the week may feature virtual and hybrid events. Patrons will be able to virtually meet the brewers, distillers and winemakers, learn about what it takes to develop their products, and achieve a greater sense of the area’s craft beverage industry. In addition, participating vendors are offering to-go packages and deals so that participants can try their products. To participate, visit kalamazoocraftbeverageweek.com.

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Something Literary Local author to give writing workshops

If you’ve got a personal story to tell, local author and editor Wilma Kahn can help get you started through two virtual four-week workshops offered by local libraries.

Kahn is the author of Big Black Hole, a detective novel published in 2005, and has taught writing and literature courses in Kalamazoo County since 1987. She has an M.F.A. in creative writing and a doctoral degree in English.

Kahn will be teaching Reminiscence Writing at 11 a.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 5-Feb. 16, through the Comstock Township Library, via Zoom. In this course, she’ll teach people how to write vignettes from their past and present them in the form of essays, stories or poems. For more information or to register for this free class, visit comstocklibrary.org.

In addition, Kahn will conduct a class called Write With Wilma through the Parchment Community Library at 10 a.m. Thursdays, beginning Jan. 7, via Zoom. In addition to learning from Kahn, participants will have the chance to share samples of their writing and take part in supportive, respectful discussions with other class members. Registration is required, and the cost is $5. For more information or to register, visit parchmentlibrary.org.

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