Tag: Free

PREVIEW: Voices of the Middle West

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Image courtesy of Midwestern Gothic

Calling all book lovers, readers, publishers, bagel eaters, robots, Midwesterners4Life…whoever you are, you have a VOICE! And we want to hear it!

One year later after its debut, the Voices of the Middle West Literary Festival is a new annual event, created in partnership by local literary mag Midwestern Gothic and UM’s Residential College. From the Midwestern Gothic website, Voices of the Middle West is “a festival celebrating writers from all walks of life as well as independent presses and journals that consider the Midwestern United States their home.”

The event, set up in the East Quad Main Concourse, will be all day starting at 10 am-6pm, available for you to wend your way through tables of books to buy (including ones from Literati Bookstore), freshly-printed campus publications to peruse, publishers and editors and visionary students to chat about the future of the industry in an electronic world, and some very famous authors to brush shoulders with!

Throughout the day will be many panels featuring authors such as Matt Bell, Alissa Nutting, and Anne Valente, on different topics about the Midwest. There’s a chance to hear (or perform) poems and prose at the Open Mic, a great way to support your fellow writers on campus. And don’t miss the very special keynote speaker, Stuart Dybek, who will discuss his own take on publishing, writing, being successful, and of course, living in the Midwest.

I believe everyday should be a day to celebrate books! But Midwestern Gothic and the Residential College have put their heads together to make Voices of the Middle West a celebration that immerses you in Midwestern pride and literary splendor. Indeed- Voices is a unique “book holiday” that is too good to pass up. (Party hats optional. Love of books required)

What: Voices of the Middle West

Where: East Quad, University of Michigan Central Campus

When: Saturday, March 21 from 10-6

How Much?: FREE!!! … unless you choose to buy a book! Which I mean, how could you not??? 🙂

For more information on the schedule of events, check out http://midwestgothic.com/2010/12/voices-of-the-middle-west-event-information/.

 

 

 

PREVIEW: Norton Juster Lecture at UMMA

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Image Courtesy via rmichaelson.com

He breathed life into such beloved classic characters as Tock the Dog, the Humbug, King Azaz, the Mathmagician, the Princesses Rhyme and Reason, and of course, Milo. He is Norton Juster, the author of The Phantom Tollbooth, a book that celebrates the paradox of youthfully growing up, plays with the English language, and perfectly times intellectual puns. Although the book is consistently labeled as “children’s literature,” critics often acknowledge that the wordplay and extended metaphor of achieving wisdom would totally go over children’s heads. Nevertheless, the plot, the characters, and the essence of the book is translatable across all ages. It’s a story that a family can read together and all gain something from the experience. I first read it last year as a sophomore in college, and it instantly bumped up to one of the most influential books I’ve ever read. And I am beyond excited to announce that Norton Juster has been invited to speak about Children’s Literature and his process of writing The Phantom Tollbooth, as part of the Zell Visiting Writer Series.

The talk will begin with a documentary called “The Phantom Tollbooth: Beyond Expectations” and will be followed with an invigorating Q&A with Juster himself. Come for the inspiration, the whimsy, and the great word puns.

What: Norton Juster Lamstein Lecture in Children’s Literature

Where: University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA), Helmut Stern Auditorium

When: Thursday, March 12 at 5:10 – 7

How Much?: Free!!!!

 

PREVIEW: Kelly Link Reading

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Image Courtesy via Amazon.com

Welcome to the magical world of Kelly Link. Fantastically full of fantasy, light horror, and magical realism, Link writes short stories about haunted convenience stores, apocalyptic poker parties, zombies, marriage, superheroes, and witches in a way that is supremely unique, wacky, and wonderful. She has an original voice that you can hear LIVE this Friday at the Literati Bookstore!

What: Kelly Link Reading

Where: Literati Bookstore

When: Friday, February 20 at 7 pm

How Much?: Free!

P.S. If you have never read her stories I highly recommend them, and you can read one of the stories from her new collection, “Get in Trouble,” right over here!

 

PREVIEW: Ruth Ozeki Reading

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Image Courtesy via Amazon.com

Every year, a book is selected for the “Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads” program as a chance to promote literacy and civic dialogue in the community. This year, the council has chosen Ruth Ozeki’s emotionally touching novel, “A Tale for the Time Being.” The story intertwines the lives of Nao, a suicidal Japanese teenager, and a novelist in Canada who finds Nao’s diary washed up on shore.

This Wednesday, the novelist, filmmaker and Zen Buddhist priest herself will be speaking at Rackham Auditorium! Even if you haven’t read the novel, please still attend if you have any interest in Japanese culture or writing in general! As a writer myself, I find it always very comforting to hear successful authors tell me about their bumps in their road along the way.

What: Ruth Ozeki Reading and Book Signing

When: Wednesday, Feb 11 at 7-9 pm

Where: Rackham Auditorium

How Much?: Free!

Come celebrate the 2015 Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Read and be a part of your literary community!

 

PREVIEW: RC Players presents Breaking News

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Image created by Manami Maxted

We interrupt your daily routine of papers, Starbucks runs, naps, and Facebooking for this special report: The sleepy town of Hiddlesville is rocked with explosions, and everybody’s got something to say about it. And that’s just what the bombers want…

Skyler Tarnas, a junior in the RC, has written and directed a “tragedy-comedy about the comedy of tragedy” in order to comment on the ridiculously frivolous arguments made by television broadcasters in the face of tragedy. Watch as East Quad becomes the battle field for CNN-inspired brawls, laugh until you cry, and let emotions tangle and twist in this satirical genre-bending production.

What: RC Players Presents: Breaking News

When: November 21-23 (Friday and Saturday @ 8:00 pm, Sunday @ 2:00 pm)

Where: Keene Theater in East Quad

How Much?: Free!!!

PREVIEW: Friday Night’s Alright for Reading

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Have you ever been in a writing class, received your red-marked paper back with critiques and underlines and “more sexual tension” here and “suspend reader disbelief” there, and wondered, “Gee, does my teacher practice what he/she preaches in his/her own writing?” Here’s your chance to find out!

What: A literary reading by five local authors, hosted by local publication, Midwestern Gothic

Who: Contributors include U-M English lecturer Julie Babcock, Ann Arbor News crime reporter John Counts, local authors Robert James Russell and Jared Yates Sexton, and the RC’s Laura Thomas.

When: Friday, November 7 at 5 pm

Where: Benzinger Library, East Quad

How Much?: Absolutely free!

To keep up on other creative writerly events in East Quad and around town, check out http://sites.lsa.umich.edu/rcwriters/.