LITERATURE POETRY FESTIVAL. The Tucson Poetry Festival XIV tantalizes the senses March 8 through 10 at The Temple Of Music And Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Featured poets include Ai, Sherman Alexie, Frank Bidart, Eavan Boland, Alison Deming and Benjamin Alire Saenz. Mark Wunderlick is the panel discussion moderator. Tickets are $5 per day or $10 for a weekend pass. Small group sessions and open mic poetry reading is held at the Temple Friday night. Call 623-7277 for information. BOOKSIGNING. Barnes and Noble. 5480 E. Broadway. 745-9822. W. Lane Rogers signs copies of Crimes and Misdeeds: Headlines from Arizona's Past from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 9. BOOKSIGNING. Borders Books and Music. 4235 N. Oracle Road. 292-1331. Roswita Davis reads from and signs copies of her published poetry at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9. Joan Brock discusses and signs copies of More Than Meets the Eye at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 10. Agha Shadid Ali reads from and signs copies of his poetry at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 12. BOOKSIGNING. The Book Mark. 5001 E. Speedway. 881-6350. Patricia Preciado Martin signs copies of El Milagro and Other Stories from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7. BOOKSIGNING. The Haunted Bookshop. 7211 N. Northern Ave. 297-4843. Leslie Marmon Silko signs copies of her new book of essays, Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit, from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 9. PARTY WITH ANTIGONE. Antigone Books celebrates International Women's Day with a costume party from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 8, at 411 N. Fourth Ave. Come as your favorite woman from fact or fiction. Call 792-3715 for information. DEAD POETS SOCIETY. No longer hiding our poetry in boxes, the group now meets to discuss hidden ideas, impressions, inspirations and passions, catalyzed by shared writing and converted into found connections. Call 577-2444 for information. BOOK SALE. The Education Enrichment Foundation's Colossal Book Sale continues through March 10 at Park Mall, 5870 E. Broadway, in the former KG Men's Store. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Call EEF at 325-8688 for information. WRITING CONTEST. The Arizona Author's Association sponsors its 15th annual literary contest. Unpublished poetry, essays and short stories are being accepted from published and unpublished writers. For contest rules and information, send SASE to: AAA Literary Contest, 3509 E. Shea Blvd., No. 117, Phoenix, AZ 85028-3339. Deadline is July 29. CALL FOR ENTRIES. Messages From the Heart, a quarterly journal dedicated to letter writing, is accepting submissions. Send heartfelt letters, journal entries, poems, comments or drawings about letter writing to: P.O. Box 64840, Tucson, AZ 85728. Include 55-cents postage for a free issue. Submissions for an original postcard contest are also under consideration, for a $5 entry fee. A two-year subscription will be awarded for best artwork and best message. Call 577-0588 for information. SPARROWGRASS POETRY. Sparrowgrass Poetry is offering a grand prize of $500 for the Awards of Poetic Excellence poetry contest. Poets may enter one poem only, 20 lines or less, on any subject and in any poetic style. Submitted poems will also be considered for publication. No entry charge. Deadline is March 31. Send entries to: Sparrowgrass Poetry Forum, Inc., Dept. C, 203 Diamond St., Sisterville, WV 26175. CALL FOR ENTRIES. Modern Poetry Society seeks new poetry from adult and young writers. Prizes range from $10 to $500.Send one poem, 25 lives or less, with the poet's name, address and age (if under 21) to: Modern Poetry Society, P.O. Box 2029, Dunnellon, FL 34430-2029. Poems will not be returned. Deadline is March 31. LITERACY VOLUNTEERS. For the love of literacy, become a tutor. Free reading instruction for adults. Call Literacy Volunteers of Pima County. at 884-8337 for information. KIDS SEND IN THE CLOWNS. The Culpepper and Merriweather Circus raises the big top Monday, March 11, at Mesa Verde Elementary School, 1661 W. Sage. Show times are 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $6, $4 for children ages 2 to 12 years. Call 292-4320 for tickets and information. OUTSTANDING TEENS. The City of Tucson seeks nominations for the Outstanding Teen Citizen Awards for Teen Week, April 6 through 19. Youth ages 13 to 19 who have overcome hardships, are active in their community, have made positive life choices and have demonstrated strong leadership skills are eligible. Nominations must be typed, double spaced and no longer than three hundred words. Forms are available at all Tucson/Pima Libraries or by calling Gina Macaluso at 791-4391. Deadline is March 15. STORYTIME. Curious George is the guest celebrity at storytime, 1 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at Barnes and Noble, 5480 E. Broadway. Call 745-9822 for information. S.P.E.A.K. FOR KIDS. S.P.E.A.K. (Supporting and Promoting Ethics for the Animal Kingdom) invites high school students to help make a difference for animals. Participants learn activist skills and meet new friends. Call 323-6247 for information on March meetings. MUSIC CLASSES. Music classes of all levels and types are offered at the Desert Dove School of Music, 6163 S. Midvale Park Road. Beginning and intermediate band, guitar and preschool/interactive music classes are now forming. Call Judith Richardson at 888-3352 for information. YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE. The League of United Latin American Citizens hosts the seventh annual Youth Leadership Conference March 13 and 14 at the PCC West Campus, 2202 W. Anklam Road. The conference's philosophy is to encourage and motivate students to stay in school, set their goals and emphasize the importance of education in realizing their dreams. Luis Valdez is this year's keynote speaker. Banquet will be the evening of March 14 at La Paloma. Single tickets are $50, $500 for a table of 10. Call LULAC at 882-0455 or 629-1358 for information. Parents' Corner PARENTS WITHOUT PARTNERS. Parents Without Partners, a support organization for single parents, meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays at 2447 N. Los Altos Ave., Chapter Hall No. 45. Call 622-8120 for information. TUSD BOARD MEETINGS. Learn more about where TUSD funding comes from and how it's used in The Dollars and Sense of TUSD's Budget at 7 p.m. Monday, March 11, at Rincon High School Cafeteria, 422 N. Arcadia St.; and at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, at Pueblo High School Cafeteria, 3500 S. 12th Ave. Call 617-7303 for information. TRANSITION FAIR '96. A consortium of local agencies and school districts host Transition Fair '96 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, at Rincon High School Cafeteria, 422 N. Arcadia. This free event is designed for students ages 14 to 22 years with special needs, as well as professionals and interested citizens. Information about education, vocations, housing, recreation and medical and assistive technologies is featured. Call Maria Masone at 324-3050 for information. F.E.M.A.L.E. Formerly Employed Mothers at the Leading Edge is a network of moms who have taken a break from their careers to be at home. Tucson has two chapters, northwest (529-8314) and central (325-6617). Chapters offer regular meetings, playgroups, Mom's Night Out activities and meals for new mothers. The central chapter meets at 7 p.m. the second Wednesday of the month, in the Rincon Room of the Alamo building at TMC, 5301 E. Grant Road. Carol Niehoff of Literacy Volunteers of Pima County speaks at the March 13 meeting. FAMILY FORUMS. Family Forum and Community Forum are free, ongoing classes which meet at 10:15 a.m. every Sunday at St. Philip's In The Hills Episcopal Church, 4440 N. Campbell Ave., in the Vestry Room. Family Forum offers frank discussion about families, children and parenting. Call 299-6421 for information. THE PARENT CONNECTION. The Parent Connection, 5326 E. Pima St., offers a variety of educational and support services for families. The program's core is its Parent/Child Play program, which brings parents and children together for activities geared toward the social and physical development of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The program provides instruction and discussion on communication, setting limits and nurturing for young children. The Parent Connection also offers a meeting site, library, indoor/outdoor play areas and referral to community resources for families. Additional class and lecture series and support groups are available. Call 321-1500 for registration and information. OUTDOORS ROCK ART HIKES. Two separate hikes on rock art are offered on Saturday, March 9: Sharon Urban takes hikers into the Tucson Mountains for a six-hour hike at 8 a.m. beginning at the southeast corner of Grant and Silverbell roads. Call 795-3197 or 621-4011 for registration and information. Henry Wallace leads a four-hour hike in the Picacho Mountains at 9 a.m. Call 888-9493 for reservations and information. Bring water, sunscreen, lunch, hats and sturdy shoes. Reservations are required. NATURAL HISTORY LECTURES. A series of natural history lectures are offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. throughout the month of March at Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon. On March 12 Bob Scarborough, local geologist, discusses the geology of the Madera Canyon region. Scarborough continues the series on March 16 with a discussion on the history of planetary life and climate change. Cost is $15 per lecture and includes a light lunch. Reservations required. Take I-19 South to Exit 63. Follow the signs to Madera Canyon. Call (520) 625-8746 for reservations and information. PADDLERS CLUB. The Southern Arizona Paddlers Club meets at 7 p.m. Monday, March 11, at The Dive Shop, 1702 E. Prince Road. Irene Zappia presents Rivers in Utah. Call Bob Crawford at 544-3720 for information. FIELD STUDY. The Coastal Conservation Foundation of Tucson offers Proyecto Tortuga, a field study program on sea turtle restoration in Southern Mexico. Participants patrol beaches and work with eggs and hatchlings in a nursery. Program runs from July through October. CCF is a non-profit conservation organization. For information write: Dan Dasse, Coastal Conservation Foundation of Tucson, P.O. Box 3621, Tucson, AZ 85722; or call 798-1844 for information. CORONADO NATIONAL MEMORIAL. Coronado National Memorial offers a series of free programs at 2 p.m. Thursdays throughout the month of March. Programs last 30 to 60 minutes. The History of Coronado Expedition is presented March 14, and Edible Plants is discussed March 21. Programs may be outdoors so dress appropriately. The memorial is located in Montezuma Canyon, 5 miles west of Highway 92. Call (520) 366-5515 for information. SAN PEDRO HIKES. Spring hikes along the river begin March 9. Hikes range from five to seven miles and range from moderately difficult to strenuous. Bring a minimum of one quart of water per person, wear proper hiking shoes and dress appropriately. Sunscreen, sunglasses, hat and snacks are important. Not appropriate for small children. Pets prohibited. Pre-registration is required. Cost is $7.50 per hike. Call (520) 458-3559 for registration and information. BOYCE THOMPSON ARBORETUM. March and April is the opportune time to catch the beauty of the desert in bloom. A number of tours, hikes and lectures are planned during March. Call for a listing of events. The Arboretum is 90 minutes north of Tucson via Highway 79. Admission is $4 for adults, $2 for children ages 5 to 12, with reservations for hikes required. Call (520) 689-2811 for more information. TOHONO CHUL PARK. 7366 N. Paseo del Norte. 742-6455. Tohono Chul Park grounds are open from 7 a.m. to sunset daily. Exhibit hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $2. The park presents "Wildflower Tours" at 10 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. "Walk in the Park Tours" meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday. "Birds of Tohono Chul Tours" depart at 8 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Tours last about one hour. "Art in the Park Tours," a docent-guided look at gallery exhibits, are offered at 11 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Navajo silversmith Alvin Thompson demonstrate the process of sandcasting jewelry from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, March 14, on the Gift Shop porch. A Xeriscape Landscape tour is given at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 16. Call 742-6455 for reservations and information. SINGLE-CAMPERS. Wandering Single Campers is looking for new members. Single persons over age 40 are invited to join camping activities in the Tucson area. Call 750-0451, 294-0719 or 298-9779 for a newsletter and information. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. 2021 N. Kinney Road. 883-2702. The museum is part botanical garden, part geology museum and part zoological park. Naturalistic settings house 1,386 plant species and 317 animal species. Live animal visits, botanical and raptor interpretations are given daily. During the month of March live animal interpretations start daily at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. A wildflower demonstration table is open daily from 10 am. to noon and from 1 to 3 p.m. Raptor Interpretations are held daily at 10:30 a m. Guided tours are suspended until April. Museum hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Saturday. Admission is $8.95 ages 13 and over, and $1.75 ages 6 through 12. Discount group rates are available.

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