For this installment of the UA Poetry Center's special reading series, Silko was asked to choose an emerging writer, someone whose work made her "hopeful about the vitality of the art of poetry at the turn of the millennium."
She chose Daryl Ross Begay, who grew up on the Chuska Mountains of the Navajo Reservation. He attended Navajo Community College, Dartmouth and Harvard, and currently writes from Gallup, New Mexico.
The free reading begins at 8 p.m. Wednesday, January 26, in the UA Modern Languages Auditorium, north of the main mall, and east of the Administration Building.
In addition to Begay's reading, both he and Silko will participate in a colloquium on the state of poetry at 11 a.m. Thursday, January 27, in the UA Martin Luther King Building, Room 100, at 1322 E. First St. For information, call 321-7760.
GRAND FUNK: Get your bad self down with "Relapse Into Funk" at Club Congress.
On Monday, January 24, smooth Congo DJs Velvet and Al Panegra spin the best R&B from the '70s, '80s and '90s, all within the darkly cool confines of downtown's hippest gin joint.
Doors open at 9 p.m. at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. For cover charge and other information, call 622-8848.
PATAGONIA PAST-TIME: Ground-breaking video is dusted off when Patagonia hosts the American Museum of Natural History's Margaret Mead Traveling Film and Video Festival.
The largest American showcase of independent cultural documentaries, the festival's titles include The Body as Art, Women Challenge Tradition, Roma (Gypsies) in Cinema and Religion, Rift and Reconciliation."
Founded in 1977 to honor the pioneering anthropologists, the show "is a unique opportunity to see a rare collection of videos that not only entertains, but also educates," says program organizer Meredith Aronson.
The free screenings are 6:30 p.m. Friday; 1:30, 4 and 6:15 p.m. Saturday; and 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday, January 21 through 23, in Cady Hall, 346 Duquesne Ave. in Patagonia. Take I-10 east to the Sonoita exit, and turn south on Highway 83. From Sonoita, travel west on Highway 83. Drive time is approximately one hour. Call (520) 394-2571 for information.
DESERT DANCE: Put out the dog, throw up your heels and get ready for the 52nd annual Southern Arizona Dance Festival.
This year's event will feature three days of square dance, clogging and round dance, with more than 3,000 movers and shakers descending upon Tucson from around the country. Events include workshops, demonstrations and even plain ol' fun dances.
The Dance Festival runs from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, January 21 through 23, in the TCC, 260 S. Church Ave. Admission is $1. For information, call 795-0713.
