Cheap Thrills

ROLL IT UP. If I were abandoned on a deserted island and there was only one food I could have, it would be anything that fits in a roll: sushi, spring rolls, dolmas. I love the concept and the beauty of delicate ingredients nesting inside something that's been rolled up by hand and, better yet, eaten by hand as well.

Here's a chance to learn from the master. Dao's Hunan opens to the public to share tips on making Vietnamese spring rolls. On Saturday, from 3 to 5 p.m., you get to peek behind the swinging doors, learn how to wrap aromatic herbs and other ingredients into fresh rolls and then you get to eat them (with or without your hands). $10 includes your two rolls and a soda. Dao's is located at 4689 E. Speedway at Swan. RSVP at 323-3737.

FROM THE ARCHIVES. Get a glimpse into the lives of notable Western writers such as Charles Bukowski, Edward Abbey, Nancy Mairs and others in the UA Library's Special Collections. Here's a chance for us nosy and bookish types to look at the private papers, galley proofs and letters of some of the greatest creative minds.

"When looking at an artifact, one gets new impressions and a fuller appreciation of the life and mind of its creator," says Bonnie Travers, director of the Collections. "This exhibition teases and tempts us to look further."

The exhibition continues through October 29, Mondays to Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. Special Collections is located at the corner of Cherry Avenue and University Boulevard. For information, call 621-6423.

MORE FROM THE ARCHIVES. This impromptu gem of a film series is brought to you by a bunch of folks collaborating to dig out documentaries that have been stellar portrayals of life in the lesbian, gay, bi and transgender communities both before and after Stonewall. Officially it's hosted by a number of departments at the University and Wingspan, the Community LGBT Center.

Each Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. through October 9 there's a free screening. This week it's Silverlake Life produced by Tom Joslin and Peter Friedman almost a decade ago in 1993. The diary-like footage follows the filmmaker and his partner through the final year of their joint struggle with AIDS--an unforgettable testament to love and commitment.

Future weeks' screenings include Before Stonewall and The Celluloid Closet. Screenings take place at the Center for English as a Second Language, room 102, located at 1100 E. North Campus Drive just north of Main Gate at University Boulevard and behind the Arizona State Museum. They're free and open to the public. For details, call 621-1239.