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WRITING WORKS: The UA Extended University's Writing Works Center, a non-credit program for community writers, celebrates the beginning of its fall season with a reading and reception from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 15, with readings by Demetria Martinez and Rita Maria Magdaleno. The readings will kick-off the evening's events, with a description of fall programs and Q&A session following.
(Luzano, who also made a documentary on Chiapas using music and photographs, met Martinez through their mutual involvement with the human rights group Pueblo por La Paz.) Magdaleno is a published poet and Arizona Commission on the Arts writer-in-residence, and she specializes in teaching workshops on memoir writing and creating stories from family photographs. A mild-mannered, engaging storyteller in her own right, she's a nurturing mentor and a joy to listen to.
And while we're on the subject, mark your calendars for a not-to-be-missed reading at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 24, at The Rialto Theater, 318 E. Congress St. Martinez, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Simon Ortiz will join forces to offer a benefit reading for the Arizona Border Rights Project, which works to fight discrimination and harassment by law-enforcement officers, and to promote respect for human and civil rights by agencies that enforce immigration laws. Three powerful readers and one powerful subject add up to an evening sure to get raise your blood pressure a few notches. WAR STORIES: One hundred and fifty years ago--back in the days before air-conditioning and stucco subdivisions--the Mexican flag flew over the Old Pueblo. But in 1846, the United States went to war with Mexico; and by the time the dust settled, the Mexican government ceded to the U.S. more than a half-million square miles of land, including what's now Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, California and parts of Oklahoma, Colorado and Wyoming. A new PBS documentary, The Mexican-American War (1846-1848), takes a closer look at the conflict. Historians from both countries discuss the war's origins and its impact on their future development. Tune in for a fascinating history lesson at 9 p.m. Sunday and Monday, September 13 and 14, on KUAT-TV, Channel 6. The station's locally produced programs get into the act with feature segments on the war's impact which air on Reflexiones at 6:30 and 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 13, and on Arizona Illustrated at 6:30 and 11:30 p.m. on Monday, September 14. And, of course, there's the documentary's obligatory web page: www.pbs.org/KERA/usmexicanwar. LOOKING FOR CAMELOT: That paradox of building a community in which public safety, a clean environment and a secure local economy are at odds with the demands of an increasing population (and an increasingly disparate socio-economic one at that) come to light in Old Pueblo, New Tucson. Seen through the eyes of three generations of one Tucson family, this documentary traces Tucson's development from a dusty horse town to a burgeoning metropolis that'll hit the million mark by 2020. In a Dickensian twist, the film takes a spectral journey to Los Angeles and San Diego, with an eye on how these two communities are grappling with the problems of growth, to afford tunnel-visioned desert dwellers an educational glimpse into our possible future. The program's creators hope it will challenge viewers (and policy makers) to develop solutions to manage Tucson's growth, without sacrificing the environment and our quality of life.
Old Pueblo, New Tucson will have multiple morning,
afternoon and evening airings from September 14 through 27, on
Channel 12, Channel 46 and Channel 59 (check your
local service provider). For a specific show times or a program
guide, call 791-2582. You can also visit the web site at
www.ci.tucson.az.us/ch12.
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Poet-novelist Martinez needs no introduction to local audiences--she's
a Western States Book Award-winning fiction writer, and the author
of Mother Tongue (a beautifully written novel grounded
in the Salvadoran Sanctuary Movement.) She'll perform with musician
and collaborator Gustavo Luzano, whose original compositions
were inspired by Martinez' poetry. His contemporary style includes
plucking and brushing the strings of his piano to create a variety
of special effects...which should make for an interesting performance
piece, without question.
Both writers offer workshops during the fall semester. Whether
you're a beginning writer looking to hone your craft, or just
in search of inspiration from the pros, the Writing Works Center
is a good place to get acquainted. Call 626-4444 for information.
